Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Vampires (PG-13)

[Merry]

The towns name was Sunnydale. Now it was anything but. The sun was slowly setting, as it was apt to do in the evenings. There was a slight chill in the California air. People pulled at their sweaters, without even realizing they were doing it. All casting furtive glances over their shoulder. Looking for, what? There was nothing there, right? There never was. Strange things happened in Sunnydale but only to those unlucky few, other people. Not them. Never.

Quickly they all scurried indoors, home before the gathering dusk became complete darkness. True sunset was at exactly 6:27p.m. Funny how some people knew it without even thinking about it, what time actual sunset is. If you lived in Sunnydale, you tended to pay attention to those little details. Whether you realized your doing it or not.

"Why can't this machine just work when I need it to!" beep, beep, beep "Just give me my money! God knows there is plenty of it in my account," her fingers punching the buttons frantically, reading the screen intently as it asked even more inane questions about her account, her money. "Hurry up," she said breathing a sigh of relief as it finally spit the money out. Grabbing the receipt and quickly turning to go. Walking straight into a broad chest, covered in leather that definitely hadn't been there a moment ago.

"What's the hurry beautiful" the stranger asked, the corners of his lips turned up in a smile. His eyes were an amazing gold color with flecks of green throughout, they locked with hers and suddenly she couldn't remember where she was going, and why she needed to get indoors before it got late. Why it was a bad idea to stand there staring at a new face in a small town.

The morning paper would eventually read something simple, something it often did. That a girl had disappeared. Just like that... MYSTERIOUSLY. This particular girl was last seen leaving work, heading for the bank. Her name was Cordelia Chase. It went on to say that information regarding her whereabouts would significantly aid the investigation into her disappearance... the usual.

Welcome to Sunnydale. It's dark tonight and things are about to get darker still. There's a new big bad in town and this isn't the same old story of slayer and her allies versus a big bad.

[Moonstruck]

Buffy stared intently at today's headline, disturbed green eyes shadowed by the curtain of her honey blonde hair that pooled on the countertop as she hunched over it. She pressed fingertips to her temples and glanced up at her kitchen window, watching the dusk gather on the horizon. Grim determination settled on her face and she slammed her hand on the counter and she strode out of the room, up the stairs and into her bedroom. Several moments later she emerged into with an armful of wooden crosses, which she began to affix to the every wall of her home with hammer and nails she retrieved from the hall closet.

"Not in my town, you don't..." she muttered to herself, the set of her jaw tight, as though she were trying not to grind her teeth. She waited for the inevitable call from her friends; everyone had to know about Cordelia by now.

Once every wall had been 'crossed', Buffy began placing a stake in every drawer or cranny she could find, and planting holy water in increasingly elaborate hiding places; under the towels in the closet, in the empty cigar box her mom kept on the bookshelf...anywhere she could find really. Once she had finished battening down the hatches, she paused to survey her work.

"Take that, evil dead."