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Riley felt a red haze of rage as he slammed the phone
home - Harris was long gone before their team could
arrive on the place where he'd dumped his cellphone.
Damn bastard was such a smartass.
But, Riley had to make sure. And he found Harris was
right, there was a Parker on the UC area and he was
dead. Even was a message there. It just wasn't their
work - but his. Riley had no doubt about it.
Fuming with rage he ran back to Buffy and woke her
up, confronted her about Parker...at first.

"What's it there with you?" Buffy snapped. "Okay, we
were togehter a few days. He was a...mistake."

"He's dead. Xander killed him tonight."

"And you know..how?"

"Another message on the wall," Riley explained. "And
the shit had the gall to call me and gloat about it."

Buffy stopped to rub her sleepy eyes and stared at
him, demanding a precise answer.

"Well, of course he didn't admit it, but he knew before
ME, so the only way he could was...!" Riley said hurt.
"He said things...about you..." He shook his head, this
was nothing one said to one's girlfriend.

"What things?" Buffy asked, curious. And not in the
mood to take evasions. She didn't relinquish the issue
until he had told her.

"Well, he...he spoke about...your past. And someone
called Angel," Riley said evasively. "It wasn't nice."

"Angel," Buffy breathed and there was longing in her
eyes. Longing, angst and pain. "What did he tell you?"

"That he...he was your first and he...he...it's utterly
ridiculous," Riley said, getting up again. "He just
wants to play mind games."

"Angel is a vampire," Buffy admitted then. "He and me,
it was just this real big love thing...could never work
out." She sighed. "It was my biggest mistake."

Riley froze dead in his tracks and glared at her. She
had done it - with one of those...creatures? "How could
you?"

"How can any couple of lovers DO it?" Buffy sniped at
him before making a face. "I don't say it was no big
mistake, but at the time...I just turned seventeen. I
had no idea what would happen afterwards, believe me."

"He fucked you on your birthday?" Riley gulped, his eyes
wide with unbelieve. "What was it, your present?" She
nodded, ashamed a bit (at least she had some decency
left) but also angry about that shame. "Now that really
hits the deck. He seduced you?"

"Um, well, he...can we skip that?" Buffy said, annoyed.

Shit, she had jumped the guy! Riley concluced. "Now
that keeps getting better and better. Did your little
affair get you feeling like in heaven?"

"Actually, it ended with me sending him to hell, in the
literal sense of the word!" Buffy hissed with a very
grim face. "I don't want to remember that time if I can
avoid it."

That he could understand. "I wonder how you're still
alive after this! Why didn't he just kill you?"

"He was different before...you wouldn't understand it."

"But Xander Harris does!" Riley just moaned, pacing. It
was unbearable. Unacceptable. "What is the deal with
you, Summers? They can go around and kill anyone they
like as long as they can get you off?"

Buffy looked at him and opened her mouth, then she
closed it and her fists clenched. "It's nothing like
that!" she snapped at him. "Not all of them are...like
the rest."

"I bet!" Riley groaned, disbelieving her.

Buffy glared and just barely restrained herself from
attacking him. "They don't kill any humans, Riley!"
Buffy snapped. "There is a way to get their souls back,
but they still are vampires! If you had anything like
an idea what Xander's going through right now, Riley,
you wouldn't DARE to..."

Great, now she was going mystical again. He'd never
believed into that soul-demon-crap of hers. And feel
any remorse for a HOSTILE? She was crazy! "I just
bet I would. What is he, a little bit jealous because
you are with me now and no longer with him?"

"I never was involved with him," Buffy replied amused.
"What made you think we were?"

"Didn't you throw yourself at him before?"

"Well, there were times, but it wasn't real," Buffy
chuckled darkly. "I never was, you know, involved with
him. We were just friends...comrades."

"I bet that's why he knows what you like," Riley shouted
and then had enough. He had to get out of here, right
now, and he didn't even want to hear anything else from
her. The lying little pervert. Who knew what else she
was hiding in her past. Just because she was looking
human he'd assumed she was - big mistake, Finn!
He needed to be alone, for a while at least. Get his
head clear again. And get some drinks.

*

"Oh, that MAN!" Buffy shouted as she slammed the door
shut behind Riley Finn. He had no idea what horrors
Xander was facing now, but he had no troubles to judge
him. And just because Xander had known about Parker's
death he had been the murderer as well, really.
She wasn't thrilled that Riley had tried to get Xander
through her and was glad that Xander didn't think she
had had a hand in that mess.
Okay, calling Riley and gloating about their common
past and Angel was a blow. She'd never guessed Xander
could be that manipulative...no, she had known it. He
usually wasn't, but he could. After all he had put her
to fight Angelus even while knowing about Willow's
attempt to resoul Angel again. Without it the world
would rot in hell, now.
Buffy sighed and shook her head, confused. Willow was
dead and she was not even half as worked up about it
as about her relationship with Xander.
Buffy didn't know who had bagged Willow, but from all
accounts it could not have been Xander. He had been
on the other side of town then, no way he'd done it!
She went to the bathroom and splashed cold water over
her face in a vain attempt to regain control of her
temper.
She really had wanted to punch Riley out for being
that petty minded. And Jealous and nasty, as well.
What did he think, she'd spread her legs for any
vampire? He had no idea about Angel anyway! And she
never was with Xander before, only in his dreams.
Well, their dreams now.
"What is it with me and souled vampires?" Buffy muttered
darkly as she sighed at her mirror image. Great, she was
looking absolutely terrible. Right to apply for a place
in the scary way head collections everywhere.
Well, she felt worse than she looked like.
Xander was a vampire, Willow was dead and now Parker.
Not that she felt that much for that, after what he'd
done to her, but they were dead and she wasn't there to
prevent it. Especially with Xander.
He was going on for her now.
Buffy started to work at her hair and makeup while
reflecting about the old times. All came to an end.
Even the Scoobies' Gang. Of course, Xander had been the
one to come up with the name.
Buffy wasn't sure who killed Willow and Parker and
wanted to mock her, but she would find out and then
may god have mercy on them...she wouldn't.
She felt no obligation to even show up for classes as
she went over to Giles place. The Watcher had been in
research mode for day and night now, lost to the world
around him and it showed.
Buffy swallowed as she looked at his growing beard and
the desparation in his eyes as he, again and again,
was looking over the prophecy. Trying to wring any bit
of information about it.
It all said that the black knight would raise and then
destroy the Slayer, her allies would fall one after
another and in the end herself.
No fancy clauses, no nothing, just the facts. The
what-if-part had been before the vamping of Xander
and they hadn't even had time to react on that. Goody.
"Really, that is anything?" she asked concerned. "I
need something to work on, Giles! Xander and Willow are
already dead and I have no idea who I'm up against!"
She settled back when she realized she had screamed
at her Watcher. "Sorry. I shouldn't shout at you, it
isn't your fault...damn! I just wish I could TALK to
Xander...maybe he knows something."

"Do you think this might get you anywhere?" Giles
asked. "Um, I didn't even ask, but how was your
meeting him?"

"Bad," Buffy said and filled him in on Riley and
the commandos disturbing them. She left out the
kissing part - Giles had enough to worry about
without her adding to his burden. Especially as she
knew exactly what it meant to fuck a soul-cursed
vampire and get him his moment of happyness. Xander
had been dangerous enough not to even think about
what he would do then. "So, you got anything?"

"Buffy, I wasn't able to discover much, but there
is something...," Giles whispered with a rough voice
and looked for a book. Another book. "In regard to
what Angel said about what Drucilla was up to and
the explicite mention of the black knight, well, I
do have some problem there."

"Shoot," Buffy said. "It's hardly about to get
worse, now, or is it?" She and her big mouth! Of
course it could always get worse and she even had
been asking for it aloud...oh joy.

"Um, well, there is THAT title black knight!" Giles
said wearily. "There is a really vague prophecy of a
daywalker to come and bring great evil to the world.
But noone knows when that comes to be. One of the
titles he is reffered to is as the black knight.
Unfortunately this book is written in a cipher I am
not so proficient at and I will need some help to
transcribe it."

"A daywalker?" Buffy asked, thinking back. "Never
heard of that one. Doesn't sound so bad, or is it?"
She knew it was bad even before she opened her
mouth.

"A daywalker is something like a king of vampires, the
master of master vampires, Buffy. He would be more
powerfull than the Master ever was. Powerfull enough
to be able to resist daylight and walk anywhere he
pleased. He may even changed his shape..." Giles said
disturbingly scared. "They say in here that a daywalker
could sire anyone to be a master vampire or even turn a
Slayer."

"Turn a Slayer?" Buffy gulped. That didn't sound so
good. "Giles, I never asked you because it spooks me,
but...couldn't just any vampire do that?"

"No, Buffy. The reason Angel did not try it was that a
Slayer cannot loose her soul. So, all a vampire would
gain is a Slayer-vampire...one Slayer who lost the day,
but gained a lot of power and immortality. And who
would have a horrible grudge against her Sire!" Giles
smiled pleased. "Just remember what Angel is and then
think about something even stronger."

"Um, so that's why he never turned me!" Buffy mused
and shuddered. "But, Giles, why didn't the Watchers
try to get a few of these Slayer-vampires?"

"Because they always are self-destructive, Buffy. And
as powerfull as they are, they cannot withstand the
sunlight or a stake...especially if they don't want to,"
Giles grunted. "Would you want to live with a demon in
your head?"

Shudder! Buffy thought about that. Angel could, she did
know it as a fact. So being turned wouldn't be the end
of everything but...oh no, don't even go there! "And you
say that a daywalker would get a Slayer to be an evil
vampire?"

"Yes. There have been many vampires who tried to summon
the daywalker but noone found a suitable vessel up to
now...they all just died."

"And now you think...Xander is...?"

"I doubt it, Buffy. But, I have to tell you of the
possibility - it could be that Drucilla found a way,"
Giles said. "If so then Xander will die very soon."

"Giles!" Buffy gulped. "You mean he's in danger?"

"If he is, there is no way to help him. Buffy, the
advent of a daywalker could be the event heralding
a new dark age! An age of vampires swarming all
over the world. The last one has been destroyed more
than four thousand years ago and nowadays we aren't
sure if there ever was such a creature." The Watcher
corrected his glasses and reminded her it was only a
theory - that Drucilla might have tried it.

Buffy nodded and told herself he was just imagining
things but she knew what she felt when getting near
him. Somehow she just knew he was - and, worse, he
wasn't going to die anytime soon...