A/N Angel doesn’t have a soul and never came to Sunnydale. This story
takes place at the beginning of season two.
Prologue
“Bye, Kim!” Buffy called, waving good-bye to her friend outside the movie
theater. “I’ll see you next time I’m in town.”
“Bye, Buffy!”
Buffy turned as the car turned a corner, closing her eyes as the warm night
air seemed to wrap around her, calming her oversensitive need to patrol.
She was supposed to be leaving for Sunnydale in the morning, and she couldn’t
wait to get back to Willow and Xander. Seeing her friends in Los Angeles
was always nice for a day or two, but Buffy was rapidly tiring of the city.
She missed the warmth and the comforting environment that Sunnydale seemed to provide.
Buffy began the long walk to her father’s. She had insisted that she was
perfectly safe, declining the ride that Kimberly had offered. Even though
she wasn’t on the Hellmouth, Buffy still felt like she was neglecting her
patrolling duties and wanted to make a quick pass of the area as she walked.
“Sacred duty, yada yada,” Buffy murmured as she wandered through the streets of L.A. After twenty minutes and no vampires in sight, Buffy headed in a more direct path to her father’s.
The streets were surprisingly empty for such a beautiful night, and although
the stars couldn’t be seen in the cloudy sky, the moon shown through, bathing
the area in a soft silver-blue tint.
Buffy’s head snapped around at the noise behind her. She let her eyes focus
in the darkened alley as she slowly turned, approaching the entrance to the
alley before coming to a stop when two figures advanced on her. Buffy felt
as if she was being stalked by predators, which was exactly what was
happening, as she subtly reached for the stake tucked in the pocket of her
lightweight jacket.
“Look at the merry little sunshine.”
Buffy’s brow furrowed as the sound of the dreamlike voice drifted toward
her.
“She doesn’t know what’s coming,” the woman continued, slowly stepping out
of the shadows. Buffy stared at the beautiful woman, feeling on edge as she
waited for some sort of attack. “She thinks she’s the strong one…she has no
idea what she’s about to face.”
“Why don’t we drop the cryptic,” Buffy said impatiently with a raised
eyebrow. “I’m ready to go home.”
While Buffy’s attention was focused on the woman, she kept an eye on the
other vampire, even though it was apparent that he was a fledgling.
“You’re covered in power,” the brunette said in a low voice. “Just a little
girl.”
Buffy sighed, rolling her eyes as she brought the stake out of her pocket.
“Okay, I’ve had enough, and frankly…you’re really starting to bore me.”
Although she’d been expecting it, Buffy was still mildly surprised when the
woman struck out at her. She narrowly avoided getting her throat slit by
one of the razor-sharp fingernails as she threw herself backwards.
“Sunshine doesn’t want to play,” she said, advancing on Buffy once more.
“Oh, I’ll play,” Buffy replied, landing a solid kick to her ribs. She was
expecting a retaliating blow, but nothing prepared her for the pain that
sliced through her stomach, making her feel vulnerable as she doubled over
in agony.
Standing up straight and ignoring the pain for the briefest of moments,
Buffy let out a yell as she hurled the stake through the air, landing with a
solid crack in the chest of the vampiress. Buffy watched, clutching her
stomach, as the woman exploded into dust before turning her hardened eyes on the other vampire.
She felt relief flood through her as he turned and ran away, his footfalls
descending into the night. Under normal circumstances, Buffy could have
dispatched him with ease, but that was before the pain that seemed to lance
through her body. Raising her shredded shirt, she looked at the damage that
had been inflicted on her abdomen. A deep gash started underneath the swell
of her left breast to carve diagonally to her right hip. Buffy pressed her
shirt to the wounded area, applying pressure as she tried to stop the blood
flow that seemed to be pooling out of her.
Buffy closed her eyes as she bit her lip, trying to will the pain to go
away. She was definitely no match for anyone else tonight.
* * * * *
Spike looked up with a bored expression as one of his underlings practically
came flying through the door of the warehouse.
“Master,” the young man gasped, keeping a safe distance from Spike.
Spike took a step closer to him, narrowing his eyes. “You’re supposed to be
hunting with Drusilla.”
“Sire…she…”
“Where is she?” Spike growled, closing in on him.
“She’s dead, Sire.”
Spike felt his body go rigid. “What do you mean, she’s dead?” Spike asked
through clenched teeth. “You were supposed to keep her safe.”
“I’m sorry, Master. It was the Slayer…she was too strong. They fought, and
the Slayer won.”
Spike roared as he grabbed each side of the vampire’s head, pulling it off
with a sharp twist and letting the dust settle on the floor before turning
flashing eyes to the rest of his minions. “Find out everything you can
about the Slayer. No one gets near her,” he commanded. “I will be the one
to make the kill.”
A/N Just a little teaser to get you started. Spike and Buffy meet in the next chapter and the sooner you review, the sooner I can post it :-)
squawks
05/18/17 04:16 am
pj! I remember wishing one of your stories would be finished seriously about a decade ago. Amazing. I just tried an old password I used to use and amazingly got in too. Memories!
pj
03/20/17 01:20 am
10 yrs later, i finally rem my username and password. Pari, you rock. Hope you are well.
Rabbit_moon1
12/23/16 01:12 pm
I donate every month. Please donate to keep this site up!
AudryDaluz1
10/06/16 08:34 am
Great post.
Chrissel
08/31/16 03:45 pm
And anyone else who loves this site, it's worth mentioning there's a nifty little "Donate" option just below the shout box here! ;)
Chrissel
08/31/16 03:43 pm
Just wanted to take a moment to thank Pari and all the mods for maintaining such a great site!
05/18/17 04:16 am
pj! I remember wishing one of your stories would be finished seriously about a decade ago. Amazing. I just tried an old password I used to use and amazingly got in too. Memories!
pj
03/20/17 01:20 am
10 yrs later, i finally rem my username and password. Pari, you rock. Hope you are well.
Rabbit_moon1
12/23/16 01:12 pm
I donate every month. Please donate to keep this site up!
AudryDaluz1
10/06/16 08:34 am
Great post.
Chrissel
08/31/16 03:45 pm
And anyone else who loves this site, it's worth mentioning there's a nifty little "Donate" option just below the shout box here! ;)
Chrissel
08/31/16 03:43 pm
Just wanted to take a moment to thank Pari and all the mods for maintaining such a great site!