Willow, Jesse and Xander are playing in the woods, hide & seek to be exact. It was a typical lazy summer day in Sunnydale, the three of them had nothing to do and all the time to do it. Xander was trying to find his two friends, well try is too strong of a word… Xander was strolling through the woods. He knew that they would lose interest in staying hidden soon and the game would end, why put effort into when he could have them do the work for him!
When Xander heard the noises coming from the bushes he ran over to take a look. To his surprise there was a large cat that had somehow gotten stuck in the thorny bush, when Xander went to help the little guy out it cringed away. Some gentle noises and patience on his part calmed the animal down and a few minutes later it was free. As Xander picked the cat up he realized it was just a baby, even though it was the size of a house cat it was practically a newborn! When Xander put him down, the cat got as close to him ass possible, so Xander sat down and put him in his lap.
Half an hour pas by without Xander even noticing he was too busy stroking his new buddy, Willow and Jesse had noticed though and had started looking for him. Xander was broken out of his trance like state when the cat literally cowered into him, so he looked up and greeted Willow with a sheepish grin. "Whose cat is that Xander? Why is he hiding? Did you find him here? Why didn't you call us? He's so cute, is he hiding from me? What's his name? He looks hurt, is he hurt?"
Willow finally stopped to take a breath, Xander chuckled softy to himself there was nothing better then the sound of Willow-babble "I found him in the bushes over there, he got himself trapped somehow. I think I'm going to keep him, I've always wanted a pet." The two friends turned as they heard Jesse yelling for them and the cat hid even deeper in Xander's clothes… if that was possible! "As for his name… I think I'll call him Cringer!"
Xander hated school, he hated everything about it ever since Teelina had presented him with the Sword of Power and told him of the truth behind Sunnyhell. Even with the ability to summon the sword Xander didn't like to walk around without it strapped to his back, he hated not having Cringer at his side. It's not like he needed to be here to learn Teelina took care of teaching him when he spent time with her at the castle. Xander sighed. 'Another boring day at school, at least that new girl seemed interesting! She would have crushed my hand if I were a normal person still! What raw power!'
That's when Xander heard Buffy and an unknown voice begin to argue. 'So this is the Slayer that I've been waiting for! I think things are about to heat up at Hellmouth High. Perhaps I can finally reveal my other identity to somebody at long last!'
Vampires clothed in robes filed into the subterranean cave, each of them was carrying a ceremonial candle. They slowly made their way to the middle of the room, standing beside a pool of blood was a giant chanting vampire. They surround him and begin chanting. "The sleeper will wake. The sleeper will wake. The sleeper will wake. The sleeper will wake, and the world will bleed. Amen!"
The vampires surrounding their leader continue to chant even as they slowly turn to ash and are sucked into the pool of blood. The process is repeated, and yet another group of vampires is consumed. This continues, ten vampires to a group, until one hundred vampires are consumed. Still the giant keeps chanting, a clawed hand comes shooting out of the pool of blood. Final the vampire stops chanting and looks down smiling.
Buffy knew that somebody was following her and had been following her for a while, despite her best efforts though she couldn't spot them. Instead of walking into the club she walked down a dark alley hoping the mysterious stranger would take the bait, Buffy looked up and noticed a think pipe connecting two buildings. Taking a running start she leapt roughly ten feet in the air and grabbed it, using her momentum she flipped an landed crouching on the bar. Almost a minute later she saw the man that she assumed had been following her, Buffy almost started drooling at the sight of the huge man.
He was wearing high brown boots, his chest was bare except for a light gray leather X that held sheathe for his sword. His only real clothes could barely be counted as clothes, a fur loincloth that suggested a… large package. Buffy shook her head, snapping herself out of her little daydream. As the large man walked underneath her hiding spot she flipped herself around ad swung into his chest, the two of them went flying his sword sliding across the ground caused sparks to fly.
When the two of them came to a stop, Buffy was sitting on the stranger's chest. She's taken off-guard when she notices the way the muscular man is smiling at her. His dark brown eyes seem to draw her in, and it isn't until he starts chuckling that she realizes she had been staring at him for almost a minute. Buffy starts to poke him in the massive chest. "Why" ˜poke˜ "are" ˜poke˜ "you" ˜poke˜ "following" ˜poke˜ "me?"
Buffy quickly jumps to her feet as the large stranger being to laugh, she backs off getting into a fighting stance as he stands up. "I know what you're thinking, I'm not going for the sword." He reaches up and begins to rub his neck. "I thought you would be bigger, stronger looking. I have to admit you're a lot more beautiful then I thought you would be." To Buffy's amusement the almost naked man begins to blush and stammer. "What I mean is…. Your incredible… err I mean your skirt is… your legs are soft?"
Buffy began to laugh, not out of spite but sheer joy. This was great at least she wasn't the only one doing the admiring. Buffy offered her arm to the giant warrior, secure in the belief that he wouldn't hurt her. As they walked to the entrance of the alley he stopped. "I can't stay here, I have to be somewhere." He hands Buffy a slim velvet box about three inches wide, half a foot long and four inches deep. When Buffy looked up the man was gone.
Buffy stares after him for a little while before opening the box, sitting on a bed of silk is a silver stiletto in a wrist harness. Buffy slips the box into her jacket and the stiletto onto her wrist, when she closes the clasp she feels a rush of energy course through her. Looking sown at her arm she see that the whole thing now looks like a tattoo! Instinctually she twists her wrist and the stiletto pops into her hand, another twist and it's a tattoo again. Buffy turns and walks into the Bronze with a smile on her face.
(AN: all the Buffy/Willow & Buffy/Giles scenes happen pretty much the same. This isn't a rehash of what everyone knows!)
The giant vampire is kneeling at the feet of an even bigger vampire, the master vampire is wearing dark purple skintight clothes that hug his muscular form. His face is almost completely covered by his cowl, the light flicking from the assorted now lit torches set around the room reveal his face every once in a while. It's hideous, a vampire so old it has shed all remnants of it's humanity. His skin molded to his bone structure that it seemed as though he had none. The subservient vampire kissed the other's hand. "Master "
The master vampire almost gently takes his hand out of the other one, he walks about ten feet away and stops. Without turning he beings to speak. "Luke, I am weak." He reaches his hand out and touches a mystical barrier. Luke with his head still bowed begins to speak, his voice takes on an almost hypnotized tone.
"'In the Harvest he will be restored.' We are almost there Sire, I've sent Darla and the other to bring a sacrifice so you may regain your strength." The older vampire begins to laugh, the very sound of it sent shivers down Luke's spine. When the Master is pleased, the rewards were many. "There is a Slayer here, I can feel her Master, her blood shall set you free."
"Yes, but I can feel another here as well. I have the feeling that my enemies are still here stirring the pot, though they were mortal their magic's were stronger then even my own. They stripped me of my powers and locked me in there for over a century, as you fled they took trapped me and encased me in a prison of blood." He turns and stalks towards Luke, the giant vampire began to tremor in fear. Then scream in pain as his Sire extracted his punishment for his cowardice so long ago.
Buffy runs out of the Bronze trying to catch up with Willow and her friend Jesse. She was sure that the two of them had left with vampires, just as she turned the corner she ran into Xander. She looked up at his face, something about his smile was familiar she focused on the task at hand… putting the other thought off until later. "Xander have you seen Willow or Jesse?"
Xander shook his head. "No, I was supposed to meet the three of you here remember?" Buffy pushed by him and ran off, hoping she was going in the right direct. Xander heard her mumbling about a blonde vampire and immediately he took off in another direction, his mind going back… back to the beginning.
Xander's parents are once again drunk, so he decided to talk a late night walk. As usually Cringer was at his side, the two of them seldom left the other's side. "Well Cringer old buddy, looks like another night out on the town!" The now huge cat was walking as close to Xander's legs as possible, even though he could see perfectly in the dark he was still afraid. "What should we tonight, go for a midnight swim."
"Xander, it's dark and it's not safe at night there could be…" Xander starts to laugh at Cringer, he couldn't understand his friends many fears. The cat was huge, he couldn't think of anyone that wasn't afraid of Cringer! "Stop it Xander, why are you laughing! It's d… d… d…. dangerous out here at night!."
"I'm just laughing at the irony Cringer, you're a huge cat there isn't anything out here you can't handle!" It wasn't Xander's fault he was young, didn't understand that something's just shouldn't be said on the mouth of hell. Unknown to him there was a young looking woman following him, she had been watching him for days. Ever since Skeletor had killed Angelus for his impetus behavior she had been looking for someone to replace him. Specimen like Angelus… like Xander only came around so often.
In her centuries walking the earth Darla had only created three vampires, all of them legends. She saw the same kinds of potential in Xander that she saw in the others. He drew her to him like a moth to flames, the purity of his life force wasn't seen often in this world. 'What a vampire he will make, nations will crumble and civilizations tremble once he becomes one of us.' Darla had been watching him for months, she had decided that now was the time for her to strike. That tonight she would Sire her greatest creation yet.
Xander was completely oblivious to his stalker, not even Cringer could smell her if it wasn't for the Hellmouth he may have been able to sense her. The Hellmouth through off too much mystical energy for animals to sense individual demons though. So the pair of them continued their stroll, Darla continued to stalk them until they got somewhere… a little more private. What she didn't realize was that they were approaching a castle, a castle hidden my magic's almost as strong as the Hellmouth itself. Finally she attacked the pair, first she through Cringer into a tree and knocked him unconscious before Xander even saw her.
When Xander saw his friend lying on the ground in a growing pool of his own blood he ran over. Darla grabbed the young man and was about to feed when a bright light appeared around them and a voice echoed around them. "WHO DARES TO ENTER HER, WHO DARES TO DISTURB OUR SLUMBER?" Darla could sense the magically energy, could feel the hostility of the voice and she turned and ran. Once she was gone the light began to dim and a figure stepped out of the light, she was translucent and the light was emanating from her form.
Xander turned and watched the woman walking towards him, even though she looked to be half human half falcon her beauty was obvious. She seemed to glide over to them, kneeling she laid a hand on Cringer and the blood was sucked back into the wound. The wound slowly closed until finally there was no evidence that Xander's friend had been hurt. << Welcome Alexander Harris, welcome to Castle Grayskull. I have been awaiting you arrival for many months' now. Come enter the Castle proper and dine with me, you must have many, many questions. >>
Xander whistled as he ran into the cemetery, he knew where Darla was headed and how to cut her off. "Come on, Cringer, we've got work to do." Xander summoned the Sword of Power to him, swinging it in his hand a few times he finally pointed it skyward and yelled. "By the Power of Grayskull... I have the Power" Xander pointed the Sword of Power at Cringer, a bolt of pure power hit the cat and his whimper turned into a roar as the fear filled panther turned into the powerful Battle-Cat.
He-Man jumped Battle-Cat's saddle and the two of them headed towards the secret entrance to Skeletor's underground lair. Hopefully in time to save his friends, in time to save Buffy.