Buffy sighed happily to herself as she hurried to the Bronze. I cant' wait to see Angel, she thought. Ever since his soul had been restored and Angel had become good again, he and Buffy had spent practically every moment together.

A sudden noise behind Buffy interrupted her thoughts, and she stopped. Slowly she surveyed her surroundings warily, her body tensed for a fight. A low growl came from her left and Buffy's suspicions of a vampire were confirmed.

"Look," called out Buffy, rolling her eyes and crossing her arms. "I've got a big date tonight and as it is, I'm already running late. How about you come out and introduce yourself so that I can do the staking thing and go along my merry way?"

From the shadows a figure materialized. Buffy blinked in surprise. Standing before her was a girl of about Buffy's age, seventeen or so. She looked normal enought, wither her shiny brown hair and pale skin. But it was her eyes that surprised Buffy. They were a beautiful shade of brown, and for some reason, looked strangely familiar. The girl smiled, and Buffy fel the same sense of deja vu. I've seen that smile before, she thought to herself. I just can quit place it...

"I'm sorry," apologized the girl sweetly. For a moment, Buffy almost believed that she wasn't dealing with a vampire. "I didn't mean to make you late. I ust had to meet you- the Slayer."

Buffy grinned and spread her arms. "Well, that's me. Now, as much fun as this has all been, I've really gotta go." Reaching into her jacket pocket, Buffy pulled out a deadly looking stake. "So- let's just get this over with."

The girl stared calmly back at Buffy. She didn't seem afraid at all.

"You know, you're very pretty," she said.

"What?!" Buffy replied. What is this vamp up to, she thought.

"You're very pretty," repeated the girl. She smiled faintly. "I bet you two make the perfect couple."

Buffy held up her hand. "I'm sorry, but everything you're saying is flying right over my head. What exacty are talking about?"

"Angel," replied the girl.

Buffy froze. "You-you know Angel?" She whispered.

"Oh, yes. Very well. We go a long way back," said the girl.

Buffy groaned. Oh, please don't let this be another Barla, she thought, thinking of Alge's late obssessed ex-girlfriend.

"Well, I'll let you go on your way now," said the girl. She turned and started to walk away from Buffy. "Do say hi to Angel for me," she called over her shoulder.''

"Who are you?!" exclaimed Buffy.

The girl turned back and stared at Buffy. "Marissa," she said. The she disappeared into the shadows.

Buffy shook her head as she stuffed her stake back into her pocket. Is it just me, or do vamps these days just seem to be getting weirder and weider? she thought to herself. Glancing at her watch, she gave a yelp. "Oh, no," she muttered, breaking into a run. "I am beyond late. Where does the time go?

* * * * *

Angel sighed as he drummed his fingers on the table. Where is she? he wondered, glancing at the clock for about the hundredth time. I hope nothing happened... Sighing, he tried to calm his worries by talking a sip of his soda.

"Hey Angel," a voice said from behind him. Angel turned to find Willow Rosenberg along with her boyfriend, Oz. The petite redhead looked curiously at Angel. "Where's Buffy?" she asked.

"I don't know," Angel confessed. "She hasn't shown up yet."

Willow's green eyes widened, and she clutched Oz's arm. "You don't think... that she... got in trouble, do you?" she stuttered.

Angel tried to give Willow a reassuring smile. "I'm sure she's just running a little late."

"Oh." Willow nodded and started to relax.

"Uh, Will?" spoke up Oz. "My arm is kind of losing feeling."

"Oops!" Willow sheepishly released Oz's poor arm from her grip. Ange watched the two, and amused expressiong on his face.

At that moment, Buffy entered the Bronze. Angel looked up immediately, as if he had sensed her presence. Her eyes met his, and she ave him a warm smile as she made her way over to him. Angel smiled back, relieved. She is so beautiful, he thought to himself as she got closer. Suddenly, Buffy froze, and she stared hard at Angel. Slowly the smile n his lips faded. Oh no, he thought worriedly. Do I have something on my teeth? Fractically he tried to remember what he had eaten in the last hour. His eyes widened. I ate a poppy seed roll! he remembered. Smooth, Angel. Real smooth. He sighed. What a way to start a date.

* * * * *

Giving herself a mental shake, Buffy hurried over to Angel. The poor guy looked terribly confused, probably wondering why she had been staring at him. His smile, she thought, it looks just like Marissa's!

"Angel," she said once she reached him. "Something weird is going on. I ran into this vamp and she hd your smi-" Buffy broke off. "What... what are you doing?" she asked, trying to keep the laughter frm her voice.

Angel looked up guiltily. "Just... just trying to get some, uh, stuff of my teeth."

Buffy laughed and kissed him on the lips. "There's nothing on your teeth, silly," she said as she hopped into the chair beside him.

Angel brightened. "Really?"

"Listen, on my way to the Bronze, I ran into a vamp," said Buffy, ignoring his question. "A girl. She had brown hair, and Angel, I swear, this is the freaky part- her eyes and her smile looked just like yours!"

Ange gave Buffy a surprised look. "What" Are you sure?"

"Yes!" Buffy nodded. "She also said she knows you- that you two went a long way back. Her name is Marissa." Buffy looked closely at Angel. "Do you remember her?"

Angel gave her a choking sound, and his eyes widened. Buffy grabbed his had. "Angel, what is it? Who is she?" she asked.

His brown eyes filled with disbelief, and Angel shook his head. "It can't be," he whispered. "How? How could this have happened? I didn't... I know I didn't..."

"Didn't what? Angel, what's going on?" Buffy squeezed Angel's hand, trying to comfort him.

Finally Angel looked up at Buffy, dazed. "She... she's my sister," he said. "Marissa is my sister."

* * * * *

Part 2

"What?!" Buffy cried. "I-I didn't know you made members of your family into vampires."

Angel shook his head frantically. "I didn't!" he protested. "That's the whole point! I didn't make Marissa a vampire. I thought she was dead, like the rest of my family!"

Buffy stared at Angel, shocked. His face was one of pure anguish, and the horro in his eyes was unbearable. This must be a night mare for him, Buffy realized. To find out that his sister suffered the same fate as he did.

Buffy touched his cheek gently. "I'm sorry," she whispered, trying to ease some of his pain.

Angel grasped Buffy's hand and lowered his eyes to meet hers. "She was the sweetest person," he said sadly. He laughed hollowly. "Always... always doing little things for me." He smiled as the long-forgotten memories surfaced. "Making me cakes, helping me with chores..." his voice trailed off. He turned away from Buffy. "And now she's a demon..."

"She's not your sister," said Buffy urgently. "Angel, she's not the Marissa you knew, not anymore. You've got to realize that."

He was silent for a moment. "I do," he replied finally. "It... it just hurst so much..."

"I know," said Buffy, wrapping her arms around him as a single tear slid down his cheek. "I know."

* * * * *

Marissa casually sipped her water, watching the couple sitting near the counter. The guy was handsome, with spikey, brown hair and deep brown eyes. A single tear fell from his eye as the small blonde girl beside him gave him a hug.

Oh Angel, she thought. What could possibly make you so sad?

A scornful smile spread across her face.

Could it be little old me?

She gigled as she stood up to leave.

Too bad brother dear. This is only the begining.

Part 3

Angel sighed as he stumbled wearily into his apartment. It was going to be sunrise soon, and all he wanted was to lay down and get rid of his throbbing headache.

However, as soon as he closed the door behind him, Angel knew he wasn't alone. Quietly he reached over to the light switch and turned the lights on.

Marissa sat on his bed, playing with a strand of her long brown hair. Slowly she looked up at Angel, and he felt himself tremble as her eyes met his. He hadn't seen those eyes for what had seemed like a lifetime...

"Angel," she said, smiling slightly. She glanced at a nearby clock and raised her eyebrows. "Cutting it close, aren't we? The sun is almost up."

"What are you doing here?" Angel asked, ignoring his sister's question as he struggled to retain his composure.

Marissa gave Angel a hurt look. "Not glad to see me?" she replied, pouting. "It's been so long, I thought you'd be overjoyed.

"How?" asked Angel, trying to keep the pain from his voice. "How did you become a vampire?"

A peal of laughter filled the room. Her laugher. "Poor brother. I bet you're really confused, huh? Thought you'd never see your little sister ever again. Well, it's funny how things turn out... " She leter her voice trail off. Suddenly, she stood up and started walking towards Angel, her steps slow and measured.

"You want to know how I became a vampire? I'll tell you, brother dear," she said, practically spitting the words. "The Romani. Those wonderful gypsies who restored your soul to make you suffer." She cocked her head. "Seems that wasn't enough or them. Nope. They wanted even more. And so guess what? They brought me back from the dead. But that's not all." She paused, now standing directly in front of Angel. "They made me a vampire, too." She smiled. "And all because of you. I guess they figured you'd get a big kick out of you. I guess they figured you'd get a big kick out seeing your little sister with a demon inside her."

Angel stared at Marissa, utter horror written on his face. His sister... a vampire because of him. To make him pay for the terrible things he had done. "No," he whispered, falling to his knees.

Marissa knelt beside Angel and touched his cheek. "How does it feel?" she asked, evil burning in her eyes. "Like a stake through the heart?" she laughed, and stood up. "See you around, Angel," she said scornfully. Turning, she walked out of the apartment, the door shutting behind her with a soft click.

Chapter Four

"A sister?" Willow wore an expression of astonishment on her face. "Angel has a sister?"

"Yeah," replied Buffy, still reeling from the discovery. "But it gets worse. She's a vampire."

Willow's eyes widened. "You-you mean he made his own sister a... a vampire?"

"That's what we don't understand. Will, he didn't! He doesn't know how she became a vampire," replied Buffy, her blue eyes troubled. She sighed. "You should have seen him last night," she continued. "He looked completely devasted.

"Poor Angel," whispered Willow.

"Hey, ladies!" exclaimed Xander, appearing out of nowhere. Draping his arms around Buffy and Willow, he grinned at them. "So- what's up with you two?" Registering their glum faces, he shook his head. "Uh-oh. I know those looks. You guys are not happy-pappy people here."

Willow gave Xander a look. "Happy-pappy?" she asked.

Xander shurgged. "It ryhmes," he replied.

Buffy gave Xander a half smile. "Looks like we've got a poet on our hands, Will," she said.

"Ha, ha, very funny," retorted Xander. "But seriously, what's bugging you guys?" When neither responded, he cried, "Oh, come on! It's me- Xander. Your buddy-o-pal! How can you keep secrets from me?" He directed his best puppy dog look first at Buffy, and then at Willow.

Buffy sighed and rolled her eyes. "It's Angel," she said, knowing how Xander was going to react.

"Angel?" Xander brightened. "Did- did you guys have a fight or something? Because, you know, I'm free tonight to do that whole sharing-our-pain thing."

"What about Cordelia?" asked Willow.

"What about her?" replied Xander. "She knows I have to be there for Buffy in her time of need."

"Xander, it's nothing like that," said Buffy, already wishing that she hadn't said anything.

"Then what is it?" asked Xander expectantly.

"Angel... has a sister," said Buffy.

"Who also happens to be a vampire," added Willow.

"Wow, Buff. You and Angel must be gettin serious. Now his family is coming to town to check you out," said Xander, not missing a beat.

Buffy gave Xander a dirty look. "I just wish I knew why she was her," she said, ignoring Xander's comment.

"Do you think she's up to something?" asked Willow.

"Definitely," replied Buffy. The three walked along in somber silence. Finally, Xander spoke.

"So- are we Bronzin' it tonight?"

*****

"No. No!" Angel tossed franitcally in bed. Sweat poured down his forehead and he gripped his pillow tightly.

"How could you, Angel?" cried Marissa, tears in her eyes. "Look at what I've become because of your mistakes! Because of what you did!" Her innocent, tearstained face suddenly changed into a hideous vampire visage.

"I'm sorry, Marissa!" screamed Angel. "I'm sorry!"

"Angel!" a voice floated into his nightmare, interrupting his grief. "Angel, wake up!"

With a strangled cry, Angel jerked awake and found himself staring into pair of blue eyes.

"Buffy," he gasped, still overwhelmed by the images of his nightmare. He sat up, gripping her hand. "It's sunset already?"

"Yeah." Buffy looked anxiously at his face. "Are you okay? I could hear you screaming all the way out of the hallway."

"I- I'm fine," replied Angel abruptly. He stood up and walked over to retrieve a shirt lying on a nearby chair.

Buffy stood up and follwed him. "Well, you don't sound okay." When Angel didn't respond, she grabbed his arm. "Let me help you. Please."

Angel sighed and looked away. "I was dreaming about Marissa," he said.

"What happened?" asked Buffy gently.

"She was blaming me for what happened to her. For becoming a vampire," replied Angel. They stood silently for several minutes. Then Buffy took Angel's hand in hers.

"Look at me," she ordered. Reluctantly, he did so. "It was just a dream," said Buffy firmly. "You are not to blame for what happened to Marissa. You didn't make her a vampire.

"I might as well have," replied Angel. He released Buffy's hands and walked away from her.

"What are you talking about?" asked Buffy confused.

"Last night, when I came back here, Marissa was waiting for me," said Angel, keeping his back to Buffy. "She told me how it happened."

"How?" asked Buffy, suddenly afraid of his answer.

"The Romani. They brought her back from the dead and made her a vampire," said Angel softly.

"I- I don't understand," said Buffy. "Why would they do that?"

"To punish me!" cried Angel, finally turning to face Buffy. "To make me suffer even more for killing Druscilla!"

The blood drained from Buffy's face. "Oh, my god," she whispered hoarsely.

"It's all my fault," said Angel fiercely. He buried his face in his hands as the guilt enveloped him, suffrocated him. "It's all my fault."

Chapter 5

Marissa stared at the setting sun from the protective shadow of a tall building. Soon, you will not hurt me, she thought. A horrible smile appeared on her face. A smile of triumph. Soon, nobody will be able to hur me. Not Angel, and certainly not the Slayer.

As the sun's rays vanished, Marissa stepped away from the building. "I think it's time for a snak," she whispered. "A nice, young snack."

*****

"So- did you have a good time at the Bronze?" asked Oz as hepulled his van in front of the Rosenberg's house.

"Yeah," said Willow. She smiled shyly. "I did. It was fun."

"It was," agreed Oz easily. That was one of the things Willow like about Oz. He was so laid-back and calm. It was good for someone like him to be around someonelike her, since she sometimes tended to be a bundle of nerves. Also, the fact that he seemed to be crazy about her didn't hurt either.

"Do you want to go again tomorrow?" asked Willow.

"Nah," replied Oz, shaking his head. Willow's heart plummeted, and she stared at Oz in disbelief.

"No?" she repeated, hoping he had say-the-opposite-of-what-you-mean disease. After all, Xander had it all the time.

"No," repeated Oz. He smiled. "I thought we could do something special tomorrow." He paused. "I mean, isn't it your birthday?"

Willow's eyes widened. "Oh my gosh, it is!" she exclaimed. With the arrival of Angel's sister and Buffy's worries, she had completely forgotten. Her eyes narrowed. "Hey! How did you know?" she asked Oz suspiciously.

Oz leaned back in his seat. "I have my ways," he replied smugly. "Come on, Willow. You didn't think I'd know your birthday? It's one of the most important days ever. You were born." He grinned. "And if you hadn't been born, then I'd be all alone right now talking to myslef. That would be no fun."

Willow gave a laugh, and then impulsively leaned over and gave Oz a kiss.

"What was that for?" asked Oz.

"For being such a great boyfriend," replied Willow.

Oz grinned, and then kissed her back. "Come on," he said. "I'll walk you to your door."

*****

Marissa stood behind a nearby tree, watching the couple walk towards the house. Friends of the slayer, she knew. They both had red hair, and were obviously very happy.

And very young, she thought, licking her lips. Either one would make a fine snack. Not too little, but not too much, either. After all, vampires had to watch their weight too.

The two kissed one more time, and then the girl disappeared inside the house. The guy turned and started to walk back to his van. He looked like he was on cloud nine.

Time to come back to earth, buddy, thought Marissa. Stealthily, she crept over to the van and waited.

A few seconds later, the guy came into view, whistling softly. He had no idea what hit him as Marissa leapt from her hiding place and tackled him to the ground.

"Hey! What's going on-" exclaimed the guy. He stopped as he saw Marissa's face. "Oh no," he whispered, his eyes widening with fear as he stared at her grotesque face.

"Oh yes," whispered Marissa. "Say good-night, honey." With that, she swiftly buried her fangs into the boy's neck and drank deeply.

Chapter 6

Willow hummed quietly to herself as she got ready for school the next morning. It was the perfect day outside, typical California weather. The sun was shining brightly, and there wasn't a cloud in the sky.

Walking over to the mirror, Willow picked up a brush and started to bursh her long red hair. She smiled, and her reflection smiled back at her. In her mind, she replayed last night- how magical it had been, how wonderful. She couldn't wait to see Oz today, and find out what he had planned for her birthday.

On impulse, Willow ran into her mother's room and grabbed a tube of lipstick. Returning to her room, she carefully applied the lipstick to her lips, and then pressed her lips together, as she had seen Buffy do before.

Wow. What a difference a little lipstick made. Smiling happily, Willow picker up her backpack and went downstairs. After eating two slices of toast, she checked her lipstick once more and headed to the front door.

Upon opening the door, Willow froze. A confused expression flitted across her face.

Parked by the curb was Oz's van. A from what she could see, there was Oz, sitting in the driver's seat.

He came to take me to school! realized Willow. Hastily she shut the front door and raced down the porch steps. "Oz!" she called, hurrying over to the van. "How long have you been waiting here?" Reaching up, she opened the passenger door and pulled herself in.

"Oz, why didn't you tell me that you were going to come..." Willow's voice trailed off as she turned and looked at Oz.

He sat beside her, as he had just last night. But the expression of terror frozen on his face was horribly out of place.

"Oz?" Willow whispered. She reached over and took his hand. It was cold. Very cold.

And then she saw them. The two bloody holes in Oz's neck...

Tears sprang to Willow's eyes. "No," she cried, softly at first. But then her voice became a wail of pain. "Oz, no!" Wrapping her arms around her dead boyfriend, she hugged him tightly, her sobs filling the empty silence of the van.

Chapter 7

"Where is she?" cried Buffy breathlessly. She grabbed Giles' arm as her eyes franrically scanned the hospital corridors.

"Oh Buffy!" exclaimed Giles in relief. "Thank goodness you're here!"

"Giles, where is she?!" exlaimed Buffy, shaking her Watcher. "Where's Willow?"

"T-this way," stuttered Giles, leading Buffy down a hallway. "They-they had to give her a sedative. She wouldn't calm down."

Buffy burst through the door Giles indicated and raced over to Willow. Her friend was lying in a bed, her eyes closed. She looked deathly pale and there was tearstains on her face.

"Buffy," said Xander, looking up. Cordelia stood beside him, holding Willow's hand.

"How is she?" asked Buffy.

"She's fine," replied Xander. "They just gave her a sedative." He looked down. "You should have seen her," he whispered. "She-she wouldn't let go of him. She just kept crying and asking him to wake up."

Buffy stared at Xander in confusion. "Wouldn't let go of who?" she asked.

Xander looked at Giles, his eyes wid. "You didn't..." he let hs voice trail off.

"No," said Giles softly. He took off his glasses and rubbed his forhead. "I didn't get a chance to tell her."

"Tell me what?" interrupted Buffy. She looked from Xander to Giesl to Cordelia and back. "What haven't you told me?"

Giles looked directly at Buffy, and for a moment time stood still." Oz," he finally said. "Oz is dead."

Buffy stared unseeingly at Giles, horror on her face. "She swallowed hard, and then asked the question she didn't want to ask with all her heart. "Was it vampires?"

Giles lowered his head. "Yes," he whispered.

"Oh God," cried Buffy, turning away from her friends. Tears ran down her cheeks as she realized that she had failed. She had failed to protect Oz, and he had paid for her mistake with his life.

Xander was at her side in a flash. "It wasn't your fault," he said.

"It wasn't my fault?" repeated Buffy in disbelief. "Xander, I'm the Slayer! I'm the only one who could have saved Oz, and I didn't! This is all my fault."

"Xander's right," spoke up Cordelia. "There was no way you could have known."

Buffy was silent for a menute. "Those are just excuses," she said. "The bottome line is, I should have stopped this."

"You can't save everyone," said Giles. You do what you can, but it's impossible for you to save everyone."

"At that moment, Willow stirred. "Oz?" she wimpered. "Oz, don't leave me."

Buffy rushed over to Willow's side. "Will, it's okay," she said, trying to soothe her friend.

"Buffy?" Willow tried to open her eyes. A single tear slid down her cheek. "Buffy, they got him... they got Oz." She attempted to sit up, but the sedative kicked in and pulled her back down. "Oz," she murmured sadly as she drifted back to sleep.

Once she saw that Willow was peacefully sleeping again, Buffy stepped away from the bed and headed for the door.

"Where are you going?" asked Giles. He looked concerned.

"I'm going to go home," replied Buffy. "I- I need to be alone for awhile. To think." She gave Giles a wan smile. "I'll be back soon." Turning, she walked out of the room, leaving Xander, Giles, and Cordelia to stare worriedly after her.

Chapter 8

Buffy sighed wearily as she entered her house. Mr. Summers was at work, and Buffy had never been so glad to have the house to herself. Facing her mother and making conversation would have been impossbile.

Upon entering her room, Buffy gratefully sank down onto her bed. A sob excaped her lips, and she pressed her hand over her mouth. She and Oz hadn't gotten the cance to be very close but she knew that Willow had cared deeply for him. Just thinking of poor friend, lying in the hospital and asking for Oz, was more than she could bear.

"I'm sorry, Will," she whispered, tears falling from her eyes. "I'm sorry, Oz." Her apologies lingered in the air, unanswered.

Curling up into a ball, Buffy cried until she could cry no more. Then, exhausted and drained, she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep...

"Buffy... Buffy..."

"Angel?" Buffy called. She ran through the cemetery, frantically searching for her boyfiriend. "Angel, where are y ou?" She shielded her eyes from the bright sunlight as she walked past several headstones.

A figure emerged from a mausoleum. A girl. Tall and slender, with flowing dark hair and familiar brown eyes. She smiled at Buffy, and held up her hand. On one of her fingers was a delicate gold ring, with a blood red stone. It glittered in the sunlight, casting bright flashes of red into Buffy's eyes.

"You can't stop me, Slayer!" she laughed triumphantly. "And now nothing and nobody can stop me, either!" She raised her arms and stared up at the sun, baring her fangs. "The world belongs to me!"

"No!" screamed Buffy helplessly as Marissa's hideous laughter surrounded her, moscked her, buried her...

With a jerk, Buffy awoe and stared in confusion around her darkened room. The sun had set long ago, and she could see several stars twinkling at her in the velvet blue sky through her window.

Still panting heavily from her nightmare, Buffy reached over to snap on her lamp and got another scare. Sitting inches from her on the bed was Angel, silentl watching her.

"Augghhh!" Buffy gave a muffled cry, and then relaxed. Brushing a strand of hair off her forehead, Buffy gave Angel a small smile. "Just stopping by for a visit?" she asked.

Angel looked seriously at her and replied, "Giles called me. He told me about Oz." Buffy glanced down at his words, the memories of the horrible afternoon rushing back to her. "He was worried when you didn't go back to the hospital, and asked me to check on you."

Buffy groaned. "That's right, I was supposed to go back." She siighed. "It's just that I fell asleep and lost track of time..."Pushing herself off the bed, she turned to Angel and said, "Come on. We'd better go now. I want to see how Will is doing."

As the two walked to the hospital, Angel glanced down at Buffy and said, "By the way, were you dreaming before you woke up? You were really tossing and turning."

Buffy glanced up at Angel sharply. "Yeah, I guess I was," she replied. "I-I'm just not sure what I was dreaming about."

Suddenly, a loud scream peirced the still night air. Buffy and Angel looked at each other, and then as one ran in the direction of the scream. It sounded like it had come from the cemetery.

Running past several headstones, Buffy got an overwhelming sense of deja vu. She shook it off and followed Angel, who was slightly ahead of her.

Without waring, Agenl gave a cry and came to a halt. Buffy crashed into him from behind but he hardly noticed.

"Angel, what is it?" cried Buffy. When he didn't respond, she stood on tip-toe and peered over his shoulder. The sight that met her eyes was all too familiar. A vampire stood before them, its grotesque face illuminated by the moonlight shining down. In its grip was a poor girl, unconscious. Two bloody holes were in her neck. But this wasn't just any vampire. This was Angel's sister.

"Marissa," whispered Angel. He stared, horrified at the scene in front of him. Then his voice hardened, and he narrowed his eyes. "Let her go."

In a flash, Marissa's human face shifted back into place. She unceremoniously dropped the girl, who collapsed in a h eap at Mariss'as feet. "I was just having a snack, Angel," she pouted.

"Yeah, well, snack time's over," spoke up Buffy, stepping from behind Angel. In her hand was a needle-sharp stake.

Marissa regarded the Slayer colly. There was not the slightest hint of fear in her eyes, which unnerved Buffy. She recalled that Marissa had reacted exactly the same way at their first meeting. Why isnt's she afraid, wondered Buffy.

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