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Into every generation, there are Chosen Ones. A Slayer will stand against the vampires, the demons and the forces of darkness. With each Slayer comes a Guardian. They are protectors of the innocent.

Same Night - Day One

Night - Cemetery - Mausoleum 

Brooke was just waking up from when Luke had knocked her out.

Luke had Buffy pinned inside the coffin, able to keep her down and from fighting easily, trying to bite her on the neck.

Brooke stood, using her Guardian energy to grab Luke off of Buffy, throwing him into the wall, making him fall. Brooke ran toward Buffy to help her out of the coffin.

Buffy sighed in relief. "See, Brooke, this is why Slayers like me need Guardians like you."

Brooke looked around. "Buff, where did he go?"

They looked around to see that Luke had disappeared.

"Doesn't matter," Buffy told her. "Brooke, we gotta get outside to the others."

∞ 

Outside

Alice, Wyatt and Carmen were still fighting off the crowds of vampires that had surrounded them, Xander, Eric, Willow and Jesse earlier that night.

Willow was tackled to the ground, screaming. "No, get off!"

Eric turned to face them. "Hey!"

The vampire looked up. Eric kicked the vampire off of Willow, saving his sister before she had been bit. The vampire ran at Eric to tackle him to the ground. Carmen used her telekinesis to throw the vampire off of Eric, using her power to break off a branch from a nearby tree, throwing it into the vampire's heart, making him explode into ash. Willow was shocked by what she was seeing all around. Eric ran toward Willow to help her off the ground.

Willow embraced her brother in relief and gratefulness that he had saved her. "Eric..." Xander was being dragged away by two vampires. "Xander!"

Brady was using an extra large branch to hit the vampires repeatedly to get them to let go of Xander, trying to stake them when the vampires pried the branch away from him with their superstrength and tackled him to the ground, backing away. "Alice? Wyatt?"

Alice had just finished killing another vampire, turning to look at him. "Brady?"

Alice used her red Guardian energy to slam the vampires trying to hurt Xander and Brady to the ground, noticing a dry branch on a tree, making red energy surround the branch, breaking it off, magically shooting the branch into Vampire 1's heart, killing him, making him explode into dust.

Vampire 2 ran at Wyatt. Wyatt ducked before the vampire could punch him, putting a hand on Vampire 2's shoulder, using his magic touch to turn him into dust with ease, killing him.

Willow and Eric ran over to help Brady and Xander up.

Carmen walked up to stand next to Alice and Wyatt, all three still alert and ready to kill, but most of the other vampires had already been killed or had run away.

"Xander, Brady, are you okay?" Eric asked.

"Man, something hit me," Xander told them.

Buffy and Brooke ran up to them.

"Where's Jesse?" Brady asked.

"We don't know," Carmen told them. "They surrounded us."

"That girl grabbed him and took off," Xander told them.

"Which way?" Brooke asked.

Alice shook her head. "I don't know."

"Wyatt, can you do that witch tracking spell that you used me to do to find Willow?" Eric asked.

"Not without something that belongs to him or someone related to him," Wyatt answered. "I was able to find Willow because I used you, her brother, to track her, Eric."

They all looked around worriedly.

Alice slowly scanned the cemetery, whispering worriedly. "Jesse."

∞ Slayers and Guardians ∞ 

Day Two

Morning - Sunnydale High School - Library

The globe up on the stack level was spinning. Buffy, Brooke, Brady, Willow, Eric, Xander and Carmen were sitting at the table. Wyatt and Giles were in the room with them.

Giles stopped the globe, lecturing to the teens. "This world is older than any of you know. Contrary to popular mythology, it did not begin as a paradise. For untold eons demons walked the Earth. They made it their home, their... their Hell. But in time they lost their purchase on this reality. The way was made for mortal animals, for... for man. All that remains of the old ones are vestiges, certain magics, certain creatures."

"And vampires," Brooke told them.

"Okay, this is where I have a problem," Xander told them. "See, because we're talking about vampires. We're having a talk with vampires in it."

"Isn't that what we saw last night?" Willow asked.

Buffy shook her head. "No, no, th--those weren't vampires; those were just guys in thundering need of a facial, or maybe they had rabies. It could have been rabies, a--and that guy turning to dust? Just a trick of light."

"That's exactly what Buffy, Brady and I all said the first time we saw a vampire," Brooke told them. "Well, after Buffy was done with the screaming part."

"Yeah, luckily, Brooke and I never went through the screaming part," Brady told them.

"Oh, I need to sit down," Willow told them.

"You are sitting down," Wyatt told her.

Willow was stunned. "Oh, good for me."

"So vampires are demons?" Carmen asked.

"The books tell the last demon to leave this reality fed off a human, mixed their blood," Alice explained. "He was a human form possessed, infected by the demon's soul. He bit another, and another, and so they walk the Earth, feeding, killing some, mixing their blood with others to make more of their kind, waiting for the animals to die out, and the old ones to return."

∞

Master's Lair 

Darla and Luke were forcing Jesse into the Master's Lair. "Move!"

Luke forced Jesse down the slope to the floor below.

The Master approached. "Is this for me?"

Luke nodded. "An offering, Master."

"He's a good one," Darla told him. "His blood is pure."

Master came to the obvious conclusion. "You've tasted it." Darla looked down in shame. "I'm your... faithful dog. You bring me scraps."

Darla shook her head nervously. "I--I didn't mean to--"

Master approached them, his voice filled with extreme contempt. "I have waited, for three score years, I have waited. While you come and go, I am stuck here, here in the house of worship. My ascension is almost at hand. Pray that when it comes..." He grabbed Darla by the neck. "I'm in a better mood."

"Master, forgive me," Darla told him. "We had more offerings, but there was trouble. Girls, and more."

"There was," Luke agreed. "They fought well, and they knew of our breed. One girl had strength that rivals our own. Two of them manipulated the energy around them. It is possible that they may be..."

Master looked away in realization. "Slayer and Guardians."

∞

Sunnydale High School - Library

The others were talking.

"And Slayers and Guardians would be what?" Eric asked.

"For as long as there have been vampires, there's been the Slayer," Wyatt answered. "As long as there is a Slayer, there have been Guardians, more than one, so that one Guardian can train the next. Slayers pretty much do the killing. Guardians are protectors of the innocent and the Slayers, making sure they fulfill their destiny."

"You sure do love explaining as much as Alice and Giles do," Carmen told him. "And you would know this how, Wyatt?"

"Wyatt's been around for a long time, apparently," Brady answered. He looked at Alice. "What did you call it, an immortal witch?"

Alice nodded. 

"A good witch, though, right?" Xander asked.

"Very," Giles answered.

"Were you born with your powers like Carmen was?" Eric asked.

"No, I grew into them on my own, without being born with it, using a spell to lengthen my strength, my power, my life," Wyatt answered. 

"How long have you been around?" Brooke asked. "Or do we even wanna know?" Wyatt shrugged. "So, I'm guessing that means a while."

"So, Wyatt's an immortal witch that knows more than we do, Carmen is a born witch that needed help with her uncontrollable powers, Giles is a Watcher, Alice and Brooke are Guardians, Buffy is the Slayer," Brady told them. He looked at Eric, Willow and Xander. "Don't tell anyone. Well, I think that's all the vampire information you need."

"Except for one thing," Eric told them. "How do you kill them?"

"You don't," Buffy answered. She nodded to Alice, Brooke and Wyatt, pointing at herself. "We do, and maybe occasionally Carmen once she has a handle on her powers."

Xander shook his head. "Well, Jesse's our--"

"Jessie is our responsibility," Alice told them. "We let him get taken."

"Alice, that's not true," Carmen told her. "We were doing everything we could to hold those vamps off."

"Alice, if you, Carmen and Wyatt hadn't been there, Xander, Brady, Eric and I would be dead, or they would have taken us, too," Willow told her. "Does anybody mind if I pass out?"

"Breathe," Eric told her. 

Xander nodded in agreement. "Breathe. Breathe."

Buffy sighed. "This big guy, Luke, he talked about an offering to the Master."

"Now, I don't know what or who, but if they weren't just feeding then, Jesse may still be alive," Brooke told them.

"We're going to find him," Alice told them.

"I'm coming with you," Carmen told them.

"No, Carmen, you're not, not until we know that you'll be safe out there and have a control over yourself and powers," Wyatt told her.

"Uh, this may be the dumb question, but shouldn't we call the police?" Eric asked.

"And they'd believe us, of course," Brady told them sarcastically.

"Well, we don't have to say vampires," Willow told them.

"Yeah, we could just say that there's a--a bad man," Xander told them.

"They couldn't handle it even if they did show up," Carmen told them.

"They'd only come with guns, and guns don't do anything to vampires," Wyatt told them.

"You have no idea where they took Jesse?" Giles asked.

"We looked around, but soon as they got clear of the graveyard, they could have just, voom," Buffy explained.

"They can fly?" Xander asked.

Brooke shook her head. "They can drive."

Eric nodded. "Oh."

"I don't remember hearing a car," Willow told them.

"Let's take an enormous intuitive leap, shall we, and say they went underground?" Carmen asked sarcastically.

"Vampires really like sewer systems," Alice told them. "You can get anywhere in the entire town without sunlight."

"I didn't see any access around here," Brady told them.

"Well, there's an electrical tunnel that runs under the whole town," Eric explained.

"If we had a diagnostic of the tunnel system, it might indicate a--a meeting place," Giles told them. "It would, uh... I suppose we could go to the building commission."

"We so don't have time," Brooke told them.

Wyatt seemed to be getting an idea. "Uh, guys, there may be another way."

∞

Master's Lair 

The Master was speaking to Darla and Luke. "Slayer, Guardians? Have you any proof?"

"Only that they fought me, and yet live," Luke answered. 

Master chuckled. "Hmm, very nearly proof enough. I can't remember the last time that happened."

"1843, Madrid," Luke answered, shamefully. "He caught me sleeping."

Darla sighed. "The other Guardian, the more experienced one, killed many of our men with the help of two witches. One of the witches was Wyatt Pratt."

The Master rolled his eyes. "Of course. The other witch?"

"We're not sure yet," Darla told him.

"They mustn't be allowed to interfere with the Harvest," Master told them.

"I would never let that happen," Luke told him.

"Don't worry about it," Master told them. "I believe they'll come to us. We have something they want." Luke smiled at Jesse. "If this boy lives, they'll try to save him."

Luke moved behind Jesse, grabbing his neck. "I thought you nothing more than meal, boy. Congratulations, you've just been upgraded... to bait."

∞

Sunnydale High School - Library

The others were still talking in the library. Willow had the city plans on the computer monitor.

"There it is," Buffy told them.

"That runs under the graveyard," Carmen told them.

"I don't see any access," Brady told them.

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

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

"Someone's been naughty," Xander  told her.

Alice sighed in frustration. "There's nothing here. This is useless."

"Alice, I think you're being a bit hard on yourself," Brady told her.

"And don't start with the 'I let him be taken' thing, because we already said that you saved the rest of us, so just stop blaming yourself," Eric told her.

Buffy looked at Alice and Giles. "You two are the ones that told me and Brooke that we weren't prepared enough, understatement. I thought we were on top of everything, and then that monster, Luke, came out of nowhere."

Brooke flashed back to the fight in the mausoleum when Luke had grabbed her from behind.

"Brooke, what?" Carmen asked.

"He didn't come out of nowhere, he came from behind me," Brooke answered. "Buffy and I were facing the entrance, he came from behind me, and he didn't follow us out."

Wyatt realized what she had. "The access to the tunnels is in the mausoleum. The girl must have doubled back with Jesse after you got out."

"God, this is so mentally challenging," Eric told them. 

"So, what's the plan?" Xander asked. "We saddle up, right?"

"There's no 'we', okay?" Alice asked. "Buffy is the Slayer, Brooke and I are the Guardians, and you're not."

"I knew you'd throw that back in our faces," Eric told her.

"Eric, Xander, this is deeply dangerous," Brooke told them.

"We're inadequate, that's fine," Brady told them. "We're less than men."

"Brady, the last time two times you tangled with vampires, you almost got killed, and we're not taking that chance again," Buffy told him.

"So what the hell am I supposed to do?" Carmen asked. "Or Wyatt, for that matter?"

"We'll stay and I can help you on controlling the charm that gives you a handle on your powers," Wyatt answered.

"And let me guess, after that, you guys are gonna do everything you can to help?" Xander asked.

"Guys, I'm not anxious to go into a dark place full of monsters, but I do want to help," Willow told them. "I need to."

"Well, then help me," Giles told her. "I've been researching this Harvest affair. It seems to be some sort of preordained massacre. Rivers of blood, Hell on Earth, quite charmless. I'm a bit fuzzy, however, on the details. It may be that you can wrest some information from that dread machine." Everyone looked at him. "That was a bit, um, British, wasn't it?"

Brooke smiled, looking from Wyatt to Giles to Alice. "Welcome to the New World."

Eric looked at Willow. "I'll help you get on the Net."

"Oh, sure, yeah, we can do that," Willow agreed, starting to type.

"Then Brooke, Alice and I are outta here," Buffy told them.

"If Jesse's alive, we'll bring him back," Brooke told them.

"Wyatt, Carmen, magic study first, help later," Alice told them.

Carmen sighed, knowing that they were right about needing to learn how to control her powers and her charm cross, but she didn't like having to hang back, at least for the time being.

Brady stood, looking at Brooke, Buffy and Alice. "Do I have to tell you to be careful?"

Brooke, Buffy and Alice smiled small smiles at Brady's worry for their safety, nodding reassuringly, walking out of the library.

Carmen realized something, turning to Willow worriedly. "What about Zoey?"

"Zoey who?" Wyatt asked.

"Zoey Francis," Xander answered. "She's our best friend."

Willow looked worried. "And she doesn't know about any of this. She's Jesse's friend, too."

"Didn't you guys say that Jesse had a crush on her for forever?" Brady asked.

"Yeah," Carmen answered. 

"And I can only assume that you also want to tell your friend Zoey about all of this," Wyatt told them knowingly.

"Well, Zoey's our best friend, and even Buffy, Brooke and Brady are hanging out with her," Eric  answered.

"And Jesse..." Willow trailed off worriedly. 

"Zoey's not gonna believe any of this," Brady told them.

"But what if not telling Zo gets her hurt?" Carmen asked.

"I know that Slayers and Guardians need to have secret identities, but Brady, and friends of Buffy and Brooke and Alice have already been targeted since they've been to town," Eric told them.

"Zoey's still our friend, if she gets targeted because of friendships with us, then she needs to know before she almost gets killed, too," Xander told them.

Wyatt and Giles knew they had a point, sighing.

"But telling her could also hurt her, or hurt all of us," Wyatt told them.

Willow sighed, shaking her head. "This is so not fair."

"I think 'fair' was left out of the job description a long time ago, Will," Eric told her.

Xander nodded, raising his hand. "I second that notion."

Brady shrugged, sighing. "Pretty much sums it up."

∞

Outside 

(Song:) Right My Wrong - Sprung Monkey 

Buffy, Brooke and Alice were walking toward a side gate.

Mr. Flutie stopped them there. "And where do we think we're going?"

The girls turned to face him.

"We?" Brooke repeated. "Us, we."

"We're not leaving school grounds, are we?" Flutie asked.

"No, no, we're just admiring the fence," Buffy lied. "You know, this is quality fence work."

"Because if we were leaving school grounds on our first week at a new school, for all of you, even you, Alice," Flutie told her. He looked at Buffy and Brooke. "After getting kicked out of our old school for delinquent behavior. Do you see where I'm going with this?"

"My father, Mr. Giles, he asked us to get a book from him, from the store, 'cause we have a free period, and we're big readers," Alice told him. "Did it mention that in our transcripts?"

"Mr. Giles?" Flutie asked.

Alice nodded. "Ask him."

Flutie swung the gate closed. "Well, maybe that's how they do things in Britain, Alice. They've got that royal family and all kinds of problems." He locked the gate. "But here at Sunnydale, nobody leaves campus while school's in session. Are we clear?"

Buffy nodded. "We're clear."

"That's the Buffy and Brooke Summers, and Alice Giles in my school," Flutie told them. "Sensible girls with their feet on the ground."

Flutie turned around, walking away. 

The girls made sure that he was gone.

"Now what?" Brooke asked.

"Lesson 2 for the new Guardian," Alice answered, using her Guardian energy to levitate herself up over the fence, landing on the ground on the other side.

Brooke and Buffy smiled in surprise.

"How did you do that?" Buffy asked.

Brooke laughed. "I am definitely trying that."

Brooke manipulated the red Guardian energy around her hands, using it to levitate herself over the fence, landing on the other side next to Alice. They both smiled. Buffy crouched down, leaping over the fence in one bound, landing next to them. The three girls smiled, walking away.

∞

Inside - Hallway

Willow, Eric, Xander and Brady were walking down the hall.

"Murder, death, disaster," Brady told them.

"What else?" Xander asked.

Eric looked at Willow's notes. "Paranormal, unexplained. Did you get natural disasters?"

Willow nodded. "Earthquake, flood."

Brady looked at the notes. "Rain of Toads."

Willow chuckled. "Right."

"Rain of Toads," Xander repeated. "Do you think they'd have anything like that in the paper?"

"We'll put it on the computer search," Willow told them. 

"If it's in there, it'll turn up," Eric told them. 

Brady nodded. "Anything that'll lead us to vampires. And we, in the meantime, will help by standing around like idiots."

"Not like idiots, just standing," Xander told them.

"They don't want us getting hurt," Eric told them.

"Well, I don't want us getting hurt, either," Willow told them.

"This is just too much," Xander told them. "I mean, yesterday, my life's like, 'uh-oh, pop quiz.' Today, it's, 'Carmen's a witch, our new friends are Slayers and Guardians, and what the hell are we gonna tell Zoey'?"

"I know," Eric told them. "And everyone else thinks it's just a normal day."

"Nobody knows," Brady told them. "It's like we've got this big secret."

"We do," Willow agreed. "That's what a secret is, when you know something other guys don't."

Brady sighed. "Right. Look, maybe you should get to class."

"You mean 'we,'" Xander told him. "We should get to class."

"Yeah, Brady," Willow told them. "Buffy, Brooke and Alice will be okay down there in the tunnels, because they can handle it, and Wyatt will teach Carmen how to control her powers, and then they can help them."

"Yeah, I think they'll be okay," Eric told them. "You know, when you put it like that." 

Zoey walked up to them. "Hey. Guys... Zoey here. Seems like you guys forgot all about me last night. And didn't even remember me this morning." She laughed teasingly to show them she was kidding lightheartedly. The others all smiled nervously. "Willow. Xander. Eric. Brady. Where's Buffy? Or Brooke? Or Carmen? Or even Alice? I saw you guys leave with them yesterday."

"Uh, they're not here right now," Eric answered.

Zoey nodded sarcastically in agreement. "Yeah. Eric, I can tell."

"Sorry, Zo, we don't know where they went," Brady told her. "It's cool if I call you Zo? Right, Zoey?"

Zoey smiled. "Yeah. Brady, it's fine. Everyone... well, pretty much everyone... calls me Zo."

Willow smiled nervously. "It's true. We love calling Zoey Zo."

"Or Zonia," Xander told them.

"Yeah, you're the only one that calls me Zonia, Xander," Zoey told him. "Willow, Eric, where is everybody?"

"Uh, I think Alice, Buffy, Brooke and Carmen are on an errand for Mr. Giles," Eric answered half-truthfully.

Zoey nodded. "Oh, cool. Where did you guys disappear to last night? After Jesse hounded me for a dance last night, you guys were gone. And, yes, I did dance with Jesse. But just as friends. Speaking of, where's Jesse?"

Xander hesitated, chuckling nervously. "Who knows?"

"We should get to class," Eric told them.

"Okay, yeah, Eric's right," Willow told them.

"See ya, guys," Zoey told them.

"See ya, Zo," Xander told her.

Zoey walked away to go to class, leaving the others to look guilty and conflicted about what was going on and what they were going to tell her, or if they were going to tell her.

(Song Ends)

∞

Cemetery - Mausoleum 

Carmen and Wyatt were making their way into the mausoleum, looking around.

"Remember, this is just in case they need more help then they want to admit," Wyatt told her. "We have no idea how many vampires are down there."

"Right," Carmen agreed. "And you don't want me to get hurt, so you tell me to stay up here."

"I might have taught you a little more about your powers in the last few hours, but not nearly as much as you should know to be prepared for actual battle," Wyatt told her,  They found the tunnel access. "Buffy, Brooke and Alice must already be down there. Carmen, stay here."

"You know, I did pretty decent last night for a newbie witch just discovering her powers," Carmen pointed out.

Wyatt gave her a look. "Carmen."

Carmen sighed. "Fine. I'll stay here. Wyatt, be careful, and take care of them."

Wyatt nodded. "Of course. Just stay here. I'll be back. Soon."

Wyatt walked into the tunnels.

Carmen started to pace, sighing, sensing Angel appear behind her. "I don't suppose you wanna go down there and give my friends a helping hand, do you?"

"They really don't like me dropping in," Angel told her.

Carmen turned to face him. "Why not?"

"They really don't like me," Angel answered.

"How could that possibly be?" Carmen asked sarcastically.

Angel didn't answer. "I knew you'd all figure out this entryway sooner or later. Actually, I thought it was gonna be a little sooner."

"Sorry you had to wait, due to the fact that we're all kinda freaking out about what could've happened to our friend Jesse and what could happen to our friend Zoey whether or not we tell her about what's happening," Carmen told him sarcastically. "Your buddy Wyatt said your name's Angel, and gotta say, it's a pretty name."

Carmen was getting more impatient, turning to the tunnel entrance.

Angel paced around. "Thought Wyatt told you not to go down there."

Carmen turned to face him. "Wyatt will have to deal with my going, just as you have to."

"You shouldn't be putting yourself a risk, not as inexperienced as you are," Angel told her. "No disrespect meant. I've felt your power. And it's strong, but very uncontrollable. Even with that charm, helping you focus your power, you still have to learn how to control it. Tonight is the Harvest. Unless all of you can prevent it, the Master walks."

"Well, if this Harvest thing is such a suckfest, why don't you stop it?" Carmen asked.

Angel shrugged. "'Cause I'm afraid." Carmen looked at him for a moment, turning toward the doors to the tunnel, using her power to burst the doors open, turning back to Angel. "They'll be expecting your friends."

"Which is why I'm going down there," Carmen told him. "It's a trap, and they're gonna need help, and Alice, Buffy, Brooke and Wyatt are not my only friends down there. Do you know what it's like to have a friend, other than Wyatt, who obviously doesn't know you as well as a friend should?" Angel lowered his eyes as a look of sadness filled them. "That wasn't supposed to be a stumper."

They looked at each other a moment longer, curious of each other.

"I'm not gonna be able to talk you out of going down there, am I?" Angel asked. Carmen shook her head determinedly. "When you hit the tunnels, head east towards the school. That's where you're likely to find them."

"You gonna wish me luck?" Carmen asked.

Angel said nothing, and after a moment of looking at each other, Carmen turned around, heading into the tunnels.

Angel watched her go. "Good luck."

∞∞

Tunnels

Alice, Brooke and Buffy were making their way through the tunnels, hearing rats, seeing them crawling all over, starting down another tunnel. There were lights at regular intervals. 

Wyatt walked closer from behind. "Did you see anything?"

"Wyatt, any success with teaching Carmen control in a short amount of time?" Alice asked.

"Given the timespan, a little progress, but given more time, there would be more progress," Wyatt answered. "Thank you for asking, Alice."

"Carmen's up there right now, in the mausoleum, isn't she?" Buffy asked. "Let me guess. She followed you here when you tried to leave her at the library. For her own safety." Wyatt nodded. "But you managed to talk her into staying up in the crypt."

"Well, can't say I blame the girl," Brooke told her.

"Brooke," Alice told her.

"What?" Brooke asked innocently. "Alice, I wouldn't be able to sit at the library worrying about everything without being able to do something, either."

"She could do something that could get her hurt," Alice told them. "Or worse."

Brooke shrugged. "Well, I... I understand where she's coming from, though. I wouldn't have stayed in the library, either. Or the crypt... for that matter."

They realized.

"She's not gonna stay in the mausoleum," Alice told them. "We better find Jesse. And head back. Before she or one of us gets hurt."

"We better hurry," Buffy told them. They ran down the tunnels. "Okay, so crosses, garlic, stake through the heart."

Alice nodded. "That will get it done."

"You know what else will?" Wyatt asked. "Me, with a wave of my hand."

"Good thinking," Brooke told him. "We should probably bring you in on a lot of vampire hunts."

Wyatt looked at Brooke and Buffy. "How long have you been a Slayer and Guardian?"

"Not long," Buffy answered. "We've done the usual vampire slayage, along with fire, beheading, sunlight, holy water, the usual."

"We've even done some beheading in our time," Brooke told them, smiling.

"Oh, yeah," Buffy agreed. "There was this time I was pinned down by this guy that played left tackle for varsity... Well, at least he used to before he was a vampire... Anyway, he had this really, really thick neck, and all we had was a little, little Exact-O knife... and Brooke had to throw him off me before we used it to..."

Alice gave them a look. "Buffy. Brooke."

"What, Alice?" Brooke asked. "You're not loving the story?"

"No, actually, I find it oddly comforting," Alice answered. "The vampires that might be able to track us by the sound of you two talking? Not so much."

Wyatt nodded in agreement. "Right."

Brooke sighed, smiling sheepishly. "Sorry."

∞

Sunnydale High School - Library

Giles was reading from a volume. "'For they will gather and be gathered. From the Vessel pours life.' P... Pours life...'" He turned the page back to the picture of Satan feeding power to a man. "'On the night of the crescent moon, the first past the solstice it will come...' Of course. That's tonight."

∞

Computer Lab 

Harmony and Cordelia were sitting behind where Willow and Zoey were sitting in computer lab class, doing their own assignment.

"No!" Cordelia complained. "It's supposed to find the syntax and match it. Oh, wait..."

"Are we going to the Bronze tonight?" Harmony asked.

"No, we're going to the other cool place in Sunnydale," Cordelia told her sarcastically. "Of course we're going to the Bronze. Friday night? No cover? But you should have been there last night. 'Cause I ran into Buffy, Brooke and Alice, and can they be any weirder? They attacked me. Do you believe it?"

Zoey was listening, confused. Willow was also listening, nervous.

Harmony sighed. "I think we did this part wrong."

"Why do we have to devise these programs?" Cordelia asked. "Isn't that what nerds are for?" She nodded to Zoey and Willow. "What'd they do?"

Zoey looked at Willow's screen, seeing that she was surfing a newspaper archive website. "'Natural disasters? Earthquakes, tornadoes and Rain of Toads'?"

"Uh, I'm doing something for Geography," Willow told her.

Harmony looked from them to Cordelia. "Uh, they're doing something else."

"Okay, and then pattern run, right?" Cordelia asked. "Or go to end? That's it."

"Maybe," Harmony told her.

"So, anyway, I come outta the bathroom, and they come running at me," Cordelia told her. "Screaming, with a stick. 'I'm gonna kill you! I'm gonna kill you!' I swear."

"Who?" a boy next to her asked.

"Buffy, Brooke and Alice," Cordelia answered.

"What's their deal?" the boy asked.

"Well, they're crazed," Cordelia told them.

"Did you hear about Buffy, Brooke and Brady's old school?" Harmony asked. Cordelia and the boy shook their heads. "Booted."

"Well, I exhibit no surprise," Cordelia told them.

"Why were they kicked out?" the boy asked.

"Uh, because they're psycho loonies, just like that Alice girl," Cordelia told them.

Zoey turned her head to look at them. "No, they're not."

"What?" Cordelia asked.

Willow turned to them. "They're not psychos. You don't even know them."

"Excuse me?" Cordelia asked. "Who gave either of you permission to exist?" Zoey rolled her eyes. Willow turned away, looking down. "Do I horn in on your private discussions? No. Why? Because you're boring."

"And you wonder why everyone thinks Carmen is the better Chase, Cordelia," Zoey told her sarcastically.

Willow got up, walking to the printer to get her printouts.

"Okay, I think the program's done," Harmony told them.

"Finally the nightmare ends," Cordelia told them. "Okay, so how do we save it?"

Willow walked out of the room.

Zoey looked at Cordelia. "Deliver."

"Deliver?" Cordelia repeated. "Where's that?" Zoey grabbed her bag, standing. Cordelia searched the keyboard. "Oh!"

Cordelia hit the 'Del' key, and her program disappeared. She realized that 'Del' meant Delete and not Deliver, staring at the screen in wide eyed open mouthed horror and disbelief.

Zoey smirked smugly for pulling one over on Cordelia, backing away, turning around, walking out of the room.

∞

Tunnels 

Carmen had caught up with Buffy, Brooke, Alice and Wyatt.

"They're close," Buffy told them.

"How can you tell?" Carmen asked.

"No more rats," Wyatt answered.

Alice used her red Guardian energy to light the way, seeing that Jesse was ahead of them on the ground. "Jesse."

Brooke helped Jesse up. "Oh, no."

"Jesse?" Carmen asked worriedly.

Jesse sighed. "Carmen?"

Jesse and Carmen hugged.

"Jesse, are you okay?" Buffy asked.

Jesse shook his head. "I am not okay, on an epic scale." Alice shone her Guardian light on the shackles around Jesse's ankle. "We gotta get outta here."

"It's okay," Wyatt told him. "Buffy, Brooke and Alice are pretty much superheroes. Carmen and I have powers."

Buffy started to break the shackles. "Hang on."

"Do you think anyone heard that?" Brooke asked.

They saw shadows moving on the walls, starting to run down the tunnel. Vampires walked around the corner. 

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

"Oh, great," Brooke told him. "Now you tell us."

They walked around the corner, being met by more vampires.

Buffy winced. "Oops."

Carmen looked around. "Oh, no, no, no, no. Do you know another way out?"

"I don't know," Alice told them. "Maybe. Come on."

Alice and Brooke used their red Guardian energy to put up barriers on either side of the tunnels where vampires were running toward them, making them stop, buying the others enough time to run down the tunnel and try to find a way out. At another intersection of the tunnels, they saw yellow eyes to their right. Wyatt knew it was a vampire, waving his hand toward him to turn him into dust with his powerful magic, killing him.

"Wait, wait," Jesse told them. "They brought me through here, there. There should be a way up. I hope."

They ran into a chamber.

"I don't think this is the way out," Buffy told them.

"There's more vampires out there in the tunnels than there were in the cemetery last night," Wyatt told them.

Alice looked at Jesse as if she felt something wrong, letting her eyes glow the same red Guardian energy that Brooke had let her eyes glow when she had been searching for a vampire, looking sad to see the truth. "No."

"What do we do?" Brooke asked.

"I got an idea," Jesse told them, vamping out. "You can die."

∞∞

Carmen was in shock and heartbroken to see one of her friends like this. "Jesse, I'm sorry."

"Sorry?" Jesse repeated. "I feel good, Carmen. I feel strong. I'm connected, to everything." Alice and Brooke used their red Guardian energy to close the door and keep it closed from the vampires that were trying to bust their way inside. "I--I can hear the worms in the earth."

Wyatt rolled his eyes. "That's a plus."

"I know what the Master wants," Jesse told them. "I'll serve his purpose. That means you die, and I feed."

Carmen used her power to throw Jesse back away from them, into the wall, holding her hand out to stop Wyatt from hurting him. "Jesse, come on, we're friends, don't you remember?"

"You're like a shadow to me now," Jesse told her.

"Then get out of our faces," Brooke told him.

"There's too many of them," Alice told them. "We have to get out of here."

"There is no way out of here," Buffy told them.

Alice and Brooke threw their Guardian energy against Jesse and the vampires bursting their way into the chamber, throwing them all down. Carmen lashed out with her power to send all the vampires flying across the chamber into the hallway, not having control at the moment, but it wasn't as dangerous and out of control than it was before she had gotten the cross charm. Wyatt started to turn vampires into ash, but couldn't turn them all to ash at the same time.

Wyatt saw a gate in the ceiling. "Up there."

Alice used her Guardian energy to levitate herself up to the gate in the ceiling, pushing it away so that she could reach above ground. She used the red Guardian energy to levitate Buffy up to her, then Carmen, helping them out of the chamber to above ground. Brooke used her Guardian energy to levitate herself up to the other girls, then turned to use it to levitate Wyatt up with them so they could make their escape.

A vampire from underground tried to pull Wyatt back into the ground.

Brooke turned to him worriedly, grabbing Wyatt's arm before he could be pulled back. "Wyatt!"

Wyatt used his magic to turn the vampire into ash, killing him. Brooke pulled Wyatt up to the ground again, both looking at each other in relief.

∞

Master's Lair 

The Master was furious, fuming to his vampires. "They escaped? They walk free when I should be drinking their heart's blood right now? Careless."

"Master, we had them trapped," a vampire told him.

"Oh, are you going to make excuses?" Master asked. The vampire remained silent. "You are all weak. It has been too long since you have faced a Slayer, or Guardians. But you couldn't even bring down two witches? Huh. It is no matter to me. They will not stop the Harvest. Just means there'll be people worth killing... when I reach the surface. Is Luke ready?"

"He waits," the vampire answered.

"It's time," the Master told him. "Bring him to me." The vampire turned to go get Luke. "Ah, Colin." Colin turned back. "You failed me. Tell me you're sorry."

"I'm sorry," Colin told him.

"There," Master told him. "That wasn't so bad, was it? Hold on." He stabbed his finger into Colin's eye. "You've got something in your eye."

∞

Sunnydale High School - Library

Giles was still doing his research, hearing someone come in. "Alice? Buffy? Brooke? Carmen? Wyatt?"

Willow, Xander, Brady and Eric walked toward him.

"It's just us," Brady told him. "Wait. So, after Carmen and Wyatt were here training... they already left?" Giles nodded. Brady sighed. "Fine. Fine, whatever. So there's no word?"

"I'm taking by the look on your face..." Xander trailed off, sitting down. "That the answer is a big..." He yawned tiredly. "No."

"Afraid so," Giles answered.

Eric shook his head. "Uh... Tsk, tsk. tsk. Man. We were afraid that you would say 'afraid so'. Damn you, afraid so, answer."

"Well, I'm sure they're... great," Willow told them unsurely.

"Will, did you find anything?" Eric asked.

"I think, maybe," Willow answered. "Zoey actually helped."

"Zoey helped?" Brady repeated.

"Yes," Willow answered. "Don't worry, Brady. She still doesn't know, because I didn't know what to tell her."

"So, what did you do?" Xander asked.

"We surfed through the old newspapers around the time of that big earthquake back in '37, and for several months before there were a rash of murders," Willow explained, handing out her printouts.

"Great," Giles told them. "I--I mean, well, not--not 'great' in a good way. Uh, um... Uh, go on."

Eric looked through the printouts. "Well, they sound like the kind you were looking for. Throats, blood..."

Willow looked squeamish.

"It's all coming together," Giles told them. 

"Is that a good thing?" Xander asked. "Or a bad thing?"

Giles sighed, shaking his head. "I rather wish it weren't."

Brady looked at Willow. "Wait. So if Zoey helped you with this, and she doesn't know what you were really doing, what does she think that you were doing? What did you tell her?"

"Oh, no, wait, Will," Eric told her. "Don't answer Brady's question yet. Let me guess. You told Zo that you were working for another class project, didn't you?"

Willow nodded sheepishly, guiltily.

Xander nodded. "That's what I would've done. You know, if I worked on school projects."

∞

Master's Lair 

Luke approached the Master, kneeling before him. The Master offered his hand. Luke took it, kissing it, releasing it. Master turned his hand over to offer the underside of his wrist. Darla was watching, smiling. Luke opened the cuff of the Master's sleeve, pulling it back, taking his hand again, sinking his fangs into the wrist above it, drinking his blood, releasing his hand.

The Master took his hand away. "My blood is your blood. My soul is your soul."

Luke nodded. "My body is your instrument."

The Master stepped down to Luke, drawing a three pointed star on Luke's forehead with the blood still flowing from his wrist. "On this most hallowed night, we are as one. Luke is the vessel." Darla's smile widened. "Every soul he takes will feed me. And their souls will grant me the strength to free myself. Tonight I shall walk the Earth, and the stars themselves will hide."

∞

Sunnydale High School - Library

Brady, Eric, Xander, Willow and Giles were researching, when Brooke, Wyatt, Alice and Buffy returned.

"Did you find Jesse?" Xander asked.

"Yeah," Buffy answered sadly.

"Was he dead?" Xander asked.

"Worse," Alice answered, sitting at the counter. "I'm sorry, guys. We were too late. And they were waiting for us."

"At least you guys are okay," Willow told them.

"I don't like vampires," Eric told them. "I'm gonna take a stand and say they're not good."

Carmen, even with her charmed cross necklace on, accidentally lashed out with magic because of how upset she was, her telekinesis power knocking all of the books on the counter to the floor, startling everyone. She took a deep breath, turning away to calm herself down. "So, Giles, got anything that can make this day any worse?"

Giles walked over to the whiteboard, putting down his pen. "How about the end of the world?"

"Knew I could count on you," Carmen told him.

"This is what we know," Giles told them. "Some sixty years ago, a very old, very powerful vampire came to this shore, not just to feed."

"He came 'cause this town's a mystical who's it," Wyatt told them.

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

"Bring the demons back," Brooke told them.

"End of the world," Brady told them.

"But he blew it," Xander told them. 

"Or, well, there was an earthquake that swallowed half the town, and him, too," Willow explained.

Wyatt sighed. "You see, opening dimensional portals is a tricky business. Odds are he got himself stuck, rather like a, uh, cork in a bottle."

"And this Harvest thing is to get him out?" Buffy asked.

Giles nodded. "It comes once in a century, on this night, the Master can draw power from one of his minions while it feeds. Enough power to break free and open the portal. The minion is called the vessel, and he bears this symbol."

Giles drew a three-pointed star on the whiteboard.

"So we dust anyone sporting that symbol, and no Harvest," Brooke told them.

"Simply put, yes," Alice answered.

"Any idea where this little get together is being held?" Buffy asked.

"There--there are a number of possibilities," Willow told them.

"They're going to the Bronze," Carmen told them.

"Are you sure?" Xander asked.

Carmen scoffed softly. "Come on. All those tasty young morsels all over the place?"

"Didn't Zoey say that she was going to the Bronze tonight?" Brady asked.

"Yeah, she did," Xander answered.

"When he was human, where Zoey went, Jesse went," Willow told them.

"Who wants to bet that Jesse's gonna go after Zoey?" Xander asked.

"That's where Jesse's gonna be, with Zoey, trust me," Eric told them.

"I've been trying to call Zoey at her house, but she's not there," Willow told them. "I can't get ahold of her."

"So we can't tell her now," Xander told them. "We should've told her earlier."

"We can beat ourselves up about that later," Alice told them. "Let's go."

"And if Carmen's right, Jesse's not gonna be the only vampire there, and not just for Zoey," Eric told them. "They're all in danger. Everyone."

They all walked toward the door.

"Then we should get there," Wyatt told them. "The sun will be down before long."

"Brooke, Brady, we gotta make a stop," Buffy told them. "Won't take long."

"What for?" Brady asked.

Brooke sighed heavily. "Supplies."

∞

Night - Summers House - Buffy's Room 

Buffy, Brooke and Brady were getting ready to leave.

Joyce walked in. "Buffy? Brady? Brooke?"

"Mom?" Brooke asked.

"You're going out?" Joyce asked.

"We have to," Buffy answered.

"I didn't hear you come in last night," Joyce told them.

Brady shrugged. "We were really quiet."

"It's happening again, isn't it?" Joyce asked. "I got a call from your new principal." She looked Brooke and Buffy. "Says you missed some classes today?"

"We were running an errand," Brooke told her.

"We haven't finished unpacking, and I'm getting calls from the principal, and all of you are staying out late and getting into trouble," Joyce told them.

"Mom, I promise, it is not gonna be like before," Brady told her. "But we have to go."

Joyce shook her head. "No."

Buffy gave her a complaining look. "Mom."

Joyce took a deep, nervous breath. "The tapes all say I should get used to saying it. No."

"This is really, really important," Brooke told her.

"I know," Joyce told them. "If you don't go out, it'll be the end of the world. Everything is life or death when you're your age."

"Look, we don't have time to talk about this," Buffy told her.

"You've got all the time in the world," Joyce told them. "You're not going anywhere. Now, if you wanna stay up here and sulk, I won't hold it against you. But if you wanna come down, I'll make us some dinner."

Joyce left the room.

Buffy, Brooke and Brady exchanged a look, rolling their eyes.

"Come on," Brooke told them. "Let's hurry."

Brady, Buffy and Brooke pulled out a large chest from Buffy's closet. It had a flat box in it full of her stuff. They lifted out the box, to reveal what was underneath; stakes, crosses, garlic, bottles of holy water. They pulled a bunch out, putting them into bags. Buffy took a particularly sharp stake, concealing it in her jacket sleeve. They closed the chest, zipping their bags closed.

"Let's go, shall we?" Brady asked.

"We shall," Buffy answered.

One by one, the three Summers siblings slid out their bags onto the roof outside the window, climbing out after it. Brooke used her Guardian energy to levitate them to the ground one by one so they wouldn't have to jump, making sure it was safe for Brady and Buffy and herself. They all walked away together.

∞

The Bronze 

(Song:) Wearing Me Down - Dashboard Prophets 

On the balcony above the club, Cordelia was talking to her friends at a table. "Senior boys are the only way to go. Guys from our grade, forget about it, they're children, you know? Like Jesse. Did you see him last night, following Zoey around like a little puppy dog." They all giggled. "You just wanna put him to sleep. But senior boys, hmm, they have mystery. They have... What's the word I'm searching for? Cars! I just am not the type to settle, you know? It's like when I go shopping. I have to have the most expensive thing. Not because it's expensive, but because it costs more."

"You know, I--" a girl started.

Cordelia gave her a look. "Hello, Miss Motormouth, can I get a sentence finished? Oh, I love this song! Come on!"

Cordelia and her gang made their way to the dance floor.

Jesse walked into the Bronze, looking around, seeing Zoey sitting at the bar. 

Zoey was looking around, disappointed because she didn't see any of her friends, drinking soda, listening to the music, moving her head to the beat, smiling, placing her drink down, standing, walking to the dance floor, starting to dance on her arm, arms raised as she turned her head from side to side.

Jesse was watching Zoey dance from the side, smirking, walking onto the dance floor.

(Song Ends)

Zoey was disappointed when the song ended, no longer dancing, starting to walk off the dance floor. Jesse stood in her way, stopping her, looking her over.

"Jesse, there you are," Zoey told him. "Uh, where have you been? You know, why has everyone been acting so weird today? Where is everybody? I swear, everybody's gone insane." Jesse smirked at the irony that she didn't know. "What? Why are you looking at me like that? You okay?"

(Song:) Ballad for Dead Friends - Dashboard Prophets

Jesse lowered his hand, taking Zoey by the hand, leading her back onto the dance floor. 

"Hey," Zoey told him. "Hello? Caveman brain. What are you doing?"

Jesse pulled Zoey closer to dance with her. "Shut up."

Zoey gave him a look, rolling her eyes, sighing. "Well, just one dance."

Jesse pulled Zoey even closer, dancing close to her. Zoey was surprised and confused by the character change, not knowing why he had changed.

∞

Outside 

The doorman outside was counting money. Darla came out of the shadows in a bouncy walk. She turned around, walking backward while other vampires came into the light behind her. She turned around again, approaching the doorman. They were all sporting their vampire faces.

∞∞

 The vampires headed in.

The doorman tried to stop them. "Need ID. Hey! Nobody gets inside until I get some sorta--"

Luke growled in the doorman's face. "Get inside."

∞

Inside 

The vampires walked in, pushing the doorman in with them. The last one closed the door, standing guard. One of the vampires made his way to the upper level, standing guard on the balcony. Another one found the main power switch, shutting it off.

(Song Ends)

The crowd started complaining and wondering what happened.

Luke walked onstage. "Ladies and gentlemen. There is no cause for alarm. Actually, there is cause for alarm. It just won't do any good."

There were screams from the crowd as they saw Luke's face. He laughed.

Zoey was confused, turning to Jesse. "I thought there wasn't any band tonight." Jesse shifted in his vampire face. Zoey inhaled in shock and fear, her voice a whisper. "Jesse?"

"This is a glorious night," Luke told them. "It is also the last one any of you shall ever see. Bring me the first."

A vampire brought the doorman to Luke.

"What do you guys want, man, huh?" the doorman asked. "You want money? Man, what's wrong with your faces?"

Luke grabbed the doorman by his throat, wrapping his other arm around his head. "Watch me, people. Fear is an elixir. It's almost like blood."

Luke bit the doorman on the neck, feeding on him. The doorman screamed.

∞

Master's Lair 

The Master raised his head as he felt the first of the souls that would be taken for him.

∞

The Bronze 

On stage, Luke dropped the doorman's body.

Zoey backed away in shock, trying to leave, but Jesse grabbed her arm tightly to stop her, pulling her back.

∞

Outside 

Buffy, Brooke, Brady, Carmen, Alice, Eric, Willow, Xander, Wyatt and Giles arrived running.

Alice tried the door. "It's locked."

"We're too late," Giles told them.

"Well, we didn't know Buffy, Brady and Brooke were gonna get grounded," Eric told them.

"Wyatt, can you break it down?" Carmen asked.

"Yeah, but they'll be expecting us all to come in together," Wyatt answered. "We gotta split up."

"Split up, great," Carmen told them. "Totally."

Wyatt sighed. "Eric, Willow, Xander, Giles, you guys try the back entrance."

Eric nodded in agreement. "Buffy, Brady, Brooke, find another way."

"Alice, Wyatt and I can break in from the front," Carmen told them.

"Right," Xander agreed. "Come on."

"Um, wait, guys, here," Brady told them, handing out stuff from his bag. "We get the exit cleared and the people out."

"That's all, guys," Alice told them. "Don't go Wild Bunch on us."

"Uh, see you inside, then," Brooke told them.

They all split up to do as said.

Giles, Xander, Willow and Eric ran around to the back.

Willow tried to open the door. "No joy."

"We've gotta get in there before Jesse does something stupider than usual," Xander told them.

"Yeah, like hurt Zoey, the one he's had a crush on since forever," Eric told them.

"You listen to me," Giles told them. "Jesse is dead. You have to remember that when you see him, you're not looking at your friend. You're looking at the thing that killed him."

∞

Master's Lair 

The Master was testing his confines, as Luke was feeding on a girl from the Bronze. "Almost free! Give me more!"

∞

The Bronze 

Luke finished with the girl, dropping the body.

Darla stood with Jesse and Zoey, wanting to give Zoey to Luke.

Jesse held Zoey against his chest to try to stop Darla from taking her. "This one's mine."

"They're all for the Master," Darla told him, pulling Zoey away, to her confusion and fear as she struggled.

Jesse let Zoey go. "I  don't get one?"

Buffy, Brooke and Brady broke into the Bronze up on the balcony.

"I feel the Master's strength growing," Luke told him. The Summers siblings saw him on the stage. "I feel him rising. Every soul brings him closer. I need another."

Buffy, Brooke and Brady saw the mark on Luke's head, knowing what it meant. "The vessel."

The vampire on the balcony saw the siblings, growling. The siblings looked over at him.

"Tonight is his ascension," Luke told them. "Tonight will be history at its end. Yours is a glorious sacrifice. Degradation most holy." No one moved. "What? No volunteers?"

Darla dragged a struggling Zoey up to Luke, pushing her toward him. "Here's a pretty one. And defiant."

Luke pulled Zoey closer. Zoey tried to pull away out of fear and anger and confusion, but Luke held her tightly, caressing her face, about to bite her. 

Zoey struggled to push him off angrily. "Let me go!"

Brooke used her Guardian energy to throw the vampire from the balcony to the floor, also using the energy to pry Luke away from Zoey, stopping him from biting her, both of whom who watched as the vampire landed on the ground with a thud.

The Summers siblings approached the railing.

"Oh, I'm sorry, were you in the middle of something?" Buffy asked sarcastically.

 Luke glared at them. "You."

"You think we'd miss this, did you?" Brady asked.

"I hoped you'd come," Luke told them.

Brooke shrugged. "Be right down."

Buffy stepped away from the railing, flipping over the railing to get down, landing on a pool table.

Brooke used her Guardian energy to levitate herself up, floating down to the floor, letting the energy fade when she landed.

Alice, Wyatt and Carmen bursted in through the front door by magic and Guardian power. A vampire lunged toward them. Alice stepped back to make him miss, using red Guardian energy to wrap around him and throw him up to the ceiling, to the floor. Wyatt held a hand out to the vampire, magically making him burst into ashes.

A vampire attacked from Buffy's right. Buffy front flipped off of the table, grabbing a pool cue on the way. When she landed, she thrusted it into her attacker and let go. He started to fall and burst into ashes.

Zoey couldn't believe her eyes.

Carmen was worried when she saw that Luke was restraining Zoey. "Zoey?"

"Carmen, what the hell is going on?" Zoey asked.

Wyatt looked at Luke. "Okay, vessel boy. You want blood?"

"I want yours," Luke told them, letting go of Zoey. "Only yours."

Buffy shrugged. "Fine by us."

Zoey backed away off of the stage toward Carmen.

Carmen pulled her back into safety. "Zoey, come here. Get out of there."

Buffy ran forward, cartwheeling up onto the stage, spinning, punching Luke in the face, not having much effect against the powerful, strong vampire vessel. Together, Alice and Brooke used their Guardian energy to grab Luke, waving their arms in one direction to throw him into a pile of chairs, making the chairs collapse under his weight and making him fall to the stage. Buffy assumed a fighting position. Luke stood, growling, running toward Buffy, trying to punch her. Buffy ducked, spinning around him. Luke tried to backhand punch her. Buffy caught his arm, kicking him three times in his stomach. Luke pulled free. Buffy took out her stake, raising it to stake him. Luke blocked it, pushing the stake from her grip, picking her up, throwing her into a pile of boxes.

Brooke used her red Guardian energy to levitate up above the stage and behind Luke, spinning through the air to kick him in the head, making him fall to the stage, landing on her feet.

Wyatt saw that Brady was trying to open the back door for Giles, Willow, Eric and Xander but a vampire was blocking his way, waving a hand toward the vampire to turn him into dust, allowing Brady to open the back door and let the others in.

"We gotta hurry," Willow told them.

Eric was trying to get everyone out, his voice low. "Come on. Let's go. Come on, come on! Come on, come on!"

Brady guided the people to the back door. "Hurry up. Come on. Through this door. Come on. This way."

Alice spun her hands around, using her red Guardian energy to throw many vampires to the ground. Wyatt used his power to turn them into dust, not all at once, because even though his power was very strong, he couldn't kill a group of vampires at the same time, though he could kill a couple at the same time.

Zoey was trying to get out like Carmen told her to do. A vampire grabbed Zoey from behind, pulling her toward him.

Carmen saw them, using her telekinesis to throw a cymbal from a set of drums like a Frisbee toward them. Zoey ducked her head low. The cymbal cut off the vampire's head, making him turn into ash.

Zoey was still confused, scared but angry, able to be sarcastic however. "Heads up."

Carmen chuckled. "No kidding, Zo."

Carmen turned to help Alice, Brooke and Wyatt kill more vampires.

Luke grabbed Buffy from behind.

Jesse appeared behind Zoey, grabbing her shoulder, pushing her down, pinning her, grabbing her wrists as she tried to struggle free, pinning them down on either side of her head. "Hold still! You're not making this easy."

"What the hell are you, crazy?" Zoey asked, struggling angrily.

Jesse smirked, laughing. "No. I'm a vampire. We all are. And we need to feed. But..." He caressed Zoey's face. "I like you. Maybe I'll turn you into one of us."

Zoey struggled harder, trying to push him away. "Get off me."

"Shh," Jesse told her, lowering his head, biting her neck, making Zoey gasp in pain.

Xander and Eric ran up behind Jesse, stakes in hand.

"Jesse, man!" Eric told him. "That's Zoey. Zo, you remember, your friend? The girl you've had a crush on since the first freaking grade." 

Xander held the stake against Jesse's back threateningly. "Don't make me do it."

Jesse let go of Zoey, turning to look up at Eric and Xander, smirking. "Buddies."

Luke was still holding Buffy from behind. "I always wanted to kill a Slayer."

Brady, Giles and Willow were still guiding people out, including Cordelia and her group.

"One at a time," Willow told them. "Quickly. Quickly!"

Giles crossed the other side of the room in front of the stairs, not realizing that Darla was standing on the steps above him. "We're going to have to open the front as well."

Darla leaped onto Giles from behind, knocking him to the floor.

Another vampire was trying to stop people from leaving. Brady held up a cross toward the vampire, using holy water to splash him with and weaken him, making him scream out in pain when the holy water burned him, punching him in the face hard, making him fall, using a stake that he had gotten from Buffy and Brooke to stake the vampire in the heart, turning him to ash.

Jesse looked at Zoey, one hand letting go of one of her wrists, pushing a strand of hair out of her face, looking at the blood on her neck hungrily.

"Jesse!" Xander told him. "I know there's still a part of you in there. Come on, man. Work with us here."

Jesse stood, letting Zoey go, turning to Eric and Xander.

Zoey slid away from them, backing into the wall, holding a hand over her neck.

"Okay, let's deal with this," Jesse told them. "Jesse was an excruciating loser who couldn't get a date with anyone in the sighted community. Look at me. I'm a new man!"

Luke was still holding Buffy tightly. "Master. Taste of this... and be free."

Luke growled, trying to bite Buffy. 

Brooke used her Guardian energy to throw Luke off of Buffy to the floor. "How'd it taste?"

Darla was holding Giles down.

Willow took out a jar of holy water. "Get off of him!"

Darla was distracted, looking up. Willow threw the holy water on her, making her face burn and steam. Darla stood, trying to lunge at them. Brady walked closer with more holy water, throwing it on Darla, holding out a cross toward her, raising a stake. Darla ran from the club, screaming and burning.

Jesse grabbed Eric, throwing him down, making him lose his stake in the process. He grabbed Xander, turning around, pushing him into the wall. Xander had his stake pointed at Jesse's heart. Zoey was on the floor nearby Eric, looking at the stake on the floor that Jesse had made Eric drop.

Jesse laughed. "Ooh, all right. Put me out of my misery. You don't have the guts."

Jesse went in to kill Xander. Zoey stood, staking Jesse through his back into his heart to prevent him from killing Xander. He started to fall, turning into dust.

Xander and Eric looked at Zoey in shock, breathing heavily.

Zoey took a deep, overwhelmed breath, holding one hand to her bleeding neck, the other up to show Xander and Eric the stake. "I thought vampires only existed in bedtime stories and really bad movies."

Xander and Eric smiled in shock.

"We have a lot to explain, Zo," Xander told her.

Eric nodded in agreement. "That's one way to put it."

Two vampires ran past Zoey, grabbing both Xander and Eric. One grabbed Zoey from behind.

Alice used her Guardian energy to grab the vampires that were restraining Xander, Eric and Zoey, spinning around to throw them into the wall on the other side of the club, then the other wall, then the ceiling, slamming them onto the ground, keeping them down, using the red energy to pull their heads from their bodies, decapitating them with the red energy, killing them as they fell into ashes. She was getting annoyed with all the vampires. "Are we done yet?"

Buffy grabbed a microphone stand, holding it like a javelin to aim it at Luke.

"You forget, metal can't hurt me," Luke told her.

"There's something you forgot about, too," Buffy told him. "Sunrise."

Buffy threw the stand at the window behind Luke. Luke ducked. The stand broke the window behind him. A bright light poured in through it. Luke stood, shielding his face with his hands, expecting to be burned, only to realize it was only a bright lamp.

Brooke used her Guardian energy to grab Luke and throw him to the ground, pinning him. "It's in about nine hours, moron."

Buffy staked Luke in the heart. Luke staggered off of the stage, exploding into ash.

∞

Master's Lair 

While the Master had been testing his confines, he felt Luke's death, falling to his knees. "No! No!"

∞

The Bronze 

Buffy and Brooke stared at Luke's ashes.

Alice, Wyatt and Carmen looked at the ashes of the vampires that  they had killed while protecting the people and their friends.

Three other vampires that were still here looked around in fear, looking at the group. Carmen held her hand toward them to use her telekinesis to throw them into the wall, making them fall, throwing stakes into their hearts with her power, killing them, watching them explode into ashes.

∞

Outside 

Vampires were running past where Angel was standing behind some crates stacked against a wall. 

Angel watched them run away, looking toward the club, impressed. "They did it. I'll be damned."

Angel walked away.

∞

Inside 

Buffy and Brooke jumped down to the floor. Giles, Willow, Eric, Brady, Xander, Zoey, Wyatt, Alice and Carmen walked closer.

"I take it it's over," Alice told them.

"Did we win?" Willow asked.

"Well, we averted the Apocalypse," Wyatt told them. "I give us points for that."

"One thing's for sure, nothing's ever gonna be the same," Carmen told them.

Zoey raised one of her arms in confusion, the other still holding her neck. "Is anybody gonna tell me what the hell just happened?"

Xander, Eric and Brady smiled in relief, chuckling. Buffy, Brooke and Alice looked amused but chastised. Willow and Carmen smiled in relief, wrapping their arms around Zoey. Zoey let her arms fall around their shoulders. Wyatt and Giles chuckled.

∞

Day Three 

Morning - Sunnydale High School - Outside 

Zoey walked along, overhearing Cordelia talking to a friend. "Well, I heard it was rival gangs. You know, fighting for turf? But all I can tell you is they were an ugly way of looking. And Buffy, Brooke, Brady, Alice, that guy Wyatt, and even my sister Carmen knew them. Which is just too weird. I mean, I don't even remember that much, but I'm telling you, it was a freak show."

"Oh, I wish I'd been there," the girl told her.

"You should have been there," Cordelia told her. "It was so creepy."

They walked off.

Zoey walked up to Willow, Buffy, Brooke, Alice and Carmen, scoffing, shaking her head. "It's like nothing happened."

Brooke smiled in amusement. "What exactly were you expecting?"

"I don't know, something," Zoey answered. "I mean, the dead rose. We should at least have an assembly."

The girls walked along to catch up to Giles, Xander, Eric and Brady, still walking.

"People have a tendency to rationalize what they can and forget what they can't," Giles explained.

"Believe me, we've all seen it happen," Buffy told them.

"Well, I'll never forget it," Willow told them. "None of it."

"Good," Alice  told them. "Next time you'll be prepared."

"Next time?" Xander repeated.

"Next time is why?" Carmen asked.

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

"More vampires?" Willow asked.

They stopped walking.

"Not just vampires," Alice answered. "The next threat we face may be something quite different."

"I can hardly wait," Brooke told them sarcastically.

"We're at the center of a mystical convergence here," Giles told them. "We may, in fact, stand between the Earth and its total destruction."

"Well, we gotta look on the bright side," Brady told them. "Maybe we can still get kicked out of school."

"Oh, yeah, that's a plan," Eric told them. "'Cause lots of schools aren't on Hellmouths."

"Maybe you could blow something up," Carmen told them. "They're really strict about that."

"I was thinking of a more subtle approach, you know, like excessive not studying," Buffy told them.

"Try having to explain to your mom that you have two holes in your neck because someone stabbed you with a huge stapler," Zoey told them.

The teens all laughed, walking off together.

Giles turned to go back to his library. "The Earth is doomed."