“Buffy, don’t walk away from me, honey, I want to help you!” her father called, but she kept walking. As she rounded the corner, heading to a neighborhood park, a familiar tingle crawled up her spine…vampire. She glanced from side to side, sure of what she felt in her gut.

Spider Sense is a go, she thought and reached back to grab a stake from her waistband. As she did two men jumped at her from both sides of the street while another came at her from the front. From behind her she heard footsteps, lots of them.

“And dad gets to witness his first street fight,” she muttered under her breath as her arms were grabbed from behind and wrenched behind her. Thinking quickly she threw back her head and head-butted her assailant, knocking her shawl to the ground and whirling to assume a fight stance. Her attackers rushed at her, two at a time, crouched low, and Buffy used her Slayer agility to jump up and over them. She spun in midair, gaining a few seconds on them as they rushed under her and turned to attack again. Kicking out she threw one of them back against the wall, knocking him into his friend.

“Slayer!” a voice shouted from behind her. She turned to see a short, squat figure cloaked in a dark robe. She squinted to see it better but was grabbed suddenly from around the waist and lifted up.

“Buffy!” her father shouted as he rounded the corner.

“Dad!” she screamed, eyes wide as she struggled against the arms that held her. “Get out of here!”

“Honey!” he cried at seeing her surrounded by fierce, disfigured faces. Hank rushed in to save her.

“No! Dad! Get out of here! Go!” she shrieked, wriggling free and jumping to the ground, stake at the ready. Her father provided enough distraction that she was able to dust her captor before he knew what was going on.

“Oh, my God,” Hank whispered at the sight of an exploding vampire.

“Tell me about it,” Buffy muttered back, delivering a roundhouse kick to an oncoming foe and spinning to hit another in the face with the heel of her hand. The stake came up in her other hand, dusting him.

“Dad, go,” Buffy ordered. “Back in that alley, I got this,” she said confidently.

“I’m not leaving you…with these…these…”

“Vampires, dad,” Buffy told him, throwing him to the ground and ducking herself as one of the attackers produced a giant hurling axe and began swinging it. “And some unidentified demon guy over there in the bathrobe. I’ll distract them, you go.”

“You can’t…handle this yourself, Buffy,” her father gasped as they dodged blows from the vampires. Buffy pushed her father and he rolled across the sidewalk, hitting the wall of the building they stood in front of. Looking up he watched as his daughter flipped herself in the air and came down in front of a stunned vamp, who moments later was a windstorm of dust.

“Ok, maybe you can,” Hank muttered as he scrambled to his feet.

Buffy nodded to him and ran into the street, causing the vampires to follow her. Hank ran into the alley and hid.

In the middle of the street Buffy gulped as the vampires now formed a circle around her, snarling, waiting to get their fangs in her sweet blood that now called to them.

“Slayer, do not fight us,” the robed demon hissed at her. “I am here with news for you…about your afterlife.”

“I’m more interested in yours,” Buffy called, eyes ticking from vamp to vamp, waiting for one to make their move.

Another robed demon slipped out of the wooded park and joined his friend on the street. The lamplight shone down, shadowing their faces beneath the robes. “You know you’re not supposed to be here, Slayer,” the new figure called out. “You know there’s something wrong with you. We can fix that.”

Buffy started at their words, her rock hard image faltering for just a second. “There’s nothing wrong with me,” she spat.

“Tut tut, Slayer…you know that’s not true…but we can change all of this for you. You can return to the peace you were in…”

Before he could finish one of the vampires jumped the gun and attacked, letting out a guttural roar. That was all it took for the others, who joined their friend and ran at the Slayer.

Buffy swore beneath her breath and prepared herself for the assault. It was a dozen on one, unfair odds even for the Slayer. She managed to take out one as he ran at her, but three more followed closely and knocked her to the ground. She looked up to see fangs all around when suddenly the screech of tires forced the vampires to look up. Two were thrown back and several more scattered as a new fighter joined the mix. Buffy wasted no time in making introductions with her comrade and jumped to her feet, retrieving a stake from her boot and jumping into the mix. One, then another, turned to dust as the best of the Slayer came out in her. Running to the sidewalk she ran up the side of the building and flipped over it, landing behind a vampire and staking him cleanly through the back, then whirling to high-kick another, knocking him to the ground. Thrust and stake, he was gone.

Her helper was fairing well enough, she noticed, when the light caught his face and she recognized the jawbone. Brown eyes hitched to hers and widened in shocked recognition.

Angel.

Here.

Now.

There was no time to talk as two more vampires jumped on her, pulling her to the ground. She tucked and rolled as she fell, lashing out and leaping to her feet once again.

“Buffy!” Angel called, besting the attackers nearest him.

“My father, Angel, in the alley!” she pleaded.

Angel delivered a one-two punch to an oncoming foe and staked him cleanly before heading to the alley to secure her father’s safety.

There were six vampires left in the mix, along with the two demons who watched her with interest. They regrouped, giving Buffy a moment to catch her breath as they circled her. “Ok,” she called to them. “Everyone gets a turn.”

Pausing for just a moment before kicking out she struck one of the assailants in the chest, sending the vampire backwards and onto the ground. The others sprang on her. Five on one was too much and Buffy was struggling when a familiar shout pierced the quiet evening.

“It’s not nice to pick on girls,” Angel told them, striding up in full vamp mode, "especially one who can kick your ass." He took two of them by the heads and knocked them together, stunning them. Buffy took his signal and squirmed out of her captors’ hold, dropping to the ground. Slayer and vampire assumed their more-than comfortable routine of fighting side by side.

“My dad?” she asked, ducking a high-kick and dropping down to knock the vampire’s legs out from under him. Angel tossed her a stake as he spun around and she quickly dusted her foe.

“Cordy and Gunn have him,” he assured her as he ducked the punch of his fighter.

Buffy spared a glance to the sidewalk where Cordelia stood with a guy Buffy didn’t know, her father’s gaping figure in between them, and crossbows all around.

“Excellent,” she murmured, and positioned herself to jump up and over the giant vampire that was currently rushing at her. Using his own shoulders to vault herself she landed cleanly behind him and directly in front of Cordelia.

“Borrow this?” she asked, picking the crossbow from the brunette’s hands easily. Cordy glanced at Gunn and Mr. Summer’s faces, amused at their stunned expressions. Buffy’d certainly gotten a little more limber since she’d last seen her, but this was mostly old hat for the Sunnydale native.

Hank stepped forward like he was going to join the fight, and Cordelia stopped him with a gentle hand on his arm. “Let her do her thing, Mr. Summers,” she suggested.

Arming herself with the crossbow Buffy spun and rather than shoot the weapon, used it to directly stake a vampire that ran right into her. “Don’t even have to reload,” she quipped before aiming her weapon at Angel.

“Angel! Down!” she ordered. Years of fighting experience had taught him to listen to her, this tiny warrior who could easily best him. He dropped to the ground, narrowly missing being shot with a crossbow arrow, and coughed as vampire dust filled his lungs.

Buffy tossed the crossbow back over her head into Cordelia’s capable hands. “Angel! Robe guys! Where are they?”

Angel glanced around wildly, taking a hit to the face and one to the stomach as he did. Kicking up he kneed the vampire between his legs and his attacker crumpled to the ground. “Hate to do that to another guy,” he apologized, producing a stake from his pocket and finishing the fight.

There were two left now, both clearly inexperienced fighters, at least against a Slayer and a 200-plus year-old vampire. They glanced at each other and turned to run when Angel grabbed them both from behind, hauling them to the ground. He placed a giant foot on one of their chests, Buffy following suit with the other.

“Care to explain yourself?” she asked. “I’m in town for only a few hours and now I’ve got demons and vampire gangs attacking me.”

“So you just got here then?” Angel asked nervously.

She glanced at him. “Yeah, just a few hours ago.”

He swallowed. “Oh. Good. That’s good. Right?”

She eyed him uneasily and went back to the interrogation. “What’s the deal?” she asked, pressing her foot down harder on his neck.

He grinned at her. “Don’t ask me, I’m just the hired help.”

“You know what I always say about hired help,” Cordelia quipped, sauntering up beside them. “They can always be replaced.”

“I thought it was ‘good help is hard to find,’” Gunn asked as he and Hank joined them.

Cordelia glared at him and positioned her crossbow over the vampires’ chest. “Spill it,” she ordered.

Buffy gave her a surprised glance but said nothing.

The vampire under Angel’s boot squirmed. “We don’t know! These guys just hired us to follow the Slayer! We’re not even from around here!”

Angel ground his heel into the vamp’s chest. “Out of towners, huh? Welcome to LA. Now who hired you?” he growled, ignoring his confusion at Buffys sudden appearance in his city.

“The guys in the robes. G’alar demons. Came here through some portal, looking for the Slayer. Something about taking her back where she belongs.”

“Where I belong?” Buffy echoed. “What are you talking about?”

The vampire grinned and Cordelia hovered over him with the crossbow, ready to shoot. “Ok! Ok! All they said was that you were taken from them, from where you belong, and that you don’t belong here. We were supposed to get you, not kill you.”

Buffy stepped back, shaken. A portal…taking her back…the words of the robed demon flashed through her mind. …about your afterlife…you know there’s something wrong with you…return to the peace you were in… “Get me and take me where?” she asked hesitantly.

“Dunno.”

Something in Buffy’s mind snapped and she lost her patience. “Cordelia, why don’t you show our friend here how painful getting shot in a place other than the heart can be,” she suggested.

Cordy glanced at her and moved to strike when the vampire cried out. “No! Please! We swear, that’s all we know! We met them at a bar on Shoreline and that’s where we did all our business!” he cried out, panicked.

Angel glanced at Buffy, her eyes wide with shock, and the distraction was enough that the vampire under his boot rolled to the side and the two took off running. Gunn let a shot off and the sound of a dusting screamed in the distance.

“Are you okay?” Angel asked her, touching her sleeve. Buffy jumped, then gave him a small smile.

“Yeah, thanks…sorry…about that. Uh…thanks, all of you, for the help,” she stammered.

“What…what’s going on? What are you doing here?” Angel asked her carefully.

“I tried to tell you,” Cordelia snapped, “but someone hung up the phone before I could finish going over the whole vision.” She turned to Buffy, sincerely. “Are you sure you’re okay? You looked totally wigged.”

Buffy swallowed hard. “Yeah, I’m fine. He just threw me, I guess. I’m being stalked again…how fun.”

“Can I just tell you? That was tight!” Gunn crowed. “I have never in my life seen someone so little kick such major ass!”

Buffy turned to him, an unsure expression on her face. “Um, thanks.”

He smiled. “I’m Gunn. Figured I’d better introduce myself as my colleagues are lacking with the Emily Post.”

“Buffy,” she told him.

“I figured. The Slayer. Ha! Always did want to meet you. Heard enough about you anyways.”

She didn’t answer him. Instead she turned to Angel. “So these guys weren’t local. Do you know where this bar is on Shoreline? I’d like to know what’s going on,” she said, her voice flat.

He looked at her curiously. Since the moment he’d locked eyes with her he’d been completely surprised by her presence; mostly because he hadn’t sensed her at all. In the six years he’d known her they had shared an uncanny knack for knowing when the other was around, even if they didn’t see each other. This time he’d felt nothing. That thought sank his unbeating heart, but he pushed it aside for now.

“Sure…we can check it out together,” he promised, then cleared his throat. “So…what are you doing here? Visiting your dad, I’m guessing.”

“Yes, she is,” a voice came from behind them.

Buffy’s eyes ticked to him and flew wide. She had completely forgotten that her father had witnessed all of this. He walked towards their small group, huddled together in the middle of the street, an unreadable expression on his face. Buffy groaned inside…she did not have the time or the patience to explain this all to her father right now.

“Dad…are you okay?”

Hank stood in front of his daughter, the group around her falling back slightly. “I’m fine, thanks to you and your friends…but I think…I think you and I need to talk.”

Buffy nodded. “I can explain everything…but dad, right now I’ve got some things I need to take care of.”

Her father shook his head. “Whatever it is can wait. The things that you did…and those…those creatures…and him!” he cried, his voice getting louder, pointing to Angel, “he’s one of them!”

Buffy glanced at Angel, who was unoffended. “Dad…I know…I know. It’s going to take a bit of explaining to do. But it has to wait, I have to go figure out some things. Those guys that attacked me were hired to. I have to find out by who.”

“Buffy, honestly, you can tell me. Are you involved in something?” his expression was dead serious. “Are you in a gang? Are you…are you a criminal?”

Cordelia snorted and tried to cover up her laughter by turning her back and walking a few steps away. Even Angel had to hide his smile.

Buffy rolled her eyes. “No, dad. I’m not on the lam, I’m not on the most-wanted list…and I’m not in a gang. I—it’s a long story, and I promise I’ll go into it later. In detail, even.”

Hank ignored her. “Did your mother know about this?”

Buffy nodded. “Yes, she did. For four years she knew about it.”

He shook his head. “I knew it. I just knew it. She always let you run around, never gave you enough discipline.”

Buffy gasped. “Dad!” she cried. Taking a deep breath she pulled her father aside. “Dad…don’t talk about mom that way,” she warned.

Hank barely heard her, so caught up in his own thoughts. “It was one of the biggest problems I had with letting you girls go with her. God knows what Dawn must be like if you’re into this sort of thing…and with no real adult supervision around…she’s going to need counseling,” he blabbered to himself.

“Dad!” Buffy said loudly. “Not. Now. Go home…I’ll meet you at the apartment in a little while. Take a cab, it’s safer.”

“You’re coming with me,” he insisted sternly.

“No, I’m not. I’ll be home later,” she glared at him, walking away.

“Buffy,” he said, grabbing her arm. She pushed him off easily, causing him to stumble backwards.

Angel stepped up as Cordelia and Gunn got into his car. “Get in,” he told her, steering her towards his convertible. She sank into the front seat without protest and Angel walked over to her father. A yellow cab turned the corner and parked on the side of the street, its “On Duty” sign glowing against the dark backdrop of night.

“Sir, there’s a cab right there, take it, go home…Buffy’s safe with us,” he told Hank.

Hank glared at him. “What are you?”

Angel glanced at Buffy. “I’m her friend,” he said simply, and walked around the car to the driver’s side. Getting in he started the car and slowly drove off, watching in the rearview mirror as Hank watched them leave, then got into the cab.

Chapter Three: Showdown
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