𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒗𝒆𝒔𝒕

"This world is older than any of you know," Giles said as he spun a globe, a large stack of books balanced in his left hand. "Contrary to popular mythology, it did not begin as a paradise. Demons walked the earth, making it their home, their Hell. But in time they lost their purchase on reality, and the way was made for mortal animals, for man. What is left of the old ones are vestiges, certain magicks, certain creatures—"

"—and vampires." Buffy and I said in unison. She gave me a small smile as Willow dabbed the last bit of antiseptic on the cut on my arm, before covering the wound with a band-aid. I was sitting down, my feet propped up in the chair beside me while Xander and Buffy were standing.

"Okay, this is where I have a problem," Xander told us. "See, because we're talking about vampires. We're having a talk with vampires in it. Katy's never included us in her vampire talks before."

Willow spoke up, a fearful expression on her face. "Please don't tell me what's what we saw last night..."

"No, no, those weren't vampires," Buffy said, sarcasm evident in her voice. "Those were just guys in a thundering need of a facial. Or maybe they had rabies—it could've been rabies. And that guy turning to dust? Just a trick of the light." Xander gave her an amused glance.

I crossed my arms over my chest. "No need to lie, Buffy. They already know about vampires. I'm a slayer myself. Not the Slayer, but you get the idea."

"That's what I said when I first saw a vampire," Buffy continued sarcastically. I blink when I realize she was using sarcasm. A good job on her part. "Well, after I was done with the screaming part."

"Oh, I—I need to sit down," Willow said, looking like she was going to faint.

I chuckled, pointing at her chair. "You are sitting down, Will."

"Good for me."

Xander turned to face Giles. "So...are some vampires demons?"

"The books tell that the last demon to leave this reality fed off a human, mixed their blood," he replied, gazing down at the novel he held in his hand. "He was a human form possessed—"

"—or infected, rather, by the demon's soul," I concluded. Xander gave me a bewildered look, and I returned a smirk.

"What, Xand? Although I hate public schooling with a burning passion and that most people see me as a slacker, I do my research."

He scratched the back of his neck, a blush tinting his cheeks. "Oh," he mumbled as Buffy stared at us quizically. "I should've known that."

Giles gave us an annoyed look and continued with what he was saying. "He bit another, and another, and so they walk the Earth, feeding. Killing some, mixing their blood with others to make more of their kind. Waiting for the animals to die out, and the old ones to return."

"So technically...there needs to be a slayer to fight off the vampires," Buffy added.

"And that would be a what?" Xander asked, looking down at a book he held in his hands as he paced around the library. I rolled my eyes.

"I've explained this to you before, Xand."

He gave me a blank look before flashing a tiny smile. "I surely wouldn't mind you explaining it again."

Giles cleared his throat, stepping up to the plate. "For as long as there have been vampires, there's been the slayer, one girl in all the world, a chosen one."

"He loves doing this part," Buffy said with a sarcastic grin.

Giles looked at her for a moment before continuing. "All right, the slayer hunts vampires, Buffy and Katy are slayers—while one is chosen and the other does it because...well, I'm not sure. Don't tell anyone."

Willow took up the look of confusion. "How is Katy a slayer if she isn't the 'Chosen One'?" she asked, doing air quotes to emphasize her point.

I smiled. "Vengeance."

"How do you exactly kill a vampire?" Xander questioned.

"You don't," Buffy replied. "I do. Katy and I do."

"Well, Jesse is my—"

Xander was interrupted by Buffy, who looked like she could snap at any moment. "Jesse is my responsibility. I let him get taken."

I placed a hand on her arm, feeling her tremble with anger. "Buffy, don't blame yourself."

"If you hadn't shown up," Willow said, "They would've taken us, too." She gave us an alarming look. "Does anybody mind if I pass out?"

"Breathe," Buffy instructed, resting a hand on her shoulder. "Breathe."

"Breathe," Willow repeated Buffy's quote of reassurance.

"This big guy Luke, he talked about an offering to the Master," Buffy informed, walking over to Giles. "Now, I don't know what or who, but if they weren't just feeding, then Jesse may still be alive. I'm gonna find him."

"Uh, this may be a dumb question," Willow said nervously, "But shouldn't we call the police?"

I leaned back, stretching in my seat. "Oh, because they would come to our aid while we're screaming our heads off."

Giles let out a sigh. "And they'd believe us, of course."

"Well, we don't have to say, vampires. We could just say that there's a bad man."

"They couldn't handle it even if they did show up," Buffy told Willow. "They'd only come with guns."

Giles turned to look at me. "Katy, you have no idea where they took Jesse?" he asked me.

"I looked around, but after they left that creepy old graveyard, the vamps could have just...phew!" I gestured outward with my hand to prove my point.

Xander gave me a look of confusion. "They can fly?"

I rolled my eyes. "No, Xand. I'm sure that they're smart enough to drive."

"Oh."

Willow furrowed her brows. "I don't remember hearing a car."

"Let's take an enormous intuitive leap, shall we," Giles said as he paced across the library, hands held behind his back, "And say they went underground."

Buffy seemed amused. "Vampires really jam on sewer systems," she adds. "You can get anywhere in the entire town without catching any rays. But I didn't see any access around there."

"Well, there's an electrical tunnel that runs under the whole town," Xander spoke up.

I smirked, reaching up to pat his shoulder. "Hey, looks like you do have a brain, buddy," I said teasingly, making him roll his eyes. Xander pretends to be hurt by shrugging my hand away, and it fell back to my side.

"If we have a diagnostic on the tunnel system," Giles muttered, looking at a book he had set on the table, "It might indicate a meeting place. I suppose we could go to the building commission."

Buffy shook her head. "We so don't have time."

Willow spoke up. "Uh, guys, there may be another way."

♱ ♱ ♱

We were still in the library, standing beside Willow as she sat at the computer, getting a map for the tunnel system in town. She zoomed in on an area and Buffy tapped the screen with her finger.

"There it is," she muttered.

I leaned in closer to the screen, peering over Willow's shoulder. "That runs under the graveyard."

Xander furrowed his brows. "I don't see any access."

"So all city plans are just open to the public?" Giles asked.

"Um, well, in a way," Willow responded, "I sort of stumbled onto them when I accidentally decrypted the city council's security system."

"Someone's been naughty," Xander whispered. My eyebrows shot up and I held back a laugh, hitting his chest to make him shut up.

Buffy stood, pacing the room. "There's nothing here. This is useless."

"I think you're being a bit too hard on yourself," Giles said to her.

"You're the one that told me I wasn't prepared enough," she shot back. "Understatement. I thought I was on top of everything and then that monster Luke comes out of nowhere—" Buffy stopped mid-sentence, making Xander and I share a look of confusion.

"What?" he asked.

"There was no way that he could come from thin air," I whispered. "Buffy, he came from behind you."

She nodded. "I was facing the entrance, he came from behind me, and he didn't follow me out. The access to the tunnels is in the mausoleum. The girl must've doubled back with Jesse after I got out." Buffy massaged her temples. "God, I am so mentally challenged!"

"Now that we know that information, what's the plan?" I asked.

"We saddle up, right?" Xander added.

Buffy gave us a blank look. "There's no 'we', okay? I'm the Slayer, and you're not."

"Uh, you're forgetting about the other one," I commented, gesturing to myself. "I guess I need to wear my flashing neon sign that says 'I SLAY VAMPIRES' more often."

Xander looked away from Buffy. "I knew you'd throw that back in my face," he muttered at the blonde in distaste.

"Xander, this is deeply dangerous."

"I'm inadequate. That's fine. I'm less than a man."

Willow spoke up. "Buffy, I'm not anxious to go into a dark place full of monsters, but I do want to help. I need to."

"Well, then, help me," Giles told her. "I've been researching this Harvest affair. It seems to be some sort of preordained massacre, rivers of blood, Hell on earth. Quite harmless. I'm a bit fuzzy, however, on the details. It may be that you can wrest some information from that dread machine."

We all gave him confused looks.

"That was a bit, um, British, wasn't it?"

I grinned. "Welcome to the states."

"I want you to go on the net," Giles said to Willow, correcting himself.

"Oh, sure, I can do that," she responded with a small smile.

"Then I'm out of here," Buffy stated. "Katy, come with me. If Jesse's alive, we'll bring him back."

Giles looked at us. "Do I have to tell you two to be careful?"

Buffy responded with a grin and I waved before we walked out of the library doors.

♱ ♱ ♱

I walked over to the fence, with Buffy trailing behind me. My cross necklace bobbed against my chest with each step I took, the silver metal glinting in the sunlight.

"Where'd you get your necklace from?" Buffy asked. "We both have the same one."

"This guy gave it to me."

She grinned. "Was he tall, dark, and handsome?"

"Tall and dark? Yes. Handsome? Sort of. But I got mine months before you came here. He told me it was because I had a purpose and that someone was coming to aid me. I guess he meant you."

We reached the opening in the fence and I turned when I heard approaching footsteps, only to see Principal Flutie.

"And where do we think we're going?"

"We?" Buffy asked. "Me. Her. Us."

"You two aren't leaving school grounds, are you?"

I intervened. "No no, Principal Flutie, we're just admiring the fence, you know." I rubbed my hand on an iron rail. "This is quality fence work. It must be praised by some of your student body."

"Because if we were leaving school grounds," Principal Flutie continued, pointing a finger at Buffy, "On our second day at a new school after getting kicked out of our old school for delinquent behavior...do you see where I'm going with this?"

"Mr. Giles," Buffy responded.

"What?"

"He asked us to get a book for him. Uh, from the store." Buffy added. "'Cause we both have a free period, and Katy here is a big reader. So am I. Did it mention it on my transcripts?"

"Mr. Giles?" Principal Flutie questioned.

"Ask him," I replied.

Principal Flutie began to close the gate and Buffy and I moved out of the way. "Well, maybe that's how they do things in Britain. They've got that royal family and all kinds of problems, but here at Sunnydale, nobody leaves campus while school's in session. Are we clear?"

"We're...clear," Buffy told him.

"Totally limpid," I added.

"That's the Buffy Summers I want in my school. Sensible girl with her feet on the ground," Principal Flutie said."You're a great student too, Katy, but I expect much more from you, Miss Summers." With that, he walked away from us.

As soon he was out of sight Buffy jumped the fence.

"Come on, Katy," she urged.

"Hold on a second," I groaned. "You have an advantage with your Slayer abilities."

"You're a slayer, too."

"Not the Slayer. I thought we've already gone over this."

I managed to climb over the fence without any trouble. We soon reached the mausoleum that was in the graveyard. Buffy opened the iron door with a creak, lifting her sunglasses to see in the dimly lit place. I didn't see anything out of the ordinary, but an animal squeaking somewhere near us made me turn and look around cautiously.

"I suppose you don't have a key on you," Buffy sighed after fumbling with the padlock that covered the door to the tunnel.

"They don't like me dropping in," the guy I had seen Buffy hanging around responded. He was the one who had given me my necklace.

Buffy turned to face him, hands on her hips. "Why not?"

"They don't like me."

"How could that possibly be?"

He looked at the door. "I knew you'd figure out this entryway sooner or later. I thought it was going to be a little sooner. But I didn't know you'd have company." I waved at him, knowing he had meant me.

"Sorry you had to wait," Buffy said half-heartedly. "Okay, look, if you're gonna be popping up with this cryptic wise-man act regularly, can you at least tell me your name?"

"Angel."

I rolled my eyes. "How convenient," I muttered.

"Angel...it's a pretty name," Buffy told him, ignoring my statement. She walked to the entry of the tunnel.

"Uh, don't go down there," Angel told her.

"Deal with my going."

"You shouldn't be putting yourself at risk. Tonight is the harvest. Unless you two can prevent it...the Master walks."

"Well, if this harvest thing is such a suckfest," Buffy told Angel, "Why don't you stop it?"

"'Cause I'm afraid."

I rolled my eyes again and Buffy turned, kicking open the door that led to the tunnel.

"They'll be expecting you," Angel told her.

"We've got a friend down there," I replied. "Or, in Buffy's case, a potential friend. I've known this guy for quite some time."

Buffy looked up at Angel. "Do you know what it's like to have a friend?"

He looked away, seeming unnerved by her question.

"That wasn't supposed to be a stumper," she said.

Angel looked at her for a moment before continuing. "When you hit the tunnels, head east towards the school. That's where you're likely to find them."

"You gonna wish me luck?" Buffy asked.

I pushed on her shoulders. "We don't have time for luck, Buffy," I said, walking into the tunnel.

Deep in the tunnel, I walk down a flight of stairs with Buffy leading the way. My hand grips on the railing that's covered in what I assume to be mold—but I don't have the guts to see if that's what it is. When we reach the bottom, Buffy looks around, and I grimace, wiping the remnants of the slime on my pants. The sound of rats startle me once again and I hear one scuttle across the floor. The tiny claws dig into the leather of my boot and I suck in a gasp, cursing, placing a hand on Buffy's shoulder. I've never liked rats. Maybe it's their black beady eyes that freak me out.

Buffy chuckles and I remove my hand from her shoulder when I hear the squeaks becoming more distant. "Sorry," I mutter.

"It's okay," she replies, and I can see in the dim light of the tunnel that she's giving me a small smile. I return the gesture. Buffy removes a barette from her hair and we continue our trek. We soon meet the end of the tunnel and I turn away from her, only to slam into another body. I choke back a scream, only to hit the particular idiot the body belonged to on the arm.

"Xander, what are you doing here?" I hissed.

"You should be with Willow!" Buffy added.

He shrugs. "Something stupid, I followed you guys. I couldn't just sit at home and do nothing."

"I understand. Now go away." Buffy demanded.

"No," Xander replied.

Buffy sighed. "Xander, you're gonna have to!"

"Look, Jesse's my bud, okay?" he responded. "If I can help him out, that's what I got to do."

"You don't give a damn about being a vamp's main course, do you?" I asked rhetorically.

Buffy exchanged glances with us for a moment before waving us forward. We walked farther down the tunnel.

"Besides, it's this or chem class," Xander muttered, making me smile.

♱ ♱ ♱

"Okay, so...crosses...garlic...stake through the heart," Xander said. We were deeper in the tunnel, and it was getting gradually darker.

"That'll allow us to dust some fang-bearing douche bags," I told him.

"Cool. Of course, I don't have any of those things."

"Good thinking," Buffy said, handing each of us a wooden cross. I gripped the safety object tightly in my hand.

"Well, the part of my brain that would tell me to bring that stuff is still busy telling me not to come down here," Xander told us. "I have...this, though." He held out a flashlight and cut it on, showing the grin that was on his face.

I covered my eyes at the sudden light. "Turn that off," Buffy groaned.

"Okay, okay." He did as she asked, clicking off the light. "So, what else?"

"What do you mean?" I whispered.

"For vampire-slaying?"

"Oh, fire, beheading, sunlight, holy water, the usual," Buffy responded.

"You've done some beheading in your time?" I asked, grimacing. "I can't deny that I have, too."

She smiled. "Oh, yeah. There was this time I was pinned down by this guy that played left tackle for varsity. Well, at least he used to before he was a vampire. Anyway, he had this thick neck, and all I had was this little, little Exacto knife..." Xander let out a nervous chuckle.

"You're not loving this bedtime story," I noticed with a grin, lightly punching Xander's arm.

He replies to me with sarcasm. "No, actually, I find it oddly comforting."

♱ ♱ ♱

"They're close," Buffy announces, cutting away the silence.

A shiver snakes it's way up my spine. Vampire slaying was always something that came easy to me, but now it felt forced and odd. "How can you tell?" Xander asked her.

"No more rats."

Well, that's a plus.

Xander cuts the flashlight back on. The beam illuminates a passed out Jesse on the ground before us.

"Jesse," I hear myself say.

"Oh, no," Buffy muttered.

We all walk closer to him, but as we approach he jumps up, on guard, letting out a startled cry.

"J—Jesse!" Xander chokes out.

"Xander!" The two boys embrace while Buffy and I watch cautiously.

"Jesse, man, are you okay?"

"I am not okay on an epic scale," he replied, pulling away from the hug, putting his hands on both of Xander's shoulders. "We got to get out of here."

"It's cool. Buffy's a superhero. Katy, too."

I notice a pair of shackles around Jesse's ankles. "Buffy," I say, tapping her on the shoulder.

"Hold on," she replied, kneeling and breaking the shackle from around Jesse's ankles. The chain falls to the ground and I glance around cautiously.

"You think anyone heard that?" Xander asks Buffy.

We all turn and see dark shadows dancing on the tunnel walls. I turn first, with Buffy soon following me, as we jog away from the shadows. I want to keep going—and I'm seriously wishing that I had my dagger—but we soon slow down to a quickened walking pace.

"They knew you were gonna come. They said that I was the bait," Jesse says.

"Oh great, now you tell us," Xander added, rolling his eyes.

Rounding a corner, I come to see a figure wearing dark clothing. When I hear it growl, I recognize it's a vampire.

"Oops," I say, recognizing how angry it looks.

Jesse backs away. "Oh no, no, no, no!"

"Do you know another way out?" Buffy asks him.

"I don't know...maybe. Come on."

We take off down the tunnel, our feet slapping against the concrete flooring. We go around another bend and hear more growling, only to see vampires staring at us with their contorted faces and glowing yellow eyes.

"Damn it!" I curse and grab onto the back of Xander's shirt. His arm automatically wraps around my waist to hold me back and away from the vampires.

"Wait! Wait!" Jesse said, running a hand through his hair. "They brought me through here. There should be a way up...I hope."

We follow his directions. Xander shines the light as we run so we can see.

"I don't think this is the way out," Buffy says, breathless, looking around.

"We can't fight our way back through those things," Xander argues. "What do we do?"

"I got an idea. You can die."

Xander and I turn to look at Jesse, only to see that he's a vampire, too. He had tricked us.

"Well isn't this just great!" I yell, throwing up my hands in protest.

"Jesse, man...I'm sorry." Xander told him.

"'Sorry'?" he mocks. "I feel good, Xander. I feel strong. I'm connected, man, to everything. I can hear the worms in the earth."

"Well, aren't you lucky?" I muttered.

Xander gives Jesse a bewildered look. "That's a plus," he deadpanned.

Jesse's attention is now on me, and he takes a step closer. Xander steps in front of me to make sure that he can't get to me. Jesse is inches away from Xander's face as he still tries to reach me, his fangs bared. "I know what the Master wants. I'll serve his purpose. That means you die...and I feed."

"Katy, the cross!" Buffy yelled as she still tries to close the door as it's being stampeded by vampires.

I hold it out in front of Jesse's face and he backs away, snarling.

"Jesse, man, we're buds," Xander tells him. "Don't you remember? Katy, Willow, and I hung out with you."

"You are all like a shadow to me now."

"Then get out of my face and stop trying to attack Katy."

"Protective of her, aren't you?" Jesse knock's Xander's arm away from him—he was also holding out a cross—causing it to crash from the ground away from Xander. His body hits the tunnel wall as Jesse moves to face him, his back to us. I put him in a momentary chokehold and Buffy rips him from my arms, throwing him out into the oncoming vampires that were blocking the doorway. He knocks them down. She goes back to trying to close the door and I join her.

I know we'll need more help. I look at Xander, who's still trying to compose himself on the ground. "Help!"

He stumbles a little when he gets on his feet—most likely startled by my plea—but manages to get beside us and help us try to close the door. The vampires are getting closer. Just as the door closes, I realize it's caught on something. An arm of one of the vampires thrashes, swiping the air with its long nails. My hand reaches out and I bend the vampire's fingers back as far as they'll go, hearing the sickening pops and cracks that follow. It moves its arm out of the door with a hiss of pain and we slam it shut. Buffy locks the door, and I slump down, breathing heavily. I glance at Xander to see him give me a shaky smile.

"We need to get out of here," the blonde says as we all press our backs to the door.

"There is no out of here," Xander responds. The vampires continue slamming their bodies into the door and he begins shining his flashlight, stopping when he notices a metal grate in the ceiling.

"Up there!" I realize. Buffy lets out a relieved breath and jogs over to the spot, tugging with all her power, trying to pull the grate open. Xander and I rush to help her, but I curse under my breath when I notice that the vampires have almost ripped the steel door off its hinges.

There's a loud creaking and the metal grate finally crashes to the ground. Xander continues shining his light, and Buffy steps away from the opening, yelling, "Go!"

I climb up into the opening, crawling on my hands and knees as Xander stays close behind me. Buffy follows soon after, just as the vampires walk into the empty room below.

He hands me the flashlight, and I shine it in front of us so we can see in the darkness. A loud banging makes me turn, and I see a vampire crawling behind us, behind Buffy.

Xander pushes me forward, and the momentum makes me move as quickly as I possibly can, gasping for air. I notice that the slope goes upward and I crawl up the flight of steps, pushing open a manhole.

The bright sunlight invades my vision and I squint, turning to help Xander follow my actions. We both lend a hand to Buffy, only for her to gasp when the vampire latches onto her leg.

"Xander, Katy, pull," she orders, and we do so. The vampire growls, soon returning to the darkness when the sun begins burning its undead flesh.

We all fall to the ground, and I stare up at our surroundings as we gasp for breath.

♱ ♱ ♱

The three of us soon return to the library where Willow and Giles were waiting. When I open the door, I see Willow sitting down at the table, turning the pages of a book. She notices us and lets out a sigh of relief. "Did you find Jesse?"

"Yeah," Xander says, his voice discouraged.

Her next question makes me cringe. "Was he dead?"

I sit down in a chair behind her, shaking my head. "Worse." Willow gives me a confused look, and Buffy clears up the unanswered questions.

"I'm sorry, Willow. We were too late. And they were waiting for us."

She gives us a shaky smile. "At least you guys are okay."

Xander kicks the garbage can, startling us three girls. My eyes travel down to my lap, and I'm unable to think of anything to say that can make him feel better.

"I don't like vampires," he states, raising his hands. "I'm gonna take a stand and say they're not good."

Buffy sighs, changing topics. "So, Giles...got anything that can make this day any worse?"

He stands in front of the whiteboard. "How about the end of the world?"

I lean back in my chair, my stare focused on the white tile ceiling. "Just great," I mumble.

"I knew I could count on you," Buffy added.

Giles walks behind me, setting his hands on the table between her and Willow. "This is what we know. Some sixty years ago, a very old, very powerful vampire came to this shore and not just to feed."

"He came 'cause this town's a mystical whoosit," Buffy says, resting her chin in her hands.

Giles nods. "Yes. The Spanish, who first settled here, called it 'Boca del Infierno'. Roughly translated, 'Hellmouth'. Sort of, um...a portal between this reality and the next. This vampire hoped to open it."

"Bring the demons back?" Buffy inquires.

I notice Xander eyeing me, and I give him a small smile. He drops his gaze and finishes, "End of the world."

"But he blew it!" Willow shouts. "Or, I mean, there was an earthquake that swallowed half the town and him, too."

Giles sits in the chair beside me. "See, opening portals is a tricky business. Odds are, he got himself stuck, rather like a...cork in a bottle."

"And this Harvest thing is to get him out." I realize.

"It comes once a century on this night," Giles continues, agreeing with my statement, "The Master can draw his power from one of his minions while it feeds. Enough power to break free and open the portal." He stands and walks over to the whiteboard. I watch as he erases what he has written.

"The minion is called The Vessel, and he bears this symbol." Giles draws a star-like symbol on the board.

Buffy gets on her feet, sauntering over to him. "So...Katy and I dust anyone sporting that symbol and no Harvest?"

"Simply put, yes."

"Any ideas where this party is being held?" I ask, looking up at the librarian.

"Well, Katy, there are many possibilities."

Xander speaks up, cutting him off. "They're going to the Bronze."

"Are you sure?" Willow questions.

"Come on, those tasty young morsels all over the place? Anyway, that's where Jesse's gonna be. Trust me."

Giles sets the marker down. "Then we should get there. The sun will be down before long."

"I got to make a stop," Buffy protests, following behind him as he walks to the door. "It won't take long."

"What for?" Giles asks, turning to look at her.

"Supplies."

♱ ♱ ♱

"Katy, can you please hurry up?" Willow pleads from the outside of the dingy stall.

"Hold on just a second," I tell her, and I slip on my black combat boots. I was changed into the outfit I normally wore for slaying: a red t-shirt, my dad's leather jacket, black denim jeans, and my signature dagger tucked into a protective sleeve inside my boot. Holy water was in a small bottle inside of my leather bag, along with a wooden crucifix.

I open the stall door and hand her the clothes I had worn earlier that day. She stuffs them into another bag I had brought before handing the bag to me.

"Let's go, Xander and Giles are waiting."

I nod and we jog onto school grounds. Xander whistles at my appearance. I look up to meet his eyes. I expect him to tease me, to say some witty remark about my body like he always does, but instead, he seems star-struck. "You look...great."

To my surprise, I blush. "Thanks."

Buffy returns, wearing a rather large leather jacket and her hair pulled up into a ponytail. She carried a duffel bag, full of which I assumed to be full of supplies she used for the slaying.

"You guys ready?" she asks. Instead of replying, we all jog from the schoolyard to the Bronze. By the time we had reached the club sweat was pouring down the back of my neck.

Buffy rattles the steel door, trying to open it. "It's locked," the blond states after a moment.

"We're too late," Giles says, giving her a pointed glance.

"I didn't know I was going to get grounded!"

"Can you break it down?" Xander questioned.

I shook my head. "No way. Not even Buffy could do it."

Buffy turns to us. "You guys try the back entrance, and I'll find my way."

"Right." Giles nods. "Well, come on."

"Wait, guys. Here..." She hands Willow her duffel bag. "You get the exit cleared and the people out. That's all. Don't go Wild Bunch on me."

I give her a salute. "See you inside."

We then run, heading for the back entrance. "Oh, joy," Willow states when she realizes that the door is locked as well.

"We've got to get in there before Jesse does something stupider than usual," Xander said exasperatedly.

"Listen to me," I tell him. "Jesse is dead. You have to remember that. When you see him, you're not looking at our friend. You're looking at the thing that killed him. So when I have to end his suffering, be sure to remember that. Okay?"

He nods, letting out a shaky breath, and I wrap my arms around him in hopes of easing his worry. He hugs me tightly, and I do the same, burying my face in his chest. He was my best friend. I didn't want to see him upset. Giles finally manages to open the door, and I break away from Xander's arms to run into the opening.

"Hurry!" Giles says. Willow holds open the door, and Xander and I walk onto the stage, helping the teens escape.

I grab a few by their arms. "Come on." They nod and run for the exit door.

Labored breathing startled me, and I whirl around to see that a vampire has Xander in a tight chokehold. Buffy crosses the stage and hands me a drum cymbal, motioning for me to throw it. I do, the vampire is decapitated. Its severed head and body turn into blood-scented ashes.

Xander gives me a small smile. I could already see the bruises beginning to form on his throat, and I was thankful that he was okay other than that. He also seems thankful that I saved him. "Heads up," he muses.

A loud squeal makes me turn, and I notice vampire Jesse has Cordelia pinned down by the arms.

"Hold still!" he growls. "You're not making this easy."

I hand Xander a stake, and we walk behind Jesse.

"Jesse, man..." he begins, "Don't make me do it."

Our undead friend looks up at Xander, a smile on his face. "Buddy."

"Jesse, I know there's still a part of you in there."

He stands, and I reach into my boot, pulling out my dagger. "Okay...let's deal with this. Jesse was an excruciating loser who couldn't get a date with anyone in the sighted community. Look at me. I'm a new man!" Jesse pins Xander to the wall and peers down at the stake.

"Ooh! Alright. Put me out of my misery?"

I look over for Xander's approval, and he nods. "I'm sorry," is all I say when I plunge the dagger into his back. Jesse groans, turning to dust. Xander thanks me, and I watch as Buffy kills Luke. "You got what you asked for," I say to Jesse's ashes. It's not like he can hear me now.

We approach Giles and Willow, who were greeting Buffy. "I take it's over," the librarian states.

"Did we win?" Willow asks. I hand Buffy her jacket.

"Well, we averted the apocalypse," the blond sighs. "I give us points for that."

I smile. "There's one thing that I know: after tonight, nothing will ever be the same." Xander nods in agreement.

♱ ♱ ♱

Buffy and I watch Cordelia as she speaks to one of her clones the next day.

"—Katy and Buffy, like, knew them," she was saying. "Which is just too weird. I mean, I don't even remember that much, but I'm telling you, it was a freak show."

I smirk, and we approach Xander. He smiles as a greeting and wraps an arm around my shoulder as we begin walking up the steps.

"What exactly were you expecting?" Buffy asks.

He shrugged. "I don't know. Something. I mean, the dead rose. We should've at least had an assembly."

"People can only rationalize so much, Xander," I told him.

"There you go, sounding like Giles," he said teasingly.

"I'm right here, you know," the librarian quipped. I laughed. "But like Katy was saying, people tend to rationalize what they can, and forget what they can't."

"Believe me," Buffy stated, licking her sucker. "I've seen it happen."

Willow spoke up. "Well, I'll never forget it. None of it."

"Good," Giles tells her. "Next time you'll be prepared."

"Next time?" Xander asks.

"Why are you saying it like it's going to happen again?" I add, groaning. "I've dealt with enough vamps in my sixteen years of living."

"We prevented the Master from freeing himself and opening the mouth of Hell. That's not to say he's going to stop trying. I'd say the fun is just beginning."

Willow groans. "More vampires?"

Giles turns to face her. "Not just vampires. The next threat we face may be something quite different."

I shrug, smiling. "As much as I'd like to run away from the possibility, it would be fun to stab some more monsters."

"We're at the center of a mystical convergence here. We may stand between the Earth and its total destruction."

"Well, I got to look on the bright side," Buffy states. We begin to walk away from Giles. "Maybe I can still get kicked out of school."

Xander follows her. "Oh, yeah. That's a plan, 'cause lots of schools aren't on Hellmouths."

"Maybe you could blow something up," I suggest. "They're strict about that. I blew up a rat in the science lab during freshman year and got a week of detention."

Buffy shook her head. "I was thinking of a more subtle approach, you know, like, excessive not studying."

I smile, shaking my head. "Good luck with that."