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"The Big Apple Slayer"

Buffy stormed toward her kitchen door, her mind full of resolve. After all, it wasn't Angel she was fighting anymore. It was Angelus; and he had called her out for the last time, her palms were sweating, she hadn't felt this kind of anger; this kind of rage before, she couldn't even hear her mother arguing with her until she opened the door.

"If you walk out that door, don't even think about coming back." Joyce said with a flare in her nostrils, that intense glare that only a mother could give.

Buffy stood there for a moment, she didn't want to defy her mother. She understood the concern, having just learned that her daughter was the vampire slayer; the only one now, and again after Kendra was killed. An event that led to her expulsion from Sunnydale High. But she had to be true to herself; if Angelus would release hell on Earth, there would be no time for regrets. In fact, her mother wouldn't even be able to keep her either way; and she did the only thing she could do: She stepped out into the night air and walked away.

She left her life behind when she did that; she knew she couldn't go back, and when the final blow was struck and Angel returned, she still had to kill him to prevent the demon from destroying the world anyway. She couldn't go to him anymore; her friends, they had lives of their own to move on with and Giles...well, he would find another charge to train for the day she too would die. Everything wrapped up as she silently slipped into her bedroom and packed her belongings while her mother slept. Never again would she put their lives at risk, and never again would she be just another vampire slayer; whose only destiny seemed to die at an early age.

"Don't even think about coming back..."

Joyce's words echoed in Buffy's mind, startling her awake to the winding engine of the bus she had boarded two nights before. She'd thought about going to Los Angeles to start fresh; but she didn't want to risk her family and friends tracking her down, and as her eyes fell upon the iron beams of the bridge they were now crossing, they fell to the glittering night lights coming from New York. She had finally escaped to someplace evil could never find her; sure, it had crime, but the human kind and not the supernatural kind. Either way, she could take care of herself. She was on her own now.

The bus' engine roared as it pulled into the bus station, then the sound of the air brakes hissed from outside Buffy's window as she roused, taking her backpack and sliding it over her shoulder before standing up. The muffled noises of passing crowds outside were just as muffled as she exited into the terminal; they were just a lot louder. She brushed her blond hair back and straightened the collar of her leather jacket; it was a bit colder here as she expected, a curl of fog on the autumnal air exited her nostrils as she exhaled sharply. She made her way out onto the street and started to walk, her legs getting some much-needed exercise after being cramped in a bus for so long. Every muscle ached and this really made them feel better. She needed to find a place to stay and knew that somewhere along the avenue was a hotel she could at least stay the night and find a job in the morning; if she was going to survive here, she didn't have to worry about big burly street thugs; they would be human, and they wouldn't stand a chance. It was hunger, thirst; you know, the things that make the body go that she would need to secure. As she walked, she could hear the sound of footsteps behind her; even in a crowded street, she could sense someone was following her. She quickened her pace somewhat, only to hear the footsteps increase in speed as well. "Perfect, what do you want?" She muttered under her breath, brushing her hair back and putting her head down, facing the concrete as her pace quickened further still. Another set of footsteps had joined in; same pace, same direction. It seemed her first night in the Big Apple would not be very uneventful after all. She tightened her grip on her backpack straps and quickly diverted into an alleyway; the perfect location they would think, and going up against Buffy, they would be wrong.

"You know, I moved all the way out here to avoid trouble." Buffy said finally turning around and facing the two men who had followed her into the alley.

"Well, sorry to disappoint you, princess." One of them said. "Hand over your bag, and nobody gets hurt."

"Yeah?" Buffy asked. The two men were twice Buffy's height and looked to be in great shape, muscles almost bulging through their shirts as they approached her. Between the two of them, they were easily blocking off an escape route from the alley, which ended only a few yards behind her. Still, she backed away; playing coy was tacky, but it had always worked for her. "Come and get it." She said.

"RRRRRRAAHHHHH!" Something had descended from the rooftops above them, close enough to almost send Buffy falling back to the ground as a massive creature made an appearance, landing hard in between them. "You heard the lady. She doesn't want any trouble."

Buffy was beside herself with shock now; what exactly was she looking at? This beast looked demonic, his flesh was a crimson red, he had wings and a long tail with stark white hair as he faced down the two thugs with a menacing growl. His eyes were glowing white as he spread his wings, blocking her from the two would-be attackers.

"What---the hell!?" The man on the left staggered back in shock while the one on the right didn't even flinch.

"You're kidding me, you're one of those freak monsters the boss was talking about! Get him!"

The creature deftly avoided a punch that the man on the left had sent his way. The demon grabbed the man by the wrist and spun, flinging him hard against a wall. He bounced back and roared out some sort of a nervous battlecry as he came screaming back at the beast. The creature again grabbed the man, but this time ducked into the attack and sent an elbow strike straight into the man's rib cage. Buffy almost winced hearing the crack and the man crumbled to the ground, struggling to breathe. "Right, one down. And as for you--what the?"

Buffy's gaze returned to the other man, whose visage had changed drastically and she knew what she was looking at. His face had contorted; become almost skeletal in its demonic shape with prominent ridges across his eye and cheek lines. Glaring at the beast with a pair of crimson red eyes, he moved like a blur and tackled the beast up against the wall. His arm was wrested back against the bricks as the impact sent dust spilling over the two of them. Buffy wanted to run; to forget she'd even seen a vampire in New York of all things, but this gallant monster had just tried to save her life and she knew what she had to do.

The vampire hissed as the beast struggled against his strength, he had never been so hard pressed against an enemy before. His strength was superhuman; he could only hope that the girl would take the hint and run, even at the cost of his own life. "I've always wondered what a gargoyle's blood tasted like." The man hissed, opening his mouth and revealing a deadly set of fangs.

"Excuse me." A voice from behind him said, accompanying it with a tap on his shoulder.

The vampire turned to see Buffy behind him, and with the speed of one of their own, a fist quickly shot into the center of his face, sending pain shooting through his entire body. She grabbed his shoulder and pulled him down and away from the gargoyle. He growled and struggled to escape her grasp, swinging his fist back and striking her. Buffy fell back but regained her balance quickly, catching the vampire's fist and pulling it over herself, flipping him over her head with ease and sending him crashing into a discarded crate and causing it to shatter. He quickly kicked up and struck Buffy, knocking her back as he leaped to his feet. "I don't know who you think you are, or what you think you are, little girl. But here in the big city, we reign supreme!"

"Ugh." Buffy gagged. "Well I'm happy to come to a city where nobody knows who I am, but that dialogue!"

Incensed, the vampire roared loudly and charged; Buffy readied herself and delivered a powerful wheel kick to the demon's face, sending him flying backwards and back onto the crate he had just shattered as a piece of the wooden box penetrated his chest and caused him to suddenly explode into dust, the gargoyle's mouth fell open at what he had witnessed.

"Wh-who? What?" He looked at Buffy. "Hey now, wait a minute."

Buffy ran to the unconscious man on the ground and checked him. "He's human, take him to the cops." She said as she got up.

"Wait, why don't you just tell me who..." The gargoyle's expression faltered as he realized she was gone; having run back out into the crowded street before he could get a word in edgewise. "I'm...Brooklyn, by the way." He sighed in surrender. He turned to stare at the splintered wood that used to be the crate and he groaned. "What've we gotten ourselves into this time? Goliath; wherever you are, I hope you get back soon."

Buffy managed to run about half a mile before finally slowing down and checking behind her; no one she had passed on the street really looked twice at her, typical Friday night behavior for the town? She wasn't sure, but she realized she was hungry when the smell of hamburgers hit her nose. She had come to a stop not too far from a 50s style diner jammed right into the corner lot of a highrise building. As she approached, she noticed a "Help Wanted" sign and under it read "Night Shifts Available" she entered the eatery, which was pretty dead inside. Stools of stainless steel lined the long counter and a row of booths lined the opposite wall.

"Need somethin' honey?" A voice snapped Buffy back to reality.

"S-sorry?" She asked as she turned to see a woman in large lavender framed glasses and dark hair tied back in a bun behind her head.

The woman's lips slipped into a pleasant smile. "I'm asking if you need somethin'. You look a little lost."

"Right." Buffy said. "Sorry about that, I guess I am a little hungry."

"Well that's why we're here, what can I get for you?"

The woman was nice, the first instance of pleasant conversation she'd encountered in New York followed as Buffy told the woman named Wanda about her trip from California in between large bites of her hamburger and french fries to help quell the starving rumbles in her stomach. She hadn't realized how hungry she was, likely it was the exertion of slaying that did it. She never really felt hungry after slaying, but it had also been several hours since her last meal, that probably was what did it. "So I couldn't help but notice the help wanted sign out there, you having trouble keeping people around here?"

"Oh not at all." Wanda shook her head. "The truth is it's hard finding people who can hack the night shifts, you wouldn't believe how many times I've caught people falling asleep in the back somewhere."

"Well, I'm more of a night person myself." Buffy said with a peppy tone of voice. "Think you can hire someone in off the street like me?"

Wanda stared at Buffy for a moment, then leaned over the counter toward her. "You want to take the job? You think you can handle it?"

"Oh, absolutely." Buffy said with a wide smile.

The woman looked Buffy over, then clicked her tongue slightly. "Hmm, you look like you're fresh out of high school. You just drop into town?"

Buffy nodded. "Yeah from California." She said. "Like that old song goes, if I can make it there I can make it anywhere..."

"That's not how the song goes, honey." Wanda corrected her. "But alright, I think I can give you a shot. I'm really hurting for the night shifts, but I don't have anyone who can train you here, think you can come by about four tomorrow afternoon? We'll try you on some training wheels and by Wednesday we might be able to get you sailing on your own."

"Really?" Buffy beamed. "Wow, thanks. Easiest job interview ever."

"Oh no, this isn't the interview. The interview is you handling yourself during dinner rush tomorrow."

"Oh, right." Buffy shook her head. "Well, I guess I oughta go get some sleep then." She said with a smile before sliding off the stool she had sat on. "I'll see you tomorrow then!"

As Buffy reached the door, she heard Wanda call out to her. "Oh, I'm going to need your name! Just so we can get you in the books."

"Yeah." Buffy said, pondering quickly before looking back at her. "It's Anne. Anne Summers."

"Alright, Anne. Have a good night and I'll see you tomorrow." Wanda waved as Buffy left the diner and returned out into the cool night's air.

"No, no, no I mean." Brooklyn grunted as he ran a claw through his hair. "See, this girl right? She was being attacked by these two men. I stepped in and took one out easy." He slung his fist through the air, smacking the bottom of his right palm. "Then this other one got... all grotesque and... mutated into some creature with beady red eyes and long, sharp fangs. I mean, he threw me back like I was a paper bag or something."

Lexington and Broadway looked at one another, then stared back at Brooklyn with the same incredulous stare. "Uh---huh?" They said simultaneously.

"But the girl, I mean she came out of nowhere and taught that thing a lesson. She took a blow, she fought back with a gargoyle's strength. I mean it was insane to watch. Then she kicked him back onto some old boxes that broke and poof!" He exploded his fingers outward. "The guy turned to dust right in front of me and was gone!"

Hudson; the ever watchful eldest gargoyle approached with a wary eye, about as disbelieving as the younger gargoyles, he seemed to understand more what Brooklyn was saying. "Lad, you're soundin' more and more like ya seen a vampire or somethin'." He said stoically as he ran a claw across his stomach and gave it a firm scratch. "Are ye sure it wasn't just a dream?"

"Literally, this happened four hours ago!" Brooklyn exclaimed. "Why are you guys looking at me like I just swallowed a barn owl or something?" He sighed and shook his head. "Then she ran off into the public like nothing happened. I mean, I don't know who she was, but she seemed like a pro when it came to stuff like that."

"Brooklyn, it's just not possible. I mean, vampires? Super strong girls? A couple of the few things that aren't happening in New York that we don't even need to think about."

Lexington nodded to Broadway's statement. "Plus the fact that neither of them even exist."

From within the clock tower that their hideout had been fashioned from, there was a soft knock as the trap door leading into the police station below was pushed open. Matt Bluestone; an ally to the gargoyles and friend of their missing friend Elisa made his way up and into the loft with a sigh of exertion. "Why does that thing feel heavier every time I try to open it?" He asked aloud to himself.

"Matt. What brings you here?" Broadway asked as he helped the human to his feet.

Matt shrugged. "Oh, you know. A little dinner, a little dancing, some time in the belfry with my bats of the night." He smirked, which then fell flat as his joke did. "I just came to tell you guys about that thug Brooklyn helped get arrested. He's one of Tony Dracon's goons."

"Tony Dracon? The gang boss?" Hudson said. "I thought he had gone underground."

"A little too underground for my liking." Matt said. "Luckily this guy had loose lips, but I'm still not sure if what he's saying was the truth. He said that Dracon's been dealing in the occult these last several months, even got himself a following. A clan of get this: Vampires." He shook his head. "I swear I get more and more of the city crazies to interview. Personally, I think it's Captain Chavez's personal vendetta against me to--" He sighed. "But since you guys exist, I gotta figure that this sort of thing would be up your alley anyway."

"Sorry, I'm still on the boat that vampires aren't real." Lexington insisted.

Brooklyn shook his head. "It doesn't matter, does it? If Dracon's even trying to mess with stuff like black magic and whatnot, we're going to have to stop him. Right?"

"What does your boss say about these claims, Bluestone?" Hudson asked.

Matt shook his head. "She's calling in a specialist to talk to the guy tomorrow, some therapist I think. But you guys have never encountered vampires before?"

"Only the ones conjured up by Bram Stoker." Broadway admitted. He paused as the others stared at him. "What? I'm a big fan of his movies!"

"So what about this girl that you saw?" Matt turned to Brooklyn. "What did she look like?"

Brooklyn shrugged. "I dunno...it was kind of dark. About five-eight, blond hair, leather jacket..."

Matt nodded. "Hmm, not bad. Okay, did you get a name at all?"

"She wasn't exactly in the mood for chit-chat." Brooklyn replied. "Though I thought it was kind of weird, she seemed to know the other guy wasn't human. She was definitely experienced in fighting those guys. She didn't look like a fighter until she was in action though, I gotta tell you. Then she took off before I could get a word in edgewise."

"It doesn't give me a lot to go on, but thanks for the info." He paused. "By the way, did you guys hear anything from Elisa?"

"No, nothing." Hudson said. "It's been weeks, she and Goliath and Bronx haven't so much have tried to call. Frankly I am worried about them."

"Hey, come on. I'm doing pretty well as leader while we're waiting for them to come back I think."

"Of-of course you are!" Lexington quickly agreed.

"Best replacement out there." Broadway awkwardly chimed in.

Brooklyn looked at Matt and Hudson. "Right?"

"You're a fine leader, lad." Hudson said. "It's just us worrying about our friends who have been missing, that's all."

"R-right..." Brooklyn said, turning his gaze toward the horizon which was already filling with a dusting of sunlight. "Sunrise is coming up, I guess we're going to have to find our mystery girl tomorrow night."

"What makes you say that?" Matt asked.

Brooklyn shrugged. "I dunno, she sort of struck me as a girl who's more active at night I guess."

***

"Miss? Miss! Could I get some more coffee here?"

The man's voice could be heard over the otherwise loud restaurant as Buffy moved from one spot to another in an impressive display of endurance and agility. Her hand occupied with one coffee pot while the other balanced a tray of food for a waiting table. She leaned over and quickly poured the man's outstretched cup full and then made a half turn to the table. "Okay, we got the Rueben with fries, chef's salad, pickled... pickled hummus...real winner... and the club sandwich with cross-cut fries." She said as she leaned over.

"But I wanted the crosscuts." One of the children wined and pointed at the identical boy next to him. "He wanted the regular fries!"

Deftly, Buffy grabbed both plates and expertly swapped the sets of fries before placing the plates down. "Better?"

"Hey, sweetie..." Buffy felt someone grab her a little too close to her thigh and she had to fight back the urge to kick the man through the nearest wall as she turned and stared at him with daggers in her eyes. "Think I can get my check? I got a long drive ahead of me."

"Sure thing....doll." She spoke through gritted teeth. "And unless you want to sign your check with a knife wound in your hand I'd suggest you take it off of me." The man quickly obliged and Buffy happily made her way back toward the kitchen. Out of the corner of her eye though; she spotted something that made her freeze in place, the man from the previous night was sitting at a nearby counter.

He wasn't doing anything particularly out of place aside from sitting in a restaurant without food, he checked his watch and slowly moved his way toward the door. She was so lost in watching him that she could not even hear Wanda's voice until she waved a hand in front of her face. "Hey, Anne? Earth to Anne! Come in!"

"Wh-what?"

"I said you're doing great, just polish up your last guest over there and you can call it a night. We'll try you out tomorrow too, and if you like it we'll get you rolled into the night shift, how about it?"

Buffy pressed so hard to put a smile on her face that it hurt her cheeks. "Oh! Thanks. I appreciate that, Wanda. Let me get him finished up then."

"Are you in a hurry?" She asked.

"Ahh.... kind of?"

"I saw you watching that boy leave, you be careful. The bad ones will get you in trouble; I'll wrap things up, just go catch up with him. If you get any tips I'll leave them here for you tomorrow."

"Really? I appreciate that so much!" Buffy exclaimed.

It was probably foolish for Buffy to chase after a man and leave Wanda thinking he was a new beau for her, but she wouldn't have had time to explain it. How this man got out of jail so quickly baffled her; of course, it made sense since he would have been arrested on something completely different than hanging out with a vampire. If he had a boss, she was suddenly very interested in meeting them. If he was released on bail that quickly, he had to be hiding something. She was in her clothes and out of the restaurant so quick that a gust of wind might as well have blown clear through it.

The man had made it about two blocks before she tracked him down. Keeping her head down, she followed him just like he'd been following her the previous night. A sideways glance at the setting sun told her that not only was he not a vampire, but she was running out of time. She turned the corner to the next block only to see him talking at a payphone. She ducked back for a moment and loitered at the corner of the building as she tried to listen in on his conversation.

"No, no. Boss, you don't understand. This girl, she killed Teddy. Dusted him real good. No, I didn't get a good look at her. One of those freak gargoyles intervened." He paused. "Yeah... old dock in an hour. You got it. I'll bring it. Sure."

The man sighed as he hung up the phone, checking over his shoulder and seeing nothing, he shoved his hands into his jacket pockets and made his way down the street. "The docks..." Buffy repeated. "Okay then, let's see what this...boss looks like."

**

"Buffy Summers." The words rang out clearly as soon as the Gargoyles' nightly awakening roar settled down and Brooklyn turned to see a photograph staring him in the face of the girl from the previous night. "Sunnydale High School student, recently charged and exonerated for suspicion of murder which had resulted in the expulsion from a second California school. Often the subject behind mysterious circumstances surrounding murders or disappearances, and despite this she is a well respected student. Average girl with a penchant for getting herself into trouble."

"That's her." Brooklyn admitted. "How'd you find her?"

"Missing persons reports, she ran away from home less than a week ago. Must have hopped the bus straight here."

"Makes me recall stories I heard when I was young." Hudson ran his fingers along his beard. "A lone girl, forced to face the forces of darkness and evil as part of a special gift that only she is bestowed. A Vampire Slayer."

"Well that fits the description of what happened last night. She had such incredible power I am still reeling from it."

"If a human factor like Dracon is in the mix though, she might be in over her head if she decides to go after these things." Matt said. "He bailed out his man earlier today, who knows what they're up to."

"Well, we're going to have to find them then." Broadway suggested.

"Yeah, but where?" Brooklyn huffed. "Okay, Lex. Go check midtown, maybe Central Park. I'm pretty sure if vampires are in the city, they'd probably be pretty comfortable there. Broadway, check the north maybe northwest and I'll head south and east toward the statue of liberty. Maybe they'll have someplace set up along the river." His pondering thoughts were interrupted by the amused face Hudson was giving him. "What?"

"You're soundin' more and more like a leader, lad. A lot like Goliath was at your age."

"Really?"

"Don't you doubt it, you got the heart of a leader, especially when you have everything planned out so naturally. I'll stay here in case anything more immediate happens, or if Goliath returns. Turns out to be the case I'll send 'im right out for ya boys."

"And I gotta get back." Matt said. "If I hear anything new I'll let Hudson know then."

"Thanks for the info, Matt." Broadway said as he wave a quick wave and dove off the balcony, unfurling his wings and taking off, vanishing as he passed the nearby skyscraper. Lexington followed suit and immediately after, Brooklyn took flight as well, making his way east toward the river.

**

"Okay, Buffy. Just take it easy." She said to herself as she approached the docks; the smell of the river's brackish water washed over her nostrils and almost made her sick to her stomach. She had been following her mystery man for the better part of an hour until she lost him just two blocks from the pier. "You can do this." She growled. "But why am I doing this? It's not my problem!" She sighed. "Why am I even here?" She groaned and leaned back against the wall, thumping the back of her head against it. "I have a feeling I'm in way over my head here."

"Boss! Hey, hey boss!"

Buffy looked and saw her target; the man from the diner meeting with another man under the soft glow of one of the lamps by the dock. She crouched and moved in closer, narrowing her eyes to examine the second man: He had long dark hair that fell to his shoulders, a somewhat pale complexion that stood out under the soft glow of the illumination above them. He wore a collared red jacket and black pants. Roughly, he grabbed the collar of his subordinate and yanked him hard toward his face. "Sure, tell EVERYBODY you're here, you idiot!" He hissed angrily. "What the hell is the matter with you?"

"S-sorry Mr. Dracon. I-I didn't mean to..."

"Just forget about it." The man replied. "Just tell me you brought it."

"Sure, right here." He stammered as he pulled what looked like a small leather string from his pocket and handed it to the other man. "Just-Just like they said."

"Perfect." Dracon mused as he held it up, revealing the glint of a white gem in the light. "This will keep them happy" He chuckled as he placed it in his jacket pocket. "Now, you go tell Glasses where we're meeting so he can bring in the big surprise. And keep your trap shut about it this time, okay?"

"S-sure thing, boss." The other man said with a trembling voice before suddenly bolting from Dracon's sight.

"Okay...so what are you guys up to?" Buffy whispered to herself as she watched the men separate, not even noticing a figure move in behind her.

"Hey, can we talk?"

"HYAAHHHH!" Buffy let out a forceful cry as she spun around with a powerful kick, landing it straight into the center of the gargoyle's chest and sending him hurtling back hard. Brooklyn didn't even have much of a chance to say more than "Huah!" at the impact of her mighty foot and he flew crashing through the wooden exterior of the building they were standing beside. In her surprise, Brooklyn moaned and looked up at her with a dazed and confused expression on his face. "Ooh...sorry!" Buffy said as she rushed in. "I thought you were a vampire."

"I don't know a lot about your undead PTSD but remind me not to get on your bad side." The gargoyle moaned as Buffy helped him up. "I'm Brooklyn, by the way."

"Buffy."

"Right, I heard about you."

"Really? There's talk about me in the New York circles?" Buffy said with a partially amused smile on her face. "I'm impressed."

"Don't be." Brooklyn replied. "I don't know much about this... slayer stuff you're into, but most of my info comes from a cop friend of mine who found out why you were here in New York."

"Oh." Buffy said; sounding a bit deflated. "I guess my mom didn't skip a beat when I didn't come home."

"Mind if I ask what you're doing in New York other than stalking Tony Dracon?"

"That guy you mean?" She gestured her head back behind her. "Well I hear he's got a thing for vampires, so I'm here to put a stop to him. As far as the other stuff well...that's a long story." As she stood, she felt the hard muzzle of a gun press against her lower back and she froze.

"Well, as much as I'd be interested in hearing about it, I think you two have seen quite enough." She could hear Dracon's raspy voice behind her. "Don't you think so, sugar?"

There was only a short delay between his words and the feeling of something hard hitting the back of Buffy's head. All she could see for several seconds were colors; which then led to blackness.

"Buffy? Buffy!"

"Xander?" Buffy's grogginess disoriented her as she began to regain consciousness to the sound of the voice calling her name.

"Who's Xander?"

Buffy opened her eyes and looked Brooklyn up and down. Like her, he too was chained to a steel beam directly across from her. Looking up she could see that they were two support columns of the building in which they now stood. She blinked and realized what was happening and shook her head. "A friend of mine."

"Must be a good friend if my voice reminded you of him." Brooklyn said with a grin.

"Shut it!" A man with thick rimmed glasses stood nearby, he slid the edge of his dark blue jacket to the side, revealing a gun hidden in the waistband of his pants. "We don't need any interruptions."

Looking across the room, Buffy could make out four men including Dracon standing in a semi-circle in front of a line of vampires. All of the vampires were dressed similarly; black pants and black coats aside from the leader; easily recognized for his sheer size above the others. He was shirtless, which made Buffy roll her eyes. "How typical, the leader showing up after his fresh workout routine?" She scoffed.

"Seriously." Brooklyn spoke in agreement, but immediately got a sharp glance from her, prompting him to look down at his own outfit. "Point taken, sorry."

"Ahh Nathaniel; it is good to have you here, honestly with your help in taking out my competition I don't see you as much as I like anymore."

"As we agreed, human. We make your problems go away, and offer us protection during the day and tokens of your devotion to us so you don't end up as an entree someday." The massive vampire grinned sinisterly.

Dracon smiled; though he was clearly disturbed at the visual of the vampire's true face, Nathaniel obliged by shifting back into the form of a man. "I see that our appearance disturbs you. As it should. But I will take greater caution of your cowardice in the future."

"Thanks." Dracon replied with a sneer. "Tonight's offering is a piece that was still being examined by the New York Natural History Museum; an artifact said to have touched the blood of gods, it will offer you enhanced strength and power." He extracted the necklace he received earlier, and it was quickly snatched by the vampire, a reddish glow emanated from it. "Truly, a dragon's eye gem? I must say that if your offerings continue to impress me, I may yet sire you instead of eat you whole, Anthony Dracon."

"Y-yeah...thanks." He said. "And we have not one, but two food bags for you guys tonight, assuming you're not full already?" Clearly his attempts at humor failing, Dracon simply cleared his throat and led the quartet of vampires toward Brooklyn and Buffy.

As they approached, Nathaniel looked at Brooklyn and scoffed. "Grrr... we do not care for gargoyle flesh, their blood turns to stone in our stomachs." He then turned his attention to Buffy and inhaled deeply. "But this one...this one is different."

Craning his neck in, Nathaniel inhaled Buffy's scent in deep. "This one has strength... this one has power... unheard of power."

"I'll bet." Buffy snarked. "And another thing you've unheard of? Breath mints. Because you could peel the shine off these chains with your stench."

The vampire's eyes dilated in surprise as he reeled back in realization. "No! It... it cannot be!"

"What? What can't be?" Dracon tried to ask as he was grabbed by the neck.

"You FOOL! You have delivered us not some simple girl, but the Slayer herself!"

"Well." Buffy said with an air of confidence now filling the air. "So you have heard of me, I guess I won't be needing *these* anymore!" She grunted loudly as she thrust her arms forward and broke the chains binding her back before delivering a powerful kick to the vampire, sending him into the others and making them all fly backwards. She turned to Brooklyn, who also managed to break his chains.

Brooklyn swung hard and fast at one of the vampires, who quickly ducked under his fist, grabbed his arm and twisted it back. Before he delivered the blow however, Buffy intervened and punched him with an open palm to the face. "Buffy we've got to get out of here!"

"Go! I'll be behind you!"

Brooklyn started to run toward the exit when two men jumped in front of him, spotting the shelves over the narrow aisle he was in, he thrust his hands against the frames and gave it a shove, large bottles of water stored on them began to tumble down onto the hapless men and they were quickly buried under the shelf contents. Leaping over them, he ducked as a gunshot rang out through the room and narrowly missed, ricocheting off a nearby surface. He froze as Dracon approached him with his gun drawn. "Well, you're not the one I know. But I'll have to kill you anyway." He said. "How does it feel? My face being the last sight you'll ever see?"

"Frankly." Brooklyn said, casting a glance up to the lamp above Dracon's head. "I'd rather die having a nightmare than to look at your face!" He grabbed one of the large jugs of water and hurled it into the air, hitting the light and causing it to explode into darkness as he vanished from Dracon's sight. He fired and missed, only seeing Brooklyn's shape rushing toward him before he let out a scream as he was tackled to the ground.

Meanwhile, Buffy tackled the four vampires at once, staking two of them with a quick one-two jab of her right hand. "Two vamps for with one stake. I like it when it works." She said, twirling the stick in her hand before it was knocked out of it and she was thrown backwards into a wall. Another vampire with a lustful look in his eye threw himself into her, hissing as he pinned her into the wall, his teeth drawn long.

"Say, you smell like hamburgers." He said. "You mind if I order you with a side of cheese?--HRK!" His exclamations of victory were cut rudely short, however as Buffy extracted the pencil she was using earlier to write orders down with and stuck him hard into the chest with it, causing him to evaporate into dust as well.

"Vampires really need new material." She rolled her eyes before looking at Nathaniel. "And now it's just you and me."

"Oh you'll fear me, Slayer." Nathaniel said with a laugh as he extracted the necklace and tied it around his neck. "With this power, I shall devour not only your blood, but your soul." A flash of light, almost too quick to be seen with the naked eye covered Nathaniel's body and his eyes began to glow a deep crimson red. His laughter grew lower and lower in volume as he then began to approach her.

"You really have to quit with the wisecracks." Buffy said before sending a wheeling kick directly into Nathaniel's face.

Suddenly, Buffy's foot stopped as he caught it mid-air. She grunted and almost fell at the sudden imbalance as he tightened his grip. She could feel her ankle beginning to bow the wrong way as he lifted higher, spreading her legs apart and tilting her back on one foot. "How's this for a wisecrack?" He laughed darkly as he readied his hand to break the extended appendage.

"Buffy!" Brooklyn cried as he hurled himself into the vampire, causing him to release her foot and fall back. It wasn't broken, but definitely badly sprained as she discovered when she tried to put her foot down.

"Ah! Damn it. Brooklyn, we've got to go! Hurry!"

Even Buffy wasn't sure how they made it out so quickly, only that about halfway to the door, the gargoyle's arm wrapped around her waist and they were making a much better rush toward the outdoors. They exited into the night's air and Brooklyn unfolded his wings, leaping up the side of a building, then again up into the air and into the night sky with her cradled in his arms.

"Not...enough air..." Brooklyn said after a few moments. "I can't get us far from here without a higher place to glide from. As softly as they were headed for the ground, the pair still landed with a bit of a tumble, prompting them to roll over and over again until they landed with Buffy sitting on Brooklyn's chest in the darkening wood.

Both of them breathing heavily, Buffy climbed off. "Come on, I'm not sure if that necklace is going to make him immune to the sun, but we've got to make some ground. Can you walk?"

Brooklyn looked up to see the sky to the east growing lighter. "Uh oh..." He muttered as the sunlight pierced the horizon.

Buffy, who had turned to the road to make sure they weren't being followed turned around. "Brooklyn, come on. We've got to--" She paused at the sight of a large stone statue crouched before her; it was shaped like Brooklyn, she was sure it was him. She rushed over to his side. "Brooklyn? Brooklyn! This is no time to get stoned! Come on!" She said as she feebly jerked at his solid arm. "Oh no..." She said as she turned to the still-empty forest road. "What if they come by and see you? This is the worst timing ever."

Buffy took a step back from the gargoyle as the realization that he may only be a creature of the night began to dawn on her. But she couldn't just leave him here like this, he was vulnerable, if somebody didn't come by to steal him then surely Dracon and his men would be willing to do much more to him. She placed her hand on the statue, feeling the cool granite grooves under her fingers. "Okay... now I guess it's my turn..." She said before seating herself by him and curling her knees up to her chest, hugging them close as she rested against his back leg. As she drifted off to sleep, she couldn't help but think about her mother...and what she was doing now?

THE END?