Revello Drive, Sunnydale, CA

Angel stood outside 1630 Revello Drive, and sighed. The house looked undisturbed, either the demons had not known were Buffy lived. It may have only been him and Spike who had made the connection. Spike. Who had died with Buffy as well, killed by of all things a hell portal.

It had taken the entire gang, even little Dawn. And somehow he felt it was better that way. He did not think they could survive without each other. The Scoobies had become a family closer than blood. To lose one would most likely shatter the rest.

He walked up to the door pushing it open and stepping inside easily. Even without his invitation he would have gotten in. They were all gone, Joyce has been first, and had at least had not needed to outlive her daughters.

He made his way up the stairs silently, and into Buffy’s bedroom. He looked around, inhaling and remembering the scent of Buffy, so alive he could almost see her, sitting on her bed, writing in her journal. Knowing he didn’t have time for reminisces, he still had to get to the mansion and lead the others to the cemetery.

Instead he lifted her trunk, knowing there were weapons in it and grabbed, Mr. Gordo, from the bed though that he stuffed into a pocket. He could still remember her teasing him, when he had been trapped in the room for holding the pig.

He went back to the Mansion and was amazed to see lights on from the outside. He had usually had little more than a candle to see by. Going inside he passed everyone by and went into what would be his room placing the trunk inside and Mr. Gordo on top.

He went back into the main hall and looked at the trio. They looked prepared, and knew they could handle themselves. Wesley was not the same man who had been on the hellmouth all those years ago. Cordelia had lived in the thick of things, and Gunn would survive as he always did.

“Ready to go?”

“Another five minutes and we would have left without you. Remember I know where Restfield is,” Cordelia said. “But we didn’t think it was a good idea to leave Fred alone. She’s going with you.”

Fred chose that moment to enter the room, clutching Mr. Gordo. Before Angel had a chance to question it they were pouring into the different cars. Angel and Fred in his convertible and the others in Gunn’s pick up truck.

After a moment’s consideration, Angel put the top up on his car. While not concerned about himself, Fred was defenseless, and Sunnydale was a town where things might appear out of nowhere to attack.

The drive to the cemetery was peaceful and Angel noticed a lack of people on the street. He tried to remember if Sunnydale had always been this quiet at night and was sure it had not been. He wondered if the residents had finally learned what it was that they were facing and gotten smarter.

It was something he would look into. There would be sources he could tap for information. He stopped at the gate to Restfield and watched as the trio exited the car. He pulled along beside them and rolled down his window.

“I’ll meet you back at the Mansion; let’s not surprise the slayer with what I am?” Angel added.

“Right boss, we’ll just tell the slayer you’re a nice vampire,” Cordelia said and Angel wondered if returning to Sunnydale was causing more of her old personality to surface or if it was his imagination.

“Right,” Angel said driving off. “He glanced at Fred as he made his way down the road towards Giles’ apartment.

“So I see you found Mr. Gordo.”

“I was thinking of naming him Feigenbaum,” Fred stated.

“That’s a good name,” Angel replied with a shrug.

Fred smiled. “So this town is really dangerous?”

“You could say that,” Angel hedges as he slows down on Giles’ block.

“So you should probably teach me to fight.”

“Fred, I don’t think-“

“Not so I can go out, I like staying inside actually, but you know just in case something comes inside with me.”

“I see what you mean,” Angel replied as he moved to her side of the car to open the door for her.

“What are we doing here?” She asked as Angel walked to the door and broke the lock with a strong tug.

“This place belonged to an old friend, I’m going to take his books, and other materials we’ll need them for research.”

“Oh, what kind of books?”

“Demonology, withcraft, prophecy; you know the usual,” Angel said stepping into the apartment. He noticed instantly that many of the books were gone. This increased the importance of getting to the Magic Box then.

Giles chest of weapons though was available and Fred went into the kitchen. She started removing items from the cabinets, making piles. Food, utensils, condiments, and trash. “Are we going to take the furniture too?” Fred questioned looking around.

Angel started not having thought of that, but realizing it made sense. “I guess we should have gotten a bigger car, he said as Fred located boxes, to put the items in. He watched as she easily and methodically took apart the kitchen and was glad she was with him. And at the same time resolved to never let her near 1630, he could not watch this being done to Buffy’s home.

They loaded, the back seat with the few boxes they had and Giles’ weapon case. He drove them to the magic box, and saw it was dark and deserted, though it seemed to have been broken into.

Looking around it seemed many of the magical items had been stolen but the books seemed undisturbed. He went down to the basement interested to find Sewer access and more stores and books. He also found, some jewelry, and carefully brought Fred a necklace with a cross at the end.

They filled the trunk and the remaining space in the backseat; with Fred carrying a box of the most expensive magical supplies he could recognize. Even if they did come to own the magic box, it would take a few days and he was sure more looters would be there now that it was clear that the shop had been looted.

He never noticed the camera’s placed in and around the Magic box, which had nothing to do with security.

*****

Cordeila was just starting to wonder if she had possibly recognized the wrong cemetery when they heard the unmistakable sounds of battle. Pulling out their weapons, they caught sight of six vampires, circling the slayer.

The moment she saw the girl there was no doubt in her mind that she was the slayer. While she was no Buffy her skills were nothing to laugh at. Cordelia would not have lasted that long with six vampires.

One thing that made this slayer different was that she battled silently. As Cordelia made her observations, Wesley, and Gunn had jumped into the fray. Drawing two of the Vampires to them as the Slayer staked her first.

Cordelia drew her crossbow and shot another in the back already reloading and trying to get a good shot at another, but the Slayer was moving too quickly into the openings, she was as likely to shoot her as she was the vampires. The slayer staked one more as Wesley’s vampire gained the upper hand on the man. As it stood over him gloating Cordelia shot it in the back as well.
Wesley smiled in gratitude as he stood, Gunn having already dusted his vampire, looked at the last remaining vampire. The four humans moved as one towards the vampire, and it decided to take its chances on what he saw as the weakest of the bunch. Wesley.

With a roar it charged at the watcher who simply stuck out an arm and let it impale itself on the stake.

“Thanks,” Kennedy grumbled looking herself over. “Who are you guys?”

“Angel Investigations, we help the hopeless,” Cordelia said. “And Slayers, though you are not half as hopeless as the last one, is that Versace?” She asked eyeing Kenndy’s top, now with a tear in the sleeve.

“It was,” she said with a sigh. “You know what a slayer is?” She asked realizing what Cordelia had said.

“Duh, who else hangs out in cemeteries?”

“Are you a slayer?”

“Me, no I get visions. That’s how we knew you would be here.”

“You can see the future?” Kennedy asked intrigued.

“Not quite, just people in danger.”

“Okay, who are you guys?”

“Cordelia Chase.”

“Wesley Wyndam Pryce.”

“Charles Gunn, call me Gunn.”

“Kennedy, and what’s your stick?” Kennedy asked.

“Well after a stint with the-“

“He used to be a watcher, got canned, now he works with us,” Cordelia interrupted not wanting to hear the rogue demon hunter story again.

“Watcher? So you know that Travers guy?” Kennedy asked.

“Unfortunately, our ideas on how to deal with a slayer came to a head.”

“I like you already,” Kennedy said. “He was slimly.”

“Yes, Buffy and Faith felt similarly. He can not be pleased to have yet another slayer that will not bow to the whims of the Watcher’s Council.”

“You can say that,” Kennedy said.

“Where are you staying?” Cordelia asked.

“The no-tell motel, near the edge of town.”

“That will not do at all; you can stay with us for the interim. The mansion has plenty of room.”

“Mansion?”

“Don’t get too excited, it’s the old decrepit, kind. Just missing a few ghosts,” Cordelia said. “There’s not even enough furniture. You think Angel will let us ship things from the Hyperion?”

“Possibly, I’d much prefer a bed to a sleeping bag,” Wesley said.

“Maybe I should stay at the hotel,” Kennedy said.

“Nonsense, that place is a feeding ground for vampires as well as unsavory humans, how old are you?”

“18.”

“Even so, you should stay with us,” Wesley said.

“Alright that place is sleazy anyway.”

“We’ll drive you to pick up your stuff,” Gunn said as they made their way out of the cemetery.

“Thanks.”

They all piled into the pickup truck, and drove to the edge of town, Cordelia pointing out the few locations of note in the small town and pointing out where various events and battles had happened.

“And this is where you grew up?” Gunn said and Cordelia nodded.

“Home sweet home,” she replied. “Still wonder why I moved to LA?”

“I’m surprised you didn’t the second you could walk,” Gunn replied.

“Oh, by the way Angel our boss? He’s a vampire.”

“What? So there are good vampires? I knew that Travers guy was a liar too.”

“Not quite,” Wesley explained. “Angel has a soul, he was cursed with it by gypsies over a century ago. He is trying to atone for his past.”

“As long as he doesn’t fall off the wagon I guess.”

“Oh, he’d be dead very fast,” Cordelia said icily. “Angelus is not a good guy. Hey did Spike count as good? He did die helping Buffy.”

“Spike, was always a strange case for a vampire. In any case, it is not as if, Kennedy will be encountering him.”

“Was he really blond? Wore a lot of black, British?”

“Yes,” Wesley said surprised. “Have you-“

“Just in dreams, him, a little blond, a hot redhead, guy with bad fashion sense-“

“Xander,” Cordelia supplied softly.

“Ah yes, slayer dreams, interesting that you should see them all. “But those would be Buffy, the former vampire slayer.”
“Oh don’t mention Buffy to Angel. They had a thing, it makes him mope. He spent three months in Tibet,” Cordelia said with a headshake.

“Yes, though I suppose the redhead was Oz?” Wesley stated.

“That’s a strange name for a girl,” Kennedy pointed out.

“Girl?”

“Willow, oh she was gay too, well at least after she dated Oz,” Cordelia said.

“Damn,” was Kennedy’s only response.


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