Author: Richess a.k.a. A.N.H. Richards

Feedback: Did the Gentlemen need hearts?

richess78@hotmail.com

Summary: Willow and Tara do a spell that doesn't work

like it was supposed to and Buffy witnesses the lives

and deaths of four Slayers. Set after Checkpoint.

Disclaimer: I own all three of the four Slayers except

one was not my creation. I don't own any of the BTVS

or ATS characters Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, FOX, the

WB and UPN now do.

Authors notes: If any of these Slayers seem familiar

it's because I have mentioned them in the Destiny

Series and a co-write with SpikeLover UK titled Who Am

I? Also I want to thank, my beta, Python Chick. Hils,

I hope that you like your present.

_______________________________________________________

CHAPTER ONE

Part 1

"Do you think that we should really do this?" Tara

asked uncertainly.

"Yeah, it can only help Buffy," Willow replied mixing

the ingredients. "This will let Buffy access all of

her Slayer powers."

"But I think that we should tell her."

"There's no time to tell her. The stars are aligned

tonight. We need to hurry!"

"Ok." Tara sighed reluctantly.

* * *

Part 2

"Oh great just the person I wanted to see," Buffy

replied sarcastically, looking at Spike as she dusted

off her jeans. "Some of your friends."

Spike looked at her as she continued to dust.

"Whatever, Summers."

"Yeah, got that part right; whatever. Don't you have

somewhere to go or something to do?" Buffy asked,

walking away.

"Yup, I have the whole night long, Slayer, to bother

you. Harmony is out of town so I need another

dimwitted blond to occupy me during my waking hours."

Buffy stopped and glared at him, "I can't believe that

I entrusted my mom and sister to you." Buffy shook her

head and stopped walking. Spike almost ran into her.

She turned to look at him.

"Slayer?"

Her face suddenly went a ghastly pale. Her eyes rolled

into the back of her head and she began to fall. Spike

reached out and caught her before he hit the ground.

Her lips were instantly blue and her face looked

grayish. He felt her skin, which was cold. The vampire

cradled the petite girl in his arms and hurried to her

house.

* * *

Part 3 - Maridhia The Vampire Slayer B. 60 B.C. - D.

32 B.C.

"I'm fine." A beautiful girl with honey-brown coloured

skin answered the man dressed in a white robe.

Buffy stood wondering where she was. The buildings,

high massive structures unlike anything she had ever

seen before.

"I am your first Watcher. I must look after you; it is

my sworn duty." the man replied.

"Excuse me, where am I?" Buffy asked the couple. They

ignored her. "Excuse me?"

"You cannot be active in their world," echoed a voice

behind her. Buffy spun around to see small brunette

girl standing against a nearby wall. "You can only

listen. You can only watch and learn. Their speech has

been translated for your understanding. You have been

granted access to dimensions that should not be open

to mere mortals, or even Slayers for that matter."

"What? I don't..." Buffy began but the girl

disappeared right before her eyes.

"Look, I am twenty-eight years old, probably one of

the longest living Slayers ever, according to your

records, and just because some guy from the Roman

Empire comes along and says that he is my Watcher, I

am supposed to take orders from you. I do not think

so. I work for my Queen. My Goddess. I only listen to

her." the girl replied indignantly.

"Maridhia, Cleopatra is not a God. She is but a mere

mortal and a fallible one at that. And the battles

that you fight with her armies are meaningless. They

do not hold your true purpose; those are wars of

politics, economies, and popularities. You are to

fight the dark forces."

"Octaivus is dark force. My Queen has been weakened by

the plots against her and I must help her."

"She will be the death of you, Maridhia."

"Better her than a vampire."

"You are a Slayer, you should not..." The man stopped

suddenly as someone walked into the room. A tall,

cloaked man walked into the square.

"I must have a word with this man, Maridhia." her

Watcher told her quietly.

She turned to see the man, shrugged her shoulders and

left the square.

Buffy wanted to follow the Slayer but she knew that

something more important was going to happen here.

"So is that her?"

"Yes."

"Strong-willed." the cloaked man replied.

"Yes."

"Well I think that I can help you. Our plan will work,

you just have to initiate it."

"That can be arranged."

"Good."

Buffy felt a shiver go down her spine as the men

continued.

"Will it work?" the Watcher asked, concerned.

"Of course. Do you know who the next Slayer will be?"

"We have our speculations that she will in Rome." the

Watcher replied.

"Excellent."

* * *

Suddenly the day shifted into night. Buffy could feel

the sea breeze on her back, she watched in awe as

Maridhia took out ten vampires that had surrounded her

easily. Her aim of an arrow impeccable;, her precision

near perfect. Not one vampire had touched her. Her

style raw and wild, her dark robe camouflaged her. She

said nothing. No grunts or gasps. She just fought and

won.

But Buffy could sense something that even this Slayer

couldn't. The presence of others hiding, lurking.

Something unfamiliar, but not unknown as well. Buffy

watched as she pulled a sword from her side and began

beheading the vampires that enclosed around her. Buffy

saw a movement from the corner of her eye. It was

Maridhia's watcher.

He placed object to his mouth and pointed it in her

directions and blew. Buffy watched as the girl's body

jerked and she grabbed her neck and fell to the

ground. The vampire's descended on her but they were

halted by a voice.

"Stop." The cloaked man appeared out of the darkness

and the Slayer's Watcher walked up to her. Buffy ran

to see what was happening.

"What...what have you done to me?" she asked, gasping

for air, blood seeping between her fingers as she held

her neck. "You have poisoned me; you have killed me.

You were supposed to help me."

"We will take it from here now." The cloaked man

passed her Watcher a satchel and bellowed to the

vampires to pick up the fallen Slayer.

Maridhia tried to struggle but it was useless. Buffy

could feel the tears sting her eyes as she heard the

Slayer's last whispers.

"Please, not like this."

* * *

Part 4

Spike carried the lifeless Slayer in his hands as he

reached the Summers' doorstep. To his surprise, no one

was home. He gently put her down and checked her

pockets for keys and found them instantly and unlocked

the door.

He climbed the steps two at a time reaching the

Slayer's bedroom in minutes. He gently set her down on

her bed, took off her shoes and grabbed all the

blankets he could find, covering Buffy to warm her up.

He needed to call her Watcher or Red. "Yeah they'll

know what to do."

Spike looked at the list of names on Buffy's speed

dial and pressed the 'Giles' button.

* * *

Part 5 - Danielle the Vampire Slayer B. 1838 - D. 1856

Buffy was immediately thrown into the last actions of

another slayer.

The girl fought long and hard with a group of ten

vampires, she staked six of them but the last four

were working as a team. The girl's sunned-blond hair

was held back in a loose French braid. A large scar

that marred her face showed that she was a veteran.

Yet these vamps were giving her trouble. She grabbed a

hold of one of the vampire's necks and snapped it. The

next two grabbed at her gun strapped on her hip. She

staked one quickly meanwhile the other kicked her in

the stomach. She growled as she got up ready to give

this vampire all he had coming to him but he was gone.

And so were the others except the one with the broken

neck, which she quickly staked. She dusted off her

chaps and mounted her horse, heading back to town.

"God, I hate the gold rush," she mumbled as she rode.

"Brings in all kind of new vampires."

* * *

"Danielle, how was patrolling tonight." an extremely

good looking British man said. He must have been in

his late thirties; he had dark brown hair with

deep-set brown eyes that sparkled as he said her name.

Buffy was in total shocked when the Slayer kissed him

passionately.

"It is was fine. I need a bath. I got all dusty." she

smiled.

The man grabbed her hand and smiled and that's when

Buffy noticed the wedding rings. Two simple gold bands

adorned their left hands.

"Well we have a slight problem, honey."

"What is it?" she asked, her face suddenly very

serious.

"A Navox cult has arrived in town. I got a letter from

the Council shortly before they arrived."

"Navox what are they?"

"A rather nasty demon sect. They are very brutal and

you must prepare to fight them. Danielle, it's unlike

anything you've ever faced before."

"I've taken on Masters and other vampires how

different could these be?" she replied with a smirk.

"Look a Master almost killed you in Edmonton. You have

been at your best and, sure, he caught you off guard,

but Navox demons are vicious. They are nearly

extinct...and will have no qualms about killing you.

As soon as we know their agenda, we can plan."

She rolled her eyes at him as he stepped closer toward

her.

"Sorry, I'll listen to you."

"A good Slayer and wife should always listen to her

Watcher and husband."

She let go an infuriating growl and stalked off into

another room as he laughed and chased her.

Buffy smiled as she heard giggling from the bedroom.

* * *

Finding out what the Navox demons wanted wasn't too

hard. It took three full days of riding but eventually

she found them after three young girls were kidnapped

from a small town outside of Calgary. Danielle rode

for the better part of the third day to some remote

hills near the Rockies.

She thought about her last words to Phillip. They

argued. She wanted to find these demons and kill them

before they hurt them. She was furious at him telling

her to wait. She accused him of being more of a

Watcher then a human being, and that struck a chord.

He mumbled a curse and walked out the door mounting

his horse and leaving her behind. Danielle had never

felt so guilty about hurting him but sometimes she did

wonder why he wasn't more compassionate.

Danielle sighed and pressed on toward the hills until

something spooked her horse. The animal stopped

abruptly and began to buck furiously.

"Whoa boy. Calm down." Danielle called. She looked

past some trees to see a large fire in the distance.

The horse wouldn't budge. It took about an hour before

she calmed the horse down and they began to ride

again.

As they ventured toward the fire, Danielle felt a knot

tie in the bottom of her stomach, remembering

Phillip's words.

"A rather nasty demon sect. They are very brutal and

you must prepare to fight them. Danielle, it's unlike

anything you've ever faced before...Navox demons are

vicious. They are nearly extinct...and will have no

qualms about killing you. As soon as we know their

agenda, we can plan."

Danielle left the horse behind as she walked the rest

of the way, not wanting to alert the demons. She crept

toward the band of ugly large demons. She could see

that each girl was strapped to a table naked with red

marking crossing their bodies. Danielle noticed

another large table but couldn't see from her angle

who was on it.

* * *

"So I guess that she is going to die like the others."

Buffy grimaced.

"Of course."

"Can you be anymore callous." Buffy replied disgusted

"Yes."

"You are a child. How can...? Never mind." Buffy

began.

"No! What did you want to ask?"

"Why are you showing me these things?"

"Wrong question."

"Wrong question? What the hell is that suppose to

mean?"

Ignoring Buffy's question, the girl continued. "Weeks

ago you were given examples of two Slayers who died.

They wanted to die. And now you will know the rest.

Not all had had a death wish. Some wanted to live, but

something or someone or even themselves at some point

prevented them from doing that. You must be different

from them all; that's why you've survived this long.

You have seen the true natures of love and friendship.

Most of them have not. You have loved. Most of them

have not. They were told sweet lies and they listened

with bitter ears. They never saw the signs. You must."

"The signs of what?"

"The vampire."

"Angel?"

"No. Why are you always wrong?" The girl suddenly

disappeared. And Buffy wearily followed

Danielle.

* * *

Danielle crept closer to the far table. That is when

she saw the final occupant. Her husband. He was tied

to the table. If it weren't for the birthmark on his

left shoulder, she would never have recognized

Phillip. Danielle gasped in horror as she stepped

closer. Whatever ritual they had done had already

ended in the three girls' deaths. But how they had

captured Phillip was a mystery. But one of the demons

answered the question for her as it spoke to her

husband.

"Have you had enough?" The demon glared at the human.

"Get it to us."

"I do not know what you want."

"Yes you do. You know what we need."

Phillips smirked slightly as the demon continued. "Get

it to us."

Danielle crept forward she had to get Phillip out of

there and fast. She decided quickly on her next plan

of action. Play it safe and wait? Or get the man that

she loved away from those ruthless Navox demons? What

would Phillip say? She thought just before his cries

of agony started. The demon embedded a small hunting

knife made of bone into his left shoulder finally

covering that bare area with bone. The demon twisted

in as Phillip screamed louder in pain.

The demon snarled as two of its friends came out of

the nearby cave.

Phillip could feel her near and he silently prayed

that she would for once use her better judgment. She

had taken off blindly on horseback after hearing of

the girls' disappearances and immediately set forth to

kill the demons. He sighed heavily as he looked in her

eyes lovingly, pleading with her to run; knowing that

she wouldn't was the part that scared him. The demons

conversed in their own language. Phillip looked at the

woods for a sign that she was there waiting. But when

he did see her, their eyes locked and she

inadvertently stepped forward. Her final and fatal

move. Their trap was laid out and before she even knew

what happened, the loud sound of snapping metal cut

threw the blood filled air. Danielle feel to the

ground howling pain as she looked down to find a bear

trap cutting into her now broken ankle. The Navox

demons roared in excitement to find the Slayer crying

and whimpering in pain.

Phillip felt the tears roll down his wounded face as

they dragged Danielle to neighbouring table. Each

demon was strong and she couldn't fight their grips

that held her. She struggled in vain as they tied her

to the table like the other dead women. The demons

laughed.

"You should have known better, Slayer," the leader

snarled. "Your blood will help revive our species. If

you hadn't been so hasty, maybe your Watcher would

have stopped you first."

Danielle looked at Phillip with remorse written in her

eyes. He feebly reached out with his hand to touch

her; she was about a foot away.

But the demon shook his head and broke Phillips arm at

the elbow. He screamed in pain and Danielle cried. She

turned her head back to see one of the demons jab a

sharp knife into her chest. She suddenly found it hard

to breath and then she felt the sharp blade slice her

small wrists. She could feel the warmness of her blood

as it drained from her body over her fingers.

A Navox placed clay pots underneath her extended arms

as she bled to death. Her glossy eyes looked over at

her husband, her only love. And she knew at that

moment she would regret not listening to him this one

time, this last time. The leader looked from Danielle

to Phillip and then back and in true Navox fashion, he

grabbed her head while another Navox demon held

Phillip's.

Phillip struggled with his captor to no avail. The

demon made him look and forever then he would be

scarred as he watched Danielle bleed quickly. The

colour draining from her face, her sad eyes, her last

whisper.

"I love you. I am sorry."

* * *

Part 6

Spike watched as Buffy lay still. Her chest slightly

rising and falling with each shallow breath.

He stroked her hair as he waited for her Watcher to

arrive. It had only been fifteen minutes since she had

fallen victim to her predicament. Spike stayed close

to her as she continued to sleep.

* * *

Part 7 - Adiana the Vampire Slayer B. 1978 - D. 1996

"So you poisoned me for a week for a test?" The girl

seethed with anger.

"You see we needed to..."

"Needed to what? Nearly kill me? I'd trusted you. I

put my life in your hands and you betrayed me." She

looked at the two men like they were crazy.

"It is a standard eighteenth birthday test. Any Slayer

that make it that along, have endured it."

"And how many have you killed?" Adiana screamed. "I

don't know why I bother. I have a Master sending his

minions to come after me every week for the last two

months, just biding his time to make an appearance and

you didn't think that that was challenge enough. You

people are sick."

"Adiana, I realize that this has been an ordeal for

you."

She gasped disgusted at his statement.

"But it was necessary. To test your skills."

"Skills? Locking me in a warehouse with a crazed

vampire and no Slayer powers, that's suicide. Not

skill. I survived completely on..."

"Self-reliance." her Watcher finished her sentence.

"No sheer and utter desperation; nothing to do with

reliance. There was no level playing field, as you can

see from my battered body." She stood up looking at

the two men. "I'm leaving."

"You can't go. You're not safe out there, alone." her

Watcher called to her.

She stopped at the door of his apartment. "Alone? I've

always been alone." With that, she walked out the

door.

"You should go and stop her before she gets herself

killed."

"She'll be fine. She needs to vent. Adiana is the best

Slayer that I've ever come across. She passed the

challenge in record time. The next Slayer's test I

think should be a little more challenging." George

told Travers.

* * *

Buffy watched as Adiana walked, the night air was warm

and cars zoomed pass as she made her way toward a bar.

"Adiana!" the bartender greeted as she sat down.

"Hey, Maurice. Give me a vodka straight. Make it a

double."

"Rough night, hun?"

"Yeah. To say the least, rough week." He handed her a

drink and she gulped it down.

Buffy grimaced as the girl squinted her eyes after

drinking the harsh liquor. "Give me another."

Maurice widened his eyes at the young girl but gave

her another and then whispered to her, "He's here."

Adiana spun around to see him walk into the bar. He

smiled instantly as he walked toward her.

Buffy watched Adiana's gloomy appearance suddenly turn

happy. The handsome man sat down next to her.

"Hi, Stephen."

"Hi. How was your day?" He watched her intently,

taking in every bruise and cut.

"Tough and you? Your special project; is that going

all right?" she asked him, smiling shyly.

"Better than I could imagine." He lightly touched her

bruised cheek. "What happened?"

"Nothing. Not important."

Buffy watched as a girl next to him looked in her

compact and checked her lipstick. She could see Adiana

in the reflection but couldn't see Stephen. Buffy

wanted to yell and scream at the girl that he was a

vampire. But as Buffy painfully knew, the test drugs

dampened a Slayer's perception, as well as strength.

They talked and drank, and drank and talked until 3am.

He finally suggested that he take her home. They left

the bar together and headed toward her house.

* * *

"Hello, Buffy." the little girl whispered behind her

as she watched the intoxicated Slayer and the vampire

walk ahead of them.

"Please tell me that..." Buffy started.

"You can only observe." the little girl replied.

"I know."

"But it doesn't make it easy. Does it? To not be able

to prevent her death, to not be able to warn her, to

watch her die." the girl said sadly.

"Is that regret that I hear in your voice?" Buffy

asked shocked.

"Yes."

"For this Slayer? Why her?"

"For what she becomes?"

"Becomes?" Buffy felt a chill flow through her body as

she watched as they walked toward her apartment. She

opened the door and invited him in sealing her fate.

* * *

"I am going to wake up with such a hangover tomorrow."

Adiana sighed as she took off her jacket. Buffy gasped

at all the bruise that covered Adiana's arms and back.

Stephen's eyes went wide with shock. "What happened?"

"I got into a fight." she replied simply.

"With who?" He asked already knowing the answer, some

part of him seeing her in that state made him feel

almost guilty for what he was going to do. He passed

fingers along her tender skin as they walked toward a

chair she plopped herself down as he began massage her

tensed shoulders.

She moaned as he kneaded deeper into her shoulder.

Suddenly she felt his lips brush against her earlobe

and the side of her neck. Suddenly he moved around in

front of her and he gave her a deep kiss. Adiana

nearly melted at his touch.

When the kiss stopped they both looked at each other,

he ever so gently lifted her off of the chair, her

legs wrapping around his waist. Adiana kissed him even

more passionately. Stephen broke away and smiled at

her.

"By the way, happy birthday."

"How did you know it was my birthday?" she asked

breathily.

"You told me earlier this week that it was today."

"No I didn't." All of a sudden her alcoholic haze

cleared as she looked at him, her legs sliding back

down to the floor.

"Run!" Buffy yelled at her.

She was frozen in fear her eyes widened as she

realized what had happened...what was about to happen.

"It took you long enough to figure it out." Stephen

smiled at her.

Her chest heaved with panic as she backed away from

him. He stepped forward moving closer to her. She

turned to run only to feel his strong hands grab onto

her and throw her onto the living room couch. He

advanced on her quickly she tried to squirm out from

underneath his grasp. He laughed at her efforts.

"Oh stop that now. You know that you want this. You

want to feel as I feel. You want the darkness. You

need the peace. You must be tired of being alone. I

want you to be with me. You'll never be alone." he

gently whispered in her ear. She stopped trying to

break free as she processed his words.

"I'd rather be dead than be with you. If you're going

to kill me, just kill me. I don't want to be turned. I

don't want to be a vampire." she hissed back at him.

He gently brushed back a piece of her brown hair from

her face, and stared deeply into her eyes. "But I love

you."

"What?" Adiana and Buffy cried out at the same time.

"I love you. Ever since that day I saw you crying over

your first Watcher's body. I knew that I could turn

your perfect ability, love and sacrifice, into

unbridled chaos and destruction. I want you, so

badly."

He bent his head down and placed a trail of soft

kisses along her collarbone and her body tensed for

the bite that she eventually expected but instead he

stopped and looked down at her.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"You can't be serious. What do you think is going to

happen here? You're gonna rape me and I'll fall in

love with you or something?" A look of utter disgust

crossed her face. "You killed my first Watcher. You

killed Washington. You tortured him for hours and then

you killed him. You son of..."

He slapped her hard and then grabbed back her arms

viciously. He hoisted her arms above her head as he

straddled her. He gripped her tiny wrists with one

hand as the other passed along the side of her face he

just slapped. His hand continued to move down over her

heaving chest onto her stomach.

Stephen's cold fingers slipped underneath her tank top

and passed over her breasts. She trembled in fear and

disgust as his hand roamed back over her clothing. His

hands moved to her neck.

"So how do you want this? Nice or rough?" He stared at

her, his amber eyes boring into her brown ones. "I

think that you are a 'like it nice' type. But I'd like

to hear you beg."

"Never." she grit between her teeth.

"Good. I don't like beggars." He gripped the sides of

her jaw and turned her head baring her neck. His demon

face slipped on and then he delved his razor sharp

teeth violently into her neck.

She tried to scream, but she couldn't. She tried to

fight, but it was useless.

Buffy cringed as she heard his hungry slurps and

growls as he drained the Slayer. Then Buffy watched

her eyes slowly begin to close.

Suddenly Stephen stopped. "Are you sure you want to

die?"

Adiana looked at him confused and then gasped at him,

"Yes."

He looked at her, shocked. He could hear her heartbeat

weaken as he paused. He wanted her so badly. He knew

that somewhere deep down she wanted to know the

darkness. She wanted to feel the night.

"I'm sorry." he replied as he opened his wrist and

held it to her mouth. She gave her last struggle to

fight the invasion of the cold liquid filling her

mouth, but the struggle weakened her even more.

* * *

Buffy felt sick to her stomach. Tears rolled down her

face as Adiana's dead eyes seemed to stare a hole

through her. The little girl chuckled, which received

a venomous glare from Buffy.

"Hey, think you might meet her one day?" The girl

winked and then grabbed Buffy's had leading into

another.

* * *

Part 8 - Cecily the Vampire Slayer B. 1861- D. 1880

"Your last stop, Buffy." The little girl looked up at

the Slayer holding her hand.

"Where are we now?"

"London 1880."

"London 18...hey that was the year Spike was turned."

"Yup."

"But he's not a Slayer why would you bring me here?"

"'Cause." The little girl stated.

* * *

The house was abuzz as guests talked and servants

served. Buffy recognized the quiet young man in the

corner instantly, talking to a waiter.

"...the bother is nothing rhymes with it." he

finished.

Buffy smiled as she observed Spike, well, rather

William. He was completely the opposite of what she

had thought even after he had described his

pre-vampire existence. The hair and the clothes.

Complete shock was what she was feeling. She felt a

sharp tug on her arm and looked down to find her

standing there.

"We must go now."

Buffy was suddenly transported to another room in the

house.

"You must let him down." an old man spoke harshly.

"I know but..."

"But nothing, Cecily," he snapped harsher, gritting

his teeth. "William Wesley James III knows nothing

about what you do or what you are. And WE are to keep

it that way. For his safety and yours. You must let

him down and make sure that he has no questions about

your meaning. DO you understand?"

"Yes, sir." Cecily replied softly.

The man's hard face softened a bit. "I know, Cecily,

that you are fond of this young man but it is too

risky. I am your Watcher, I know these things and how

they will end up. You must tell him tonight before you

go and patrol."

"Yes, Mr. Newgent." Cecily walked off silently, down

the stairs to the main room.

* * *

Buffy was suddenly transported into another room in

the house.

"That is the problem, William. I do see you. You're

nothing to me," she began, then her face went cold,

"You're beneath me."

Buffy couldn't believe how cruel those words actually

sounded until she heard them from her mouth. Buffy

felt a huge knot in the pit of her stomach as she

remembered her use of those exact same words.

Cecily scurried out of the room as William sat there,

broken by her words.

* * *

Cecily cried as her Watcher talked.

"I am sorry about this Cecily."

"It's not your fault. He's just missing. Everything is

fine, I hope. I hope that nothing happened to him."

Cecily bit her lip; worried that something did happen

to William. It had been three nights since the party

and no one had heard or seen him since.

Mr. Newgent suspected that one of the creatures of the

night had probably gotten to the naive young man, but

he really didn't want Cecily being overrun by

emotions. "It is not your..."

"Yes, it is. If I hadn't been so cold to William, he

might not be...missing or even...dead." Cecily broke

down crying again.

"That is enough young lady. It is not your fault. This

new group of vampires are quite lethal and you must

stop them," he replied coldly. "You must study and

prepare for this battle. Besides, that band of

vampires, I believe, is here to meet some of their

childer."

Cecily wiped the tears from her face but not the

sorrow from her heart and listened to her Watcher's

instructions intently, even though she was drained.

The whole morning consisted of comforting William's

parents, and his grandmother. Everyone was very

worried that he stumbled across the wrong type of

people and had gotten himself hurt. Cecily knew

better, she was more afraid that something had gotten

to William.

Mr. Newgent was somewhat concerned on how William's

disappearance would affect his slayer but he needed

her to get her act together. And fight this new band

of vampires that rolled into England.

* * *

"So, what do you think?" she asked Buffy.

"Huh?"

"About Cecily? Seems like she's got it tough huh."

"Yeah, I guess she does. Her Watcher doesn't care at

all about her." Buffy felt a little grateful as she

thought of Giles and the bond they shared.

"Well you won't have to worry about that soon."

Buffy looked over at the young girl who smiled at her

and shrugged.

* * *

Cecily walked aimlessly through the cemetery, her mind

clearly on William and what she knew she had caused.

She sighed as she rounded the corner of a crypt, not

even noticing the amber eyes that had been following

her in the night until he launched his attack.

The Slayer was tackled to the ground as the vampire

flared, his teeth ready to bite her. She could tell

that he was just a fledgling. Cecily pushed back the

demon and stood up quickly, giving the vampire a punch

to the face before pulling out a stake and charging

him. She knocked the blond to the ground and straddled

him before he could move, pining his arms with her

legs.

"So, vampire, any last words?" she asked.

"Actually, I was about to ask you the same question."

he replied returning to his human facade.

Cecily gasped as William appeared before her.

"William?" His blue eyes pierced her soul. The look of

happiness and utter hatred marred his pale, handsome,

and now lethal face.

"Hey, Will, you need some help? Angelus, Darla and Dru

are waiting for the new one to be born. Stop playing

with this girl. Feed, and let's go."

Cecily turned to see the other vampire, another young

blond man.

Suddenly caught off guard, William flipped Cecily over

his head and quickly pinned the Slayer to the side of

a nearby crypt. Cecily struggled to break free from

the vampire's grip. He grabbed her by the shoulders

and threw her into a tombstone, breaking her spine

instantly.

The Slayer fell to the ground, whimpering in the pain

that engulfed her senses as she tried to move off the

ground but finding she couldn't.

"This wasn't supposed to happen." she cried out as

William swooped down on her.

He cradled her in his arms. "My first true kill.

Drusilla will be proud. She's my Queen. My black

Queen. She made me what I am."

The Slayer gasped not only in pain but also in sorrow.

He was a vampire and she was going to be killed by

him. Crushed in an ironic fashion. She helped create

him and was going to be destroyed be him. Cecily tried

to move again but her legs didn't respond. The vampire

drew her up to himself and held her hands with his.

His game face already on smiled wickedly as teeth

sliced into her skin and flesh.

Buffy cringed as she remembered that feeling all to

well. Cecily whimpered desperately struggling with

William, which only made him drink deeper.

"It's all my fault." was her final whisper.

* * *

Part 9

Spike silently prayed that Buffy would open her eyes.

He had called Giles and hopefully her Watcher would be

here soon. Buffy suddenly gasped for air and sat up

straight on the bed. She instantly began crying. Her

arms encircled the figure next to her not even caring

about the last vision etched in her mind. It was all

too sad and tragic. The betrayals, the lost love and

heartbreaks. All of these shouldn't have died. It was

wrong. She shuddered against Spike as he held her. He

cradled her form in his arms as she wept.

* * *

Giles ran into the Summers' house, he could hear Buffy

crying. The Watcher ran up the stairs into Buffy's

room to see Spike holding her and stroking her hair,

trying to calm her down.

"Slayer, you've gotta stop crying, luv."

Giles stood in the doorway waiting.

"I ca...n't, Sp...ike. I c...an't." Buffy said between

sobs. It wasn't until moments later, when she fell

asleep in his arms from exhaustion, did she stop.

Spike slowly and carefully escaped her grasp and

gently rested her down on the bed.

Spike could feel the Watcher's eyes intently on his

every move. Spike slowly walked toward the door.

"What happened?" Giles hissed in a whisper.

"I haven't the foggiest. One minute we were annoying

the hell out of each other and the next she looks like

a bloody corpse. I got her here and that was it, until

she woke just before you arrived." Spike explained.

"Really? What could have happened?" Giles thought out

loud. "Well, what did she say?"

"She didn't say anything. She was just bloody crying?"

"Well, this is peculiar." Giles said to himself.

* * *

Chapter 2??