Child's Play

Finally, Angel got tired of being followed, and he turned to face his stalker. Or so he thought. The only thing behind him was shadows, and, though they did look darker, they weren’t a life or death threat. Angel would have continued on his walk if it wasn’t for the incessant heart beat plaguing him, almost mockingly. "All right, I’m tired of games," he said softly as he slipped his 'game face' on.

"Oooh, pretty boy has a dark side," a female voice commented from the shadows to his right. She laughed softly as Angel leapt towards the voice. The only thing he got was a nasty head wound as his face impacted with a dumpster. "I had hoped you would be smarter," the voice commented from his left this time; Angel snarled and prepared to leap a second time. "Not now. Later, when I’m ready." Within seconds the heart beat was gone, and Angel was alone.

"Hey, Buffy, seen the new girl yet?" Xander asked, breaking into her train of thought as she studied for yet another history test.

"New girl? This late in the year?" Willow asked without looking up from her book

"Let me guess: Demon? Werewolf? Witch?" Buffy joked. She met Willow's suddenly wide eyes. "Joke, Will. Just a joke."

"Oh. I knew that." Her eyes narrowed in concern when she turned to look a Xander. "Xander?" Buffy turned to stare at her friend. His eyes had glazed, and his mouth hung slightly open. Willow rushed to his side. "Buffy, what's wrong with him? Is it a spell or a curse? Its a curse, isn't it?" Willow asked, near hysterics.

"No, no curse. New girl," Buffy stated calmly after following Xander's gaze.

The girl stood against the wall apparently Cordelia's new victi... uh, friend. She was tall and also one of those perpetually tanned people that made the tanning booth crowd jealous. Her waist-length black hair fell into her eyes, and a grimace crossed her face at Cordelia's talk of clothes, shoes. and hair.

"I think she needs help," Buffy commented shook Xander out of his waking coma. "Xander, go help the new girl and wipe the drool off your chin." Xander mentally prepared himself to talk to Cordelia and slowly made his way over to her.

"Cordelia, I really hate to interrupt, but I think you should know that I saw a teacher wearing that exact outfit," he said as calmly as he could with his stomach doing somersaults.

"You're kidding? Tell me you're kidding," Cordelia practically shrieked at Xander, when he finished. "I have to go home, now. Later, Gwynne." Buffy and Willow waited until Cordelia left before joining their friend.

"Thank you. If I had to listen to her horror story about the Todd Oldham dress one more time, I would have been forced to take measures into my own hands," Gwynne said when the rest of the group joined them. "I'm Gwynne Haight."

"I'm Xander Harris, and these are my associates Buffy Summers and Willow Rosenburg. You're new here, right? Good. Then we are your official Sunnydale Welcome Wagon. Welcome to the Hel.. Ow!" Xander went down on one knee after Buffy kicked him to shut him up.

"So where ya from?" she asked.

"My last school was in Paris."

"France?" Willow asked. When Gywnne nodded, Willow lit up, "Oh, I've always wanted to go there."

"I don't recommend it. Too full of Parisians. I suggest London."

"Gwynne, the three of us were planning on going to the Bronze tonight. Want to come with?" Buffy offered.

"Of course just as long as I don't have to talk to Cordelia," Gwynne replied with a smile.

Buffy, Willow, and Gwynne sat at a small table waiting for Xander to show up. It had been almost a hour sine they were scheduled to meet.

"I hope he's okay," Willow worried.

"Xander's a big boy, Will. I'm sure he can take care of himself," Buffy tried to comfort her.

"I just don't want him hurt."

"You've got it bad, girl." Just as Buffy finished, Xander did indeed show up, b7ut he had company. Five vampires were holding Xander while they entered the club. They tossed him onto a pool table and continued to hold him down. Buffy calmly made her way over to the five, six if you count Xander.

"You know I hate to interrupt, but that's my friend you have there." Buffy commented. One of the lager vamps disengaged himself from his dinner to snarl at Buffy. "Scary." The vamp rushed her; Buffy spun and kicked his legs out from under him. With fluid motion she plunged the stake into his back. "Next?"

Three of the remaing four turned to Buffy leaving the token female to guard Xander. Two of the three stepped forward first and were immediately decapitated by Angel and a very sharp sword. Angel stepped up to stand next to Buffy.

"Angel."

"Buffy." The third vamp was distracted long enough to miss the stake fly from Buffy's hand to be buried in his chest. The last looked up from her prisoner and met Buffy and Angel's gazes. She then ran for the door.

"Nice sword," Buffy observed.

"This? Just a souvenior from a different time, a much different time," Angel replied.

"Now isn't that sweet. Pretty boy has a girlfriend." a voice said from behind Buffy. Angel growled softly in recognition of the voice from the alley.

"Gwynne?" Buffy asked startled.

"You," Angel growled as Gwynne stepped forth.

"Me," she replied, mocking him.

"I take it you two know each other," Buffy responded. Angel leapt at Gwynne, and she moved with inhuman speed out of his flight path. Buffy turned to follow her movements until she stopped. When she finally did, Buffy got the third shock off the day.

Gwynne's eyes burned red and her canines were slightly longer. But her face wasn't the demonic visage of a vampire.

"What are you?"

Part Two

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