“So Buffy, what’s up?” Xander asked.

“Not much, just waiting for you guys. What took you so long?” Buffy replied.

“Xander’s mom made me stay for dessert.”

“Yep, good old Ma Harris and homemade apple pie. My mom’s trying to learn to bake. Willow was the only one who couldn’t turn her down. I on the other hand would not touch it with a ten foot stake.” Xander added with an impish grin.

“So Buffy, where is Angel?” Willow asked.

Xander’s face suddenly darkened. As far as he was concerned there was no need for Angel to be around. He noticed a disappointed look appear on Buffy’s face.

“He hasn’t shown yet. Besides he didn’t say he would definitely be here.” Buffy started to adjust her pink lacy top, trying to look nonchalant.

Xander observed her closely. She obviously looked great. Buffy would look good in rags as far as Xander was concerned. Angel didn’t appreciate Buffy, Xander thought angrily. He wouldn’t keep her waiting like this. Xander would never keep a woman like Buffy waiting. Buffy noticed Xander observing her closely. His gaze met hers.

“So Buffy want to dance?” Xander asked hopefully.

Buffy wasn’t to sure about how to answer. She flashbacked to the last they dance. Buffy was all over him. She was trying to make Angel jealous and boy was she successful. She blushed at the memory of her behavior. Then there was Willow who was in love with Xander, but whom he didn’t notice. Willow sat there trying to find something to stare at so she wouldn’t look hurt that he didn’t ask her to dance.

“I’m not in the mood. Why don’t you dance with him Willow?” Buffy suggested, trying to get Xander to notice the quiet girl beside him.

Xander turned to Willow, “Shall we?” He bowed taking her hand

Willow blushed, “Um, sure.” she turned to Buffy with a grateful look. “We’ll be back soon.” she said as Xander led her to the dance floor.

Buffy watch as Xander clumsily moved to the music. He looked so silly as he waved his arms about. Willow looked like she was having a great time. Her eyes shone with a brilliance that only Xander could bring out. The scene before her distracted her from noticing that someone had come up behind her. She turned around as she felt someone tap on her shoulder. Surprised she turned around abruptly. She half expected to see Angel. Instead her eyes fell on a guy who seemed around twenty. He was handsome to say the least. He had the looks that would put a Greek god to shame. He black silky hair that fell just above his chin. His pale skin set off his intense blue eyes that were gazing at Buffy. His black T-shirt showed off his muscular build. He was definitely fine.

“Excuse me, would you like to dance?” he motioned at the dance floor. “By the way, my name is Rain.” he added looking a bit shy. He had a soft English accent that made everything he said sound slightly musical.

Buffy wasn’t sure what to say. But something about his eyes beckoned her, like she knew him.

“Sure,” she replied. “My name is Buffy.” she added as they headed to the dance floor.

“I know. I mean I asked around.” He said embarrassed.

They began to dance to the music. Buffy felt odd, like she knew him, but from where she couldn’t place. The music became slow and they connected automatically, as though it were the most natural thing in the world. It seemed as though the rest of the world didn’t exist. She didn’t notice the looks of Xander and Willow watching, speculating who this stranger was that Buffy was dancing so closely with. Xander looked extremely jealous.

“Great more competition,” he muttered to himself, “that’s all I need.”

“Here comes Angel” Willow observed as she saw the handsome vampire walk in. He was wearing a black jacket over a undershirt as usual. She noticed as his eyes searched the room for Buffy. He noticed Willow and Xander sitting there first. As he approached Willow whispered to Xander, “Uh oh.”

“Hi, have any of you guys seen Buffy?”

Xander motioned to the dance floor where Buffy and the competition were dancing closely. “She’s dancing.” he said pointedly. “I guess Buffy waits for no man or vampire.”

The muscles in Angel’s jaw began to tighten as he observed the closeness between Buffy and this other guy. His heart sank. Damn, who was this guy?! Emotions began to overflow. Hurt, jealousy, anger at Xander, and confusion began to fill him. He thought they had reached some sort of understanding. What was going on. He observed how Mr. X was holding her so tenderly. He felt like ripping them apart and demanding an explanation from her. But he knew he had no right to demand anything from her considering that he couldn’t be there all the time like he wanted to be.

The music ended, but Buffy and Rain still were dancing. Then Buffy noticed that people were staring at them and she stepped back.

“Thank you for the dance.” she shyly said, not really wanting it to end. “Would you like to come join me and my friends over there?” she gestured to him.

He nodded, too overcome by a strange sensation of needing to be close to her. As they headed towards the table of curious friends, Buffy noticed that Angel was among them. Oh boy, she thought to herself. Do I have some explaining to do. I wonder how much he saw.

“Hey Buffy who’s your new friend?” Xander jealously asked as the others eagerly waited for information on this stranger that seemed to have an effect on the Slayer.

“Guys, um, this is Rain...Rain this is Willow, Xander and Angel.” She pointed nervously.

He looked extremely uncomfortable. “Hey.” he replied to their collective greetings. “So do all of you guys to school with Buffy?”

“Xander and I do. But Angel doesn’t go to school he, um, works.” Willow replied since none of the others were going to. Xander was to busy checking out the competition, while Angel was searching Buffy’s face for an explanation. But Buffy kept looking everywhere but at Angel. “Are you going to attend Sunnydale High too?” Willow asked trying to make conversation as the tension filled the room.

“Yes, I’m starting my senior year. I just moved here from England.” he replied, getting a better understanding of the various relationships among this group by judging the actions of the individuals. He turned to Buffy, “Thank you for the dance. Maybe we could do it again?” he smiled softly. “Yes?”

“Um, sure, I’d like that.” she replied avoiding the hurt gaze Angel shot her.

“I must go now, I promised that I would be home by eleven.” Rain explained to Buffy, “Bye. Nice to have met you.” With that he sauntered out looking back at Buffy before he left The Bronze.

“So do you know him? Is he like someone from your past, LA?” Xander impatiently questioned. He needed to know what this guy and Buffy were about.

Angel’s intense gaze asked the same question. “Um, he asked me for a dance. I don’t think I know him though,” Buffy explained, “He seems so familiar.” she added, mostly to herself.

“Buffy, will you come with me to the ladies room?” Willow asked trying to get Buffy away to find out more about this Rain person. She knew she couldn’t get anything out of Buffy with Xander, and especially Angel, around. She took Buffy’s hand and dragged her off before Buffy had a chance to answer. “Come.”

“What’s up with you and that guy? What about Angel?” asked Willow.

“I wish I knew. I just don’t know. I feel like we are connected somehow.” she murmured. “I’m so confused. Angel is still Angel. It’s just that, I don’t know! I think I should explain to him.” she said out loud.

“He was totally hurt. It looked as though his heart was ripped out before him.” Willow commented. “We better get back. Angel and Xander don’t have that much to talk about.”

The girls approached Xander, who now was waiting alone. Buffy’s eyes ran over the room looking for Angel’s muscular form. “Where’s Angel?”

“He said he had to go. Guess he’s not into competition.” Buffy shot him a look. “I mean you and that guy were dancing pretty close.” Xander added.

“Listen, I’ve got to go. See you tomorrow.’ Without waiting for a reply Buffy dashed out the door.

“Do you need to wear black, be mysterious and have an accent to get her attention? I’ve got black clothing. I can be mysterious. I can have an accent. She should hear my ‘French accent.’” cheaply imitating the French accent.

Meanwhile Buffy was making her way home. Her emotions still stirring inside of her. How did she know Rain, was the question that ran over repeatedly in her mind. She walked at a brisk pace. Then all of a sudden a dark figure emerged from behind a tree. She stopped abruptly, bracing herself for a fight. It was Angel. She sighed with relief and privately scolded herself for not being more aware of her surroundings.

“Hi.” he said quietly. “Mind if I walk with you?” She nodded in response not sure what to say to Angel. “So who is he?” Angel asked bluntly. Buffy could hear the hurt in his voice. The last thing she wanted to do was hurt him. “I mean I thought we have an understanding of some sort. Or was I mistaken?”

“We do have an understanding. It’s just that, I don’t know, it seems as though we know each other.” she tried to explain. But how could she explain something that she didn’t understand herself. She glanced sideways at Angel as they walked. He seemed so hurt and vulnerable.

Angel stopped in his tracks and faced an uncertain Buffy. “Do I have to worry about him? I mean is he serious competition? He seems to have a hold on you....” he said, not knowing exactly what to ask. He didn’t even know if he wanted to hear her answer.

Buffy immediately took put her arms around him. She wanted to reassure him, but she didn’t know if she could until she found out the mystery behind Rain and her. “I do love you, Angel. You have nothing to worry about.” she said as she placed her head against his warm chest. He held her even closer. Their bodies fit perfectly together. At that moment everything seemed right again. All was right with the world, well at least their world. The pale blue moon shone as they to held each other. When they held each other there was a feeling of completeness, as if they were two pieces of the same soul.

“I guess I should get you home. You have school tomorrow and daybreak is coming soon. Shall we.” She nodded in response as he began to lead her home. But in the back of her mind she thought about Rain. Who was he? What was their connection?

A glow from the candle in the middle of the dining room table dimly lit the room. Around her sat a smiling woman and man. They were in the midst of eating supper. The warm familial feeling engulfed her as they enjoyed their chicken and potatoes, a common meal in Ireland. This tranquil scene was interrupted by a servant announcing the arrival of a visitor.

“Let him in.” said the man, “He just can’t stay away from my bonny lass.” he said with a twinkle in his eye. He winked a the shy girl across the table from him who in return blushed deeply.

The three turned to the door as their guest entered. It was a young man. As he approached the table, the shadows fell away from his face. It was Rain!

Buffy woke up with a start. What was going on? Who is he? “Am I going nuts?” she whispered to herself. She sat up, 5:00am flashed on her radio alarm clock. Buffy lay there, trying to figure out what the dream meant. She tried to fall asleep again and have the same dream, but no such luck. She sat wide awake until it was time for school. It was as though she was remembering lost and buried memories.

“Giles the dream must have meant something. It was totally creepy. This whole thing has me wigged out!” Buffy exclaimed to Giles. “Don’t you think it’s a little weird? I mean I just met the guy and now he’s haunting my dreams.”

The older gentleman looked perplexed as Buffy told him about the events that occurred last night. It didn’t make sense. Unless...

Dislcaimer: The characters I have created, i.e. Rain, belong to me. Please do not use them without my permission. Also, bear with me as this is my first fanfic. Comments and criticisms are constructive welcome. (Sorry about the delay. School has made the words “free time” nonexistent.)

The school halls buzzed with life. Teachers and students made their way to their classes. Laughter and conversations could be overheard from all around. The topics interest varied but most of the students were talking about the Winter Ball that was coming up. The light mood of the halls sharply contrasted that of the library’s. Inside the poorly lit library sat an older gentleman and a young woman. They were discussing the events of the last day.

“Giles, hello! Are you there?” The young woman impatiently asked, brushing her hair back behind her ears. Giles looked unsettled as his attention focused back on the confused Slayer. “Welcome back from la la land.” she remarked.

“I’m sorry, it’s just that, I think I may have theory about the Rain ... situation.” he said somewhat stuttering. “I recall reading some book on karma and how we are fated to meet up with the same people or souls over our many life times.”

“So are you saying that I know Rain from a past life?” The Slayer interjected impatiently.

“Yes, in a manner of speaking. It is destiny that has brought you two together once again. People or souls are connected. Every lifetime we meet up with the same people.” Giles explained. As he finished his sentence Xander entered the library with two large text books in his hands.

“I don’t believe I’ve ever seen you with two text books in your possession, nevertheless one.” the librarian observed, slightly smiling.

“Well actually they’re not mine, they’re Willow’s. Although carrying them around is giving me a bad reputation. People think I actually study.” he explained with a lopsided grin.

“Yes, God forbid you study.” Giles commented pushing his glasses up as they began to slide down the bridge of his nose.

“So what’s the topic of conversation today?” Xander asked looking at Buffy.

“We were talking about yesterday....” Buffy began to reply, but Xander cut her off.

“Oh you mean that guy Storm, Lightning, Sunshine, Disco-fever-boy.”

“Ha ha. His name was Rain. Giles thinks I know him from a past life.”

“Come on Buffy, all that from one dance?” Xander asked. “Aren’t we reading a lot into a few dance moves that weren’t even that smooth?”

“And a dream” Giles added.

“What, you dreamt about him too?” Xander exclaimed jealously. “Geez, I don’t even dream about every girl I dance with. Not that there are too many of girls that fall under that category.” But In his mind he thought about the dance he and Buffy shared. Boy did that spin on the dance floor make my temperature rise. But then it ended and now she’s back to thinking of me as her Xander-shaped friend and Slayerette. But did that dance spark more of the dreams that he had about her and him, the kind for mature audiences only, the kind ......

Buffy observed Xander and had an idea of what he was thinking about. She noted the lusty dazed look he got on his face. Time to snap out of it Xander. “Xander.” she said causing the boy to snap out of his reverie. Xander blushed like a kid who was caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

“Sorry. My mind wanders sometimes.” he said as he flashed a grin her way. “What can I say, I have an active imagination.”

“I’ll bet.” Buffy added dryly.

“As much as the contents of your imagination fascinates, or scares me, may we get back to the matter at hand?” Giles said in a business-like manner. The two teens turned to Giles as he spoke. “Thank you. As I was saying, this Rain person seems to be one of the souls that your soul is bound to. You and he are destined to encounter one another in every lifetime.” Before Giles could go on with his theory, Willow entered the library.

“Hi guys!” Willow said as she entered. “Did I miss anything?” The three greeted her and quickly updated her on the conversation. “So Buffy, what happened in this dream. I mean was it romantic with sunsets, poetry, and kissing?” the shy girl inquired, her interest was definitely piqued.

“Hold on a sec! Kissing? You didn’t mention any kissing.” Xander chimed in. Man this guy is making more headway in her dreams than I am in real life, he thought privately.

“No, it wasn’t that kind of dream.” she replied ignoring Xander’s remark. “It wasn’t even that long. I just remember siting in a room in old Ireland, we’re like talking American Revolution time. The people had thick Irish accents, and we were seated at the table eating when he entered. I remember the old man saying that Rain couldn’t stay away from me.”

“So Rain was your boyfriend in the dream.” Willow concluded, “Or like a suitor.”

“I think boyfriend is jumping the gun. He could have been her cousin or her insurance salesman.” Xander interjected, which was met with strange looks and raised eyebrows from the others. “Well he could’ve been.” a flustered Xander added.

“Um, I tend to agree with Willow’s observations.” Giles said, still looking at Xander oddly. “Although Xander may be right, he may have been your cousin.” This was greeted with looks of disgust and various “ewws” and “gross”. “Well you see, it was common back then for people to marry their cousins.”

Xander’s face brightened as the last statement registered in his brain. “So this guy is Buffy’s cousin.” he exclaimed gleefully. He turned to Buffy, “So you’re related to him, mysterious connection solved.” Yes, one down! One more to go! Xander added privately.

“Why does it all of a sudden feel like I’m on All My Children going through one of the incest story lines.” Buffy mumbled.

“Oh, Buffy did you see what happened yesterday with Edmund and Baby Maddie?” Willow excitedly asked. “Dimitri is so mean, no wonder Erica left him. Speaking of Erica, do you think they’re going to bring back her daughter Kendall?”

“Naw, I remember reading that the actress has moved on to bigger and better things.” Buffy replied animatedly. “But did you see when .......”

“Ahemmm!” Giles interrupted annoyed. “Can we please focus on the matter at hand.” ,p. “Sorry Giles. Focusing.” Buffy apologized. “I really want the 411 behind Rain. But somehow Xander’s theory doesn’t seem to float. The feelings I felt were not the kind I have towards my family.”

“Well, he may not be your cousin. He may have been family in one life but played a different role in another lifetime.”

“So Giles ....” Buffy began to say but was silenced by the entrance of Principle Synder. The little man approached with a rapid pace and a menacing look on his face.

“For students who spend the majority of time in school in the library you get nothing accomplished.” Principle Synder remarked suspiciously. “I believe all three of you have class this period. Attendance is not requested, it’s mandatory. Go.” the little man commanded.

The three exchanged fearful looks. Not wanting to be in the recipients of a week of detentions or worse. they quickly grabbed their stuff and left Giles to deal with him. Poor Giles looked like he was being sentenced to listening to John Tesh’s new age piano stylings. His eyes followed the trio as they exited. Oh lucky me! he thought and let out a sigh. Principle Synder didn’t seem to notice, as he was too busy sharing his views on the evils of the youth of today. Why me? Giles asked as the insane ramblings of the little man continued for the next half hour.

The dark velvet night sky fell like a blanket above Sunnydale, with the silver moon providing the only source of light in the cemetery. The crisp night air was uncommon for this time of the year, as was the unsettling quiet night. Marble statues of various deities and such looked on, each holding secrets. Their enigmatic facial expressions adding to the supernatural feel for tonight’s hunt. In the midst of this setting a lone figure sat waiting. What she was waiting for she was not sure of. Was she there to perform her duty as The Chosen One and slay vampires? How about waiting for the one that touched her soul like no one else ever had? Or the answer to her mysterious connection to the young man that walked into her life less than 24 hours ago and had not left her mind since?

The Chosen One was immersed in deep thought. Geez, the one time I want the vamps to show they decide to stay in. What is this, an diabolical plan to let me drive myself insane by leaving me to my own devices? I’ve gotta do something before I end up eating at home in front of a cheese cake. “Here Vampires. Come out and play. This totally bites!” exclaimed the Slayer.

A chill suddenly travelled up her spine. Angel, the first thought that entered her mind. She turned around expecting to see the beautiful chiseled face she had come to know so well. But instead she was faced with Rain.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you.” The young man apologized. He noted the look of disappointment that appeared on her face, which was quickly replaced by an expression of surprise. “Were you expecting someone else?” He inquired.

“No, why would you say that? I’m just surprised to see you here. This isn’t exactly a hip hangout for teens.” Buffy replied nervously. Oh boy! I hope the Vamps decide to stay in all night.

“Well actually, I was walking home from the library when I saw you sitting there. Well at least I thought it was you. This is the last place I thought I’d meet you. May I ask what you are doing here?” Rain said as his eyes examined the surrounding environment.

“I like to sit here and think....um...it’s very quiet, peaceful...” Most of the time, Buffy added silently to herself.

“What do you think about?” Rain asked as he studied her. She looked like a creature that did not wholly belong to this world, as though she could vanish if you looked away for a second. The moonlight shone off her creamy skin creating a beautiful glow. Her silky hair was put up so that it revealed her lovely neck. Wearing just a plain white tank top, floral print short skirt, and knee-high brown leather boots she looked like a goddess. Buffy was an enchanting vision. Rain caught his breathe as he fell under her spell.

Buffy blushed in response to this open admiration he expressed in his eyes. “Um....life.”

He smiled at her answer. “May I sit beside you?” She nodded, not quite sure what she was doing. He approached the tombstone she was sitting on and hopped on beside her. The close range at which they were sitting became very aware to both of them.

“Buffy.............” Rain said turning to fully face her. He leaned closer with the intention of stealing a kiss from the enchanting girl.

But at that moment Buffy’s eyes fell on a dark figure in the shadows. Her eyes met Angel’s. But before she could say anything he disappeared as fast as he seemed to appear.

Angel! Don’t go! It’s not what you think.......her mind screamed. She turned back to Rain. “I’ve gotta jet! It’s way past my curfew. See ya at school” She hurriedly explained and with that she disappeared into the night, breaking the spell and leaving a bewildered Rain behind.

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