Imposter

By Jessi Knorr

Disclaimer: Me no own Buffy and Angel and Willow and the others.They belong to Joss,and the WB and Mutant Enemy productions. {Forgive Jessi,she's had a rough day and has had a metal breakdown...} Me own Jessie and Zac and anyone else you no know...Okay...I was disoriented,but I'm okay now.

Prolouge

"Alright now class. This week,since it's pretty close to the end of school,I'm gonna assign you partners so you can do an oral report on anything we've learned this year," Mr.Hutchenson told his freshman history class at Sunnydale High School. Everyone in the room groaned with fustration. "Okay.I know you don't like the idea of reports at the end of the year,but I'll gaurentee these will be fun, and I've assigned you guys partners with your friends,alright? Here we go...Jake Cowen-Kurt McMaster..." the teacher droned on and on, reading out the names of the assigned partners. When he finally got to the end, he asked if he had forgotten anyone and two students raised their hands, a tall blonde girl in the back row, and a slightly taller brunette boy across the room from her.

"Ah, Mr. Morrison and Miss Summers. Come talk to me after class, and I'll explain to you why you were left out, okay?"

"All right," the two said in unsion. The last time we saw Miss Summers, or Jessie, was on the February night when she came to Sunnydale. Since then, she'd made friends, and enemies, met family, been trained by her new watcher, Rupert Giles who just by coincidence been the librarian at the High School and proved a worth while alli to the real Slayer, her cousin,Buffy. After she had her first fight, along with Buffy's boyfriend, Angel, Jessie'd been accepted as a freshman in Sunnydale High, and had an A average grade level, though you couldn't say the same for Buffy, who was a senior. Jessie was very skilled with computers, thanks to her old watcher Fredrick. Those skills had proved time and time again extremely useful. Now she would have to not only patrol, train and get ready for the end of her first real school year, but she'd also have to finish a report about what she didn't know. After putting her hand down, Jessie just went off into dream land for the remainder of the period, awaiting the bell so she'd be released not only from Hutchenson's boring clutches, but for a night all to herself to be able to stay at home instead of having to roam the cemetery looking out for the next undead threat to arise in the quaint little town she had been sent to watch.

"Alright. There goes the bell. I'll see you all on Wednesday, and don't forget your topics! That includes you, Jeff," he told a red head boy as the student passed to walk through the door.

"Yes sir..." Jeff replied, then added "Corperal Chunky," under his breath.

"Jessie, Zac. Come here..." Hutchenson called as the two prepared their books. They walked up, as dogs would when their master called them. "Alright. The reason I left you two out is because you two are the tops in the class, so I was gonna make you two do a special report. I've picked out the topic, since we haven't really studied this, and figured you guys are good enough to do this..." the old, pudgy man took a few seconds to adjust himself on the old creaking desk and take two pages out of a folder. "I want you two to do a special report on all the strange mishaps that happen around here. I'm not asking you to break any laws, or anything."

*No, musn't have that, but you must make me late for my training session with Giles the Bitchy Watcher* Jessie thought sarcastically, listening unwillingly to the teacher's droning.

"-But I was thinking you two would make a good investigative team. There were six deathes last week at the Bronze, the bodies were found drained of blood..."

*Simple.Vampires. No,wait...They were attacked by psychotic hippies carrying barbeque forks and wanting something else to get high off of...* Jessie smirked to herself at her comment. But the smirk was not unoticed.

"-Other similar deaths around here. Is something wrong, Miss Summers?" Mr. Hutchenson asked her.

"Huh? Oh..no. I was just...thinking how great it will be doing this report. You know...I just love them!..." Jessie quickly stammered. *Obviously I've been around Buffy too long.I've started picking up her lame excuses...*

"Okay..Well, I'm not one to keep you from your next classes, so here you go," he handed them each a photo-copy of the front page of the Sunnydale Gazette from the previous weekend. "And I expect that back, along with an at least 5 page report from both of you by next Friday. Alright?" Zac and Jessie nodded. "Now get outta here."

Once outside in the hall, Jessie went into one of her little dazes again. *Oh great...Now I'm stuck with this! Why can't Hutchenson get someone else to do these stupid reports once in a while??? I wanted to do one on the American Revolution, too...God, I need a life.*

"Jessie?" Zac's voice brought her back to Earth.

"Huh?"

"I was thinking...since my mom doesn't let girls over to our house, no offense, I was wondering...could I go over to your house tonight and we could start our report?"

"Uh...okay. I have to go out, first. So say...'round 8?" Jessie said,brightening.

"Okay. See ya at 8, then." With that,Zac disappeared into the boys washroom.

"YES!" Jessie loudly whispered to herself. Ever since the first day, she had developed an extreme crush on Zachary Morrison. Not only was he one of the smartest freshmen, but also one of the cutest with his chocolate brown, wavey hair and his dark mocca eyes. He looked almost like a younger version of Angel. Almost...

Jessie's thoughts were interrupted by a loud "Boo!" behind her. She spun around and quickly decked the boy behind her, but realized who it was after he grabbed his nose to stop it from bleeding.

"Oh God...Sorry, Xander!"

"It's alright. I'm never sneaking up on you again, remind me that," Xander Harris said, holding his head up to drain the blood back into his head.

"I will."

"Giles sent my to tell you to hurry up. 'That bloody girl has training to do and if she doesn't show up, she'll have to give Xander her allowence for the next two weeks...'" Xander said in his best British accent.

"You wish..." Jessie replied, hurrying off towards the library, and the doom of facing an angry Britishman...

~Chapter 1~

"Hey," Jessie called, walking through the large oak doors leading to the Sunnydale High library.

"Jessie, where have you been?!" the librarian demanded, walking out of the stacks, obviously angry by the freshman's lateness.

"Chill, Giles. I was getting slapped with a stupid report for History," she replied, sitting down at the table between her cousin Buffy and her best friend, Willow Rosenberg, who was busy typing away at a laptop.

"Welcome to high school," Buffy joked, looking away from her romance novel.

"Buffy, please," Giles scolded the slayer, then he turned to the SIT with a glare. "That's not what I meant. Where have you been for the past week?"

"Um..." Jessie chuckled nervously, trying to think up an excuse. "Homework?..." Giles rolled his eyes impatiently at his trainee.

"Homework or not,that's not an excuse for you to miss training. If the inevitable happens and Buffy dies, permanantly, you must be ready to take over her duties!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know! I know!" Jessie persisted. "God...bitch-and-scold, bitch-and-scold. Is that all you do Giles?"

"Hello?" called a voice. By the door was a student, a boy, looking around.

"Hey, Zac!" Jessie called, standing up and knocking her chair over.

"Hey Jessie. What are you doing here?"

"Studying. You?"

"Um...Does the library have any micro-films?"

"Yes we do, Zachary. They're in my office, second drawer. The most recent ones are at the front."

"Okay. Thanks, Mr.Giles." Then he disappeared behind the counter.

"Polite chap." Jessie shot Giles a look. "Now...Jessie...Tonight you have a choice. You can either patrol in the cemetary, or you can train here while Buffy patrols."

"What?! Giles...I have to study tonight. Zac is coming over! The report is due next Friday! I'm patrolling all next week while Buffy studies for her SATS-"

"Well, if you'd been here for training, you wouldn't have the obligations you're faced with now!" Jessie growled, shot the watcher a glare and stormed out, roughly pushing Zac away while he was coming out from the office.

* * *

Evening fell and Jessie was out patrolling, against her wishes.

"God...I'm gonna tear Giles a new air hole for this. I cannot believe I'm stuck doing this!!!" She sat down beside a small gravestone,marked;
Mark Theridothe
1860-1912
May God Lead This Lonely Soul To A Better Place

"You guys don't know how lucky you are. You don't have to fight vampires, or risk your lives... Heck, you don't have lives anymore...I wish I could go back home."

"I don't think Giles would want you, or let you go back," called a voice behind her. Frantically, Jessie scrambled to her feet and held up a stake,but lowered it when she realized who it was.

"What do you want Angel?!"

The vampire stepped out of the shadows and replied, "Just to see how you're doing. Last time you were out with Buffy, you got pretty banged up."

"Yeah,well...I'm okay now.Why don't you go bug Buffy? She's at the Bronze, partying." She instantly regretted what she'd said after she saw a flash of hurt wash over Angel's face.

"I'm sorry..It's just,I'm not in the greatest of moods right now because-" she was cut off by a scream cutting through the cemetery. The two rushed to where it was coming from. A vamp was leaning over to bite a young man, and he was close.

Jessie ran straight at the two and pushed him off, then grabbed a bottle of Holy Water and poured it all over the vampire. Smoke immediately started rising from the demon, but instead of it being actual smoke, it was in the some-what form of a person. When the smoke disappeared, the vampire stood up and spun around. Flesh was hanging off his face in melted clumps,bubbles and pus covered it.He lunged at Jessie, but Angel came from behind and staked him.

"Whoa! Cool!" cried the attackee, walking up to them and staring at the pile of dust on the ground.

"You okay?" Jessie asked him.

"Yeah, sure.What happened?"

"Zac?"

"Yeah?"

"Zac??? What the hell are you doing out at night in a cemetery?!"

"I saw you out here, and was wondering if you were lost. What were you doing out here? And with...a guy this old?" Zac demanded. Jessie and Angel just looked at each other, then Jessie spotted something in the vampire's ashes.

"Hey cool! A neck-OW!" she proclaimed dropping the gold chain with a a tear-drop shaped pendent and holding her hand in pain.

"What's wrong?" Angel asked.

"That necklace...It burnt my hand somehow." Angel hesitantly bent down and picked up the necklace.Nothing.Jessie touched it,and there was a sizzling sound.She looked at her hand,with had little blisters starting to form where her skin had come in contact with the gold.

"We'd better see Giles," Angel said. Jessie nodded, then turning to Zac, said, "Zac, go home, lock the door and don't invite anyone in unless you know them.Okay?"

"Why?"

"Just do it," Angel told him. Then he and Jessie took off towards the street leading to the Bronze.

* * *

The Bronze was not really booming, but not really dead that night. Buffy, Willow and Xander were out on the dance floor together, talking and laughing and absent-mindedly listening to the Alanis Moressette song that was playing on the speakers.

Jessie walked through the door, searching the scene for any sign of her cousin or the slayerettes. After a few seconds of starting towards the numerous blondes, red-heads and brunettes that could be one of them, she spotted all three by their table, laughing inaudibly above Alanis' high-toned voice blasting out the chorus from "Ironic" over and over.

"Buffy!" the SIT called. No avail. She continued to do it before she was behind the slayer,then bellowed,"Buffy!"

"Huh? Oh,hey Jessie," Buffy replied, spinning around.

"Geez. 'Bout time. Listen, something's up. Angel and I found something after staking this one really creepy vamp,and-" Jessie spun around and searched the crowd for Angel. "Where'd he go?"

"Who?" Xander chimed in.

"Angel. He was right behind me..." Both the slayers picked up on a slight movement at the door. Buffy knew what it was instantly.

"There he is. He just went outside. Come on." With that, the two left Willow and Xander to sort-out what they were talking about.

~Chapter 2~

The alley behind the club was unusually dark.The numerous pipes,garbage cans and building walls casted shadows that enveloped everything in darkness.

"Angel!" Buffy called. No answer. "Where did he go? I just saw him! Even for a vampire, no-one can disappear that fast." She spun around, looking into the shadows, and finally spotted a figure. "There you are!" Buffy proclaimed, her face lighting up as Angel stepped into view.

"Hey," he said in a quiet voice. Buffy walked up and hugged him hard.

There was silence for a few seconds before Jessie spoke. "Uh...Buffy? You...may want to get away from him..."

"Why, Jessie?" the Slayer turned around and saw a frightened look on her cousin's face. "What's with-" she stopped abruptly and screamed when she turned around to face her boyfriend.Angel was vamped-out,but his features...weren't his. He had blue skin, hanging off his face, showing the blood and muscles underneath. His eyes were glazed yellow,and he was smirking, his jagged yellow and brown teeth showing.

"Ew...A little too much caffeine and not enough sleep for Dead-Boy,huh?" Xander quipped as he and Willow came out of the Bronze, followed by Cordelia.

"Hey guys. Where you-Oh my God!" Cordelia stated as the deformed Angel staggered forward and tried to grab Buffy. She ducked and gave him a powerful kick to the stomach,which seemed to have no effect on him. She grabbed his head, brought it down to her raising knee and cracked is nose hard against the joint. That had an effect on him. Deformed-Angel staggered back, clutching his bloody and squished nose. He brought is hand away from his face. There was no nose, just blood.

"You are going to wish you didn't do that," he told the Slayer before he roughly picked her up by the shoulders and rammed her into a near-by wall.Then he grabbed her by the hair, hoisted her up and punched her square in the jaw.

Jessie grabbed her bag of Slaying supplies, took out another bottle of Holy Water and threw it. The glass smashed upon impact with "Angel"'s back, and the water splashed all over him. Similar to what happened to the vampire in the graveyard happened to him. A smoke-cloud in the faint shape of a person rose, disappeared and the vampire who once looked like Angel no longer held his familiararity. The vamp threw Buffy smack into the dumpster beside them and advanced on the SIT. Suddenly, out of nowhere, he turned to
dust.

"You're gonna wish you hadn't done that to Buffy," hissed a voice before he exploded. Through the drifting ash, the four saw Angel's shadow, which stood for a second before running to aid the slayer.

"Buffy?"

"Angel?" called a groggy voice. Several seconds later, the two reappeared, Buffy's hand bloody against her forehead.

"A-are you okay?" Willow inquired, seeing the gash across her friend's forehead.

"I'll be okay Will. What was that?"

"Look what I found!" Cordelia exclaimed, holding up a golden necklace that she'd picked up from the ground. "Isn't it pretty?"

"Oh no," Angel and Jessie muttered.

"Let's see," Buffy said. Cordy handed her the pendent, and as soon as the slayer touched it, she dropped. "Ow!"

"What happened?" Willow asked, catching the necklace as it fell.

"It...burnt me."

"Come on. I have a feeling Giles'll want to know about this..." Jessie told them.The other five nodded and they walked off towards the high-school.


On to Part 2

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