Part 2

      "Pacey?"
      "Willow?"
      "Hi," the red head came forward to great the teenage boy who had just
gotten off the bus.  She had recognized him by the picture he had shown her
on the computer.  "Glad to see you got here okay.  How was the trip?"
      "Long and boring," the teenager replied.  "Much like high school."  Willow
laughed at Pacey's observation.  "So is it just you or are your parents
lurking somewhere trying to get a glimpse of the boy that they have agreed
to take in and trying to see if they made a mistake?"
      "Nope, no parents, just little ole me," Willow told him.  "In fact, they're
out of town and won't be back until next week, if something doesn't come
up."  The way Willow said that last part made Pacey realize that it might be
awhile before he met his hosts.
      "They actually trust you alone like that with a strange guy moving in?"
Willow shrugged.
      "I don't think it actually occurred to them that something might happen."
      "And what about you?  Do you feel safe with a stranger living in your
home?"  Pacey faked a sinister laugh as he stalked towards a smiling Willow.
      "I feel perfectly safe because I know that if you even thought of doing
anything to me, my boyfriend would kill you in a New York minute," Willow
informed Pacey, smiling sweetly the entire time.
      "Good thing I'm a good boy then," Pacey replied as the two teenagers
emerged from the bus stop into the fading sunlight.
      "Come on.  Let's get home.  It's almost dark," Willow said.
      "Don't tell me that you aren't allowed out after the sun goes down," Pacey
joked.
      "Not really," Willow answered.  "In fact, I'm usually out until the early
morning.  I just wasn't expecting your bus to be so late and didn't come
prepared for being out at night."  Like the other Slayerettes, Willow had
taken to keeping some kind of weapon or protection on her body, her personal
choice being a stake and holy water.  Pacey looked at her, confused as to
what his new housemate meant.
      "And what exactly is required to go out at night?" Willow looked pensive
for a moment, not sure how to answer him.  She had decided to tell Pacey
about the Slayerettes that night during the research party that had been
planned at the library.  "Earth to Willow, come in Miss Rosenberg."
      "Oh sorry," she apologize.  "Didn't mean to zone out on you.  What were you
saying?"
      "I was asking why you needed to be prepared for something at night?  What,
is Sunnydale crawling with vampires or something?  Wait, it's a full moon,
so maybe a werewolf."  Pacey laughed while Willow became a little more
uncomfortable.
      "Something like that," she answered cryptically.  "Its a long story that I
promise to tell you all about later."
      "Oh-kay," Pacey said slowly, wondering what exactly he had gotten himself
involved in.  "How about we change subjects then.  Why don't you tell me
about your friends them.  I'll need to know who I'll be hanging out with."
Willow was grateful for the change of topics.  She was more than happy to
talk about the people she cared about.
      "Well, first there's Xander.  He's my oldest friend.  We've known each
other since we were five.  He's kinda goofy, so he's always been good for a
laugh.  As well as a very ill timed comment or two."
      "Sounds like my kind of guy," Pacey commented.
      "Yeah, he's pretty cool.  Then there's Faith.  She's Xander's girlfriend,"
Willow continued.  "She's the newest member to our group.  She came to town
a few months ago and had a major attitude problem, but it's gotten a lot
better.  She doesn't go to school with us though.  Then there's Cordelia, or
Queen C as she is known by many.  She's Xander's ex and the girl who has
taken much pleasure in tormenting us for years."
      "And yet you still hand out with her."  Willow laughed.
      "Another very long story."
      "I bet.  With both his current and ex all part of your little group, Xander
must feel pretty weirded out," Pacey observed.  "I know my friend Dawson did
with Jen and Joey."
      Jen and Joey?"
      "Some of my friends back home.  Jen and Dawson were going out and then he
realized he had feelings for Joey, and before you ask its short for
Josephine, one of our oldest buds.  Now the two of them are constantly on
again, off again," the boy explained.  "Got to be that you needed a
scorecard to figure out what was going on."
      "Know that feeling," Willow commiserated.  "Buffy and Angel were like that
last year."
      "I though Angel was your boyfriend."
      "He is now, but his previous girlfriend was Buffy, who happened to also be
my best friend," Willow informed him.  "They broke up last year and Buffy
left town.  Haven't heard from her since."
      "And now the two of you are together," Pacey stated.  Willow nodded her
head.
      "We were friends and then it grew into something more."  Willow's voice
took on a dreamy tone as she talked about the vampire she loved.  "He
completes me.  My life before him seems empty now when I compare it to what
I have now.  I love him."  Willow saw her house up ahead and pointed it out
to Pacey.  "There's your new home."  Willow put her hand in her pocket,
grabbing her keys.
      "Looks nice enough."
      "So do you" a gravelly voice said from behind the pair.  The two spun
around only to be confronted by a pair of vampires.  Pacey froze at the
sight of their disfigured faces.
      "Damn," Willow swore, looking over at Pacey.  One of the vampires put his
hand through Willow's hair.
      "You know, I've always had a thing for red heads," he growled.  "Especially
for dinner."
      "Sorry, I'm already taken," Willow told him.  "Besides, I've already got
plans for the night and they don't include becoming a blood donor."  Willow
shot a hand out and slammed it into the vampire's throat.  She shoved her
keys into Pacey's hands.  "Pacey, get inside now."  Pacey dropped his
suitcase as he watched Willow try and fight off the one vampire.  "Move it."
  Pacey took off towards the house that Willow had pointed to, the second
vampire on his heels.  He got as far as the front porch before the vampire
caught him.
      "I always like to play with my food.  Makes it so much richer."  Pacey shut
his eyes as the vampire leaned in to bit him.  He opened them again when
nothing happened, only to see a brunette female with a stake in front of him
instead of the creature that had been about to make an entree out of him.
      "You must be Pacey," she said.  "I'm Faith.  Welcome to Sunnydale.  How'd
you like the welcoming committee?"
      "Whatever happened to bringing baked goods to new arrivals?" Faith laughed
at Pacey's joke, glad to see he was okay.
      "We don't like doing things the normal way here.  Too boring."  Pacey
remembered the other vampire that Willow had been fighting.
      "Willow," he croaked.
      "Right here," came the red head as she approached the pair, Angel at her
side.  "You okay Pacey?"
      "Thanks to your friend Faith here," he told her.
      "Red, what were you doing out with no weapons?' Faith admonished the
hacker.  "You, of all people, should know better than that."
      "Blame Greyhound.  The damn bus was late," Willow replied.  "Besides, I
already started getting the responsibility lecture from Angel."  Angel bent
down and placed a kiss on the top of Willow's head.
      "You're just lucky that Faith and I decided to come this way on patrol," he
informed his girlfriend.  "Although, I will admit that you were handling
yourself better than you used to."
      "I will take that as a compliment," Willow beamed.
      "You should."
      "Ummm, hate to break up this lovely Hallmark moment, but I have a
question," Pacey interrupted.  "Were those, for that lack of a better word,
creatures back there what I thought they were?"
      The three people from Sunnydale looked at each other, with Willow deciding
that she would be the spokesman for the group.  "If you were thinking that
they were vampires, then you would be correct."
      "Great and I though my life couldn't possibly get any more screwed up than
it already was."  Faith swung her arm over Pacey's shoulder as Willow took
her keys from him to open the front door.
      "Welcome to the Hellmouth, or as we like to call it, home."
 

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