Chapter Three

I stare down at the Cher CD case in my left hand. Could this girl get any lamer? Maybe if I beat my head on the corner of the desk, I'll knock myself out. I could distract from the icky badness. I've never really had a personal opinion on Cher. But now, hunting her down and making her a midnight treat sounds like the keenest thing. I sigh loudly. Not that she can hear me.

'Believe' starts up on that stupid mini stereo again. Wonder if she'd notice if I stuck a finger in each ear and started singing? This song wouldn't have been on my top play list before, but I definitely had no problem with it. Then again, I wasn't forced to listen to it twenty four-seven.

I glance back down to the song list.

There are nine other annoyingly upbeat tracks on this CD. She doesn't need to keep playing the same one over and over. Do people make lists of songs they never want to hear again? What would it be called? The DON'T PLAY list?

I need to be nice. Nice Buffy equals easier life with the roommate from hell. It could be worse. Will says her roommate has parties all the time. That's it. Just keep thinking, 'it could be worse.' My teeth grind together unconsciously.

"Wow, this music is so, so...."-Be nice. Be nice. Resist the urge to fill in, 'boring,' 'sucky,' 'repetitive,' 'gonna make my brain dribble slowly out of my ears if you continue playing this crap.'

She looks up from ironing her jeans and smiles widely at me, nodding her head to the annoying beat. "I know. This song is super fun, isn't it?"

No! A world of no! Instead, I offer, "You bet. It just gets fun-er and fun-er every time you play it!" That didn't sound too sarcastic. Yay for me…

I've got to get out of here. Now.

I walk over to the closet and pull out my only jacket. I really need to go shopping and get more clothes. One duffel bag worth of clothes just isn't cutting it here. I slip it on.

"Oh, you're going out?" she asks.

She 'mothers' me more than my own mom ever did. Although to be fair, Mom never ironed her jeans. Anyone that tightly wound needs to find a way to relax. I wonder if she's ever tried yoga?

I sigh and nod. "Yeah, I'm feeling seriously caffeine deprived." Not to mention blood deprived. I think 'Roommate Kathy' would have a cow if I started storing blood in our itty bitty fridge. Suppressing a chuckle at the mental image of her keeling over, I head for the door. Can't kill the girl, but I can dream. Another sigh escapes my lips and her voice grates on the last damn nerve I have.

"But it's late. Won't you be up all night?"

I pivot back to face her. I unclench my jaw and force the nice. "Yeah, but it's cool. I'm an 'up all night kinda gal.' I did mention that, right?"

She's still nodding along to that stupid damn song.

She makes this weird little 'harrumph' type noise. "I guess I didn't realize you'd be coming and going at all hours. Not that I mind. I'm just surprised."

Yup that's me. 'Pain in the ass, comes and goes all night and hates Cher' – Buffy.

I nod curtly at her. "Yeah, well, I'll be quiet as a mouse. Promise."

And with any luck she'll be asleep by the time I get back.

I'm half way out the door, nearly home free. My hand is still on the doorknob; Cher is still pounding behind me. "Oh, Buffy-"

And -- I keep walking. No more Kathy tonight. I can't handle it. She may just inspire me to ignore that pesky conscious I got stuck with. And blood would never come out of this carpet. The door clicks shut behind me and I let out a breath of air I don't need.

See? She's bad for me. Making me breathe and listen to Cher and...

A tiny pout forms on my lips as I walk past Willow's room. She wasn't kidding about her roomie. Loud music pounds through their closed door. Maybe I should rescue her? I shrug.

Tomorrow. Tomorrow I'll rescue her. Tonight, I need blood.

I jog down the stairs and out the side door, taking a deep breath of night air as it hits me. I don't need to breathe, but for some reason, Sunnydale night air has this scent I've never smelt anywhere else. Not even home. It's intoxicating.

A quick glance down at Scooby tells me that I've got thirty minutes before the butcher's closes up shop. If I cut across campus I should just be able to make it with ten minutes to spare.

Quickly turning to the left, I head off down one of the more poorly lit paths. You'd think with the death rate as high as it is here that they'd have enough sense to put more lights on campus.

A loud crunch sounds behind me and I stop moving. Wonder who that could be? Maybe a baddie? I could get in a good fight in ten minutes. It'd be the perfect way to spend those few extra seconds…

I stand in a shadow, waiting for another sound to tell me where whatever it is, is hiding.

Silence greets me.

I sigh and start walking again.

And stop. A soft rustling noise gets picked up on the wind.

I don't have time for games. "Alright. Why don't you quit hiding and come out and face me like a … thing."

My arms are crossed over my chest, with my hip cocked out to the side. Not a weapon in sight. Of course, that doesn't mean I don't have a few hidden on me. I'm blonde but I'm not stupid.

The rustling noise gets closer and I drop into a defensive posture.

And out pops Kathy.

Oh, for fu… I stop the curse. Patience. You remember what patience is, right? A deep throated growl answers my question. It never really was my thing.

I roll my eyes and stare up at the sky. What'd I do to deserve this?

She bounces to a spot next to me. "Hey, I caught you…"

I can feel a growl building up in the back of my throat but I swallow it down. Maybe she's got a legitimate reason for following me? Like uhm…

I go through a possible list of reasons. Maybe I forgot my cell phone? Nope, can't forget what I don't have. Maybe I accidently took her CD case? Yeah, right. I ask as non-accusingly as possible, "Is everything okay?"

Maybe she just wants to annoy the shit out of me?

She's smiles at me. "Everything's super! I just decided a decaf latte sounded like heaven after all." Ding ding ding!

We have a winner.

I'm gonna end up killing her.

She won't leave me alone for a fucking half an hour so I can go and get blood from the butchers like a good little vampire with a soul. I'm just gonna end up having to get it straight from the source.

I shudder at the thought. "Oh, so you're coming along?"

"Well, why not? This way you don't have to walk these spooky paths all alone, right?" She shrugs slightly.

She's acting like she's doing me a huge favor. My eyes squint and I glare at her through the dark. "Great. That's just great."

The pout comes back. I'm definitely not gonna make it to the butchers tonight. Dammit!

We start walking. I wonder if I could ditch her? It wouldn't take a lot. All I need is one good distraction.

She stretches her arms up above her head. "This is great, isn't it? The fresh air, the trees, the--"

A cloaked figure darts out of the bushes and knocks into her.

Hey! A distraction. Great.

She's struggling on the ground with… whatever it is. Now's my chance. I can still make it to get my blood. I can just walk away from them.

I cock my head to the side. It really looks like she's losing whatever fight they're in. Maybe I should help? I sigh loudly. Stupid soul.

My hand snakes out and I grab onto its hood, giving it a solid yank backwards. It flies off her. See, like magic. I don't pay attention to where it lands. Kathy looks really upset, just laying there on the ground.

"What the blizzard was that all about?"

Who the hell uses blizzard as a curse word?

I roll my eyes again and put a saccharine tone in my voice. "I have no idea! Are you okay? It looked like he was trying to take your backpack!"

Yeah, right.

Her eyes grow wide with astonishment, "What were you thinking? Trying to take him on like that?"

If I hadn't 'taken him on like that' you'd probably be dead, dumbass.

"I don't know. I panicked, I guess."

I should've just left. I should've just left and let whatever it was eat you or kill you or torture you or… what else do evil things do?

"It's just…you could've gotten hurt or something. And look at my sweater! It's ruined."

That's your big worry? Your sweater? Sheesh. I really should've just left. "Yeah, sorry about that." I stare down at her mangled sweater.

It doesn't look like much of a tragic loss to me. Thing was ugly as hell before the mud. Now it's just ugly as hell and has brown goop on it. "Let's get you cleaned up." I offer her a hand up.

She grabs on. "Thanks."

Maybe I'll get to go to the butchers tomorrow?

*******

I'm back in New York, walking the streets like I used to every night, all of the streets between Stella's house and mine. It's a good few miles.

It never mattered where I patrol. DuMos drove me to wherever he wanted me. But he never once offered me a ride home. Always just assumed I could walk.

The streetlight up ahead has a halo around it. I stop underneath it, just starring up at its glow. I must be drunk. Lights never show halos to me unless I'm drunk.

A hand grabs a hold of the back of my neck.

I try to squirm out of the vice like grip, but it's pointless. I already know what's going to happen.

It's always the same. Cold air brushes my ear as I hear him say, "Hello Goldilocks." And that feeling starts up in the pit of my stomach. I hate him. I always have. And I always will.

Stupid Billy Idol wannabe.

I sit straight up in my bed, glancing over. Kathy's still asleep. Good. I need to get blood. Not sure where I'm gonna keep it once I have it, my stomach can't hold that much. I guess I'll throw it away. I only need to eat once every couple of days.

Slipping silently out from under the covers, I walk over to the closet and grab some clothes. I could care less what I'm wearing so long as I can put it on silently.

I zip up the hoodie and slip on my Keds. Maybe I'll go shopping today? I've kind of been putting it off. And what better time than when you're avoiding your roommate? I walk swiftly out the door and lock it behind me.

I pass Willow's dorm and stop. No, I can't right now. I need blood. I 'll come back for her later… maybe convince her mocha's are a good idea? Besides which, most college students aren't awake at eight in the morning.

I lightly jog across campus, ignoring the looks that the – I'm guessing they're frat boys… jogging…send my way. That's weird. Since when do frats jog? And as a group? I shrug. Must be hazing.

I move away from campus and towards Main Street. The butcher is just down the road and to the left.

The glass door swings open and I step out of the way, letting the little old lady carrying what smells like beef past. She smiles politely at me and I nod in return. I slip inside the shop and get in the short line. Everything here smells cold and dead.

Stepping up to the counter, I let both of my arms rest on the edge that comes up to just under my shoulders. The man behind it smiles brightly at me. "What can I do for you, Miss?"

I return the expression. "I'd like four pints of pig's blood, please?"

His smile falters for a second but he pastes it right back on.

"Sure thing." He walks away from the counter and towards the back of the shop. I wonder what they tell themselves to explain some eighteen year old wanting four pints of blood. It's not a lot, but it's more than most teens come into contact with.

He comes back with a big brown bag, passes it over the counter and I hand him a twenty. "Keep the change."

Four pints wouldn't last me very long if I had a place to store it. But I don't. And my stomach really isn't big enough to drink more than that. I need to rent an apartment or something off campus. That way, I'll have a place to store blood- and to escape my damn roommate.

I walk out of the shop and head towards the closest ally. This is seriously gonna suck, but I can't take it home and pop it in the microwave. Ducking into a small alcove, I sit down and place the bag next to me. I pull it open quickly, ignoring the sting as a set of staples used to hold it shut scrapes my arm.

The blood is in four styrofoam cups with lids and rubber bands around the top of them to hold it in place. I grab one of the ones on top, yank off the lid, letting the rubber band fly away, hold my nose and take a deep gulp.

The cool, thick liquid flows easily down my throat. I drain the entire cup. The kind of shudder you only get from taking a shot of alcohol you hate passes through me but I shake it off roughly. A small burp makes it way up my throat and I swallow it down. Only three more cups to go.

The last little bit of the fourth cup makes me feel like I'm gonna barf. I stand up quickly, grabbing all my trash and tossing it into a nearby dumpster. I turn and head back towards campus.

*******

Racking my knuckles roughly against the surface of the door, I wait for it to swing open. After a minute it does. Willow smiles sadly at me. I'm not sure what's up with the frowny face. "Hey, you busy?"

She shrugs slowly. "Not really, just kind of… here."

My eyebrows scrunch together. "What's up?"

Tears well up in her eyes for a second but she blinks them away. "Xander broke up with me."

Yes! I feel an internal happy dance going on for a minute but I stifle down any mean comments. I need to be 'comforting, supportive, ex-boyfriend hating' Buffy right now. Not 'I wanna get in your pants' Buffy. Taking a step back, I offer, "I'm sorry Will… is there anything I can do? Ice cream? Mocha's?"

It takes her a second but she nods. "Yeah, I could go for chocolatey goodness. Hang on a sec." She disappears from the door frame and reappears a minute later with her purse. She steps out and locks her door. I offer my arm and she grabs on gratefully.

We head towards the exit. "Wanna talk about it?"

She just shrugs again. "I should've seen it coming. I mean, it was really just a convenient relationship anyway. And he's been acting really strange the last few days."

I turn my head to look at her, "What do you mean 'convenient'?"

She glances at me quickly then looks back down at her feet. "I used to have such a big crush on him while we were growing up… but over the years it kind of, wore off I guess? By the time we started dating, I saw him as a 'friends only' person. I just assumed that the crush would come back with time."

Both of my eyebrows rise up. "But it didn't?"

"Nope. And I guess it won't. I'm not really that upset… definitely not 'ice cream' upset. Maybe just 'girl talk and Mocha's' upset?" I nod and we just keep walking.

*******

I drop the phone back down on its cradle just as the door opens. Kathy walks in, "Don't forget to log those calls."

I roll my eyes. Yes Mom. She sits down prissily on her bed and pulls out floss. Eww. I know that dental hygiene is important, but does she really need to do it in front of me?

I reach down and grab an apple out of my backpack. Gotta keep up appearances. Opening the tiny fridge's door, I roll my eyes again. Everything in here is labeled 'Kathy'. Is she seriously that paranoid about her food? Finding a tiny spot in the door, I manage to squish the apple in. It's a good thing I don't need to eat. That would obviously be an inconvenience for her.

Spitting my gum out in the trashcan near the door, I walk back towards my bed. Why'd she shut the window? I push it open again and sit down.

The annoying squeaky noise from Kathy flossing finally stops. I glance up quickly. At least she throws the floss away. The idea of stepping on used dental floss barefoot sounds… grody.

A sticky noise resonates through the room. "Eww! Who left their gum here?" She's holding a book in her hand with strings of gum connecting it to the bedside table.

I snicker softly and answer, "Gum gnome?"

"It wasn't me! It had to be somebody, Buffy!"

Man she's really wigging over it. I shrug. "I dunno."

She gives me an unbelieving look and slams the book down. Back on the gum. And turns off her lamp. I reach up and switch mine off too. I can hear the party from Willow's room pounding next door…

Flipping onto my side, I pull the pillow over my head. It's gonna be a long night.

The demon from last night is holding me down. I struggle against it, kicking my legs frantically, never coming into contact with anything solid.

Blood pours down my throat and I can feel my demon stirring. Human blood. It's been so long since I've had any kind of human blood. Whoever's blood it is has been dead for a while… it's got a stale taste, but still.

The blood stops and I feel like growling. I want more. A tickling sensation starts on my stomach and I glare down at a lethal looking scorpion. They feel the same way about vampires that wasps do, I know this, but still, there's a scorpion on my stomach. Lumbering its way up my chest, towards my throat.

The demon uses its knees to hold my arms down and its hands to push my jaw back, angling my head and prying my mouth open. A wisp of smoky looking vapor escapes from my mouth and into the demons. Its eyes glow turquoise against its fake tan and it smiles, displaying a row of deadly sharp looking teeth.

I stretch groggily and rub my eyes. "Do you always make that noise when you sleep?" Stupid bitch.

*******

"So then, after the scorpion, the demon opens my mouth and sucks some weird kind of light out of me. And the worst part? I wake up and there's Kathy, staring at me like I'm some kind of freak!" My grip on the plastic coffee cup tightens and I see the shape of the cup warp slightly. Loosen up, Summers. Before you scald yourself.

Her voice sounds timid as she asks, "What did she say?"

I sigh loudly and let go of the steaming cup full of mocha. "Just asked if I always make that noise when I sleep." A chocolate fix seemed like a good idea after that dream, but it's not doing what it usually does. The mocha isn't calming me at all and I feel like I'm gonna rip someone's head off if they cross me. "I'm sorry. I'm just having a really hard time with her. Between the flossing, the OCD about her stupid rug, hell she even irons jeans." My eyes drop down to the napkin I'm shredding.

I should really get away from Will and spend some quality time with my roomie. At least then, the head ripping off would have a good reason.

She smiles sympathetically. "Wow, I'm sorry, that's rough."

I shrug nonchalantly. "It's no big. How was your night?" Maybe a change of subject will help keep me from… I don't know. Killing someone? I wouldn't. Would I? Even though I brushed my teeth, used mouth wash, and I've been drinking this mocha for the last five minutes, I still taste the coppery flavor thick on my tongue.

My eyes scrunch up as I try to concentrate on what she's saying. Something about a party and not getting any sleep. "I'm sorry, Will. That sucks."

"It's okay. I mean, college is supposed to be about partying, right?" I nod and she lifts her eyes to meet mine, then continues, "I just didn't think it was supposed to be a party every night. I was thinking 'maybe on the weekends and only at fraternity houses'. Guess I was wrong."

Maybe I should have a talk with her roomie? Sounds like Willow could appreciate having her roommate's head ripped off too. Plus, more blood.

No. No. No. I will not kill roommates, no matter how much I hate them. I will not. I haven't felt this way since before DuMos cursed me with my soul. But back then, I wasn't arguing with myself. Something's not right.

Someone walking by bumps into my shoulder and I growl. Willow jumps slightly and stares at me. Her eyes are as big as saucers. "You- you, you're a vampire!"

I don't even think about it, "No I'm not." Did I slip?

She nods, "Yes you are! I saw you!"

Fuck. Maybe if I pretend I have no idea what she's talking about she'll drop it?

"Will, vampires don't exist. I'm not sure what you saw, but it was probably just a trick of the lights."

She shakes her head no. "They do too exist. And I just saw you go all 'grrr' face! It wasn't a trick of the lights! Wait, how are you a vampire? We're outside in the sun!" The last two sentences were whispered and accusing. Fuck. My head drops down into my hands.

I guess I have to tell her. "Look Will, yes I'm a vampire…but I'm a good vampire. I have a soul and everything."

She just glares at me. "Why did you lie?" She stands up, pushing her chair back roughly and turns away from the table.

I follow her lead, "Will, wait, let me explain, I-" I reach out and grab her arm, but she yanks it back. She turns to face me and I swear that if looks could kill I'd fit in a dust buster right now. I'm here to help. They sent me.

She holds up a hand to stop me. "No, don't. I need to think about this… I need to. I have to go."

The words die in my throat. She's gone. She was gone before I could even get the word 'explain' out. Goddamn, mother – my growl takes care of the rest of the curse. Sighing, I drop back into my chair. A few curious glances get sent my way and I can hear someone whispering something about a 'couple's quarrel'.

I glance down at Scooby. It's time to meet Whistler.

*******

My hand freezes on the doorknob. The sound of Kathy laughing insanely loud can be heard through the door. And I really don't think it's just the vamp hearing either. I let out a sigh of frustration. I just want five fucking minutes by myself. Getting off would be nice. She's always in there. Maybe I should start living at the library?

I giggle at the thought of the old lady librarian walking into the differential equation for engineers section while I'm masturbating.

After a second, the door swings open and I step back. Some guy gazes at me for a minute and I can feel him mentally undressing me. I shrug off the look and walk past him. Still laughing, Kathy introduces him. "Buffy this is Parker, Parker, my roommate Buffy."

I drop my backpack down into my desk chair and avoid eye contact, saying, "It's nice to meet you." No need to give the boy any kind of encouragement.

"Parker just stopped by to drop off these." She holds up a box of zip lock baggies and I nod. Like I care?

Parker starts laughing, "And then we just started talking, turns out Kathy here is a closet hockey fan!"

She giggles that annoying giggle that tells people you really don't care and like that you're being teased, "You swore you'd never tell!"

He smiles mischievously, "It could just be the sweaty men." She swats him in the arm and I roll my eyes. I walk over and open the window. It smells like aftershave in here. Straight people. Euch.

"If you two are gonna rassle, would you mind taking it outside? I've got a lot of work to do." I walk over and switch off 'Believe'.

He looks sheepish for a second. "Sorry, I didn't realize."

I just nod and ignore Kathy as she says goodbye. The door clicks shut and she turns to glare at me. "It wouldn't have killed you to be nice." My eyes roll all of their own accord. Seriously, she's so annoying that even my eyes hate her. Maybe she's a test? Maybe the PtB sent her down to test me, see if I have my soul fully intact? If so, then I just might fail.

"Looked like you were being nice enough for the both of us." I've already had to deal with her once today after my meeting with Whistler. I really don't wanna do it again. Especially since she let it slip earlier that she spilled ketchup all over my only sweater.

She lets out a sigh and shuts the window. "I was just being nice to him."

A disgusted expression crosses my face. "Sure, fine, whatever." I pull the deadlock out of my bag and slip it on the closet door. After earlier, I'm not taking any chances. She sits down on the bed and starts flossing again. On my way back to my desk, I open the window. Again.

Both of her hands drop to her lap. "I'm cold." I can see a large pout on her lips from the corner of my eye.

I shrug and slide into my desk chair. "Well, I'm hot. Deal with it."

I can feel her staring at me. "You know what your problem is Buffy?"

Without a second's hesitation I reply, "You?"

She lets out a harsh laugh. "Hardly. You're spoilt. The world may have revolved around you where you used to live, but it's share time now, Buffy."

That's it. I'm done. The pencil I'm holding snaps in half and an image of the half in my hand makes my insides grow warm. It's sticking out of her head as she lies dead on the flood. Resisting the impulse to make fantasy a reality, I turn to face her. "Share time huh? I'll show you share time." I reach over and open the little mini fridge and pull out her carton of milk. It's got the word 'Kathy' written on it four fucking times.

Squeezing open the lid, I tilt my head back and take a giant gulp. I can feel the milk slide down the outside of my mouth and soak my shirt, but I really don't care. I step back so it pours onto the carpet. Milk comes out easier than blood.

*******

I walk down the dark path quickly. After the whole milk fiasco, I need to be away from her. I'll finish my work either tonight when I get home or tomorrow. Doesn't really matter. The butchers shop has been calling my name for the whole damn day. I nearly gave in and killed her. The all too real fantasy of her blood coating my hands. I like my lips thinking of….

What the hell's wrong with me? Yes she's annoying, but that doesn't give me the right to kill her. I shake my head to rid me of my fantasy. Like shaking is gonna work, but…

At least I don't think it does. Well, most of the time, I don't think it does. All I can think about is blood. Whistler said there was something going on, but he didn't know what. Just that I should keep an eye out.

Could he get more cryptic? And his clothes? Sheesh. The badly dressed little half demon, whole demon, whatever he is, is getting annoyingly cryptic-er by the day.

I leave campus and step onto Main Street. As I get closer and closer to the little shop, the scent of blood gets stronger and stronger. And it's making me feel sick. Probably has something to do with that stupid dream. Pig blood isn't exactly fine dining for someone of my persuasion.

I step in, place my order, hand over my money and leave. I head straight for the little alcove I used before. Half way down the alley, I can hear a scuffle from somewhere in the dark up ahead. I set the bag down in the little hidey hole and head straight for the noise.

There's a girl on the ground, struggling with a vamp that has her pinned down. "Get offa me you sonavabitch!" As she swears, he turns to dust. How'd she do that? Willow steps out of the shadows behind her as the girl stands and I realize that the little redhead is the cause of his sudden dust bunny-ness.

She guardedly smiles at me. "Buffy. Hi."

I look at her, stunned. Her voice and posture say she's still pissed off. "Uh… Hi Willow." I recognize the girl now. It's Faith. The Slayer. And she's bleeding. Great. Just fucking great. I can feel my face shift as I catch a whiff of human blood. Slayer blood. Goddamn it!

*******

My pencil taps as I look over the page. So they know. The slayer and her group know that I'm a good guy. It took a little bit of convincing, especially since the vamp face slipped. But I showed them my bag of blood and they left me alone. Faith even suggested I come to something called a "Scooby Meeting," whatever that is.

I guess that mean's Willow isn't pissed off at me anymore. That's good at least. She could be a real friend. I haven't had one of those since Stella.

The whooshing noise of a nail boomeranging off into the air cuts through any thoughts I was trying to have. Kathy's sitting on her bed, clipping her toenails. Seriously? I get that this is her bedroom too, but still. A solid thwap sounds as the nail hits the carpet.

I start tapping my pencil faster. And she turns on "Believe." Oh my fucking god. My brain. My pencil snaps, again. I reach up and grab a pair of ear muffs, wrapping them tightly around my head. I can still hear the music.

I control the involuntary shift and turn away from her. Shit.

I sigh loudly and drop them back on my desk. "I'm going to bed." Climbing under the covers, I turn off the lamp and shut my eyes. After a minute she turns off "Believe" and I let out a sigh of relief.

Stella smiles excitedly at me. We're standing in an empty two bedroom apartment. I know this place; it's just off of 89th and Columbus. We just convinced both of our parents that we're adults and need a place of our own while we're in school. Mom wasn't too happy about it, but she finally agreed to foot the bill.

I look over to see that the realtor is still standing in the living room and I pull her out of the door frame so he can't see us. She lets me drag her away and I smile, leaning in to give her a kiss. I pull back and lean my forehead against hers. "This will all be ours." I look over her shoulder at the view and sigh happily. "We could even have this be our bedroom."

We've been together for a year and a half, and except for the occasional sleep over, we never get to share a bed.

Her expression mirrors mine and we kiss again. This time she's the one who breaks it off saying, "We can finally tell them that we're together!"

My smile just grows. My mom knows that we're together. Three months into us dating she caught us making out. I was nearly grounded for a month before she cooled off enough for us to talk. Once she made it clear that we weren't allowed to have sex in the house, everything was cool.

I nod in agreement. "How do you think they'll take it?" I brush a stray strand of black hair away from her face and stare into her eyes.

She shrugs slightly, "I dunno." She stares down at our linked hands. "Hopefully well. I hate it when families keep secrets from each other." I hide a cringe as she says this. She knows that her dad is my watcher, but she didn't find out until a year ago. Finding out that her father had been lying about his job for her entire life really screwed with her for a while.

I nod again and smile wistfully. "I'm sorry I couldn't tell you about it…" My eyes fall down to my twisting hands. I'm still apologizing for keeping a secret that's been out of the box for nearly eleven months.

She tilts my chin up. "Babe, it's not your fault. I already told you. His lying to me had nothing to do with you… I love you."

I wrap my arms around her neck, pulling her close so my mouth is next to her ear and I whisper, "I love you too."

The scene fades around me to black nothingness. The same demon from last night is still pinning me down, drawing a symbol on my stomach in blood. Human blood again. My demon reels from the scent.

Another scorpion gets dropped onto me and just as my face is about to shift, another wisp of smoke is pulled out of my mouth.

I sit straight up in bed and open my pajama top. There's no symbol. It was just a dream. Dropping back down on the bed, I glance over at Kathy. She's moaning in her sleep. I wait a minute then swing my legs over the bed. I don't have time to deal with her this morning. I throw some clothes on, grab my backpack and get the hell out.

*******

It's nearly nine. I'm supposed to meet Willow and Faith here in a few minutes. The "Scooby Meeting" earlier went surprisingly well. I don't think I trust Faith, but Wills seems okay with her. The door clicks shut behind me and I walk past Kathy's desk and into the dorm room. I need to get some supplies. Faith and her ex-watcher, Giles, want me to go on a group patrol tonight. Evidently, Willow's one badass Wicca. I nod curtly. "Kathy." Don't say anything. Just don't. Don't pick a damn fight. Don't kill your fucking roommate. It'll look better if you don't kill her. Especially considering the whole, 'trying to prove you're a good guy' thing. Which I'm so totally starting to get over.

She glares at me. "Buffy." I should settle this. I should at least try to make things better. We've still got nine and a half months of living together to get through.

I turn away from my closet door to face her. Keep your tone neutral Summers, don't make her be defensive. "I think we should talk, don't you?" I feel like I'm worrying about upsetting a rabid animal.

She gets up and walks over to me before answering. "Oh, absolutely." The way she says it makes my skin crawl. If she picks a fight, I'll kill her. I was guilty about it before, but that pesky soul thing feels like it's nearly all worn off.

I kick the corner of the rug up. "Oops, look what I did."

Her hand comes flying towards me and I roll with the backhand. The expression on her face freezes in a mask of contempt. "Huh, look what I did." My hand reaches out and I can feel hers burrow their way into my hair. Are we really having a hair pulling contest?

Stupid fucking cunt!

I throw a head butt and her hands fall out of my hair. I just keep pulling as hard as I can, and I feel skin give way as her face peels off. Oh…eww! That's disgusting and sticky and eww! She lifts her eyes up to face me and I realize I probably look like a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming trucker. It's the demon from my nightmares.

I throw a quick jab at her face and my fist connects, spinning her back so she's facing my closet. Our door opens and Willow and Faith are standing there. Watching us fight. Haven't they heard of knocking? I'm trying to kill my roommate here.

I run and tackle the thing that was wearing Kathy's face.

Willow screams, "Buffy, no!" She can't see that my roommate is from hell. Literally. She doesn't know better. Kathy turns to face her and smiles evilly. I see shock on Willow's face for a second before I get slammed up against the wall and drop off Kathy's back. The wall cracks slightly from where I crash into it. I'm not gonna get the security deposit back. Dammit.

She shoves me down to the ground, "Let me finish!" Her hand grips my jaw and I see a wisp of smoke start up out of my open mouth again. And a black blur knocks her off of me.

I stand up and look over. There's Faith, standing in a defensive pose over Kathy.

The demon doesn't move. She's just lying on the ground. If she even is a she, that is. That's fucking creepy. I walk over, lift her up slightly and grip her head. I give it a solid twist and a cracking noise reverberates through the room. All of the mist floats quickly back into me.

Oh my god. I just killed my roommate. I stare at her in shock. Sure, she was a demon, but that doesn't mean she's evil. Willow is still standing in the doorframe and Faith drops down onto the bed.

Just in front of me, a portal opens and whirls in the ground, flashing bright lights everywhere. Two demons walk out in black robes.

I can't believe I killed her. I feel a tear start to well up. I'm not upset that she's gone, or dead or whatever. But, I can't believe I'd kill someone just because I can't get along with them.

*******

Flowers cover the walls all around me and I study them. Some are so beautiful. I've never seen a few of them before. Most I know the names of.

I glare down at Scooby. Whistler's late. As usual. I sit down on the edge of a cement bench, leaning in to sniff a passion flower.

"You did good, Kid." I turn sharply and see the horribly dressed man.

"No I didn't. I killed her."

He shrugs nonchalantly. "Yeah, but she was a demon."

My eyebrows knit together. "But not all demons are evil, and I didn't even know she was one until we had already started fighting."

"Part of you did." He smiles knowingly at me. "Besides, she was stealin' your soul Kiddo."

"What?" No wonder… That explains everything. The cursing, the temperament, the trying to kill my roommate. Okay admittedly, the last one is worse than the other two, but still.

He just nods. "Yup." Picking a flower, he twirls it in his fingers. "The PtB thought you were a goner for sure. That you'd make morning newspaper headlines after the first night. But you held on." After a second, he crumples up the flower and tosses it over his shoulder.

I wanna get down to business. "So why did you want me to meet you here?"

He just shrugs again. "You'll need your own space as time goes on. The path you've chosen is a very solitary one. You can never fully be a part of the world you're fighting so hard to protect. But you'll never fully be a part of the side you've chosen to fight, either." A regretful sigh escapes his lips. "You'll never really fit in." He shrugs and holds out his arms around him. "So, this place is yours."

What? "Are you serious?"

He grins at me, "As the dead. Don't complain Kid, you should see the dump they set me up in. I'll be seein ya."

He gives a slight wave and I watch as he turns and walks away.