Buffy Summers lay in bed unable to get to sleep. She closed her eyes, opened them. She fidgeted about, closed her eyes again then opened them. She looked at the clock and then looked over to Michael who was asleep next to her. Buffy frowned and then got up.
Buffy ran through a graveyard. She was chasing a vampire. She leapt onto a headstone, tackled the vampire and they fell to the ground. They got up at the same time. Buffy kicked him in the side. He kicked at her but she ducked. Buffy pulled out Mister Pointy and staked the vampire.
Buffy stood panting and looking around.
Michael was still sleeping. Buffy climbed into the bed and snuggled up next to him, closing her eyes.
The next day Buffy and the gang went to the beach. Buffy and Michael were throwing a football to each other. Michael threw the ball to Buffy, and she caught it.
“Ha! Touchdown! Oh yeah. Go team me.” Buffy said and she does a victory dance.
Michael grinned at Buffy. Buffy threw him the ball; he caught it with a frown.
“Anybody ever tell team you the quarterback throws like a girl?” Michael asked and threw the ball back.
Buffy caught the ball, frowning, “I do?”
Michael gave a ‘well, yeah’ shrug.
Buffy frowned, took a grip on the ball and threw it. It hit Michael in the face and he fell down.
Concerned Buffy said, “Ooh, sorry!”
Willow, Tara, Anya and Kaz were lounging on beach blankets while Xander was sitting by a fire pit, trying to light it.
Michael got up and ran at Buffy.
“No, don’t, no…” Buffy shrieked as Michael tackled her.
“I’m exhausted just looking at those two. All the splashing and jumping and running... Shouldn’t relaxing involve less exertion?” Xander asked.
“Absolutely. Exertion can lead to sweatiness.” Anya “Which can cause the pain and heartbreak of stinkiness. Better to just stay put.” Tara added.
“I think we’ve just put our finger on why we’re the sidekicks.” Willow said smiling.
Buffy and Michael approached.
“Game over?” Willow asked.
“Uh, Buffy slayed the football.” Michael said holding up the deflated ball, then tossed it aside.
“Where’s my burger?” Buffy asked.
Xander was still trying to light the fire.
“Yeah, man, I’m starving. Cow me.” Michael said as he and Buffy sat down.
“The, uh, fire’s not cooperating. It’s comforting to know that I lack the culinary finesse of a caveman.” Xander said.
Willow gestured at fire, “Ignis incende.”
The logs burst into flame. Xander fell backward onto his butt in the sand.
“Willow, check you out! Witch-fu.”
Tara smiled at Willow.
“It’s no big. You just have to balance the elements so when you affect one, you don’t wind up causing...”
A huge clap of thunder interrupted as dark clouds appeared out of nowhere and it started to rain. Everyone jumps up shrieking and started frantically gathering up their stuff.
“I didn’t do it! I didn’t do it!” Willow yelled.
They all grabbed their stuff and ran off.
That evening the storm still raged. Outside a castle a truck drove up. Two guys got out and went to the back of the truck, where they removed the tarp and began to pull out a large box.
“Come on, hurry it up, I’m getting soaked.” One guy said.
“I’m trying. Geez, this thing weighs…” the second guy didn’t finish.
They gave a pull and the box fell to the ground, cracking open slightly, leaning at an angle with one end on the ground and the other leaning on the truck. A little dirt leaked out of the cracked corner.
The first guy was annoyed, “Nice. Good job.”
The second guy knelt to check out the broken corner, “Look at this. Guy’s carting dirt around.”
“Leave it. We’ll, we’ll turn it on its side.”
They began trying to right the box.
“Dirt. Man, rich people are…”
A hand burst out of the box and slashed his throat. He screamed and staggered backward; blood came spraying out the wound. He fell to the floor and his blood began to pool on the floor, mixing with the rainwater.
The other guy watches in horror as a body began to burst out of the box.
Inside Giles’ apartment Willow was typing on a computer as Giles looked on.
“There you go. All set.”
“Thank you, Willow. Obstinate bloody machine simply refused to work for me.” Giles said and walked off.
“Just call me the computer whisperer.” Willow said standing up, putting something in the scanner. “Let’s get scannin’. I want to see this puppy go.”
Giles put a pile of old books on her outstretched arms.
“Start with those.” Giles told her.
Willow scowled, “Start? Where is finish?”
“Willow, it’s essential that we begin archiving the library. I mean; most of these texts have no duplicates.”
“But ... now? Doesn’t winter seem more like archiving season?”
Giles looked surprised, “Well, you don’t have to, Willow, I mean, you’re, you’re welcome to leave if, uh...”
“No. It’s fine.” Willow said sitting back down. “It’s just, you’ve been Mr. Project all summer. You know? Labelling the amulets and indexing your diaries.”
Giles gave Willow a little smile.
“I draw the line at making giant rubber band balls. That’s when you’ll just have to get a life.”
Willow opened the scanner and takes out whatever was in it.
Giles cleared his throat, “That’s what I’m trying to do, actually, is, um, get a life.” He sat down.
Willow wasn’t looking at him; she didn’t realize he’d turned serious.
“It might go better if you left the house.”
“Willow, um... you mustn’t repeat what I’m about to say. Especially not to Buffy.”
Willow looks confused and concerned, “Uh-oh.”
“You promise?”
“Oh, God. Well, I guess. Now that I know there’s something to know, I can’t not know, just because I’m afraid somebody’ll know I know, you know?”
“Did that mean yes?” Giles asked not following Willow’s reasoning.
“Yeah.”
“We’re doing all this because I, I want you and the others to have everything you need at your fingertips. You see, I’m, I’m going back to England.”
Willow looked shocked.
“You’re ... what? But you can’t! You’re ... Buffy’s Watcher!”
Giles sighed.
“I mean, in a fired way, but...”
“Well, it’s become quite obvious that Buffy doesn’t need me. I-I don’t say that in a self-pitying way, I’m, I’m quite proud, actually.” He smiled gently.
“But what about the rest of us? We still need to be watched! Personally, I can’t get through a day without a little hairy eyeball.”
Giles laughed softly, “I appreciate the sentiment, but it’s, it’s just not so. You’ll be fine. You all will.” He got up. “And you know, we’ll, we’ll stay in touch. You can always call me whenever you like.”
“When are you gonna tell Buffy?”
“Soon. It won’t be easy, but, um... I know she’ll understand.”
Willow was feeling down, she couldn’t imagine life without Giles. Who would be the British, fatherly figure who was always there to spew out information on the current demon-baddie.
Buffy sat eating dinner with her Mom.
“Thanks, Mom. Everything was yummy.” She put her napkin on the table.
“Hey, you up for dessert? We could, uh, take a drive, get some ice cream.” Joyce suggested.
Buffy stood, “You know, I, I would, but I kinda have to get out on patrol.” Buffy began gathering up the dishes.
“Now? It’s 8:30.” Joyce said a little surprised.
“Well, vamps don’t really care what time it is. You know, dark equals dinner bell.” She begins carrying the dishes to the kitchen.
Joyce stayed seated, “Right, of course.” She looked around at the empty table. “You know, I’m gonna have to get used to this place without you again. It gets so quiet.”
Buffy came back in, “You know, maybe we should make a regular date of this, when school starts.”
Joyce nodded, “Mm.”
“I’m sorry.” Buffy kissed Joyce on cheek. “Duty calls. It’s a total drag.” Buffy left.
Buffy was busy punching a vampire in a cemetery, looking like she was having plenty of fun. She punched him several times and then grabbed his shoulders and kneed him. He got up and she was on his back.
Buffy didn’t notice a cloud of fog, coalescing into a man. It was a man with a pale face.
The vampire threw Buffy down. She got up and charged, ducked a punch, punched and then kicked him.
She tried to kick again but the vampire grabbed her and lifted her over his head, then threw her down. She got up again, and jumped on him with her legs around his neck. He threw her down, as he did she used her legs to flip him over and then stake him.
Buffy stood up looking satisfied, and began to stride away purposefully. She walked between the gravestones and suddenly stopped, she whirled around.
“Very impressive hunt.” Said a man’s voice.
A man was walking forward out of the darkness. He was very thin and pale, had long hair, and spoke with an accent.
“Such power.” He said.
“That was no hunt. That was just another day on the job.” Buffy told him.
The man was wearing a long flowing cloak of black and red. He walked toward Buffy.
“Care to step up for some overtime?” Buffy asked.
“We’re not going to fight.” He replied.
“Do you know what a Slayer is?”
“Do you?” he asked smirking.
Buffy looked intrigued.
“Who are you?” Buffy asked.
“I apologize. I assumed you knew. I am Dracula.” The man said.
Buffy’s eyes widened and she looked delighted.
“Get out!” Buffy said.
Willow and Xander were walking through the darkened graveyard, holding plastic cups of iced coffee.
“Xand ... what if somebody had a secret, and that somebody promised somebody else that they wouldn’t tell anyone?”
Xander nodded, “News flash, Will. Everybody knows.”
“No, thi-this isn’t about me and Tara.”
“Oh.” Xander was a little disappointed. “Well, not that I wouldn’t be all ears if you wanted to tell me a secret about you two. Even if it was very, very naughty.”
Willow grinned, “Sorry, this is of the non-naughty variety. And I’m not telling you.” She nodded firmly.
“Okay. Want to see if Buffy’s hanging around the headstones?
“Sure. So if I was gonna tell you, which I’m not going to....”
“So lemme get this straight. You’re...” Buffy spoke in Dracula’s accent, “ ‘Dracula.’ The guy, the count.”
“I am.” His fangs were visible now.
“And you’re sure this isn’t just some fan boy thing? Cause ... I’ve fought more than a couple of pimply overweight vamps that called themselves Lestat.”
Dracula looked a little annoyed, “You know who I am. As I would now without question that you are Buffy Summers.” He walked toward her, looming over her.
