XF/Buffy cross over

"Scully do you have any idea where we are?" Mulder asked his partner. They’d been hitting all the sites of Los Angeles, or at least the ones you could see after dark.

"No Mulder, I think you’ve managed to get us completely lost this time. I don’t even think we’re in LA anymore." She wasn’t really frustrated with him, it just seemed ironic that on one of the few occasions that they actually had some downtime, they were, once again, in the car.

"We are definitely still in LA, as a matter of fact I know exactly where we are." Mulder slowed down, taking more frequent glances out the side window. He was starting to get that tone to his voice again.

Scully knew this man, and that tone, all to well. She looked out her own window, but couldn’t see anything. "What mecca of supernatural have we stumbled across this time?" She really wasn’t in the mood for this after the fiasco that called itself a movie they had just sat through.

"This school," He pointed out the front window at a school building with a huge section that had obviously recently been rebuilt, "is where there was a noted rise in vampire activity a few years back."

Scully rolled her eyes and rested her head on the passenger window. "Vampires Mulder? Haven’t we been through this one enough? I’m tired and I’m hungry, I do not want to chase another one of your impulses."

Something in her tone stopped his protest and he gave a long-suffering sigh. "Ok, you win, I saw a restaurant back that way a few blocks. We’ll get something to eat, then head back to the hotel. Deal?"

When Scully merely nodded in agreement, Mulder was suddenly sorry for dragging her out here. Why hadn't he noticed how tired she was before now?

Mulder had finished everything on his own plate and was proceeding to finish his partner’s when Scully excused herself to go the ladies room. While she was gone Mulder suddenly became interested in the conversation of the college kids at the table behind him.

"…vampires, and the school got a new gym out of the deal. There was some chick they blamed for it though. Easier to explain I guess." The spikey haired kid finished, then slurped noisily on his milkshake.

"Oh come on dude! Vampires, you’re kidding right?" His skinny longhaired friend responded. "You expect me to believe this pile of bull shit?"

"I am so totally serious man. That’s not the official story, but I know what I saw that night."

"So this chick that torched the school...What did you say her name was? Bambi?" You could hear the sarcasm in his voice.

Mulder unashamedly leaned back in the booth so he could hear the answer. "Buffy, you moron."

The longhaired kid may not have been buying, but Mulder was. He turned to the two guys, "sorry to interrupt you conversation gentleman but I couldn’t help but overhear your fascinating story."

"It was the craziest thing man." The spikey haired story teller continued, including Mulder in his audience without losing a beat. "This chick knew totally how to handle those things. She kicked ass."

Mulder was intrigued, "so who was she?"

"Just some cheerleader babe. She and her family split after they pinned the gym fire on her."

"Any idea where to?" Mulder asked trying to keep the conversation light.

"Oh man, what was the name of that place." The kid was searching what was left of his memory. "My girlfriend told me about it. Started with an S… Sunny… Sunnyfarm… Sunnyridge…"

Mulder jumped on the words, "Sunnydale?"

"Yeah I think that’s it man. How’d you know?"

"Been thinking of heading there myself." Mulder noticed his partner returning. "Thanks fellahs." He got up to meet her at the cash register. "All set?"

"Yeah, who were you talking to?" Scully glanced at the disreputable group still at the table, always skeptical of her partner.

"Local boys, just making small talk, I guess. Mulder tried to sound casual.

Scully didn't respond, not in the mood to deal with more of Mulder's mysterious stories tonight. He followed her to the car and they headed back to the hotel.

Once again, they were in the car; morning this time. Mulder had been suspiciously eager to leave the hotel room.

Scully watched longingly as they passed the exit to the airport. "Mulder why do I get the feeling that we're NOT headed back to DC?"

"Because we're not. We can't pass up a chance to go to Sunnydale."

"Sunnydale? What the heck is Sunnydale?"

"Sunnydale? You’ll love it Scully. Nice small town." He was trying to convince her to go along with this, but not very hard. He'd already made up his mind.

"I don’t buy it, Mulder. What’s the catch? More vampires? Goat suckers? No wait let me guess, killer cockroaches!"

"No Dr. Scully, actually the area is a center of mystical energy." He said, a little in awe of the place from what he'd heard and read, hoping it wouldn't be a wild goose chase.

She had to admit, he was making this sound intriguing. Okay. She could play along for a little while. They really didn't HAVE to be back in Washington for a few days. "Really?" she said feigning more interest than she actually had at this point.

He started in immediately, as if he'd been waiting for her cue. "The Spanish who first settled the area called it Boca Del Infierno -- roughly translated, "Hellmouth" -- a sort of portal from this reality to the next."

"Charming," Scully joked. "Can’t be good for tourism though. Come on Mulder I have comfy slippers and tea waiting for me at home."

"I’ll buy you a pair of comfy slippers at the Sunnydale mall. Come on Scully, Skinner’s not expecting us for at least a few days." He grinned at her with that puppy dog look in his eyes, the one she suspected he knew she couldn't resist.

"Ok." She relented. How did she let herself get talked into these things? ‘Easy Dana, you know you’d rather be out doing something resembling work with Mulder than at home alone.’

Mulder reached behind him in the back seat and shuffled papers with his right hand, glancing between the back seat and the road. "I was hoping you’d say that."

"Mulder, what are you doing?" Maybe she should do more of the driving, she thought.

"There’s actually something here of interest to you as well." After a few moments of mumbling and rustling, Scully heard a triumphant, "Ah-ha!" and he handed her a case file.

"An X-file, Mulder? You planned this all along," she accused.

"I knew about Sunnydale and the mystical convergence issue, so I guess I should have figured out the rest," he admitted. "But I just confirmed it last night."

"Let me guess, your new friends from the restaurant? I don’t want to know Mulder."

He brushed over her question to continue his story. "The slayer is living in Sunnydale." He seemed quite happy with his revelation.

"Slayer? What pray tell is a slayer?"

"A slayer is a chosen one," Mulder explained, "a girl born once every generation with the strength and skill to hunt vampires. It’s actually kind of a sad legend. When one slayer dies, another is called. Despite the special abilities the slayer rarely reaches maturity. Yet one more reason to look for this girl, this one is special. If my math is right she’s 19 years old"

"Oh come on Mulder," Scully had heard many tales from her partner but this one… "I’m supposed to believe the girl is some sort of super hero?"

"Read the X-File Scully, this one’s been around for awhile."

Scully quietly flipped through the pages of the file. 1845 – Boston - shipyards were plagued by a series of grisly murders. The attacks ended when a quiet young woman arrived in town.

1893 - Oklahoma Territory - a series of savage attacks claimed the lives of 17 homesteaders. The murders stopped when a young woman blacksmith passed through town.

1946 – Decatur, Illinois – a series of bloodless victims found. The murders suddenly stopped shortly after the arrival of a quiet foreign woman.

1965… Scully stopped reading and gave her partner a raised eyebrow and a quirk of her lips. "Mulder, as interesting as these coincidences are, that's ALL they are. These reports don't prove anything..."

"Which is precisely why we are going to Sunnydale. To find the proof."

Scully, defeated, rested her head on the back of the seat.

2000 – Sunnydale, California

"It's quiet. Too quiet," Xander said in a melodramatic stage whisper, walking beside Buffy in an exaggerated, tiptoeing stride.

Buffy sighed. "If you're not going to take this seriously, Xander, just go home."

He cringed a little. "I can't. Anya's there."

"Then go to the library or a movie. I'll finish up patrol by myself."

He was gone before she'd finished her sentence. Buffy relaxed. She appreciated her friends' attempts to help her, but sometimes a slayer just needed some quality time to herself. She had some mulling to do tonight, and mulling was best done alone. Her relationship with Riley had moved into that netherworld between just friends and more-than-friends and she was trying to figure out how friendly she wanted to be. He was sweet and honest and brave, and there was a definite thrill factor to his kisses, but she was still getting over Angel and she didn't want Riley to be the rebound guy. He should be a slam-dunk. It helped that he already knew who she was. But then again her initial attraction was based on the fact that she thought he was a nice normal guy from Iowa. But…

A noise from the nearby park distracted her from her introspection and she reached into her jacket pocket to grab her stake. Vamp activity had been relatively quiet lately, but a lazy slayer was a dead slayer, and she still had a few good years left to rid the world of evil.

This vamp was pretty noisy. She could hear it rustling through the bushes, could hear heavy breathing, almost a growling noise, and she started to think maybe it was a werewolf instead. No matter. She had an all-purpose stake.

Suddenly there was a bright light behind the bushes, as if a fire had roared up and then been snuffed. She felt the heat even from several feet away. What was this? Some new toy? Buffy moved forward, curious, but as always, cautious.

A vamp playing with fire? Not likely. Some kind of demon, probably. She jumped past the bush, opting for the surprise attack.

Surprised was exactly what she was. The creature was only shadow, with no real form. And it was BREATHING fire. With that moments hesitation she lost her advantage and the shadowy form turned towards her, shooting flames that Buffy managed to avoid at the last second. She moved in to make an attack but she was blocked and thrown to the ground. She'd need reinforcements to fight this thing. Another block as the form moved towards her. Buffy continued to fight, waiting for an opportunity to get to her weapons bag. Somehow it got a hold of her. She felt her leg snap, but then managed to break free. But a blow to the head and Buffy was unconscious. Again it breathed flames but then disappeared as if it had never been there.

************

Riley wondered where Buffy was tonight. Willow told him she'd gone out to patrol, but wasn't sure what direction she'd gone. He was suddenly distracted by a flash of lightning or some kind of explosion several yards away. But the night sky was clear, and there had been no sound. He jogged toward the spot where he'd seen the flash, and as he got closer, he could smell burnt leaves and earth. Then he saw the crumpled figure on the ground. "Buffy!"

************

"Welcome to Sunnydale." Scully read as they passed the sign announcing they had arrived at their destination. "Doesn’t say anything about mystical convergences."

"Humor me, Scully." Mulder said, glancing at her while he continued to drive.

"Don’t I always?" She kept her tone light. "So where to first? Where does one find a slayer?" She asked, not completely keeping the sarcasm from her voice.

"I’m a step ahead of you Scully. Where would you find any 19 year old?" He pointed to the sign for U C Sunnydale as he pulled into a parking lot near the administration building.

After some coaxing and ID flashing, the agents were able to get Buffy’s dorm location and class schedule. They headed in the direction of her current class, which had just been dismissed as they arrived.

Mulder stopped one of the students leaving the classroom. "Was Buffy Summers in this class?"

"Um… Yeah… I think she headed to the library." The student was obviously unnerved by the "suits."

After striking out at the library and then the coffee shop, Scully was tiring of humoring her partners search. "Well I’m glad I’m not being attacked by a vampire right now." She said, fatigue and sarcasm in her voice.

"It’s daylight Scully." He replied to her as he looked up at the sky. "But keep that cross in plain view, there’s only a few hours left. Let's hope this last lead pans out." Mulder said as they approached Buffy's dorm.

************

Giles looked concerned. "Do you really think you’re up to leaving?"

"I don’t have much of a choice." Buffy said slowly sitting up. "You said yourself that if this thing is trying to get into this dimension the best way to stop it is before it gets all the way here. Sounds like slayer duty to me."

"True, but…" Giles realized he didn’t have much of an argument, Willows magic would only get them so far.

"All right then let’s go." Buffy stood up and suddenly went pale. As Giles helped her back to the bed, Xander rushed in.

Xander handed Buffy an overnight bag. "Willow said she’d be here in a few. She’s wigging a little because someone’s been poking around looking for you."

This got Giles attention as well as Buffy’s attention. "Really? Who?" They asked in unison.

"Suits" Xander replied.

"Initiative stuff?" Buffy weakly asked.

"Don’t know but we should be history quick, either way."

"I’m working on it here, I was unconscious yesterday for 3 hours." Buffy was trying to get out of bed again.

"You really should rest a bit longer, Buffy." Giles rested a hand on her shoulder to try to keep her lying down.

************

Mulder knocked on the door, only to nearly be run over as Willow hurried out

"Buffy Summers?" Mulder questioned.

"No… uh… she’s not here." Willow nervously answered.

"Any idea where we might find her?" Mulder pressed.

"Not sure… um… I gotta get to class." Willow pulled the door closed and rushed past.

Scully rolled her eyes and leaned against the door. "Can we go now, Mulder?"

"Definitely. But not out of Sunnydale. That was not a girl rushing to class."

"How do you know Mulder?"

He headed down the stairs and out of the building, Scully following on his heels as he knew she would. "First of all, have you ever known a student to *rush* to class? And she wasn't carrying any books. Word is there was a little incident in the park last night and someone ended up in the hospital. Could be our slayer. Maybe her concerned room mate is going to check on her."

"Mulder you communicate far to well with these kids." Scully shook her head as they approached the car.

"Ok, let’s go. Riley’s meeting us downstairs." Buffy said, visibly improved in the short time since she had changed clothes.

"You’re sure Buffy?" Giles, still concerned.

"I’m fine. Slayer healing, remember?" Not giving him a chance to respond she looked at Xander. "You remember the plan?"

Xander nodded and opened the hospital room door. He returned a moment later. "Coast clear." The three headed quickly out the door.

"Agent Scully, FBI." She flashed her badge at the desk attendant. "I’d like to see the chart for Buffy Summers please." At least when there was no chart they could leave and be done with this town.

"Oh are you here investigating the attack on the poor girl?" the desk nurse asked.

"Yes. Yes we are." Scully covered her surprise. "I’m a medical doctor, so I’m hoping to perhaps find something in the chart."

"Sure Agent Scully. Here you are." The nurse pulled the chart and handed it to Scully. "I hear she looked pretty bad when they brought her in."

"Thank you." Scully took the chart and began paging through it. Buffy had quite a medical history it seemed, judging from the number of pages. It was nearly as thick as Mulder's and Buffy was only half his age. Scully turned to the latest entries, dated yesterday. She began walking toward the room, where Mulder had already gone in. "Well, you win, she’s definitely here. But I don’t think she’ll be saying much." She looked up to see Mulder coming out of the room.

"You can stop there Scully."

Scully looked up from the chart with a questioning look.

"She’s gone." Mulder said, clearly as puzzled as his partner.

"Mulder, what do you mean she's gone?" Scully said, looking from her partner to the medical chart in her hand.

"Gone... not here." he replied with a slight grin.

Ignoring his sarcasm, Scully continued to read the chart. "It says that when she was brought in yesterday both of her legs had multiple fractures, not to mention the arm fracture and the burns. This is not a patient did NOT walk out the door under her own power."

Mulder glanced at the chart, unimpressed. "And yet that's what appears to have happened. You know I've read about this sort of thing Scully..."

The last thing she wanted was another of her partner’s theories. "Are you suggesting she was a vampire, Mulder?" She couldn't help but roll her eyes.

"Actually quite the contrary. This proves my theory. You've got the chart there, you can see she was very much not of the undead. But now that you mention it, vampires are involved. She's the slayer."

"Mulder, you're asking me to believe that this 19 year old girl -- that ANY 19 year old girl -- would dedicate her life to fighting vampires?"

********

Like Casey at the bat, the Mighty Mulder had struck out. Scully couldn't help but feel a bit smug at his downcast expression as they sat in her hotel room.

They had always been right behind Buffy Summers until their last helpful source had directed them to a brick wall. Literally. She had finally convinced him that the kids were just pulling his leg in an elaborate game of hide and seek. Although how they'd forged someone's hospital records, she wasn't sure. "Come on, Mulder, cheer up. We can catch the red-eye back to Washington and find some real monsters to chase." He looked at her with the pout that made her want to sock him or kiss him. She was never sure which.

"We're so close, Scully. I can feel it."

"Well, the only thing I feel is hungry. I haven't eaten since I grabbed a bagel at the hospital coffee shop. Let's see what Sunnydale has to offer in the way of fine dining."

He shrugged and grabbed his jacket. "We *do* still have the Bureau credit card..."

********

"Why do they want to talk to me?" Buffy groaned. "I didn't do anything wrong."

"Of course not," Giles said. "I think Agent Mulder is just curious about the legend. He just wants to meet with you."

"Maybe he wants your autograph," Xander joked.

Buffy stuck her tongue out at him, and Giles quickly took control of the situation. "But back to our most pressing problem. The creature that attacked you, Buffy. Can you describe it at all? Anything unusual?"

"It wasn't a demon, at least none I've ever seen. It was covered with scales, and moved on four legs and ..." She broke off, looking a little embarrassed.

"And...?" Willow prompted.

"And it breathed fire."

Giles sat back in his chair. "You mean it had some kind of flame throwing weapon or ability."

"Or really, really bad breath," Xander contributed.

Buffy shook her head. "No. It shot flames out of its nose and mouth. Like a - a -"

"Dragon," Willow finished. "But dragons are extinct. Aren't they?"

"In *this* dimension, yes," Giles said. "At least until now."

********

The Sunnydale diner had offered little in the way of the haute cuisine that Mulder and Scully had enjoyed in L.A., but served good home-cooked meals in a pleasant atmosphere. The waitress was friendly and the portions were large, and Mulder persuaded Scully to get the chocolate dessert that she had drooled over on the menu.

"I'm stuffed," she pronounced, after licking the last of the fudge frosting off her fork, like a 7-year-old.

Mulder grinned. "I like a woman with a healthy appetite. Want to take a walk and burn off some of those calories?"

She nodded and they left the restaurant to wander back toward the hotel, comfortable just walking with each other. Scully talked Mulder out of trying to obtain a federal order to prevent theatres from showing "The Lazarus Bowl," and he told her she was much prettier than Tea Leoni. Before she realized it, they were walking through a cemetery.

"Mulder..."

"It's a short cut back to the hotel," he said. "Besides, you don't believe in ghosts...do you?"

She sighed and followed him through the maze of headstones. Some of them were ancient, before she would have thought Sunnydale even existed, and despite herself, Scully was the one who kept pausing to look more closely at some of the graves.

Suddenly Mulder stopped. "Do you smell smoke?"

Scully sniffed. "Maybe. Why?"

He shook his head. "I'm just paranoid, I guess."

"Who, you?" She grinned, then sobered. "Mulder, what are you thinking? CGB would have no reason to follow us out here. It's probably some kid sneaking a smoke."

"Why would you sneak a smoke if you're away from home and your parents aren't going to find out?" He was tense now, on the alert. Scully sighed. She should have known Mulder couldn't just spend a pleasant evening walking through a cemetery.

Then they both heard a rustling noise to the right, from a wooded area. Scully's hand went to where her holster usually was, but of course she hadn't expected to need her gun tonight. She saw Mulder do the same thing.

"Let's just keep walking," she whispered.

He nodded.

At that moment there was a horrifying sound from the woods, somewhere between a lion's roar and an elephant's trumpet, and a streak of fire blazed toward them. Mulder grabbed Scully's arm and dragged her behind a large tombstone. Although unhurt, they could feel the heat through the granite stone, and the grass around them was singed.

"What the hell is that?" Scully hissed.

"Something with a bad case of heartburn," Mulder replied. "Or a flame-thrower. Either way, we're toast if we don't get out of here." He glanced around, but there was no cover other than the erratically placed tombstones. They would be too vulnerable if they tried to run. But the cemetery was silent again. Maybe their attacker had just been sending a warning, but Mulder wasn't sure he wanted to test that particular theory. Then they heard the roar again and braced themselves for another burst of flame. But this time the fire went to their right.

"Wow. That was cool," someone said. "Or should I say 'hot'?"

Mulder raised his head to peer over the tombstone at a group of young people moving through the cemetery. He didn't want to attract attention, but had to warn them. "Hey! Get out of here!" he called. "There's something -" Flames shot toward him and he ducked back behind the stone.

"What's going on?" Scully asked. "Who were you yelling at?"

"There are some kids over there..." Mulder could hear them calling to each other, their voices distant, and he hoped they were heading back to their dorms.

A few minutes later, a tall, good looking young man in military fatigues came around the tombstone, startling Mulder and Scully.

"You can come out now," he grinned.

They stood up, feeling a bit foolish to find they were surrounded by a group of young people -- a dark-haired young man, a red-haired girl and a pretty blonde. Mulder recognized the redhead from the dorm, and took one of his mental leaps, turning to the blonde. "You're Buffy Summers, aren't you?"

"Who's asking?" Buffy took a step back from Mulder.

" Special Agent Fox Mulder, FBI. Just really anxious to meet the vampire slayer."

Buffy looked at him suspiciously. "The FBI believes in vampires? Sorry. Don't know what you're talking about."

"Look I know about the legend, I know about the school in LA, and I know what your medical chart looks like from last night and yet I'm standing here talking to you. How does a person who with two broken legs yesterday walk out of a hospital today?" Mulder pushed.

"Agent Mulder, as you can see those must have been the wrong hospital reports. Buffy’s trip to the hospital was nothing so dramatic –" Giles began

"So what happened? Vampire? Demon attack?" Mulder anxiously asked.

"Dorm food." Buffy responded.

"As lovely as this chat is we really need to be going." Giles interrupted firmly. "Buffy?"

Buffy, picking up Giles cue replied. "Right, I need to rest up and - um - study…"

Like a dog who's discovered a particularly tasty bone, Mulder wasn't ready to let go. "What about the fire we just saw? I think we need to figure out what that was. Look for an incendiary device."

"Agent Mulder, there's really nothing -" Giles began but then realized Mulder had already wandered off in the direction the flames had come from, flashlight in hand.

"Mulder, what exactly are you looking for?" Scully called after him.

"I’m not sure yet…" Mulder removed his jacket and began shining the flashlight around the gravestone and the air above it.

Scully simply stood shaking her head, knowing nothing she could do or say would stop him at this point. Giles, Xander, Willow, Buffy, and Riley stood quietly exchanging puzzled looks for a few moments. Buffy finally broke the silence. "Is he always this annoying?"

"He likes to think of it as 'focused’." Scully replied, looking back at her partner now crawling around on the ground.

"Ah-ha!" Mulder exclaimed, producing something looking like a claw.

Curiosity got the best of even Giles at Mulder’s declaration. As they all gathered around him Mulder held up his evidence for examination and looked at his partner. "Scully I might need your scientific opinion on this one but this looks like it could be saliva -"

Scully shook her head as she pulled out the latex gloves she had started always keeping in her pocket. "Mulder you’re not suggesting…"

Mulder shook his head shook his head and grinned. "No, no aliens this time."

The gears that had begun turning in Giles head finally clicked as he realized who these agents were. "Are you the agents assigned to the X-Files?"

Mulder and Scully exchanged a surprised look, while the Scoobies exchanged more of a confused one. "You know about the X-Files?" Mulder asked.

"I make a point of knowing about most "unexplained" things that occur, especially ones they make movies about. They filmed part of 'The Lazarus Bowl' near here, in fact."

Mulder and Scully both groaned at the mention of the movie, while Xander yawned and Willow examined her nails.

"Did the bowl actually exist?" Giles asked curiously.

"This is really fascinating but shouldn’t we be figuring out what clawey, fire-breathing guy is?" Buffy interrupted.

"Right, Buffy." Giles responded, a little embarrassed at being distracted. "Perhaps Agents Mulder and Scully could be of help to us after all."

Mulder needed no invitation. "We have a claw and some saliva and we know this thing produces fire." He began searching the area again.

Scully jumped in at this point. "Mulder, you are NOT going where I think you are with this."

Xander, who had been quiet way to long, suggested. "Puff the Magic Dragon?"

Buffy gave Xander a dirty look but before she could say anything Mulder stood up with a new piece of evidence in hand. "Unless your football team is the Sunnydale Dragons and the mascot walked by here, how else do you explain this?" Mulder held up a roughly triangular shaped object about the size of his hand, but flat. As he turned the object, the moonlight shone on the iridescent colors… purple, red, green in a muddy rainbow. "It's a scale."

"That would have to be proven," Giles and Scully spoke at the same time, but they had already lost their audience to Mulder as the group moved forward to look at the strangely beautiful object.

Giles suggested they return to his place with their new "evidence" to do some research, inviting the FBI agents to join them.

After getting directions to Giles house Mulder and Scully walked back to the hotel to retrieve their rental car. Scully could barely keep up with her partner's long strides. "Working with the slayer, now THIS could be fun," he said as they approached the car.

Scully shook her head. "Mulder, she's obviously living out some adolescent fantasy." And so are you, was the unstated implication. "She's acting out a need to feel in control, probably due to a non present father. You're the psychatrist Mulder, it's all there. She's obviously a typical teenager who's using stakes instead of tattoos to get attention."

Mulder realized he was not going to be able to convince his partner of the truth he knew. "Ok Scully, but either way there is something out there that could be a danger to the people of this town, supernatural or otherwise."

"Where's the computer?" Mulder glanced around the room.

"Um, Giles is just getting used to the horseless carriage," Xander said.

"I have my laptop." Willow pulled a slim, notebook computer out of her colorful bag.

"Never leave home without it," Buffy smiled.

Giles approached Scully, who was standing next to the door as if ready to make a hasty exit, her arms folded across her chest. "Would you like some hot tea?"

She smiled at him, one of her rare smiles that transformed her from attractive to beautiful.

Mulder was instructing Willow on accessing the FBI's database and didn't notice the two of them walk into Giles' kitchen.

"So... Agent Mulder," Xander said as he approached. "How does a guy get into the FBI, anyway? Could someone, say, living in their parents' basement become a G-Man?"

Mulder looked up at him. "I think you'd feel right at home. At least in MY division."

"We're in," Willow said.

"Great." Mulder glanced toward the door and frowned. "Where's Scully?"

"Oh, she's in the kitchen with Giles," Buffy said, just as Scully laughed.

Mulder's frown became what Scully would have recognized as his "panic face." "Agent Scully, I'd like your help out here," he said, a little too loudly.

Scully and Giles came back in to the living room as Mulder and Willow searched for any new kind of flamethrower or weapon that would have the power of what they had experienced tonight. They checked on the activities of fringe and militia groups to see if any might be in the area, but although Sunnydale might be a hotbed of demonic activity it was definitely not a political hotspot.

"We don't even get any presidential campaigns going through here," Xander commented.

Giles had picked up the scale from the coffee table and was turning it slowly in his hand, watching the light play off the colors. "Maybe it's time to investigate a more extreme possibility..." He raised his eyes to Mulder's and they both grinned.

"Oh, no," groaned Xander, Willow, Buffy and Scully in unison.

"Hello" a voice interrupted as the door opened. Spike walked in and made himself at home on the couch putting his feet up. "What are you chaps up to this evening? More guesswork on this Adam thing?"

Mulder and Scully gave this new arrival an odd looked and both looked to Giles for an explanation.

Giles removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes. "Don't ask." He replaced his glasses and looked at Spike. "Spike, to what do we owe this little visit?"

"Who are your new little friends?" Spike asked.

Giles began to answer but Mulder interrupted, pulling his badge from his coat. "I'm Special Agent Fox Mulder and this is my partner Agent Scully."

At the realization that these were government agents Spike became noticeably more nervous. "Checking up on your inititave boys?"

"Agents Mulder and Scully are assisting us in another matter." Giles turned back to the agents, dismissing Spike.

Spike continued talking. "I heard there might be some scary new beastie in town, I might have some information..." Spike trailed off, obviously wanting to trade this information for something.

"Scary new 'beastie'?" Intrigued, Mulder sat down opposite Spike. "What information might you have?"

"Nothing that we can't find out from some other, more reliable source," Giles said.

"Go hang out by the blood bank, will you? We're working here," Buffy retorted.

Spike scowled at her and stood up. "Well when the charcoal bimbettes start stackin' up outside your door, don't say I didn't warn you." He slammed the door, leaving the gang to look at one another, puzzled. Maybe Spike *did* have something useful, for once.

"We're on it," Xander said, and he and Anya set off to follow Spike.

Scully, standing in the corner, observing the bizarre proceedings, just shook her head as Mulder approached.

"Scully, I think there's something going on here..."

"Mulder, this is some kind of role-playing game, a variation on Dungeons and Dragons."

"Yeah? So what about Giles? Isn't he a little old for this sort of thing?"

Scully looked uncomfortable. "He's probably just watching out for them, to make sure things don't go too far."

Mulder leaned forward to whisper, "You're partly right. He's a Watcher, but not in the way you're referring to."

Scully rolled her eyes. "Not the slayer nonsense again."

Mulder gave her a surprised smile. "You know about the Watcher?"

"I haven't worked with you for seven years without picking up a few details on some of these legends. And that's what they are, Mulder. Legends."

His smile faded. "Guess we won't be picking out china patterns after all." He turned away before she could say anything else and walked back toward the group.

*****

Buffy didn't usually like company on patrol, unless Riley came along. It was too distracting when a vamp showed up to have to worry about innocent bystanders, and although the Scoobies could take care of themselves better than most 19 year olds in a supernatural struggle, ultimately it was up to Buffy to save the day. But Agent Mulder was very persuasive and somehow she had ended up agreeing to let him accompany her. Giles had certainly been no help. He had eagerly grasped the opportunity to spend some quality time with Agent Scully. Buffy sighed. Adults weren't really that much different from teenagers.

Mulder strolled beside her through the graveyard, keeping up a running stream of questions. How long had she been a Slayer? When had she known she was a Slayer? What weapons did she use? What was her favorite? How many vampires did she think she'd killed?

After 20 minutes Buffy was hoping for a group attack, just to shut him up. She didn't like talking to outsiders about being a Slayer, especially since she'd been a little lax in her training with starting college and meeting Riley. A girl only had 24 hours in a day, after all, and something had to take a back seat. So she made up the answers to any questions she didn't know the answers to and made a mental note to ask Giles about them later. Besides, slaying wasn't something that you trained for, like being an FBI agent. She didn't know WHY she did a lot of the things she did when fighting vamps. It came from somewhere deep inside her, some sort of collective unconscious of all Slayers.

"So what's your training regimen like?" Mulder interrupted her thoughts.

"Um..." She didn't really have what one might call a regimen. It was more of a Zen approach to slaying. Fortunately Mulder didn't seem to need an answer before going on to another question, asking her about her martial arts training.

"Ssh," she said suddenly.

"What? Is there a vampire?" Mulder hesitated and looked around.

"No, just 'ssh,' " Buffy said.

They walked in silence for a few moments. Buffy could have sworn he was pouting. Hopefully he'd be satisfied by this little adventure and would he and his skeptical partner would go back to D.C. to hunt America's Most Wanted again.

She heard the noise just ahead of them and stopped. Mulder stopped beside her, but said nothing, much to her relief. She needed to focus.

"Stay here," she whispered. As he nodded, she moved toward the sound. She could hear the soft click as he readied his gun, but didn't want to waste time telling him the weapon would be useless. Sure enough, a black-leather clad vamp jumped out from behind a weathered tombstone with a growl.

"Is that the best you can do?" Buffy said in a bored tone. The vamp leaped at her and she quickly ducked to one side. He came back and they engaged in a violent ballet of kicks and punches that would have put a prizefighter in the hospital. Buffy managed to pull one of her trusty stakes from her jacket and when the vamp came flying off the top of a nearby mausoleum, she drove it into his heart. He vanished with a howl and a cloud of dust.

"So, Agent Mulder, how did you like - " Buffy turned to see another vamp dragging the struggling FBI agent away.

This was why she liked to patrol alone.

She ran after them and got the vamp's attention with a shrill whistle. The vamp turned with a snarl at having his potential dinner interrupted. Mulder was desperately trying to pull the vamp's arm away from his throat, but might as well have been a squirming puppy.

"Hey, why don't you pick on somebody not your own size?" Buffy taunted.

The vamp grunted, apparently thinking it might be able to get a two for one meal, and tossed Mulder aside and came at Buffy.

They never got a chance to fight. As the vamp rushed forward, a huge tongue of flame shot out from the trees making the night sky as bright as noon. Buffy shielded her eyes and when she could see again a few moments later, the vampire had been reduced to ashes. She glanced over at the trees, but could see nothing. She thought she heard a faint rustling noise, but was less than enthused about going after this creature without an asbestos jumpsuit or the fire department as back up.

Hearing a low moan, she remembered Agent Mulder, who was lying by one of the tombstones, and ran over to kneel beside him. He was half-conscious, raising his head when he saw her.

"That was... ssssmokin,' " he whispered, just before he passed out.

*********

"I did not faint," Mulder said indignantly, back at Giles' house. "I hit my head on that damn tombstone."

Giles and Xander watched enviously as Scully ran her hands through Mulder's hair. "There's a pretty good sized lump back here," she murmured. "We should probably get you to the hospital."

Mulder groaned. "No hospital. Just give me a couple of aspirin."

"So you claim this - whatever it was - came out of the woods and incinerated a vampire?" Scully's eyebrow couldn't get much higher. Buffy shifted uncomfortably, but Mulder just smiled, apparently used to his partner's skepticism.

"If Buffy says that's what happened, I believe her," Xander spoke up, getting murmurs of agreement from everyone else in the room.

"But the question is, what is it?" Giles asked. "No one's ever gotten a good look at the thing. All we know is that it uses fire as some sort of weapon."

"And it has scales," Mulder added.

"And saliva," Willow put in.

Scully put up her hands as if to ward off an attack. "There are no such things as dragons."

"Who said anything about dragons?" Mulder said innocently.

She scowled at him. "It's more than likely some experimental weapon. Is there a military base anywhere in the area?

The scoobies exchanged uneasy glances, their eyes finally going to Buffy.

"There might be," she said cautiously.

"Then I think we should make contact with them, try to find out what's going on. I just wish we know someone on the inside."

"Yeah, that'd be great..." Buffy said weakly.

"Buffy..." Giles said in that 'I am your watcher and you must obey me' tone that he rarely used.

"Oh, all right. I - I think I can help."

******

"I was supposed to be home by 10," the pretty blonde girl giggled as she and her boyfriend strolled through the cemetery holding hands. He'd told her a couple of ghost stories so she'd lean close to him and was hoping to give her another scare, if his friends hadn't chickened out. That should send her straight into his arms for some comfort...maybe some naked comfort, if he played his cards right.

"Ah, it's only 11," he said. "And you're safe with me."

"Am I?" she purred.

He started walking a little faster. His two friends were supposed to be near the old mausoleum and make some scary noises as they got closer. He just hoped they hadn't brought a case out here and passed out. The old stone building loomed before them, blocking out the moonlight.

"Did I ever tell you the story of the star-crossed lovers?" he murmured in her ear.

She shivered a little. "No. Brad, this is creeping me out enough without you doing the 'urban legend' thing. I hope you didn't ask those lame friends of yours to jump out and scare us, 'cause that's NOT going to get you anywhere."

Too late to back out now. "Umm, Jen, I - "

She stopped suddenly. "Brad...What's that?" She pointed a shaking finger at the doorway to the mausoleum.

It was open.

Brad slipped an arm around her. "Jen, I have to tell you something." She snuggled against him with a little whimper and he grinned. Maybe his confession could wait until later. He didn't know how the guys had gotten the heavy stone door open, but it was a nice touch. But it smelled like they'd built a campfire while they were waiting, and Brad was pretty sure ghosts didn't have a taste for s'mores. That could ruin the whole show.

Jen was tugging at his sleeve. "Brad, let's get out of here."

"Jen, there's nothing to be afraid of. I'm here to protect you," he said loudly, hoping the guys would catch their cue.

The night was silent. As they approached the mausoleum, the smoky smell grew stronger. It was different than the rather pleasant odor of woodsmoke - this was more like something had been charred. Brad found himself starting to be a little freaked out by his own scary stories. Nothing was going on here. This was sleepy little Sunnydale. Why would anybody want to hang around here, alive OR dead? Some bum had probably just -

Jen screamed. Brad followed her horrified gaze as they walked cautiously around the mausoleum, where the moonlight revealed two blackened, twisted skeletons.

The two teens didn't hear the quiet laughter behind them as they ran. Spike stepped out from the shadows of the nearby trees and glanced toward the mausoleum.

"Very good. But that was just an appetizer, my fire-breathing friend."

************

"There are two distinct types of dragons," Giles announced, peering up from one of the many thick volumes on his desk. It was after midnight. Xander was asleep on the couch and Scully was dozing in the chair next to him. Willow was busy on her laptop. Buffy and Mulder sat on the floor, poring over musty books that wouldn't fit on Giles' desk.

"Western and Eastern," Mulder yawned.

"Western bad, Eastern good," Buffy said, showing a picture of a hideous, giant lizard-like creature with huge, sharp talons and pointed wings terrorizing a small village.

"The - uh - Western dragon is the one commonly associated with fire-breathing and other such mayhem," Giles elaborated. "Generally depicted as a cross between a dinosaur and a snake. Descriptions differ, but one characteristic is common: they belch forth fire and smoke."

"So do I, after a few Dodger dogs," Mulder muttered.

Giles cleared his throat, always hating to be interrupted. "The dragon of the east is generally illustrated as a montage of different animals, and often associated with nature -- weather, water, etc. Dragons are often considered to be teachers and are looked to for guidance. Revered. Honored."

"I get it, Giles," Buffy said.

"I don't suppose there's any chance we've just got an Eastern dragon in a really, really bad mood?" Xander said, sitting up on the couch.

Giles shook his head. "The behavior seems to indicate otherwise. These creatures are generally cave dwellers, they hunt at night, preying on the weak and young."

"That's young as in 16 and under, right?" Xander said nervously.

Giles scowled at him. "The cemetery would be a perfect place for such a predator."

Scully stood up. "If they existed!" She glanced around the room. "Look at you all, reading these myths and legends as if they were police reports. Dragons, like vampires, do NOT exist. I can understand a group of college kids falling for this, but you two -" Her laser glare made both Giles and Mulder wince. "You two should know better."

"Agent Scully," Giles stood up and walked over to her. "It's true I can't verify the existence, in the present time, of dragons. But let me assure you that vampires and other such creatures do exist, and it's a dangerous conceit to believe they do not."

Scully turned away. "I'm going back to the hotel," she said, and walked out the door.

The room was silent for a few moments. Everyone looked at Mulder.

"Uh...She's still a little jet-lagged. Excuse me." He got up and followed his partner.

"He's in looove," Willow grinned.

************

"Look, Scully, those kids are just trying to help. You've got to admit, they're more cooperative than most teenagers we've run into."

"They're too cooperative, Mulder. They're leading us on some wild goose chase. It's bad enough when you - " She broke off and focused all her attention on getting her key in the door, but her perceptive partner could finish the sentence without her help.

"Bad enough when *I* lead you on a wild chase, isn't that what you were going to say, Scully? How many times in the last seven years has one of my hunches turned out to be wrong? I thought you had more respect for me by now."

"Mulder, I - "

"Never mind. I'll see you in the morning." He walked off to his own hotel room as she stared after him, unable to get her apology past her lips.

**********

Scully was awakened by a pounding at her door the next morning. She dragged on her robe and opened the door to find Mulder hastily dressed in a t-shirt and jeans, still with a serious case of bed-hair, but with an all-too-familiar light in his eyes. "Get dressed, Scully. We've got bodies."

They used their FBI badges to make their way through the crowd that had gathered at the gates of the cemetery, the curious and the ghoulish, with a few reporters mixed in. One of the old mausoleums had been roped off with the usual yellow "Crime Scene" tape, and several uniformed and plainclothes detectives were trampling through the area. A couple of men in suits were leaning over some object on the right side of the mausoleum. Mulder lifted the tape for Scully then ducked under it himself and they approached the two.

One was apparently the ME, making notes on a chart and measuring something. The other man seemed to just be observing. "FBI," Mulder said as they approached. "Is there something -"

The observer stood up, blocking their view of the crime scene and moved forward, effectively stopping their progress. From his old-fashioned buzz hair cut and impossibly erect posture, Mulder guessed him as military. That was never a good sign. "Nothing to see here, agents."

"Look, my partner is a forensics expert," Mulder said, ignoring Scully's surprised glance. "We were told that the ME required special assistance." The man scowled at Mulder, then at Scully, before he reluctantly stepped aside. "It's so refreshing to see such cooperation among governmental agencies," Mulder muttered as they approached the medical examiner, who was standing up.

"A forensics expert?" Scully said.

"Well, I didn't think 'forensics amateur' would get us anywhere. Besides, don't be so modest. You're the best, Scully." She wished the compliment didn't mean quite so much to her.

The medical examiner looked a bit green around the gills as he turned in their direction.

"What can you tell us?" Scully said, already pulling out her ever-present pair of latex gloves.

The middle-aged, balding man glanced at his charts. "Two bodies, burned beyond recognition. We'll have to go to dental records for these, although I'm guessing they were from the local college. We found some empty beer bottles nearby. Kids like to come here to drink."

"What was the inflammatory agent? Gasoline?"

The man lowered his eyes. "Uh...We haven't been able to figure that one out."

Mulder stepped forward. "Are you saying you can't find a cause for the fire?"

The ME glanced behind them, where the military man stood unashamedly eavesdropping. "There doesn't seem to be, no," he whispered. "There's some minor singeing on the stone and in the grass, but if it was some kind of inflammatory agent, the damage would be more widespread. This was concentrated,

almost as if - "

"They spontaneously combusted?" Mulder asked.

"Oh no..." Scully groaned.

"You said it, I didn't," the man said, and hurried off.

Mulder stared after him. "Gee, I wonder what he would have done if I'd suggested this was a dragon attack."

Scully sighed and walked over to examine the bodies. Mulder decided to investigate the surrounding area, trusting her to be objective with her findings, no matter what her personal feelings were. It was a bit too early in the morning for him to be leaning over a charred corpse, anyway. He wandered in a widening circle around the mausoleum, carefully observing the surroundings, including the spectators. They had often found that criminals liked to return to the scene of the crime and watch the law enforcement officers try to catch up to them. And while he didn't think this was probably the work of some local pyromaniac, he needed to be open to the more mundane possibilities as well as the more extreme ones. Scully had taught him that.

The grass had been trampled by too many feet to yield any kind of decent footprint that could be readily identified. Mulder hated being the last to arrive on the scene, but he'd only found out about this because he'd been out early for a run and had seen the squad cars heading toward the cemetery. He located the beer bottles, which might or might not have belonged to the crispy critters, and made a mental note to come back and get them for fingerprints. Other than that, he found nothing until he got closer to the tree line. Near the edge of the forest, in some soft dirt, was the distinct impression of some kind of animal's foot. Heavy, by the depth of the indentation, with four claws or talons.

After some careful searching, he found another one a short distance into the woods itself, although it was a bit smeared. Possibly a bear or cougar, he heard Scully say in the back of his mind, even as the vision of a serpent-like creature that breathed smoke took shape in his vivid imagination. Then he saw the tree. The bark had been stripped off from a point about eight feet high nearly to the ground, but it hadn't been cleanly stripped. It was as if something had clawed at it, like some giant cat using it as a scratching post. Mulder hurried over, hoping to find a claw similar to the one he'd found previously, not that far from here.

Moments later he'd found not only a claw, but some remnants that looked like pieces of the scale they had discovered. He took his evidence back to Scully, who had completed her examination and was waiting by the mausoleum for him.

"It wasn't spontaneous human combustion," she said as he opened his mouth.

"I know."

Then she saw what he held in his hands. "Oh, Mulder..."

He gave them to her. "I want you to have these analyzed. Run any test you want on them. Dragon or not, there's something in these woods that's hungry. Maybe if we know more about it, we can stop it."

"Where am I supposed to find a decent lab facility around here?" she demanded, her hands on her hips. "I'll be lucky to find a space at the local hospital to do a basic autopsy."

"Well, we can send 'em off. With the college nearby this thing isn't going to have to go far looking for food."

Scully sighed. "This 'thing' is probably some military experiment gone awry. Or a case of some kids being in the wrong place at the wrong time."

One of the policemen was taking a little too much interest in their conversation, so Mulder pulled Scully to one side and lowered his voice. "Scully, you believe what you have to. All I'm asking is that we look at all the possibilities here."

She pulled away. "No, Mulder, you're not. As usual, you're looking at the most extreme possibilities first. Rupert and those kids have set your imagination on fire -- no pun intended -- and you're not willing to look at the most logical answer to all this."

"That's because the most logical answer isn't necessarily...Rupert?"

Scully blushed. "He said I could call him that."

Mulder sighed and started to say something, then shook his head. "Okay, take whatever logical course you need to take. I'm going to get some help and see if we can track this thing. From what I found in the woods it doesn't seem to care who follows it." He pulled out his cell phone, but Scully put her hand over his before he could dial.

"Mulder...be careful."

He smiled. "Always."

************

While Scully accompanied the two bodies to Sunnydale Hospital, fielding questions from the curious EMTs and cops, Mulder waited anxiously near the woods for the Scoobies to arrive. He was tempted to chase after the predator on his own, but Giles and his crew knew this area, and he was curious to see Buffy again. He'd heard all the legends of slayers over the years, but had never expected to meet a real one, and he had dozens of questions to ask, even though Buffy seemed reluctant to discuss her unusual occupation. And while he had his dragon theory, in a place called the hellmouth, this creature could be just about anything ever conjured up by man's warped imagination. Probably good to have a vampire slayer around as back up.

The gang arrived shortly afterward, except for Willow, who had a chemistry test to study for, and started following the large tracks through the woods. Giles noted that it seemed to walk on four legs and had a lengthy stride -- probably several feet in length. Xander pointed out the broken branches about 12 feet overhead, and they began to get an idea of the size of the monster. They found a few more scales and some bushes and trees that had been burnt to a crisp, as if struck by lightning. Or at least that's what Scully would have proposed, Mulder thought, as he examined the charred remains.

"Shouldn't you be wearing some kind of protective gloves?" Giles asked.

"Oh...Uh, they're in my other coat." Mulder always got so caught up in whatever he was examining that he often forgot the latex, much to Scully's dismay. He pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket and scooped up some of the ash.

Buffy, who had been looking bored for the last few yards, glanced around with more interest. "Isn't this near Spike's newest place?"

"You think this thing is a vampire?" Mulder asked.

"No, but I think maybe Spike knows more than he's telling us. The military put some kind of chip in his neck to keep him from hurting humans. They were doing experiments on vamps and demons. Who knows what he might do with all that free time, since he can't kill?"

"You think perhaps Spike conjured this ... creature?" Giles asked, looking intrigued.

"Let's go check it out," Xander said, and started crashing through the underbrush, only to stop after a few feet and turn back to the group with a sheepish grin. "I have no idea where I'm going."

Buffy took the lead and they went deeper into the woods, moving into a much older part of the cemetary, neglected and overgrown. The few tombstones that still stood were weathered and cracked, many of them in pieces, creating a treacherous landscape to walk in. No casual sightseer would venture back here, making the broken-down

crypt that hunched in the middle of a small clearing a perfect, private hiding place.

Buffy and Xander pounded on the front door, then tried the lock.

"Wouldn't he be...um...asleep?" Mulder asked.

"Contrary to popular belief, vampires are active during the daylight hours, they just can't be in the sun. Spike is probably watching Oprah," Giles said.

"Oprah?"

"Or 'Passions,'" Xander said, as he and Buffy came back to the group.

Giles smiled at Mulder's disappointed expression. "Don't believe everything you see in the movies, Agent Mulder."

"So should we break down the door?" Xander asked, looking a little too eager.

Giles shook his head. "We have no real evidence to think Spike is involved in this. Buffy, perhaps tonight when you're on patrol you might take a look around this area."

"Only if I'm wearing my asbestos jacket," Buffy remarked. "What if I run into this whatever it is? Do we know how to kill it?"

Giles and Mulder exchanged glances.

"You don't happen to have any magic swords around, do you?" Mulder asked.

"As a matter of fact, I do," Giles replied. "St. George wasn't the only famous knight, you know. The Giles family had more than it's share of heroes. Well, sidekicks of heroes. Anyway... I happen to have inherited a broadsword from one of my ancestors that is reputed to have magical powers."

"Reputed?" Xander asked. "As in 'we're not really sure, but we think it might kill a fire-breathing dragon'?"

Giles shrugged. "There hasn't been any reason to try it out for the past thousand years or so."

"So we're not exactly sure what we're fighting and we're not exactly sure the weapon will work against it?" Mulder said.

"What else is new?" Buffy sighed.

As they walked off to prepare for the evening, Giles grabbed Mulder's arm. "Um..Agent Mulder. Do you think Dana would accept if I were to invite her to dinner?"

"Well, she's .... Dana?"

"She said I could call her that." Giles hesitated. "Is she seeing someone?"

"Um...not in the widely accepted definition of the term."

************

Scully wasn't at the hotel when Mulder arrived, so after reading a little more dragon lore from one of the books he'd picked up at Giles', he took a swim in the hotel pool, then settled in to flip channels while he snacked on sunflower seeds. But his mind wasn't on the infomercial that he finally stopped on -- he was trying to put together the evidence with his own intuition and determine if they really were on the trail of a dragon. Despite his comments to Scully, he was more than willing to accept a logical explanation for what was happening. It was just that logic didn't play a large part in most x-files and he got the feeling Sunnydale would fill a file cabinet with unexplained events. And when in Rome, or in this case, a

Hellmouth...

His partner entered the room just as he was placing an order for pizza from a local restaurant. She looked exhausted, and he quickly cleared the bed off for her. She flopped down and kicked off her shoes with a sigh, as he wondered what her reaction would be if he offered to rub her feet. She'd probably either laugh in his face or slap him, neither of which was very appealing, so he brought her a glass of ice water instead.

"Not much that we didn't already know. There was no identifiable agent of combustion. No noticeable accelerant or chemicals. We couldn't tell much from the bodies themselves with the limited facilities here..."

"Scully...? What else?" He'd learned early in their partnership how to tell when she was hiding something from him.

She sighed. "I found traces of ...mucus and saliva. Reptilian, as far as anyone could tell."

"As if a giant lizard of some kind might have breathed out an intense fire?" Mulder suggested innocently.

"I'm just reporting the facts," Scully frowned. "I have no interpretation as yet, pending further tests."

"How about the claw and the scale?"

"The two *objects* do appear to have some biological properties, but I'm certainly not ready to hypothesize what animal they may have been derived from. I had them sent to L.A. for further examination."

They were interrupted by the arrival of the pizza delivery man. As they ate, Mulder told her about discovering Spike’s crypt and about the Scoobies' notion that the vampire was somehow involved.

Scully began to laugh. "Mulder, if you could hear yourself... This theory is wild even for you. A vampire summons a dragon to do his evil work for him?"

"Not necessarily for evil. Maybe he never had a dog as a kid."

She shook her head, still smiling. "So what's next?"

It was his turn to smile. Despite her objections, despite her arguments, he could always recognize when Scully was hooked. "We're going back to the cemetery tonight. Buffy is going to patrol and Giles is bringing a broadsword that we hope has magical powers."

"I don't suppose just a regular sword, or even a gun, would suffice?"

"You have to fight magic with magic, Scully. Hope you packed something flame-retardant."

************

"...Princess Sabra was saved from her cruel fate by the young and brave St. George, who wounded the monster with his magic sword. The princess wrapped her sash around the creature's head and led it into town where St. George slew it with a mighty blow."

"That's it? Why don't these accounts ever give details?" Buffy pouted. "Just once I'd like to have someone give me step-by-step instructions."

"Yes, well, perhaps when you write *your* memoirs you'll include diagrams and charts," Giles retorted.

Willow looked up from the sword she'd been examining. "There is evidence of magic on the sword," she said, "But it's faint, probably worn out from lack of use. I think I can restore it -- not to full strength, but probably enough to do some damage."

Xander and Anya walked in at that moment, carrying two fire extinguishers.

"I don't think..." Giles began.

"Oh, this won't kill dragons," Anya said. "But if you spray it in their eyes they can't see. They have very bad eyesight anyway. I think it's all that smoke."

"Anyway..." Xander said. "We thought it might help to have a distraction."

At that moment there was a knock at the door. Giles opened it to reveal Riley, who greeted everyone as he entered and gave Buffy a quick kiss.

"Buffy, can I talk to you...in private?"

"Sure." They walked outside and stood in the cool evening air. "This new creature you're after. The Initiative has found out about it. You need to get to it before they do. If they can harness that power..."

Buffy nodded. "Thanks for letting me know. You're taking a big risk."

He smiled. "You're worth it."

They drifted into the shadows. When Buffy came back in, no one commented on the grass stains on her clothes.

"Scully, how do you do that without detaching a retina?" Mulder asked as they sat in the hotel room later. He was on the bed, notes and laptop in front of him, along with a couple of dusty books he'd borrowed from Giles.

"What are you talking about?"

In response, he rolled his eyes.

Scully frowned at him. "Would you rather I tell these people flat out that I think all this is nonsense and we should have been on a plane back to D.C. by now?" She had been sitting in one of the plaid upholstered chairs and stood up, walking over to the plaid-draped window, her body vibrating with tension. Mulder could tell she was struggling to rein in her anger. Sometimes he thought it might be more healthy if she threw a plate or kicked a wall or even punched him.

"They're playing us, Mulder, making us participants in this bizarre little game." Scully didn't like to be fooled. For that matter, neither did he -- but he was much more accepting of his failures in that area if it ultimately led to discovering the truth. Still...vampires, slayers, dragons, magic swords...It was a lot to

take in for a believer, much less a skeptic. If he hadn't already known about the history of this place, he might be a little less convinced that this was much more than just a variation on Dungeons and Dragons. But Scully wouldn't have believed the legends, either. She did, however, generally respond well to compromise.

"Okay, Scully. Just humor me a couple more hours. We'll go on patrol -- " Catching her expression, he quickly amended, "*I'll* go on patrol with the scoobies --"

"Scoobies?" That one got him the eyebrow arch.

"That's what they call themselves. You know, after Scooby Doo and..." he trailed off, flushing under her scrutiny. He'd forgotten that the only TV she generally watched were documentaries and a handful of old movies. "Uh...anyway...I'll go with them tonight and if we don't find anything, it's back to DC tomorrow."

"Tomorrow morning?"

"Tomorrow afternoon."

"Late morning."

"11:30."

"10:30. Final offer."

"Okay." He knew when to retreat. Then he glanced at his watch. "I'd better get ready."

Scully stood up. "When are we leaving?"

"Uh...Didn't we just discuss that?"

"I mean tonight." She gave a little smile at his look of confusion. "If you're going to go prowling around a graveyard in the middle of the night, I'd better come along with the medical bag."

He couldn't hide his grin. Ah, Scully. She always kept him guessing. Of course she wanted to protect him - he'd come to rely more than he wanted to on her watching his back -- but he could also

tell she was just a wee bit curious. If she honestly thought nothing was out there, she wouldn't hesitate to order room service and read a book.

"10:00," he said. "Bring the burn salve."

That earned him one last eyeroll before she walked out the door.

______

"Xander, please put the sword down," Giles said in the long-suffering tone of a parent with a particularly ill-behaved child. Xander pouted, but set the sword back in its black velvet case. The

weapon was built for beauty as well as function -- sleek and deadly, the four-foot long blade gleamed in the light. It was made of a metal that Giles explained was a secret combination known only to his family -- a special blend of raw materials that gave the weapon a lightness for ease of use in battle, but at the same time a ferocious strength that made it virtually unbreakable and ensured a killing thrust. The handle was gold plated and jeweled, but would still fit securely in a warrior's hand. The stones had been specifically chosen

to give the bearer power and strength. Willow had done her best to weave new magic with the old, to

strengthen the sword and renew its energy, but there was no way to test it out. Anya's suggestion that they sneak into the zoo was quickly and soundly rejected. So all they could do was wait, something that none of them particularly enjoyed, but least of all Buffy, who didn't feel she had anything to contribute if not in the heat of battle. She'd been complaining for the last half hour, in between asking what time it was.

"At least with vamps all you need is a stake," she muttered. "No special powers, no magic potions...Maybe a stake would work on this dragon."

"Oh, sure. Let's fight a firebreathing creature with kindling," Xander retorted.

"Let's not snap at one another," Giles intervened. "We can leave when Dana and ...uh..."

"Mulder," Anya supplied.

"Er, yes. When Dana and her partner arrive."

Willow and Buffy exchanged amused glances.

"Giles, are you blushing?" Willow grinned.

He was stammering out an explanation when there was a knock at the door. Buffy opened it and Mulder and Scully entered. "Dana, it's nice to see you again," Giles greeted as the scoobies snickered

and Mulder looked irritated at not being included in the welcome.

"So, what's the plan?" he asked, moving into the room, eying the fire extinguisher, sword, and Buffy's assortment of weapons with a mixture of curiosity and amusement.

"Well, we know where this thing hangs out, probably near its nest or whatever dragons call home sweet home," Buffy said. "We're going to flush it out and kill it."

"Simple but effective," Xander commented.

"We hope," Buffy added. "At least with vamps there are specific ways to dust them."

"Should I have loaded my gun with silver bullets?" Scully asked, as she and Giles joined the conversation.

"That's werewolves, Scully," Mulder chided. "Seven years together. Have you learned nothing?"

"I've learned that sometimes you can be a real --"

"Hey, we should probably get going," Xander interrupted.

They walked to the cemetery through a night that was surprisingly quiet. Apparently word had spread about the new entity in town and everyone was laying low to see what was going to happen. The

graveyard was still as as they wandered past the headstones, but it felt more like the eye of the storm than the calm afterward. Everyone's senses were on full alert, despite the silence and the only movement

being the rustle of the trees. As they approached the mausoleum where the bodies had been found, Buffy stopped and sniffed the air.

"I smell smoke," she murmured. The group took a firmer grip on their weapons and moved a little closer together, forming a loose circle facing outward.

"There's your dragon," Scully said, pointing at a figure sitting on top of the old stone building. A tiny orange flicker wavered in the shadows. Spike jumped down from his perch and stubbed out his cigarette.

"Can't a bloke even enjoy a cig in private?" he complained, then sneered at the huddle. "Since when is slaying a group activity?"

"Since there's a new big bad in town," Buffy said, stepping forward. "You hinted the other day that you knew something, Spike." A sharp wooden stake suddenly appeared in her hand. "Feel like talking?"

"Not unless you've got a roll of $20s in the other hand," Spike retorted.

They were interrupted by a bright flashlight beam as two new figures approached. "Hey, what are you kids doing out here?" A Sunnydale police car sat near the entrance to the cemetery. Everyone had been too absorbed in Buffy's conversation with Spike to notice the cops' arrival.

Spike took advantage of Buffy's momentary distraction to disappear into the darkness. Weapons also mysteriously vanished as the policemen came closer. One put his hand on his gun, at which point Mulder stepped forward and pulled out his badge.

"Official FBI business," he said in his best "I'm-a-fed-don't- mess-with-me" tone.

The officers looked at the badge then at each other, clearly stumped and still a bit suspicious of the motley crew. "Sir, if you wouldn't mind waiting while we just check --"

They were interrupted by a bright flash to the east and a muffled roar. Flames shot into the night.

"That's the business district," one of the police officers said. "Let's go."

They ran off, leaving the others to stand near the mausoleum, staring at the unnatural glow in the eastern sky.

"Do you think...?" Xander left the sentence unfinished as Buffy nodded.

They heard the fire engines as she picked up the sword. "If it's still got a lair here it'll come back. We should look around and see if we can find anything unusual."

"In Sunnydale? Shouldn't be too hard," Xander commented.

"Scully and I will head over to the crime scene. We can use our credentials to get a good look around, maybe find some more evidence." Mulder glanced around. "Scully?"

His partner was halfway to the cemetary gates. He quickly excused himself and ran after her.

"Willow, why don't you go back to the house and do some more research. Perhaps we can discover how this thing was summoned and how to send it back to wherever it came from," Giles said. "I should

accompany the two agents in case we need to use the sword."

"I think Agent Mulder could probably --" Willow trailed off at Giles' glare. "Uh...use your help?"

The area was soon empty, except for the lone figure still lurking in the shadows of the mausoleum. A match flickered and flared to life, illuminating Spike's pale, sharp features. He lit a cigarette and took a deep drag as he smiled at the sound of more fire engines racing toward the blaze a few miles away.

"Good boy," he murmured. "Good dragon."

"Scully, wait up."

"Mulder, this is ridiculous. Those kids have seen too many teen horror movies and you're just giving credence to their claims. We're wasting time here when there are *real* cases to be dealt with waiting for us back home."

Mulder grabbed Scully's arm, stopping her progress, forcing her to turn around and look at him. "Scully, you admitted it yourself, there *is* a predator here." He gestured at the glowing sky. "Someone or something set that fire."

"Then let the local field office handle it."

"Come on. You and I both have more than enough vacation time built up to spend a few more days here. Just humor me, Scully."

She pulled away. "You keep saying that, Mulder, and I've tried to be patient. Contrary to what you might think, I do respect your hunches and your theories. But in case you've forgotten, we're leaving tomorrow morning. I'm going back to the hotel and pack."

"I'm going to the crime scene."

"Just be back in time to get to the airport," she called as he picked up the pace and walked away from her. She thought he mumbled something like "Sure. Fine. Whatever," but wasn't in the mood to ask him to repeat his comment.

"You're not going with him, Dana?" Giles came up behind her and she managed a smile, despite her frustration with the inhabitants of Sunnydale at that moment, even the attractive British bookish ones.

"I need to finish packing."

"You don't believe any of this, do you?" He smiled sadly, as if she was a little girl who'd just said she didn't believe in Santa Claus.

"I'm afraid not," she replied, and began walking. Giles fell into step beside her.

"If you'd seen the things I've seen..."

She chuckled. "You sound like my partner. Rupert, I've seen plenty in my time with the X-files, and contrary to what everyone seems to think, I'm not completely close- minded. I simply need some kind of evidence beside some ash and old legends."

"Then come with us."

She shook her head. "No. Not this time. It's late, I'm tired, and we have a flight back to Washington tomorrow morning, dragon or no dragon." She glanced at the broadsword.

"Rupert, do me one favor. Don't let Mulder get his hands on that sword. I'm low on bandages."

Meanwhile, Anya and Xander trailed Buffy at what they hoped was a safe distance. "What makes you think those two like each other?" Anya asked as they picked their way through the underbrush. "All they ever do is argue."

He squeezed her shoulder and smiled at her.

"Oh. I see." She smiled back. "Can we go home now?"

Xander sighed. "No, Anya. We're looking for the dragon's lair. Maybe that'll give us some clue as to how it got here or how we can get rid of it."

"Why can't we help Willow and Giles, back at the house, where it's safe and there are cookies?"

"Because the last time you helped, Willow spent hours cleaning the cookie crumbs out of the computer keyboard." Xander pulled her a little closer as she pouted. "Just a little while longer and then -- whoa!" He came to a halt, jerking her back as she almost stepped in a pile of what appeared to be small logs.

"What is it?" Buffy appeared from the darkness.

All three of them covered their noses as a nauseating smell permeated the area, a cross between old fireplace ashes and manure.

"Ugh. What is that smell?" Anya said.

Xander pointed to the log pile. "I'd say we found the dragon's litter box."

"Are you saying...? Eeewww." The three of them backed away.

"We must be close," Buffy said, giving the mess a wide berth as she began to search the area for other signs of habitation.

After a few minutes they had found nothing except another, older pile of excrement, much to Anya's disgust. "Don't dragons live in caves? We should be looking for a cave," she said.

"Right. Because there are so many in Sunnydale," Xander replied.

Undeterred, Anya continued, "Or a cavey place, somewhere big and dark and spooky, like a rabbit hole." She shuddered at the thought of those furry little monsters.

"Maybe we should go back and see how Willow's doing," Buffy sighed.

"We're not getting ... Wait a minute." She bent down and picked something up off the ground. "I *knew* Spike had to be involved somehow," she said, holding up a cigarette butt. "And his mausoleum is big, dark, and spooky."

The trio went off in search of Spike, who at that moment was across town, viewing his pet's latest activities with delight. The old warehouse had gone up quickly, setting fire to several other buildings in the area, destroying inventory and property in Sunnydale's struggling business district. He was a bit disappointed that the firefighters had contained the blaze before it could reach the shopping area and destroy Giles' precious magic store or that pretentious coffee place, but the devastation was enough to give him a cold satisfaction. His pet was nowhere in sight however.

That was a bit of a problem, he had to admit. At first the beast had been docile and eager to please, obeying each and every command. Then it had begun to wander off on its own, frequently ignoring his summons to return, until now it was as bad as a damned cat. But Spike was still in control. Pretty much.

He smiled as he watched Giles and the fed sift through the ashes, wondering what the fibbies thought of Giles' tales of dragons and knights.

Mulder had forgotten to bring along a pair of latex gloves, and stopped himself just before he scooped up ash with his bare hands. Scully was always after him about that. He pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket, wondering if he'd gone too far this time. Was he really chasing at shadows, letting this group play him for a fool? No. He knew the stories of the vampire slayers were documented in several ancient texts and first-hand accounts. Buffy was for real. As for the dragon, they certainly had enough evidence to suggest that if this was an arsonist, he or she was covered in scales and had somehow learned to breathe fire. Not that that would be the strangest entry in the X-files cabinet, but it would probably make the

top 10.

"Do you think it's the same?" Giles leaned over Mulder's shoulder as he examined the ash.

"Hard to tell without a chemical analysis," Mulder replied. "Scully sent some to a lab in LA. We'll send this sample in tomorrow."

"Er...won't you be on your way back to Washington tomorrow?"

Mulder stood up and shoved the handkerchief in his pocket. "Possibly."

"Dana -- Agent Scully -- seemed adamant about your prompt return."

"Agent Scully is often adamant about one thing or another. However, this *is* still a partnership. I also have some say in whether we leave tomorrow."

Giles stifled a chuckle but not in time to keep Mulder from scowling at him. They moved slowly through the area, along with a few firefighters and policemen, avoiding patches that were still smoldering, steering clear of the unstable structures that creaked and moaned in death throes.

"Your ... partnership," Giles ventured. "Is it strictly professional?"

Mulder had been examining what he thought might be a scale, but turned out to be a piece of window glass. "Huh?"

Under Mulder's steady gaze, Giles lost his nerve. "I said, your partner is very professional."

"She keeps me honest," Mulder said simply.

"And what do you do for her?" Giles murmured, but Mulder had already moved ahead and didn't hear the comment.

NEW STUFF:
Spike headed home with a celebratory bottle of whiskey and a new pack of cigarettes. He picked up the scent of human blood a few yards away from home, and once again cursed the Initiative and the damn chip that had made hunting impossible. The smell of blood to a vampire was like the smell of homecooked food to people and his mouth began to water as he approached the mausoleum. "Oh, it's you," he murmured as Buffy stepped out of the shadows. "We can do this the hard way, or...well, I guess just the
hard way," Buffy smiled. "What do you know about this new demon or whatever it is?"

Spike took a swig of whiskey. "Got a lot of firepower," he smirked.
"Funny. Did you summon it?"

"Look, this is entertaining, but I'm missing my show." Spike moved to step around Buffy only to find her in his way.

"Too bad. What is this thing? How do we get rid of it?"

Spike shrugged.

Buffy looked thoughtful. "Hmm. Maybe I'll go to the Initiative. They'd be very interested in a new weapon with such destructive capabilities. Probably drop the vamp program altogether and you could just forget about them ever taking that chip out of your neck. Come to think of it, what use would any of the vampires be anymore..."

"Shut up!" Spike swung at her, stopping himself just in time to avoid a violent headache, then sighed."I'd rather let you incompetents have my pet than those bastards."

"Your *pet*?"

"Do you have any idea how bloody boring life is for a vampire that can't hunt and kill? I summoned this thing to break up the monotony and light my cigarettes. He was a tiny little bloke at first, used to sit on my lap while I watched TV..." Spike trailed off with a nostalgic smile that slowly changed to a smirk. "Don't know how it developed such a hatred for humans."

"How do we stop this thing?"

"Love, I can't even call it to dinner anymore." Then he paused and sniffed the air. "But I'd suggest you just follow your nose."

Buffy's keen sense of smell picked up the acrid aroma of smoke, and not from Spike's cigarettes. "Come on." She grabbed his arm as he started to enter the mausoleum. "You started this, you're going to help finish it."

Mulder arrived at the hotel to find that Scully had vanished. Remembering her earlier anger, he had a moment of panic before noticing that her suitcase was still in the room. But where was she?

"Where's Giles?" Willow glanced up from the book of spells as Buffy and Spike entered.

"He's not here?" Buffy asked, slinging Spike into a nearby chair.

Xander looked up from polishing the sword. "We haven't seen him since we split up earlier. Agent Mulder came back without him."

"That's odd," Buffy murmured. "Maybe I should go look for him."

At that moment Anya walked in the front door. "Guess who I saw at the Sunnydale Diner? Giles and that FBI agent, Scully. They were..." she glanced around and lowered her voice. "...having coffee."

Willow grinned. "Ooh, coffee. The elixir of love."

"I'd like to be a fly on that wall," Xander commented.

Anya wrinkled her nose. "Why would you want to be a fly? They're disgusting. But if you really want to be a fly, Willow could probably --"

"No, Anya, I meant...Never mind."

"Cream, Dana?"

"Thank you."
Scully sipped her coffee as Giles dipped the tea bag in his hot water. "So..." she said, "You've given me the entire history of Sunnydale, but I still don't know anything about you."

Giles focused on the tea bag. "Well...uh...I -- There's not that much to tell."

"Somehow I doubt that. How did you come to be the father figure for Buffy and her friends?" Giles dropped the tea bag on the floor. "Buffy is...I mean, there were extenuating...Er...The FBI, you say? Fascinating. How long have you and Agent Mulder been together?"

Scully smiled at his blatant attempt to change the subject.

"Seven years."

"That's longer than a lot of marriages."

It was Scully's turn to blush, suddenly engrossed with the packet of sweetener. "We're partners. I ... respect Agent Mulder, and we both trust each other, but there's no...um..."

"Fire."

She glanced up, glowing brighter red, then noticed that Giles wasn't looking at her. He was staring out the window past her.

"Fire!" someone yelled as people began running past outside and fire engines wailed in the distance. The restaurant became a mob scene with everyone headed for the door, screaming and shattering dishes.

Giles and Scully remained at the table until they could move safely. "That must be our arsonist," Scully said as they walked outside, coughing a bit in the smoky air. Instead of following the others away from the glow of the flames, they walked toward the end of the street where the heat became more and more intense.

"Our...arsonist, yes," Giles murmured. "I don't suppose I could convince you that --"

"Mulder?" Scully walked away from Giles to meet up with her partner, who was picking his way through the firefighters. "How did you know about the fire?"

"Willow is monitoring the police scanner." Mulder gave Giles a suspicious glance before returning his attention to Scully. "Where have you been?"

"We were down the street, having coffee," Scully replied.

"Actually, I had tea," Giles put in helpfully, wincing when Mulder scowled at him. "Um...have we found out anything?"

Mulder began to walk away from the intense heat and Giles and Scully followed. "Yes. The vampire, Spike, apparently summoned this creature out of boredom and now he claims he can't control the thing. But we've got a plan to lure it into a trap at the mausoleum tonight --" He glanced at the fire raging behind them. "Hopefully before Sunnydale is burnt to a crisp. Scully, do you have your medical bag?"

"Not with me."

"Why don't you go back and get it. Be sure you've got supplies for burns. Giles, you come with me. You're the only one who can handle that sword."

"Sword?" Scully's eyebrow almost disappeared into her hairline.

"Yes. Sword. Better bring some bandages too," Mulder said, already walking off into the darkness. Giles turned helplessly to Scully, who waved him away. "Go ahead. I'll catch up," she sighed.

"Here, dragon, dragon...Here boy. Uh, girl. Do they come in both kinds?" Xander asked.

No one responded. They were all posted in strategic positions around the mausoleum with weapons and as much protective gear as they could pull together without raiding the fire station.

Several yards away, Buffy was keeping a close eye on Spike, who was leaving a trail of charcoal briquets to entice the creature. "He loves these things," Spike said sadly. "I was teaching him to fetch with them."

Buffy rolled her eyes. "Just hurry up."

They both heard the rustle in the bushes at the same time, then a snorting sound. The faint smell of smoke drifted towards them. "Come on," Buffy whispered, dragging Spike behind her as he dropped a trail of treats for his pet to follow.

They arrived at the mausoleum to find everyone on high alert. Giles clutched the sword in the small clearing in front of the old stone structure while the others waited along the sidelines, ready to help.

"He's com --" Buffy's announcement was interrupted by a roar and a flash of flame that sent Giles stumbling backward. The dragon lumbered into the clearing, at first looking for more treats. Then it noticed the man with the sword and raised up on its haunches. Nearly 10 feet tall, it was covered with snakelike scales that gleamed in the moonlight. It's face more resembled a lizard's with it's huge jaws and beady black eyes. The front feet were slightly smaller than the back feet, allowing the creature to walk on all fours or to move briefly along on it's two thick back legs.

After only a moment of hesitation, Giles yelled something in Latin and charged the beast. The dragon reared back slightly in surprise, and then with a noise surprisingly like a snicker, whipped its tail around, knocking Giles off his feet. The sword flew out of his hand, nearly slicing off Xander's arm.

"Giles, are you okay?" Buffy shouted, all thought of secrecy now abandoned. A groan was her only answer.

Meanwhile, Mulder grabbed the sword and ran forward with a yell. Using the distraction, Buffy signaled everyone into action and they all ran out with their weapons. The dragon suddenly vanished, leaving them standing in a circle staring at each other. Mulder stumbled to a stop just before ramming the sword into a tree. "What the hell...?"

"I sent him back to his own dimension," Spike announced. "At least I think I did. I wasn't about to stand here and watch you bloody idiots kill my dragon. He was only doing what comes naturally."

Xander and Anya helped Giles to unsteady feet as Buffy walked over to Spike. "Spike, do us a favor. Next time you get bored, take up knitting."

He flipped his middle finger at her and stalked off into the dark.

"I...I didn't slay the dragon...?" Giles asked, still a little dazed.

"What dragon?" Scully came into the clearing carrying her medical bag.

"You didn't see it?" Willow asked.

"She never does," Mulder sighed.

"Rupert!" Scully ran over to Giles and began to check him for injuries. Determining that he had a minor concussion and some bruises, but no serious wounds, she accompanied the group back to Giles' house, remaining silent as they talked about what they had seen. The only time she spoke was to mention to Mulder that it was after midnight and they had a plane to catch the next day.

"Oh. Yeah." Mulder looked like a kid who'd just been told summer vacation was over. "Well, there's nothing else for us to investigate here, anyway..." They said their goodbyes and left Giles' house.

As soon as the door closed, Buffy sighed in relief. "It'll be nice to go on patrol without all those questions," she said.

"I wonder when he'll tell her he's in love with her," Willow asked, gazing out the window.

"No, *she's* in love with him," Xander said.

"Sure, that's why she had coffee with Giles," Anya remarked.

"I had tea," Giles said wearily. "And it's none of our business. All of you go away now."

Mulder and Scully settled in to their seats, Scully pulling a science journal out of her briefcase. The two of them had barely spoken on the way to the airport and Mulder had spent most of the time waiting for their flight in the airport gift shop. After the attendants gave their instructions and the plane lifted off the runway, Scully opened her magazine.

"You still think this was all a wild goose chase, don't you?" Mulder murmured.

"Mulder, I don't know what to think at this point. I just want to sleep in my own bed tonight."

"I know what I saw. It was a dragon, Scully, a genuine scale-covered, firebreathing dragon and I would have slain it if it hadn't disappeared."

"Mulder, I'm sure if there were dragons to slay, you'd be right up there with St. George. But you might want to keep that story to yourself if you don't want another psych evaluation."

He sank back into the seat. "And once again, we're left with nothing. No proof -- not of the Slayer or the dragon."

They sat in silence for a few minutes, then Mulder spoke again. "So...did you enjoy your coffee in Sunnydale?"

"Yes, I did."

"Are you planning to drink coffee in Sunnydale in the future?"

She gave him an amused glance. "I've heard you can find decent coffee in Washington. I see no reason to go back to Sunnydale for French roast."

"Good." Mulder smiled and stretched out for the long flight back east.

The End