sorry for the long wait! school has been crazy and I have a little of a break this week from work so I popped this out. Hope you like it!

not edited

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I wasn't at lunch, but I heard what Buffy, Xander, and Willow saw when Cordelia found Mr. Gregory's body in one of the cafeteria fridges—without a head. I run my hands under the cool water from one of the faucets in the bathroom, dabbing my face to help calm me down. Once I gather myself together, I head straight to the library where all of them are sitting with Giles.

Pushing open the doors, I walk inside with a purpose. "Who would want to hurt Mr. Gregory?" I say, lacking emotion, as I sit at one of the chairs at a table.

Giles stares at me, seeming to try and come up with an answer. "He didn't have any enemies on the staff that I'm aware of. He's a civilized man. I liked him."

"Well I did too," I mumble, throwing a piece of lint off my pants.

Willow rests a hand on my shoulder. "We're going to find out who did this. We're going to find them and stop them."

I laugh humorlessly, shaking my head. "It's always easier said than done. It's like I'm in a freaking crime drama all the time now."

"I know you liked him," Willow says. "But can you push your anger away for a few minutes so we can brainstorm who could've killed him before you go away and deal with your anger by yourself—which is unhealthy."

Looking at my red headed friend, I can see the frustration on her face. She never likes when I would deal with my anger on my own because I usually shut her out when I do, but that's how I deal with it. I don't want to burden her with my emotions and problems. I'm a big girl and can deal with them myself. Sighing, I just nod because I'm really not in the mood to fight with Willow right now.

Giles starts pacing back and forth. "What do we know?"

"He was killed on campus," Buffy speaks up, looking at me for a brief moment before turning away. "I'm guessing the last day we saw him."

"How did you work that work?" Giles asks.

Buffy shrugs. "He didn't change his clothing."

"This is a question nobody wants to hear, but where did they put his head?" Xander chimes in. I do not want to know where or even see his head.

"Good point," Willow adds. "I didn't want to hear that."

For some reason my mind goes to Angel and the night I saw him—when I kissed him. "Angel," I say, looking to Buffy. "He warned us something was coming."

"I wish I knew what he meant," Giles says, I'm guessing Buffy filled him in on what Angel had told us the previous night. "I've been trying to gather information about the Master, our local vampire king, All I could locate was an oblique reference to a vampire who displeased the Master and cut off his hand for penance."

Buffy crinkles her nose is distaste. "Cut off his hand and replaced it with a folk?"

Shaking my head, I play with my fingers. "I've heard of eating disorder but—"

"I don't know what he replaced it with," Giles interrupts me.

"So why would he come after a teacher?" Xander asks from behind Giles.

Giles turns his body a little so he can look at Xander. "I'm not sure he did. There was an incident two nights ago," Giles begins as he walks to pick up a newspaper, flipping through a few pages before coming to the one he wants, "with a homeless man in Weatherly Park. He was practically shredded. But nothing like Dr. Gregory." Giles lays out the newspaper on the table in front of Buffy.

"Folk guy doesn't do heads," Buffy adds and Giles says no. "And Dr. Gregory's blood wasn't drained."

"So there's something else out there? Besides silverware man? This is fun. We're on Monster Island." Xander responds.

"We're on a Hellmouth. A center of mystical convergence," Buffy points out.

"Just our luck then," I deadpan, resting my head against my palm.

Giles watches Buffy walk towards where Xander is standing. "We don't know it's something else. This fellow is still our likeliest suspect."

Getting on my feet, I cross my arms against my chest. "Then lets go find him. Where was that guy killed? Weatherly Park?"

Giles steps a step towards me. "Lindsay, I know you're upset. But this is not the time to go looking for him or hunting," he says, looking to over my shoulder to where Buffy is standing. "Not until we know more. Promise me you won't do anything rash. Both of you."

I smile, "I promise."

                                                                                            *****

Weatherly Park at night—not the place I'd like to be. Buffy and I come across a fence. Groaning, I stand with my hands on my hips, staring at the fence with distain. Why the heck does there always have to be a dang fence in the way? Why can't getting into a place ever be easy?

Raddling of the chain link fence catching my attention. I look up and see Buffy swing herself over without any problem. Wiping off her hands, she smiles at me in waiting. "Just great," I mumble, getting the toe of my right shoe into a space in order to start climbing over. I'm not as fast as Buffy, but when I finally make it to the stop I swing my right leg over first so I'm straddling the fence, causing an uncomfortable feeling in my personal business. Groaning, I continue all the way down the fence before pushing off and almost managing to fall once I hit the ground. "They always make it seem so much easier."

"You'll get used to it," Buffy says, chuckling, before we start walking.

Buffy is more on the lookout for bad guys while I'm in search of a body. We're passing a row of bushes when a figure steps in front of us out of nowhere. Buffy hands go up in a defense position while I take a step back, cursing. "Shouldn't be here at night little ladies, s'dangerous," the homeless man slurs, carrying alcohol in a paper bag before walking away.

"Shit," I sigh, placing a hand on my heart in hopes it calms down. My eyes gravitate towards a figure wearing dark clothing lying on the ground. "Look," I murmur, Buffy following me as I walk over to the person. Snoring comes from the person passed out on the ground.

Wanting to cover more ground, Buffy and I spilt up, but she isn't too far away in just case I run into trouble. I look at this group of branches to seem to be out of place from a brush. Gathering the branches in my arms, I pull them away to reveal a space filled with black—and a figure. Something flies out and I jump back, a body jumping from the space. The man, growling, swipes his arm at me, trying to pierce my skin with the claws he has for fingernails. I tuck, multiple times, and curl my fingers around the stake in my back pocket as the man rushes me. I get low, flipping his body over. I go to stab him with the stake, but he rolls away, the stake stuck in the dirt. Buffy, finally showing up, kicks the guy square in the chest as he went to go after me once more. The man falls to the ground.

"Hold it! Police!" a ground of voice say nearby.

The man runs. "Shit," I gasp, not wanting to be caught by the cops. Buffy and I run in the direction the guy went in. We see him jump the fence and land behind a lady carrying her groceries. The man almost advances until the lady turns around—and look who it is. The substitute that has every guy in science class wrapped around her little finger. I don't like her.

Claws snips the air, wheeling back on his face like he got a whiff of something rancid. Ms. French has a pleased expression on her face while the vampire flees to the nearest gutter and drops down into. Ms. French just turns and continues to walk—like she's used to seeing vampire roaming around at night.

Buffy turns to me, giving me the same expression I'm sporting—the: what the hell just happened look.

                                                                                         *****

"You two went hunting last night," Giles says as he follow him into his office in the library.

"Yes," I respond, holding Angel's jacket closer to me. Yes, I decided to bring it to school today. The feeling of having something from him is quite calming.

Giles looks back as he sips his coffee. "When you both promised me you wouldn't."

"Yeah, we lied, we're a bad people. Lets move on?" Buffy asks, impatience seeped into her tone of voice.

"Did you see someone with a folk?" Giles asks.

I scoff, folding my arms against my chest, Angel's jacket held against me. "More like a jumbo claw."

Giles's face turns serious; seeming to forget is annoyance with us. "Oh, well, at least you guys aren't hurt."

I smile. "Thanks G," I respond, intending for the hint of sarcasm.

Buffy chuckles before turning serious once more. "And we saw something else, something much more interesting than your run-of-the-mill killer vampire." Giles simply responds with an 'oh' sound. "Do you know Ms. French, the teacher who's substituting for Dr. Gregory?"

Giles smiles, "Oh, she's lovely." I raise an eyebrow and give him a not so impressed look. Picking up on my vibe, he awkwardly clears his throat, "In a common, extremely well-proportioned sort of way."

"Nice save," I add, shaking my head.

"We're chasing claw guy last night," Buffy starts, "and Miss Well-Proportioned is heading home, I figure she's his next meal. He takes one look at her and runs screaming for cover."

"What? Ran away?" Giles asks.

I nod. "He was petrified."

"Of Ms. French?" he wonders.

"Yes! So I'm an undead monster who can shave with his hand. How many things am I afraid of?" Buffy has a good point. If this guy is afraid of Ms. French, then there is a reason for it—and it is not going to be a delightful one.

Giles looks intrigued. "Not many. And not substitute teachers, as a rule."

"So, what's her deal?" Buffy asks Giles.

"Clearly nothing normal," I cut in. "Because that's asking for something too easy."

Giles and Buffy watch me with amusement. Glad I can make their days a little more entertaining. Giles looks back and forth between Buffy and me. "I think it would be a good idea to keep an eye on her."

Sighing, I say, "Then slayer and I better get to class."

                                                                                                   *****

Because Buffy got pulled over by the principal insisting she see a counselor because she saw the dead body, I have to keep an eye on Ms. French alone while we take our pop quiz. Tapping my pencil against the desk, I can feel her presence coming closer to me as she walks up the aisle. Chills run throughout my body, goose bumps spreading across my arms. Setting my pencil down, I grab Angel's jacket and put it on, his smell making me wish I could see him again soon.

To my left I see Ms. French stand behind Xander—correcting him on answer four and telling him the damn answer. Now that is not far! That doesn't stop me from scribbling down the answer blindly as I stare, open mouthed, as she squeezes Xander's shoulder telling him she'll see him after school. Xander is panting like a puppy dog. I glare at him as he doesn't notice my eyes on him.

I notice Ms. French unexpectedly stand up straight, like something is off. What in the world! Her head turn a full one eighty to see if someone is by the door. At that, my pencil is out of my grasp and rolling off the desk to the floor. The lady who could be considered for a remake of The Exorcist bends to pick up my pencil. Turning, I see Buffy giving me a mind blown stare as well.

                                                                                         *****

I walk in front of Buffy and Willow to open the door of the library. "No, no I'm not saying she craned her neck, it was the full-on exorcist twist. I nearly lost my shit back in that classroom," I explain to my red headed best friend as Buffy backs up what I'm trying to tell Willow.

We walk up and set our stuff down at the table Giles is sitting out. Buffy stands beside Giles with her hands on her hips. "Which reminds me, how come Blayne who worked with her 'one on one' yesterday, isn't here today?"

"Inquiring minds want to know," Willow says as she goes to sit at a computer.

I sit down in the chair next to Giles, turning to him as Buffy remains standing on the other side of him. "Any luck?" I ask, looking over the books Giles has pulled out.

"I haven't found any creature just yet that strikes terror in a vampire's heart. I'm not sure I want to," Giles says.

"Try looking under 'Things That Can Turn Their Heads All The Way Around'," Buffy adds.

"Nothing human can do that," he states.

Tapping my clipped fingernails on the table I add, "No, nothing human. Or I would hope not because that would be disturbing." My eyes meet Buffy's. "But there's some insects that can—which if she's an insect that makes her ten times more gross."

"Whatever she is, I'm gonna be ready for her," Buffy says, seeming determined. She turns and walks up the short stack of stairs.

"What are you going to do?" Giles asks.

"My homework," the slayer responds—homework I still need to do also dammit.

I get up from the desk and meet up with Buffy where she is taking out some books about bugs. She hands me one and I sit on the carpeted floor with my legs spread out in front of me as I read—or more like skim—information about different types of insects. After about the tenth time reading about some type of bug, I set the book in my lap, rubbing my eyes and fighting the yawn that wants to be released. Knowing I have to get back to work, my eyes roam on the page and read what I've been longing to gaze upon this whole time.

"I got it!" I say with triumph after I got up and walked to stand so Willow and Giles can see me, Buffy at my side. Reading from the book it says, "' the praying mantis can rotate it's head a hundred and eighty degrees while waiting for a meal to wander by'," I trail off, looking up to see what they think. "That does sound like what Buffy and I just witnessed."

Willow takes her eyes off of the computer. "Well, Miss French is sort of big. For a bug." Her tone suggesting she doesn't believe me.

"She is also, by and large, woman-shaped," Giles adds with his hands intertwined, holding his head up.

"Oh, come on guys. It makes sense," Buffy says, walking down the steps so she's on the same level as the skeptics. "Factoid one: only the praying mantis can turn it's head like that. Factoid two: a pretty wacked-out vampire is scared to death of her. Factoid three: her fashion sense screams predator."

"It's the shoulder pads!" Willow chimes in, agreeing.

Buffy sits on the desk in front of Giles as I follow to sit in the chair I abandoned earlier. Giles eyes roam to me then Buffy. "If you guys are right, she'd have to be a shapeshifter, or perception distorter," he says, trailing off for half a second. "Half a moment, I had a chum at Oxford, Carlyle, advanced degrees in entomology and mythology. If I recall correctly, poor Carlyle, just before he went mad, claimed there was a beast—"

Giles never got to finish because Willow interrupted. "Buffy, 911. Blayne's mom called the school; he never came home last night."

Suddenly, it feels like my stomach got turned inside out. Flashes of Ms. French feeling up Xander in class and telling him they were meeting at the end of the day comes to mind. "Xander!" I shout before realizing I just screamed that out of nowhere. Willow meets my gaze, and sense dawns on her head. "In class, I saw Ms. French touching him—being all handsy—and heard her say something about coming to her classroom after school which is right now. That poor idiot doesn't know what's coming. The time a girl actually gives him attention and it has to be an insect." A part of my mind knows if he lives through this I'm not going to let him live this down easily.

"He's got a crush on a giant insect!" Willow exclaims.