Disclaimer: If it was mine do you think Riley, Kate, and Jhiera would even be close to either one of them?
Spoilers: I don't really know, I guess middle of 3rd season would best describe it.
Season: Alternate
Author's note: My very first fic. It's not that good, but be nice and send feedback!
Distribution: You probably don't want it, but ask and ye shall receive Rating: Very tame, you can see the show, you can definitely read this

Night had fallen, the slayer was out. The one girl in the entire world, chosen to protect it from vampires, demons, and other such things. This current slayer however had always been different. For one thing she lives on the hellmouth [also known as Sunnydale]. Her name is Buffy Summers and nothing about her is normal. She is different from other teenagers, different from other girls, and even different from the other slayers that had lived. Once upon a time she had just been a normal girl, but not anymore. Patrolling was part of her daily life. She did it every day. Sometimes alone, sometimes with her "slayerettes", sometimes with her watcher, Giles, and sometimes with her two hundred forty - two year old vampire boyfriend, Angel. He wasn't like the others, he had a soul.

As she walked, her slayer instincts told her that danger was nearby. As she rounded the corner, she heard a sound. Grabbing a stake from her "slayer bag" she went into the alcove. Standing there, in one corner was a vampire, and he wasn't alone. Standing in a little huddle around him was five other vampires. Six of them, five stakes in her pack, and one of her. Doable, but not very good odds.

"Okay," she called out " I'm ready to play, are you?" As the vampires rushed at her, she couldn't help but notice that they were surrounding her. As they circled, she tensed, ready to fight. One lunged, and as he came at her she thrust a stake deep in his heart. As two more lunged, she did a back flip, went right over them, and staked them both at the same time.

As she rushed at the last three, she heard a sound at her back. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw three more vampires approaching. As she staked one of the first three, she heard a voice behind her.

" Need some help?" It was Angel.

"Sure, feel free to grab a stake, slay some vamps, have some fun," she said as she kicked another one on his forehead. Ten minutes later, Buffy and Angel were surrounded by clouds of dust. They had staked every last one of the vampires.

"Well, that was fun," Buffy said rather sarcastically, " Anyway, thanks."

Angel nodded as he said " I'll walk you home, it isn't safe tonight. There are too many vampires out. I ran in to five besides the ones you were fighting. They're all coming out at once, and I'd like to know why."

Soon, they reached Buffy's street. When they reached her doorstep, she unlocked the door and looked from Angel to her hallway.

" Do you want to come in? My mom's at the art gallery, and I have a couple of books that might tell us something about why they're gathering now," she said hopefully.

"No, I should go home and look at that prophecy book I have while you look in yours" he said quietly.

" Well, 'night," was all she said before she walked to the door. " You sure?" she asked turning to look at him, but by then, he was gone. She sighed as she closed the door and went upstairs to her 'slayer trunk'.

The next day, right before homeroom, she went to the library to talk to Giles. " It was weird," she said," There were so many of them, and Angel said he got attacked by a group of five others right before he ran into me. I looked in my books, but I didn't find a single reason why they would be gathering."

"Well, " said Giles" It's rather interesting actually. The diaries of the previous watchers say that once in every decade all of the most seasoned and skilled vampires gather in one place. A slayer hasn't encountered one of these gatherings for many years."

"So this is a bad thing right?" asked Willow, one of the slayerettes.

"Actually, it isn't," replied Giles," it's rather good fortune. We can all go together, and wipe out most of them and in doing so we will relieve ourselves of a great number of dangerous vampires."

" Oh we're going to have fun," said Buffy rather dryly.

After school, they reconvened at the library. When they were all there, Giles started to explain the plan. " I believe that will gather in Weatherly Park. The master's old lair was rather close to it. ," he explained. " We should all meet there at sunset. And don't any of you go in alone." he said looking pointedly at Xander who replied " What? So I went in a little too early last time, I'll be careful this time Mr. Giles" he said with mock innocence.

Giles cleared his throat and said to Buffy, " Yes, well bring some extra stakes and be prepared, there will be quite a large number of them."

" Got it," she said," Lots of vamps so lots of stake. I'll be ready."

That night Buffy left her house with ten stakes, seven bottles of holy water and six crosses. She was armed for battle. As she started walking toward the park she felt a vampire presence. Before she could act, Angel emerged. "Angel, what are you doing here?" she asked.

" I wanted to know if you found any information about why there are so many vampires now," he said.

" It's just a gathering of all the meanest vamps. It happens once in a decade and lucky me they chose Sunnydale this time," she said," It's just another patrol only ten times the vamps."

" Need some help? " Angel asked quietly.

" The more the merrier," she replied.

When they reached the park, Giles, Willow and Oz were there. " Any sign of Cordy and Xander?" Buffy asked rather anxiously. She didn't want anything to happen to them. All of a sudden Xander and Cordelia show up, arguing as usual.

" Please," said Cordelia," Those clothes are so pathetic no one who's anybody would wear them."

" I guess then I'm a nobody," he retorted. To Buffy and the others said," So we ready to fight?"

"Okay," said Buffy as she distributed stakes, bottles of holy water, and crosses [although for obvious reasons Angel didn't take a cross]," Angel and I will be in front, you guys stand in back of us. We'll break the tide. Stake as many as you can and watch out for each other. All right?" Everyone nodded. " Okay lets go."

Within the next few minutes, the whole scenario of the park had changed. There were vampires everywhere. Buffy, Angel, and all the others were fighting for their lives. Not only trying to stake vamps, but to save each other. In ten minutes they had slayed twenty vamps, but there were just as many left. Buffy was all over the place staking and trying to help her friends. Xander and Cordy were covering each other, as were Willow and Oz. Despite all that had happened with the whole ' Angelus ' thing, Giles and Angel were helping each other. Fifteen minutes later, there was only on vampire left the leader. As he lunged for Buffy, she pulled out a cross. As he reeled back she kicked his chest, knocking him down. She lunged for him with her stake, but he was faster. He jumped up and backhanded her. She fell to the ground with a cry. He closed in on her and just as he was about to strike, he exploded into a cloud of dust. Standing just behind where the vamp had been was Angel, stake in hand.

" Thanks," she said as he helped her up.

He nodded and asked, " Are you okay?"

"Yeah, thanks, she replied meaning that in more ways than one.

They all came and stood together, looking out at the now serene park.

" Well that was fun," was all Xander said. Everyone was quiet until Giles spoke up.

" You should be getting home now, it's late," he said.

" I'll take Xander home," Cordelia said.

" I think that was kind of a given Cordy seeing as you brought me here," Xander retorted. " Maybe I should just leave you here," she shot back.

"No, no, you bringing me is just fine," he said sheepishly.

" I'll go with Oz," said Willow, stating the obvious. When Giles looked at Buffy she looked at Angel who nodded.

" I think I'm going to walk home," she said as Giles looked at Angel sharply. Clearly Giles still didn't trust him after the whole evil episode.

" All right," he replied after a few tense moments of silence, " I'll see you all tomorrow at the library." Then he headed toward his car as they all went their separate ways.

As they walked toward Buffy's house, neither spoke. When they reached her door they just stood and looked at each other. Each aware of how the other felt. Wanting what they could never have again, wishing things could be different, but they couldn't, not now, not ever again. The curse that gave him a soul deprived him of the thing he wanted most, true happiness. If he ever experienced that again he would lose his soul for a third time. They could never have what they had once, what they wanted more than anything, each other. Still, they refused to let each other go. They refused to accept that they couldn't have some kind of relationship, no matter what kind. As they looked at each other, they were thinking about these things, the things that kept them together and the things that kept them apart. They leaned toward each other and shared a soft kiss, wanting to go further, yet not daring to. They pulled apart, and looking into each other's eyes, their hearts full of love for each other, they stood in peaceful silence.

After what seemed like ages, Angel said quietly, " Well, I'll see you later."

"Yeah, later," Buffy said watching him as he walked into the night, blending into the shadows almost as if he was one himself. As she walked into her house, she wished for the thousandth time that they were regular teenagers, regular people who loved each other. But they weren't, and they never would be. She closed the door, and walked up the stairs to her room. Knowing at least, that she would live for one more day, even if she died the next, she still had tomorrow. Knowing that there was someone out there that loved her, who would love her no matter what. These were the thoughts she dwelled on as she fell asleep.

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