Buffy drove a stake through the heart of yet another vampire. Another grabbed her from behind. She gave him a good head butt, which knocked her out of his grip. She swung around with a roundhouse kick, sending him flying into a wall.

It was a shock attack. These vampires were completely unprepared. Nor did they have the benefit of proper leadership.

Less than a minute after Buffy and Angel had popped out of the sewers, only one vampire remained, unconscious by a pillar.

"You want to finish him off?" Angel asked Buffy. The bloodlust in his voice was palpable. Buffy knew that the demon Angelus was still in there. She wondered if Angel had decided to let him out for a minute against the vampires.

"Actually, I thought we might question him first. Maybe he can tell us more about what's going on."

Angel tensed, then calmed down. Buffy sauntered over to the vampire, a young Hispanic male dressed in a white tank top. Buffy noticed what looked like gang tattoos on his left arm – he was probably from Los Angeles. She removed the cross from around her neck and touched his ear with it.

That woke him up. He jerked up and nearly kicked Buffy back. His eyes opened and darted around. He shifted back to human, and his expression became even more terrified.

"What – what's going on?" he asked, his voice trembling.

"What's going on with the Hellmouth?" Buffy stared at him.

"I don't know!"

Angel knelt beside him. He was in full vamp mode. He grabbed the vampire's hand.

"Listen, pal. We can either do this the easy way…"

He bent the vampire's index finger back 90 degrees. The vampire screamed in pain.

"…or the hard way."

"Okay! Okay! I'll talk!"

"Good," Buffy smiled evilly.

"About a week ago, these guys showed up in the Hellmouth – the Master's old crypt, beneath the school. They smelled human, but they killed anyone who got in their way. That's why we came up here – to get away from them."

"What did they look like?" Buffy asked.

"Red robes, bald, black eyes, weird tattoos on their forehead. And they had these wicked sharp knives they used to kill. I think they might be a cult of some kind. There was this older vamp, saw them, said he was leaving Sunnydale and never coming back. Said we should do the same." He looked around, noting the absence of his former buddies. "Maybe he was right."

"That's all?"

"That's all I know. Now can I go?"

Buffy staked him without a word.

Buffy had never been to the Master's lair since that terrible day last year. Even on her occasional patrols underground, she had avoided it. The memory of dying was extremely traumatic. Her last thought had been utter horror at the realization that her death would bring about the end of the world.

When they arrived, it seemed almost the same as the last time they were there. Candles illuminated the space. Natural rock formations were interspersed with pieces of a building – Giles had said that this had once been a church.

And in the center, a single figure wearing a dark red robe. He looked up at Buffy as she entered. He had a strange tattoo on his forehead, and his eyes were solid black.

"So, you're what's got all the vampires scared?" Buffy asked. The man did not respond, instead drawing a wicked-looking knife. By now, he was the poster boy for "evil cultist". He charged at Buffy, but he did so at human speed. She easily grabbed him and threw him against a stone column. There was a sickening crack as his head hit the column. He didn't move after that.

"Man, the vampires around here have gotten really pathetic," Angel said.

"Maybe I killed all the brave ones," Buffy replied.

Thirty minutes later, they returned home. Buffy was a little tired, but mostly she was hungry. She opened the fridge, only to find that the fresh groceries that Angel had bought were covered in blood. On closer inspection, one of the bags of blood was partially empty, and had two fang marks in the side.

"ANGEL!" she yelled.

"Did you drink half a bag and then put it back into the fridge?"

Angel had a what-did-I-do-wrong look. "Yes?"

"Well now it's leaking all over my food, and I have nothing to eat!"

"I'm sorry, Buffy…"

"Sorry?" She slapped him.

"When will you finally get it through your head that I live here now? You keep acting like you're the only one here!"

"To be fair, the place is a little small," Angel replied. "And while we're on the subject, I don't appreciate you taking up all the shower space with your shampoos and conditioners."

"It was your idea for me to live here!"

"And now I'm thinking that that was a bad idea." Angel didn't raise his voice, but his tone was quite angry nonetheless.

"I'm thinking you're right." Buffy grabbed her duffel bag and threw a few clothes in. "I'm going to Willow's."

"Don't let the door hit you on the ass!" Angel called as she walked out.

Buffy had had it. This whole "living with Angel" thing wasn't working out. She'd stay at Willow's for a while, then try to find –

Her train of thought was interrupted when a dozen cultists charged her.

"ANGEL!" she screamed.