DISCLAIMER: The characters of Buffy and company belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, WB, 20^th Century FOX, and probably some more. 

CLAIM: The other characters of Rhianna, Alexia, Solange, Gretchen, Lisa, Grace, and Seraphina belong to me. 

RATING: PG-13 for violence and sexual innuendoes.  Nothing too serious, generally if you can watch the show, you can read this.

Visions

On the Wings of Evil

The Swarm

Nighthawk

Poison in the Veins

Nightwing

Buffy walked down Revello Drive. She had just finished a sweep if the cemetery. The Slayer could not count the number of times that she had walked down this street after a patrol.

But this time was different. Part of that difference was her companion. Despite the fact that Angel walked beside her, he was nearly invisible. If not for the fact that his skin glowed in the moonlight, he would have disappeared into the shadows.

The rest of the difference was the fact that she wasn’t going home, she was going for a visit.

Both the vampire and the Slayer wore black hunting clothing. Buffy had thought about that decision, but had decided that more efficient patrolling was more important then making a good impression. The vampires on the Hellmouth had been getting more and more intelligent. A trend that Buffy disliked, and Angel thought was the result of a certain greater demon.

Joyce Summers opened the door. Buffy stood in the doorway. About a foot behind her stood Angel.

It was an awkward moment. Buffy did not have a lot of practice with introducing dates to parents. Since Angel was also inhuman, over two hundred years old, and had been attempting to make her life hell the last time he had spoken to her mother, the moment was more awkward then it might have been. Also, there was the fact that she was living with him.

But Joyce surprised her daughter. "Buffy, Angel, please come in." It was a very tactful invitation. Her mother had been reading up on vampires. Buffy walked through the doorway, Angel hesitated a moment before following her. Until that moment, Buffy had not been sure that a simple invitation would do the trick. She had preformed the ritual to keep Angel out of this house herself.

Well? She sent the question, rather then speaking it. She did not want to worry her parents.

It’s fine. Buffy could tell that Angel wanted to add something else, but he stayed silent. Both had agreed to not send to each other, in order to make things easier for her parents. She was positive that they would not appreciate her talking to Angel behind their backs. Buffy would discuss wards and thresholds with him later.

Dinner had been strained. After all, most forms of polite conversations did not work well with vampires. They do not have family, jobs, or friends in the normal sense. Eventually Buffy’s mother settled for asking questions about her adventures as a Slayer. Buffy did not really appreciate talking about monsters over dinner, but if it made her parents happy, she was willing to talk about her career.

Dinner ended. The four ended up in chairs in the living room. Buffy had feared this conversation ever since her mother had invited her and Angel over for dinner. She did not know the exact planned topics, but she could guess.

In many ways, she wished that she could go back to her old life. But as Angel had told her, there was no going back. Which meant she had to find some new relationship with her parents. And she was not quite sure how to do that.

The four looked around at each other, but no one really wanted to start, or knew how to start. Before anyone found a way, the matter was taken out of all of their hands.

Buffy screamed and covered her face with her hands. "No!"

Her parents looked at her in horror. Angel stood and reached out to hold one of her hands. Both parents walked towards her. "Buffy?" Her mother queried softly. But Buffy never heard her.

Hank turned on Angel. Anger hardened his voice, "What’s going on?"

Angel spared a glance at him, but then returned his full attention to Buffy. "A vision."

"What?"

Buffy stood for a moment and then collapsed to the ground, arms hugged around herself, as she tried to escape from her vision. She moaned quietly.

Angel looked at her in concern. He had experience with visions, but Buffy had never had the ability. He was not sure why she had it now. But since she was the Slayer it was important that they figure out what was happening, and soon. He slowly knelt beside her. "What do you see?"

"Pain. Loneliness. So alone. I’m afraid." Buffy looked around her wildly, trying to escape a vision that only she could see. Her parents approached carefully, not sure how to deal with her.

Angel carefully laid a hand on her face. A physical reassurance that she was not alone. "Can you see anything more?"

"No." Her voice was lost as she pleaded with him, or with her vision. Angel was not quite sure which. "Don’t leave me alone."

Angel sighed. He couldn’t stand to see her in pain. "Alright." His voice took on a note of command. "Sleep." Buffy began to relax. "Sleep until the sunlight proves that you are safe." Buffy slept.

As Angel set the sleeping Slayer on the couch, Joyce finally spoke up. "How did you do that?"

Angel shrugged and turned back to face the parents. "You saw her do it to me."

Joyce remembered. "Oh. She told you?"

Angel nodded his head in agreement.

Hank spoke up. "Well, however, it doesn’t matter. Now we can just say what we wanted to say."

"And why couldn’t you say it before?" Joyce and Hank just looked at each other and then to their daughter. Angel answered his own question. "Because you didn’t want to say it in front of her."

"She should come back home to us. She is too young to make these decisions."

"You mean she is too young to be living with me."

Joyce agreed. "Yes. Exactly."

"Did it occur to you that I had no say in this?"

"It doesn’t matter."

"And if I were human, would you still feel the same?"

"What?"

"If I were one of her friends, like Xander, would you still feel the same way?"

"Then you would both be too young."

Angel sighed. "I haven’t been too young for a very long time." Both parents did not like being reminded of his age. "Why don’t you understand? Whatever I feel for her, whatever she feels for me, it doesn’t change the truth. We can never be together. We are allies and friends, and we will never be anything more."

Hank reentered the argument skeptically. "Never?"

"If we walk that path we both die. It’s that simple. Buffy protected me with her soul." Both parents looked at him in shock, they had been informed of Buffy’s decision, but it was another thing to hear about it this bluntly. "One moment of true happiness, one moment when neither of us regrets the past, and we both lose our souls. Is that incentive enough for you?"

Joyce did not like being forced to see the truth. "You’re not good for her."

"That is true." Angel looked at Buffy’s face for a moment, before turning back to her parents. "But I do love her. She is the only person that I have ever truly loved. I will do everything in my power to help her."

Although his honesty was plain, Joyce did not allow it to distract her. "But in the end, you are going to be the one to hurt her the most."

Hank added his comment. "If you truly loved her you would leave her alone."

Angel looked at Buffy’s parents in disbelief. Both of them had tried to force the parents to see the truth. Angel was willing to let them blame him; after all, he blamed himself for all the times he had failed her. But, Buffy needed them, and so they must be forced to see the truth. "Do you really think that would make a difference in her life?"

"What?"

"Even if I was gone she would still be the Slayer. She would still go out every night to fight the forces of darkness. She will never be free of her destiny. She will constantly be fighting for her life, and there is nothing that I or anyone else can do to change that."

"But…"

"But nothing." Angel’s face showed his pain. "Do you think that I wouldn’t do anything to change her fate, to protect her? But that is impossible." Neither Summers knew how to deal with Angel’s pain. Angel looked at them in silence for a moment before continuing. "You will always be her parents. And she needs you."

"Then leave her here."

Angel was surprised. "Why?"

Joyce spoke passionately. "Because I have not had the chance since she came back to talk to her. I’ve heard what you’ve said, but I need to hear it from her, without your influence."

Angel looked down in order to hide his thoughts from the two parents. He knew part of what he was feeling was jealousy. He did not want her to leave him. Which was stupid, she deserved better. He fought to think clearly. Perhaps the only way for her parents to see the truth was for her, and her alone, to tell it to them. Which meant that he would have to leave her alone to face them. Angel just hoped that she would not be angry with him for making the choice for her.

"Very well." Both parents looked surprised. Angel almost smiled at their expression. "She should sleep until the sunlight touches her." The vampire stood up and started towards the door. Then he stopped and glanced back at the Slayer sleeping on the couch. "Tell her, when she asks, that I patrolled all night." And then he turned back to the door.

He had almost reached it, when Hank recovered enough from his surprise to speak. "Thanks."

Angel stopped and turned back to the parents. His smiled a very sad smile. "I’m not doing this for you, I’m doing it for her." They deserved to know the truth. He turned and walked out the door.

Early in the evening a senior was walking to the Bronze. Her name was Karen and she was alone. She went to the Bronze often, but usually she met her friends before she left home, not agreed to meet them there. None the less, she was not afraid as she walked the Sunnydale streets. Karen had never believed the rumors about the number of kids who just vanished when walking alone.

As she walked a pair of red eyes followed her every movement. The eyes were high above her, but they focused on her without any problem. And they were very hungry.

Karen was beginning to feel a little spooked. Something was wrong, she just did not know what. She shook off the feeling and began to hurry; she wanted to get to the Bronze and other people. She should have listened to her instincts.

As she passed into the shadow caused by a burnt out street lamp, a piece of the night sky dropped down and enveloped her.

If she screamed, no one heard her.

Buffy woke with the sunshine on her face. She glanced in the direction of the clock, but there was nothing there. The difference snapped her into full alertness. She looked around and recognized her location.

She was in her old room. In her mother’s house. What had happened? Buffy reached out with her mind. Angel would tell her. But her thoughts met with silence. She realized that he was asleep. Since it was just after dawn, he had to be asleep just so that she could not talk to him.

The Slayer looked around in confusion. She wondered what was going on.

Buffy heard a knock on the door.

"Come."

Her mother walked in hesitantly. "Angel said that you would be awake now." It was the first time that Joyce had said Angel’s name to her without judgement or hesitation.

But Buffy was not at her best in the morning. "What am I doing here?" Joyce’s face fell. Buffy was ashamed. She really did not want to hurt her mother. "I’m sorry. I’m just confused."

"It’s okay. We talked to Angel last night, and he left you here."

"What?"

"So that we could talk."

"Oh."

Joyce looked at her daughter while Buffy tried to sort out her reactions. "Why don’t you get dressed. I’ll get breakfast ready, and then I’ll take you to school." She turned and started to walk out.

Buffy interrupted. "Mom?" Joyce paused and looked back at her daughter. "Who patrolled last night?"

Joyce looked startled, but remembered what Angel had said. She finally began to realize how well he knew her daughter. The thought made her sad, but she answered the question calmly, "Angel said to tell you that he patrolled all night." She walked out of the room, shutting the door behind her.

Buffy stared at the door for a moment, and then got up to get dressed.

Buffy walked into the kitchen. The table was covered in food. Eggs, fruit, cereal, bacon, and more, it was all there. Buffy stared at it for a moment in amazement. "What? You don’t think I’m getting enough to eat?"

"Well."

Buffy sighed. "Just because Angel is a vampire, doesn’t mean that I’m not eating normal food."

Joyce sighed.

"What did you wanna talk about, Mom?"

"I want you to understand how much you are hurting us."

Buffy was stunned for a moment. But she was determined to tell her mother the truth. "I don’t wanna hurt you, I really don’t. But I also don’t know any way to make this easier on you."

"You could come home."

"I’m not sure that I can."

"Why not?"

"Because, I need a real home. I need a place where I can be safe. I need a place where I don’t get arguments because I go out every night to try and keep people safe. Where the people around me love me for what I am. Where I can heal from my wounds, without questions, and plot revenge on the things that caused them."

"And you think Angel does a better job of that than I could."

Buffy looked at her mother, willing her to understand and accept. "Yes."

Joyce did not see the plea. She only heard the rejection. "Despite the fact that you never gave me a chance? Despite the fact that every time you look in his eyes you see your own death?"

That comment stung. "You couldn’t handle it when I told you the truth. How am I supposed to know if you can now?"

"Well, I guess you’ll never know. You keep running away from me."

Buffy knew it was true. "I’m sorry."

"So am I."

The two looked at each other, so much still to be said, but neither knowing quite how to say it.

Buffy stepped out of her mother’s jeep. She looked across at her Mom. "I do love you, Mom."

Joyce looked at her daughter for a moment and then she said, "I know. I love you, too."

And then she pulled away. Buffy gazed at the departing vehicle, and she wondered if her mother really believed her.

Before she could turn around and head into school, and look up Giles, she heard a voice behind her. "Hey, Buf!"

Buffy turned around and saw Willow and Xander. She smiled at them in greeting.

"So was that your Mom?"

Buffy looked down for a moment. "Yeah."

"What’s up? Another fight with your parents?"

"Not really. I just have to talk to Giles."

Xander was worried about her tone of voice. "What’s wrong?"

"I don’t know. Something creepy."

"Oh, Slayer business." Buffy smiled.

Willow added. "That’s okay, Giles’ll help you."

The threesome turned and walked into the school.

Giles looked up as the library doors opened. Buffy walked through them. She looked sad, almost haunted. "Buffy."

"Hey."

"Are you alright?"

Buffy sighed. "No." She had to tell her Watcher; he was the only one who could tell her what was going on. "I saw something last night."

Giles was worried. Not many things that the Slayer ran into scarred her. "What did you see?"

Buffy sighed again, she had said that badly. "I mean, I had a vision."

"A vision?"

"I was awake, and then I was somewhere else, seeing things."

"What did you see?"

"I saw two faces, and then they disappeared. It felt like when I lost Angel. Like a piece of myself was ripped away. But it wasn’t me, it happened to someone else. And there was so much loneliness."

"What did the faces look like?"

"One had red hair and burning blue eyes. She seemed to be surrounded by flames. And the other had silver hair and silver eyes. She seemed to glow." Buffy sighed in resignation, she wanted to explain it better but for some reason the faces were hazy, "It’s hard to explain, but I don’t think they were human."

"And then what happened?"

"Angel put me to sleep."

"What did Angel say about it?"

"I haven’t talked to him since it happened."

Giles did not understand, but he had other things to worry about. "Oh."

Buffy regained enough of her composure to demand, "Is this normal for Slayers?"

"No. No it’s not." Giles looked worried. "Dreams, yes. Slayers have had prophetic dreams before, you’ve had them yourself."

"Don’t remind me." Buffy hated those dreams; they usually gave her cryptic warnings that she couldn’t interpret until after it was too late. She had lost Angel once, because she had failed to interpret a dream correctly.

Giles threw her a piercing look, "Have you been dreaming again?"

"No." At Giles’s look of disbelief she elaborated. "Not recently."

But the Watcher knew her tricks. "How not recently?"

Buffy sighed, "I dreamed a lot over the summer. At least when I slept without help." Giles nodded, he knew from the diaries that Anna had taken her dreams away from her quite often over the summer, and that Buffy had refused to sleep without those spells. "But Anna told me it was because part of my soul was in Hell."

Giles knew better than to push. "Okay, have you dreamed since this summer?"

"Sure, I dream all the time."

"You know what I mean."

Buffy sighed, and then confessed. "I dreamed of Alec before she showed up."

"What!"

"The dream didn’t make sense, just flashes. I was being hunted by shadows."

"And you didn’t tell me?"

"I didn’t wanna tell anyone."

Giles looked at her sharply. "What else did you dream?"

"I dreamed that everything good and healthy in the world burned away."

Giles was stunned, but he knew Buffy. "And?"

Buffy sighed and told him the truth. "I dreamed I was a vampire."

"What?" Giles was incredulous.

Buffy shook her head. "I’ve dreamed about being a vampire before, I mean nightmares. But this was different. I looked in a mirror and I was a vampire."

"But vampires don’t have reflections."

"I know."

"You are the Slayer. You are not a vampire."

Buffy responded very softly. "But Angel is."

The Watcher had no response.

Buffy walked out of school with the last bell. She was accompanied by both Willow and Xander. Willow was surprised they were out of the school. Buffy liked to spend the afternoons in the library with Giles. "Is there some reason you are bypassing the library?"

"I begged off training."

"Why?"

Buffy’s voice was sad as she answered, "Because my dad is picking me up for another parent-daughter conversation."

"Buffy, they’re just trying to understand."

Buffy sighed. "I know. And I’m not mad." Willow looked doubtful. "Really. But I love them, and I don’t think they believe me when I tell them that."

Willow looked at the pain on her friend’s face, but she didn’t know what to say, and so she changed the subject. "Oz is playing at the Bronze tonight. Wanna come?" In Willow’s opinion, Buffy needed to spend more time being a kid and less time being the Slayer. There had been a time when she had hated the fact that her destiny pulled her away from being a normal teenager. Willow was not too sure that was true anymore. Buffy still wanted to be a normal teenager, but she also wanted to be the Slayer, because Slaying was the only part of her life she could share with Angel. And trying to be both all the time was breaking her apart.

Buffy was hesitant. "But it’ll be dark."

Xander finished the thought. "And you have to patrol."

"Yep. My mission in life."

Willow was not going to give up that easily. "Do you really think that you are gonna run into the forces of evil, tonight?"

"Nope, it has been pretty quiet recently, only a couple of vamps. But, unfortunately, I am sure that a certain demon would be happy to take advantage of any negligence on my part."

Willow threw a look at Xander. And he added, "Come on, Buf, just a little fun, and then I’ll help you patrol." Xander had been patrolling a lot with her during the early evenings. Buffy was not quite sure why, but given the growing romance between Willow and Oz, and the fact that he was not seeing Cordelia, and the fact that pretty much no one else in the school spoke to him, she had the feeling that he was lonely. Either that or violence was a way for him to let out pent up emotions. Buffy fully understood that, given the number of times she used vampires to let out all sorts of frustrations.

Buffy sighed, and gave in. "Okay, I’ll meet you after I talk to my Dad."

Buffy sat across from her father. The restaurant served good food, but she barely noticed the taste. She was determined that this conversation would go well. She had pretty much messed up the one with her mom. Unfortunately, she had no idea how to start it. Luckily, her father broke the silence before it got too heavy.

"I guess I am just trying to understand."

"I know how hard this is, but I really don’t wanna lose you or Mom."

Hank sighed. "I guess every father faces something like this when their daughter falls in love, but it is harder for me."

"Why?"

"If you had fallen for a," Hank’s voice trailed off.

Buffy finished the statement. "A human."

Hank looked sheepish for a moment. "Yes. If you had fallen, and even if you were planning to get married without telling us, or do some other crazy stunt, I would still try to love him for your sake."

"Why the problem, then?"

"Because, the question I would ask you is: does he make you happy? Can you tell me that Angel does?"

Buffy looked down. "You understand about the curse." Hank nodded his head. "So, I can’t say that he does, because I can’t let him. But, I do have my memories from a time when he did. And I do have moments of happiness, we both do. Just none that make us forget the past. But more than that, he is happier with me than he would be without me, and that means more to me than almost anything else."

"How can you possibly look forward to a relationship with someone that you love that much, but can never be with?"

"I don’t know. I really don’t. But I can’t give him up, either."

"Why not?"

"Because I am happier with him than I would be without him."

Hank smiled at his daughter. Buffy was surprised. "Then I will try to accept him. It will be hard for me. But I will also try to convince you to live with your mother, because you are making a mistake."

"Maybe. But it’s my mistake to make." But Buffy was pleased. She had not been sure that her parents would ever forgive her, but now she felt that her father had.

Hank Summers dropped his daughter off at Willow’s house. She watched him drive off, before she closed her eyes and reached out for Angel. It was difficult to carry on conversations by sent thoughts, but it worked for short messages. She asked him to do a few patrols until she could join him. And mentioned the fact that her parents seemed to be doing a little better. He was pleased for her.

Buffy watched the sun sink as she knocked on the Willow’s door.

Buffy, Xander, and Willow walked down the street towards the Bronze. It reminded her of a time when the three of them had been the closest of friends. A time before Cordelia or Oz, and before Angel. She wondered if she would rather that things had never changed. Yet another regret, sometimes she amazed herself with her ability to regret the past. Angel would say that she was developing good brooding skills. She pushed those thoughts to the back of her mind. It was odd, but in a way she desired those regrets, because regret was the only thing keeping her alive.

A group of senior girls were entering the Bronze ahead of them. They were chatting about girl things, guys, clothes, and makeup. The meaningless chatter began to wear on her nerves. She was not sure she was going to enjoy an evening out. Something was making her jumpy.

And then one of the girls fell out of the group, literally. She staggered back and moaned in pain. The others turned to look at her in surprise. As she turned, Buffy recognized her from school. Her name was Karen.

Buffy started to walk forward, something weird was happening.

She did not make it to the girl’s side before she screamed in pain and then burst into flame. It took only a second for her to burn into nothing. A cloud of smoke rolled upward from the burning body, and for a moment Buffy thought she saw a shape in that smoke.

The group of girls ran into the Bronze, screaming. Buffy doubted they would remember what had happened tomorrow. The Hellmouth’s energies made forgetting very easy.

Buffy turned to look at her two friends. "Did you guys see that?"

Xander was the first to respond. "Yeah. At least I think I saw that."

Willow chimed in. "I saw something."

"I don’t believe it, though. I mean, I believe a lot of things on the Hellmouth, but that was really weird. I mean I saw her today in class. And now she just goes up in flames?"

Buffy never even smiled at the conversation, she only walked over to the site of the Karen’s death. She was frowning.

Willow looked at Buffy in concern. "What is it Buffy?"

"I’m not sure. I thought I saw something."

"We all thought we saw something."

"No. I mean something escaping when she immolated."

Xander added his comment. "Buffy, I think we all saw flames and smoke."

"No, not that. I saw a shadow. I’m sure of it."

"A shadow?"

"Yes."

"As in a shadow?"

"As in one of Alec’s little playmates, yes."

Willow summed up the group’s feelings. "Gulp."

Xander had other worries. "What are you gonna do?"

"First I have to figure out if I saw something, or if I’m just being paranoid."

Willow pointed out the obvious. "It’s not paranoia if someone is really out to get you, and I think we all agree that Alec is out to get you."

"Well not to get me."

"But the best way to get Angel is through you."

"Can’t argue with that." Buffy closed her eyes in concentration. Her earring glowed as she spread her senses wide in order to scan. When she opened her eyes she was not happy, her breath hissed through clenched teeth. "Damn!"

Xander stayed at her side with difficulty. An angry Slayer was not good to be around. "What?"

"Remind me to hit Alex next time I see her. A good strong face punch would make me feel a lot better."

Willow attempted to calm her down. "What happened, Buffy?"

Buffy calmed down enough to try and explain. Magic was not easy to explain to those who had not used it. "She just got smart. Her aura has been interfering with my vampire hunting ever since she got here. But now she’s brightened that aura, I can’t see anything except for her presence."

Xander, as usual, knew the perfect thing to say in order to lighten the mood. "Man, it’s a real shame that our enemies can’t stay stupid."

Buffy smiled.

Cordelia walked through the night alone. She was headed for the Bronze. She had spent longer on the phone with Aura than she had intended, making her late. But she was not worried. After all, she was one of the most popular students in school. For once, the Hellmouth worked for her, making people forget all of the crazy things she had done the previous year.

Sometimes, she wished that she could forget them herself. But that would mean giving up everything she had learned and won. She had had true friends. And possibly more. She pushed aside the thoughts. The band, The Dingoes Ate My Baby, was playing, which meant that Willow would be at the Bronze to watch her boyfriend. Which in turn, meant that Buffy and Xander would be there. Maybe she could find a time to give an inconspicuous wave, or something.

Despite her preoccupation, Cordelia was keeping a sharp eye out for unusual creatures. She knew how dangerous Sunnydale could be after dark, and she had no intention of never seeing the sun again. Her tan was a very important part of her looks.

Cordelia had the feeling that something was watching her. She looked around carefully, but could find nothing amiss. And then she did what very few humans would have remembered to do, she looked up. And she was rewarded by the sight of glowing red eyes. Cordelia screamed as those eyes rushed towards her.

A black shape landed beside her. It was about four feet tall, but had a good fourteen-foot wingspan. It was vaguely humanoid, with two arms and two legs; of course, additionally, it had two wings. Cordelia noted the long claws and fangs, and decided that fighting back was a very good thing. She punched it in the face as hard as she could, before she turned and ran.

She felt a wind blow by her, and looked around wildly. The creature landed in front of her and smiled. It reached out one hand for her, but never got the chance to grab her, because Xander tackled it. A moment Buffy came flying out of nowhere and began to attack it. Kicks to the face and body seemed to hurt it.

The creature picked Xander off of it and threw him into Buffy. It then stood up, and took off. Literally. Buffy had a moment to see it flying away, before it vanished into the night sky.

Cordelia faced her rescuers. She was not sure what she should or could say. "Thanks, guys."

Buffy smiled. "Your welcome." And then she turned serious. "Where did that thing come from?"

Cordelia retreated. She could not continue to pretend that she hated these people if she remembered what the good times had been like. "I have no idea. Now just leave me alone." She turned and sprinted towards the Bronze, before she started to cry.

Buffy turned to look at Xander. But he just shrugged. Cordelia was not in good shape.

Buffy and Giles were busily talking in the library. Giles was questioning her closely. It would make research easier. "And you saw nothing else to back up this assumption?"

"It was black. It had claws and red eyes. I think it’s a good bet that it was a shadow creature."

"And you think there were more than one?"

"I only saw one, but I had the feeling that there were more watching."

Giles nodded in agreement. She was the Slayer, and her feelings were usually to be trusted. "Did Angel see one?"

"No. We hunted for them most of the night, but we never saw another. But they were real, and very nasty, Giles."

"Yes. Well." The library doors opened, interrupting anything else he was going to say. Both turned to gaze at the form of their principal walking through the doors.

Giles looked at him in surprise. "Principal Snyder."

Snyder returned the greeting. "Hello. It is so good to see you." Sarcasm dripped from every word. He looked at Buffy. "I need to talk to you, now."

Buffy stared back at him. "Why? You know our deal."

"Yes. I do. But a student died last night, and all the witnesses say you were there, which means that you get to talk to me."

Buffy thought over the terms again. "Damn. All right. But make it brief. I have work to do."

Buffy and Snyder walked out the library. Giles called after his Slayer. "I’ll start researching. I should have something by the time school is over."

Buffy waved to him. And then she marched off to battle.

Giles sighed, and watched her depart. Her bargain with Snyder and his bunch was very annoying. But he agreed with her. They could not afford war on two fronts. Dealing with Alec and all the random monsters that popped up on the Hellmouth was difficult enough.

Buffy sat in Principal Snyder’s office. She disliked these little chats. There were many people that she wished that she could tell about the dangers of living on the Hellmouth. Her principal was not one of them. She always had the feeling that he was looking for things that his little group could use to their benefit. She wanted her enemies dead, not working for another of those enemies.

Luckily, he hated these chats as much as she did. Which meant that he got right to the point. "So, what did you see?"

"Something came out of the girl as she died."

"What?"

"Don’t have a clue. That’s what my Watcher was attempting to figure out when you interrupted us." Buffy did not bother to hide her anger.

"Are you going hunting?"

"I’ll kill it. Whatever it is, it’s killed. Therefore it’s dead."

Snyder saw the determination in her eyes. "All right. For the moment. The police won’t bother you, but…"

"But what?"

"Deal with the problem. Remember, though, you owe me an explanation." Buffy rolled her eyes. But then she nodded her head, and stood and walked out of the office without waiting for a dismissal. After all, Snyder knew she hated him.

Snyder picked up his cell phone and punched in a number. A moment later he spoke. "Tell the Mayor we have an infestation." He listened for another second or two, and then he smiled. "Tell him that the Slayer is hunting."

The Slayer and her two Slayerettes made their way to the library after the last school bell. They were not in a great hurry. After all, there were still hours until sunset, and the shadows would not come out to play until then.

Buffy spoke the moment she verified that the library was empty. "What do we know, Giles?"

Giles looked up from the book he was reading. "These creatures are called nightwings. In many respects they are similar to vampires. They feed from the blood of humans. They also breed through humans."

"What about my vision?"

"I’m not sure. But there is a reference that implies that when enough of the nightwings come together in a swarm, then something very bad happens."

"The demons from my vision get loose?"

"That’s my best guess."

"So what about these, night thingies."

"Well, basically, they are giant blood sucking demons. They can fly. Other than that, I have found no mention of special powers."

"Great, a swarm of giant mosquitoes."

"No, mosquitoes just suck blood. These suck blood, and then inject a piece of themselves in order to breed."

Buffy rolled her eyes at her Watcher. "Great, worse than a swarm of giant mosquitoes."

"Well, I can’t argue with that."

Xander added his comment. "Breeding in human flesh? That’s really disgusting."

Buffy ignored him, and addressed the most important question to her Watcher. "So, how do we kill them?"

"Well, they are standard shadow creatures. As far as I can tell."

"Which means violence plus silver."

"Except for the fact that they are flying."

"Oh. That will be a problem, won’t it?"

"So, how do we get them to come down?"

"Not a clue."

"Giles, you are not being helpful. Ideas are good, not having a clue is bad."

"What about magic?"

"Giles, do you really think I have enough magic to go flying around after a swarm of shadow creatures?"

"All right, it was a stupid idea."

Buffy’s eyes widened as a thought crossed her mind. "Wait. I can’t fight them in the air. Not like this, but what if I was something else?"

Xander distrusted her when she used that tone of voice. "What are you thinking, Buf?"

"Amy. She knows a spell that can help."

Willow looked at the Slayer in surprise. "Last time I checked, you weren’t getting along with Amy."

Giles was also concerned. "Buffy, what spell are you thinking of?" Buffy only smiled at her Watcher. "Oh my. Please tell me, not that spell."

"Well it should work."

Giles just shook his head. Unfortunately, he did not have a better idea.

Buffy managed to catch Amy before she left school for the evening. Amy was not pleased to be apprehended by the Slayer, but she did allow Buffy to drag her into a quiet spot in the hallway.

Buffy faced the witch. "I need your help."

Amy looked back at her solidly. "I thought we agreed that you would not bug me for help."

"I know, but I don’t need you to actually cast spells or anything, I want you to teach me a spell."

Amy was surprised. "You know a lot of magic. And your friend knows even more. Why do you need my help?"

"You turned me into a rat."

"I remember." For a moment Amy almost looked guilty. "I wasn’t really myself, then."

Buffy was quick to sooth her. "I know. And I’m not blaming you for it, really. But I wanna know that spell."

"Why?"

"There are some creatures, and they are hunting and breeding. And they can fly. In fact, they spend most of their time in the air." Buffy sighed. "I can only fight them in the air, but I need to shapechange in order to do that. And you are the only one I know that knows that kind of spell."

"What about your friend?"

"Anna doesn’t know that kind of spell. She says that it is a very rare spell."

Amy smiled at the implied compliment. "Okay. I’ll teach you. But you owe me one for this."

Buffy was not enthralled with the notion of owing a favor to this witch, but it was better than the alternative. She summoned a smile. "Okay."

Buffy returned to the library after her conversation with Amy. She wanted to update her Watcher and her friends, before she disappeared into the night. She had an hour before sunset, and she wanted to cast the spells soon after that. It would cut down on the time that the swarm had to hunt.

Xander wanted to go along. "You need backup."

"I have backup, Xander."

Xander began to protest, but Buffy ran right over his comment. She did not wanna get into an argument over her choice of backup. "Look, I don’t have a good enough hold on you to shapechange you."

Xander found the hole in her logic. "Amy didn’t need any hold on you."

"Amy’s version of magic is different from mine. Trust me when I say that I would love more help, but Angel is the only one that I am gonna be able to transform."

"Why Angel?"

"Because, he is a part of me." Buffy turned to her Watcher, ignoring the look that Xander threw her. "Any more advice, Giles?"

"Not really. Please be careful."

"I will be. But it is more important to stop this swarm. If those faces are what are coming, then we have to stop it from happening."

Giles frowned. "Have you been seeing things again?"

"No. Just reflecting on what I saw before. And…"

"And what?"

"Angel knows what type of questions to ask to clarify visions. I guess that is just a lot of practice."

Giles realized that was true. Angel did have a lot of practice with interpreting visions.

Buffy looked around the room again. "Okay. Then I’m going home. I’ll cast from there."

Willow looked at her friend. "Good luck."

Buffy smiled, and then she turned and walked out.

Buffy faced Angel. He had watched her preparations in silence. She stood in her power circle, preparing the power flows for a spell of this magnitude. Since Anna did not know the spell, she would have to cast it alone. "You sure about this?"

Angel smiled. "No, but you need the help."

"Alright, then."

Angel stepped into the circle and stood before her. For a moment Buffy hesitated, and then she took a single step forward, and laid her head against his shoulder. She felt his arms move to encircle her, and, for a moment, as she listened to his heartbeat she wished things were different.

Buffy reached out with her mind. For the purposes of her magic, he was a part of her, which was what allowed her to cast this spell on him as well. Her eyes turned black as she began the invocation. "Goddess Hecate hear my plea. Give me the power to rule the air." Normally, Buffy did not use such formal wording. But Amy was a witch, and Buffy had decided it was better to try her method first. If it did not work, she could always try variations later.

The magic swept down to surround them. Buffy felt it begin to change her, and for a moment she was frightened. Time began to stretch, dragging a single instant of change into minutes.

Buffy’s target shape was that of a hawk. As she felt the magic start to transform her she also felt it slip on Angel. His demonic nature was interfering with the spell. The magic was changing him, but she could not force it to do exactly what she wanted. She released partial control of the spell, and let him find his own form.

The Slayer just hoped it wouldn’t be a bat. She could handle a lot of things from her vampire love. Being followed into battle by a giant black bat was not one of them.

Two shapes soared through the night. One shape was a giant hawk, a hawk with golden feathers. Beside the hawk was a creature that had never existed in natural world. Something with black scales, and wings. If not for the color of the eyes, Buffy would have worried about Angel’s shadow blood. But the luminous silver eyes that looked back at her were very reassuring. Buffy did not have the background in mythology that her Watcher did, so she could not identify what form Angel was wearing. But she decided it was close enough. He was a dragon. She was also very glad that he looked nothing like the nightwings. They had a more gargoyle-like appearance.

Buffy pulled her wandering thoughts together. It was difficult. She concentrated on the hunt, and all other concerns vanished from her thoughts. She surrendered to her new form, and her mission.

Buffy and Angel dropped on the swarm from above. They had had very little trouble finding the nightwings. Sunnydale was not very big from the air. The swarm seemed to consist of eighteen. Their hissing laughter carried easily through the sky as they looked down on a town full of victims.

Buffy and Angel’s first strike was perfect. Angel wrapped claws around a single nightwing, clawing until it stopped moving and finally dispersed, like all the shadow kind. Buffy chose to hit a single opponent and then soar back into the upper air before they could follow.

Since Angel was more agile, he distracted the swarm by fighting in its midst. He did not get in many good blows against them, but neither did they. He also kept them from pursuing Buffy. Luckily, the nightwings did not seem very intelligent.

Buffy would climb into the air and then plummet down and strike one of the nightwings with all the force she could. It was a rather bruising experience. But it did knock the creatures out of the sky, and usually killed them. She followed each falling nightwing down to the ground to either finish the job, or watch it die.

Fifteen attack runs later, Buffy was beginning to tire. She also knew that Angel was getting hurt, but they had reduced the number of nightwings drastically.

Buffy knew that there was still one more nightwing. But she just could not find it. The reason for that was it was high above her. A moment later it folded its wings and dove at the creatures that had caused so much damage to its swarm.

Buffy heard the whistling of the wind a moment before claws struck her. She was instinctively turning as the nightwing attempted to end her life. That turn saved her life. Three of the nightwing’s claws missed her, but the one that did struck deep. Ripping her from head down her right wing. It managed to pin her wing with its claws, and she realized it was about to tear her apart.

As Buffy stared into the last nightwing’s eyes from inches away, she realized that this one was different. It must have been the swarm’s leader, because she saw intelligence in those eyes. And then it staggered.

Angel had dropped on the back of the nightwing. He clawed at it, and it released its hold on Buffy. A single snap of its tail knocked Angel away, but as the two separated, Angel could feel his love’s pain. The nightwing flew off, and Buffy began to fall, she could not even hold her right wing steady enough to glide. Angel had a moment to choose between pursuing the nightwing and following her to the ground. But by the time he realized that he had a choice, the nightwing was gone.

The sound of something crashing through the trees startled Joyce Summers. She had been doing some cataloging, but it had not been holding her attention. As usual, she had been worrying about her daughter. Since she had found out the truth of the Hellmouth, Joyce had been less inclined to investigate strange sounds in the night, but this time she carefully opened her back door, and took a look.

A very strange sight greeted her. A very large hawk with golden wings lay on the ground. The hawk’s body was at least four feet long, and thus Joyce knew that it wasn’t natural. Her first instinct was to run back inside. But something made her stay in the doorway, watching.

A moment later a black shape glided down to land beside the fallen bird. Black scales glittered in the light from the house. Joyce had a lot of background in art. And she recognized the shape, it was a dragon. A black dragon? Joyce had not spent enough time fighting the forces of darkness; she was still easily surprised.

The next moment, the hawk and the dragon shimmered, and changed. For a moment they were surrounded by light. And then the light faded. Joyce recognized the unconscious form of her only daughter, and beside her lay Angel. She rushed to Buffy’s side.

Buffy looked up into the shocked face of her mother. She was disoriented, and definitely not forward to explaining things.

Joyce looked at her daughter. Buffy’s face was cut and bruised, and covered in blood. The worst were four slashes that ran down the right side of her face. She was incredibly lucky that they had missed her eye. "Buffy? Are you alright?"

Buffy shook off her disorientation. The wounds were painful, and she needed to get inside. She looked over at Angel. He was also shaking his head as the shock of transformation blew through him. Like her, he was covered in tiny claw marks. In fact he probably had more of them than she did. His were healing faster, though. One advantage of being a vampire instead of a Slayer. Even as she watched, he slowly climbed to his feet. He was watching the sky intently. Like her, he knew that one of the nightwings had escaped. Buffy moved her eyes back to her mother. "Yeah. I think so."

"Buffy, what’s going on?"

"Just another day on the Hellmouth for the Slayer."

"Buffy!"

"Sorry, just a little lightheaded. Can we get inside before anyone else comes to investigate?"

Her mother looked at her in surprise. "Of course." And then reached out a hand to help her daughter to her feet. Angel kept an eye on the sky, but moved to follow them. The threesome walked into the Summers’s house.

Joyce was speaking on the phone, in the kitchen. Leaving Buffy and Angel in the living room.

Buffy looked into Angel’s face. She could feel the pain of his wounds, but his entire attention was focused on her. He reached out to hold her right arm, carefully examining the claw marks. Buffy winced as pain continued to flood her nerves. The claw marks ran down the right side of her face and down her arm to her wrist, but her entire body throbbed with the pain. But she was the Slayer, and luckily, her calling gave her the ability to heal as well as Slay. She spoke to Angel lightly, "I hope those aren’t as bad as I think they are."

Angel looked back into her eyes, and his voice contained no levity, as he answered, "No. They’re worse."

"Are you serious?"

"Do you remember the last time we lied to each other?"

Buffy took that in. "Oh." It was a good point. They couldn’t lie to each other, although she was not so sure about stretching the truth. But the comment did force her to be serious. "Why?"

"There is something in them. I would guess it is a form of venom. Their claws were probably coated with it."

"Then why aren’t you suffering?"

Angel just smiled sadly. "I’m a demon. Remember?"

"Oh. Right."

Joyce walked back into the living room. Giles had promised to get there as soon as possible. As she approached she heard the tail end of a conversation between Buffy and Angel. Joyce had seen the vampire in his vampiric form before, but something about the scene brought home the reality that her daughter was in love with a demon. Maybe it was seeing the blood on Buffy’s face.

"So, will that clean them?" Buffy was asking.

"I don’t know, but it’s the only thing I can think of."

"It won’t hurt you, will it?"

Angel was incredulous, "We’re talking about reopening half-closed wounds, and you’re worried about this hurting me?"

"Well, the venom, you know."

Angel just shook his head in disbelief. "It didn’t hurt the first time. I’ll be fine."

Joyce looked from Angel’s vampiric features to her daughter in concern. She was not quite sure what was going on, but she had a fairly good idea. "Honey are you sure?"

Buffy sighed; she hated explaining things to her mother. Her voice was hard as she answered, "Yes, I’m sure."

"But…"

"But nothing, Mom. I don’t think they can handle demon venom at the hospital, and I really don’t have time for Giles to show up." She turned and looked up at Angel, who was waiting for her final decision. "Do it."

Angel nodded his head, she knew how painful this was going to be for both of them, but she had no choice. And neither did he.

He carefully reached out with his right hand to touch her face. She tilted her chin up; to give him the best angle on the slashes, and then closed her eyes. This was not something she wanted to watch. The pain as he dragged one fingernail down the first slash was startling. But it wasn’t the worst part, because the wounds would quickly begin to close again. The venom had to be removed before that happened.

Angel carefully sucked the wound clean, starting at her wrist. He was careful for several reasons, one he did not want to cause her anymore pain, two he did not want her to lose too much blood. And finally, she was a Slayer. He had fed deeply from a Slayer before, and that was as close to being drunk as it was possible for a vampire to become.

Buffy knew true regret at his touch. She had missed it. And his touch brought back so many memories. In a way, she was glad for the pain. It kept her focused, kept her from wishing things were different. And her pain gave Angel something to focus on other than the taste of her blood.

Angel had just finished cleaning the third of the slashes when Giles’s car pulled into the driveway. Joyce went to open the front door, and Giles moved into the living room.

Buffy glanced at him for a moment, before looking back into Angel’s face. He shrugged slightly, indicating that it was her choice. Buffy sighed.

Giles looked at the slashes on his Slayer’s face. He glanced briefly at the blood on Angel’s hand. It didn’t take much imagination to figure out what had been happening. "What is it?"

Angel answered the question, since Buffy preferred not to move, it kept the pain down. "Venom. Shadow venom."

Giles winced. "I don’t know anything that can help that."

Buffy spoke. The pain made her voice hoarse. "Great." Her eyes moved back to Angel. "Finish it."

Giles watched as Angel reopened the last of Buffy’s slashes. He turned to look at Joyce, who was watching the procedure in horror. He tried to be comforting. "It’s the only thing that can help her."

"Is it?"

"This is her life." He waved a hand in Buffy’s direction. It was not the worst injuries that he had seen her bear, and he was sure she would bear worse again. "If she wasn’t the Slayer she would be dead."

"If she wasn’t the Slayer she never would’ve gotten hurt."

"And instead the things she went up against would have continued killing."

Joyce never came up with a response; she was interrupted by another car pulling into the driveway. She had called Hank, and she walked out the front door. The only thing the two had in common now was Buffy, and neither knew how to deal with her.

Angel looked Buffy over carefully. The wounds were already beginning to close, one of the few true gifts of her Slayer’s life. But even so, she was fighting to keep shock at bay. He could feel her pain over their link, and he sensed her temperature rising in response to the demonic venom spreading in her veins.

Angel glanced up at Giles, but the Watcher seemed stunned. He clearly did not have any advice on the situation.

Buffy carefully flexed her right arm. The pain was lessening, but she could feel her fever rise. She had hoped that Angel had removed the venom before it spread throughout her system. That hope was now gone. But that fact did not change what she had to do. She looked up into Angel’s face. She could see the concern on his features, and she could feel that concern and the helpless rage that was its product. But she knew that she still had a job to do. "At least one of them got away." Angel looked at her in surprise. "We have to stop it before it can kill again."

Buffy made a motion to rise but fell back to the ground before she got halfway. Her vision blurred and her body trembled. She looked again at Angel, pleading silently for help, although she had no idea how he could help her.

Angel looked into her eyes. He could see the plea for help, but he had no idea how to help her. He was reasonably certain that her Slayer abilities would purge the venom from her system, but that would take time. Angel knew that her magic abilities had been strained to the limit, and he could see no way that she could go hunting this evening. "Let it go."

Buffy smiled wryly. She was not surprised by his response, but she knew that response was shaped by his love, not by thinking the situation through. "I can’t." He started to speak, but she rolled over his protest. "I can’t let that thing breed. The swarm nearly took us both out. Do you really think we can beat it again? Especially without surprise?"

Angel shook his head. He knew that she was right, but he also knew there was no way that she could be ready to fight anytime soon. If it had been anything else, he would have left to track it down himself, but Angel could see no way of killing it alone, or even finding it, for that matter. He started to volunteer to hunt alone, anyway, when a new idea crossed his mind. It was insanely dangerous. But it just might work.

Slowly, Angel raised his right hand to his mouth. A moment later a single drop of blood oozed out of a cut. He carefully held his hand before her. Angel knew this choice must be hers.

Buffy looked at the blood. She knew what he was thinking, but she also knew that he was not exerting pressure. His blood might give her the ability to hunt the creature down, but she remembered that she had tasted that blood before. She knew that it would be painful, but it would also be sweet. Angel’s blood would bring them closer together than they could be under any other circumstances. But that very fact made that blood extremely addictive. Buffy also knew that she would be risking her life, and her soul. His blood gave her a small chance of changing, of becoming the very thing she fought to destroy, especially since he had drunk so much of hers this night. The fact that Angel was even offering it to her meant that he knew the situation was out of control.

Buffy looked at the blood drop for another moment, before she made the choice. The swarm needed to be stopped. Nothing else mattered. She carefully licked his finger clean.

The shock was intense. She wondered, briefly, if it was worse than the last time, or if time just blunted the memory. Than all thought was swept from her. The blood on her tongue was so cold it burned. A wave of ice spread through her body, pushing the poison’s fever before it.

And then she felt with Angel’s senses. She could see through his eyes, and how bright the night was for a vampire. She could hear the heartbeats of her mother, of her Watcher, and of herself. She could taste her blood on his lips, and that blood was sweet. She could feel his demonic nature, the part of him that wanted to tear her throat out for more of her blood. And she could feel it whisper to her. For a single heartbeat she knew how much pleasure there could be in causing pain and death. For that single moment they were one, good and evil. She never wanted it to end, because along with his demonic nature she also got him. And she loved him more then anything, loved him enough to accept his nature. But, like all such moments, it faded.

As Buffy’s senses slowly separated from his, she remembered the words of a demon. "Blood to blood. Love to love." She finally understood those words, and briefly she wondered if all demons could experience that.

Angel picked the thought from her mind. He answered her implied question vocally, "No."

But the temptation remained. Buffy knew that it would remain with her forever.

Buffy pushed those thoughts aside, and rose to her feet. The slashes still pained her, but the venom no longer troubled her. The blood of a vampire had wiped it from her system. She wondered what the price of that healing would be. Maybe that price was the knowledge that Angel was a true demon. His soul might give him human emotions and outlook, but it did not change what he was.

Buffy led the way through the night. Her Watcher trailed behind. After the two came Buffy’s parents. Bring up the rear was Angel. None of the other three had wanted the parents to accompany them. But they had insisted on seeing what the Slaying world was like. And Buffy did not have the energy to fight with them.

Her Watcher wanted to know the plan. Buffy and Angel had come up with it after a few moments of consultation, but neither had spoken aloud. "Where are we going?"

"Somewhere deserted."

"Where? And why?"

"The park. And because we need to lure it down. When we fought them before, we fought them on their turf."

"In the air."

"Exactly. Now we need to get the last one to come to us. And I only know one way to do that."

Giles stared at her in horror. "Buffy, please tell me you don’t intend to use your parents as bait."

Buffy turned back enough to glare. "Of course not. I am gonna be bait. This one got a good taste of me. I think it wants to come back and finish the job."

"So you are going to let it attack you?"

"Exactly."

"I assume the plan is for the rest of us to attack it when it is focused on you." Buffy nodded her head. "What keeps it from escaping?"

"You better make sure your first blows take out its wings." Buffy looked at him sternly for a moment. "Its wings are more important then saving me. I can heal from a lot, and we are only gonna get one shot at this."

Buffy’s parents looked at the two in front of them in horror. They had heard the conversation, but the tone of Buffy’s voice kept from speaking. The tone of absolute command, she was the Slayer, and they were hunting. And that meant that everyone did what she said.

The group reached the park. Buffy carefully pulled the two knives from her boots. A moment’s inspection showed they were still good. She handed them to her parents. They looked at them doubtfully.

"Only silver can pierce its hide. But keep out of this fight. We can’t protect you. Use them for defense." The Slayer turned to her Watcher. "Do you have any more on you?"

Giles flashed a single silver blade. "Sorry, I only have one."

Buffy reached behind her and grabbed the long blade that she kept in the neck sheath. "Alright, one a piece. That’ll have to do."

Buffy turned to Angel. Keep my parents safe. It was a plea from her heart; she could not bear it if her parents died.

Angel nodded his head, I promise. And then his face morphed and he vanished into the shadows to hide.

Buffy watched as her parents and her Watcher hid among the bushes. And then she raised her face to the sky. She began to glow, ever so softly. It was a kind of beacon, letting the last nightwing know that she had survived. It was a magical taunt.

And it worked. As Buffy looked up, she saw a piece of the night sky drop on her.

The creature was smart. It knew that she carried a weapon, and its first strike was intended to knock that weapon away. It worked. Buffy dropped the knife as its claws closed on her wrist. The nightwing had expected her to struggle, but Buffy did not. Instead she reached out and pulled the creature to her. She was not sure how long she could hold it, but she trusted that Giles and Angel would be there to help her.

As it reached down to tear her throat, A silver knife came down into its right shoulder, and claws ripped out its left eye.

The nightwing dropped her and backed away. Angel and Giles let it go, trying to gauge how badly it was hurt. It tried to flex its right wing, but could not. Buffy was joyous, they had a chance to win now. The hardest part had been grounding it. She carefully reached down and picked up her blade with her left hand, her right hand was hurting too badly for her to trust it. But she never took her eyes off the nightwing.

And then, to everyone’s surprise, it spoke, "You cannot defeat us. We are everywhere." It hissed.

Buffy looked at in disbelief. "Did you forget our little battle in the air? You know, the one where the whole swarm died except for you?"

The nightwing hissed at her. "I remember."

Buffy was incredulous. "Then how can you say you are everywhere, when you are only one? And you’re right here. Sorry, you’re the last mosquito."

The nightwing blinked its red eye in confusion. Buffy took its moment of confusion to glance around, Angel and Giles had moved to surround it. Her parents had moved out of the bushes, but were keeping a safe distance.

Unfortunately she had misjudged what a safe distance was. The creature leaped into the air and then glided down towards her parents. It could not use its wing very well, but it could use it well enough. Buffy screamed, "No!"

But Angel was already in motion; he pushed both of the parents out of the way. And both of them fell to the ground hard. The strike that the nightwing had intended to kill them both was absorbed by the vampire. Angel grunted in pain, as the claws ripped through his skin, but he stood his ground and hit the creature in the face with all his strength. As the nightwing reeled away, Angel backed away. The deep slashes across his chest were already healing, but the pain was disorienting.

Buffy had taken advantage of the nightwing’s distraction. Her silver knife came down squarely on its spine. The creature collapsed, writhing on the ground. Giles came forward with his knife, intending to finish the kill, but his intervention was not necessary, as the two watched, the creature dissolved into nothingness.

She turned to look at her Watcher, and smiled in relief. "So much for the giant mosquitoes."

Giles smiled in response. He had grown accustomed to his Slayer’s sense of humor.

Angel walked back to Buffy’s parents. He wanted to make sure that they had not suffered any harm. Hank looked up at the vampire in surprise. "You saved us."

"Do you have any idea what would happen to Buffy if she lost you?"

Both Joyce and Hank looked at Angel in confusion. "What?"

"She loves you. And she is so afraid that her destiny as the Slayer will put you into harms way."

Joyce looked at him in shock. "You gave that thing a shot at you."

Angel smiled. "I could take it. You couldn’t. I am very hard to kill. In a very strange way, a vampire makes a good partner to the Slayer. I can take as much, if not more damage than she can."

Angel reached out his hands, and Buffy’s parents allowed him to pull them to their feet.

Angel’s back was turned toward Buffy. He was looking out the window at the night. "And if I left, what then?"

"What do you mean?"

"If I was in danger, what would you do?"

Buffy thought about that. She wanted to lie, but that was impossible. "I would come to you, no matter where you were."

"Do you really think that I wouldn’t do the same?"

Buffy shook her head, and even though Angel could not see the gesture, she knew that he felt it.

"I couldn’t leave you. Not even if I wanted to."

"Which you don’t." It was not a question.

"I love you."

"We aren’t good for each other."

Angel, at last, turned around to face her. "I know."

It was morning, and Joyce Summers was getting ready for her day. She had to be at the gallery in an hour. But she was also exhausted. The previous night had been her biggest introduction into her daughter’s secret life. It was one thing to hear the stories. It was another to see it for herself.

And she could not forget the sight of Buffy’s face covered in blood. It had haunted her dreams.

Joyce looked up as a knocking came on her front door. She was puzzled, but she walked over to open it.

Buffy stood in the doorway. The slashes on her face had healed to pink scars. In another day or two, they would be gone.

Buffy looked at the surprised expression on her mother’s face, and was not quite sure how to react. She wanted to smile; she wanted to laugh, and to cry. In the end, she just stood there.

Joyce looked at her daughter, and asked, tentatively. "Buffy?"

"Mom."

Joyce stood aside; "Do you want to come in?"

Buffy did not move. Joyce looked at her daughter’s face, and waited. "I wanna come home."

Joyce’s eyes welled up, she reached out to pull her daughter into a hug. She had wanted this for so long, and she could barely believe it was happening.

Buffy sat in Principal Snyder’s office yet again. She had really gotten to hate this office. She stared at the rodent from Hell. "That’s it. The whole story." Or almost the whole story. She had left out the fact that the nightwings were shadow creatures, and thus probably related to Alec. In fact, she had never gotten around to mentioning Alec to him. She did not want the two of them becoming allies.

As long as he thought Alex was another model student, the chances of an alliance were greatly diminished. She was sure that Alec could figure out who and what he was, but she wouldn’t go to that much trouble without a reason.

"Why don’t I believe you?"

"Because we hate each other?"

"Don’t push me, Summers."

Buffy shrugged and tried to look innocent. "Ask Mr. Giles, if you don’t believe me."

"Oh, I’m sure your Watcher will tell me every word that comes out of your mouth is true. He would protect you."

"Look, all the nightwings are dead. Why do you care?"

"I’ll catch you in your lies one day, Slayer. And when that happens, your bargain with us will be over. Am I clear?"

"Oh, you’re clear. But when it comes down to war between us don’t think that you’re gonna win. I don’t lose." Buffy turned and walked out of the office.

Snyder just looked at the closed door. "Oh you’ll lose to us. Just wait and see."

Joyce Summers looked across a dinner table to Hank Summers. Both were exhausted. But for the first time in a very long time, they were sharing good news. "She came home."

Hank smiled. Both were very relieved with this turn of events. "I’m so glad."

"What are you going to do?"

"I’m due back in LA tomorrow. But I’ll be back on the weekend." He looked concerned momentarily. "If that’s alright with you."

Joyce thought about it for a moment. "I think it will take both of us to keep her."

"Or at least both of us to understand her."

Joyce’s face became very serious. "Do you think it will last?"

"Honestly?"

"Yeah."

Hank sighed, and then told her the truth. "No. She never said so, but she has to be desperately looking for a way around that curse. And when she finds one, she will go back to him." He looked at her compassionately. "You’ve seen the way they look at each other. You know it’s the truth."

Joyce sighed. "I do, it’s just so hard to accept." And then she asked about the future, "What are we going to do?"

"We just have to hope that we have convinced her that we love her, by the time she leaves."

A demon sat on a headstone in the middle of the Sunnydale cemetery. She seemed completely relaxed as her legs gently swung and she hummed under her breath. But she was waiting. Her senses were extended, and she was keeping a careful watch for the Slayer or Angel. She wanted no interference.

A piece of the night dropped out of the sky. As it fell, the nightwing began to shrink. By the time it reached the ground it was only a foot tall.

Alec raised her right hand, and the nightwing fanned its wings as it landed daintily on her wrist. Its long claws closed on her skin, but despite their power, they did not penetrate the demon’s flesh.

"I have failed, mistress." The creature rasped.

Alec crooned at it. "I know." The nightwing started to flinch away from her, but decided against it. It perched motionlessly on the demon’s outstretched arm. Alec raised her left hand and carefully caressed the creature’s head.

"But it’s okay. Soon, your time will come." Alec raised her head and looked out at the night. When she spoke again, it was to the enemies that were nowhere near. "Sooner then you think."

Back to: The Coming of the Light.