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Part 4
The slayers and their friends hung out that night at the Bronze like usual. Except for Giles and Jenny, who Buffy had assigned to watch Ivory, and Cordelia, who was intent on distancing herself, the whole group was together.
Buffy and Angel made a beeline for their usual table the moment they entered the night club, surprised to see that Willow had gotten there ahead of them. Looking around, Buffy spotted Xander ordering some drinks from the bar.
The two couples sat there a few moments making small talk when Stefanie came in from the backstage room to join them. Sitting down, she said, "Well, we now have two less vampires roaming around. I staked some on my way here... How about you, Buffy?"
Buffy paused, looking around dejectedly a moment, then back at Stefanie. "I can't say the same, but something's better than nothing, I guess." She let her gaze wander to the stage, where the employees were setting up for whichever band was playing tonight. "At least there won't be as many left for whichever one of us survives."
Stefanie cocked her head to one side, a pained expression on her face. "Buffy, don't act like that. Or, at least don't think about it so much. Just go with the flow."
Buffy nodded, forcing a smile. She turned to Angel, prepared to ask him to dance, when she noticed his gaze was riveted to the stage. Curious, Buffy looked over as well, aware that a chorus of whistles was rising up among the crowd. And the cause was the scantily-dressed, slender woman who had just stepped up to the microphone.
She was someone who could easily stand out in a crowd, Buffy thought as she observed the woman's shock of blue hair and plum-colored eyes. And she was clad in a strapless white dress that appeared in danger of falling off by any sudden movement. Buffy stared at her a moment, absently reaching out with her mind to see if this woman was a vampire, but all reports came back saying that she wasn't.
Sighing, Buffy looked back at her friends, hardly surprised to see that Xander's mouth was hanging open. He had always been a sucker for a beautiful member of the opposite sex. But Buffy was hardly prepared to see Angel reacting in a similar fashion.
Buffy reached over and shook her boyfriend, causing him to come to his senses and look at her. After a moment, Angel shook his head. "I'm sorry," he said sheepishly. "I don't know what came over me."
At that point, the azure-haired woman pulled the microphone closer, a sensual air in her movements. "I'm Venus, and I'll be your entertainment tonight," she said in a serene, tantalizing voice. "So grab that special someone you're in love with and get on the dance floor for the first song of the evening."
While Buffy and Angel, and Willow and Xander took their cues from Venus' suggestion, Stefanie retreated to the balcony overlooking the main area of the Bronze. She gazed out over the crowd, searching for even one bloodsucker, but eventually determined it would be a slow night.
Perhaps it was the romantic mood of Venus' music or the sight of so many people wrapped in their loved one's arms that caused Stefanie to burst into tears, reminded of what she was missing. With a sigh, she turned and leaned against the railing, stretching her arms over her head. Simultaneously, she looked down at her new pendant, thinking again of Rhys and wishing he was here, if only to share a few dances with.
After a long while, Stefanie decided to go to Buffy to tell her she was going home. But she hadn't even taken two steps to the staircase when a dizzy spell hit her.
Stefanie faltered in mid step, one hand flailing out for something to steady herself. But there was nothing for her to hold onto, and consequently, nothing to keep her from collapsing to the floor in a dead faint...
Down below, Buffy and Angel swayed across the dance floor in time to Venus' song, her head resting on his shoulder, his eyes closed while he breathed in the scent of her perfume. Both of them were enchanted by the singer's voice, and the world around them seemed to have melted away.
Which was why Buffy didn't realize that Cordelia was calling her name until her former friend stood right behind her. "Buffy!" Cordelia shouted inches away from her ear.
Startled, Buffy half turned, starting to reach under her sleeve where a wooden stake was hidden. She took a moment to collect herself, then faced Cordelia angrily. "Don't do that," she chided. "You know it's considered bad to scare a slayer!"
Cordelia groaned. "Well, excuse me, but I doubt anyone else at the Bronze would have bothered to notify you... Steffi needs you. She just passed out on the balcony."
Buffy froze, casting a quick glance upwards. During her hesitation, Angel took off for the staircase, ascending as fast as he dared so as to not cause panic (as a vampire, he could generally move at cheetah speed). Buffy snapped to her senses quickly and hurried after him, dropping to her knees by Stefanie's side and cradling her friend's head in her lap.
Angel grabbed a glass of water and a napkin from a nearby table. He wet the cloth quickly and began dabbing at Stefanie's forehead with it until she began to stir. She opened her eyes with a moan, looking around at the worried faces. "What happened?" she asked.
Buffy helped her sit up. "You fainted," she said simply. "Are you okay to walk, Steffi? We're going to take you home."
Stefanie paused, mulling this over, then nodded. Angel and Buffy helped her stand, walking her to the exit lest she collapse again. Within moments, the trio were out in their car, facing one another.
"I don't understand what happened," was the first thing Stefanie said. "I've never collapsed like that before."
Buffy cracked a smile, tilting her head to one side. "You fainted the night we met," she reminded with a brief laugh.
Stefanie shook her head. "That was different. "It's just not something vampires do unless they're recovering from serious injuries, like I was on the night in question. But this... There's no logical reason for what happened in there."
Buffy exchanged a concerned look with Angel. "Well, what were you doing just before?" she asked. "Anything out of the ordinary?"
Stefanie shook her head again. "Unless..." She remained silent a moment, then looked at Buffy. "I didn't sense that the Bronze's new singer was a vampire, but someone who looks the way Venus did... Is it possible we're going to be dealing with something other than vampires? I mean, the prophecy mentioned that this vampire king had a mistress, but how do we know she's one herself? Maybe she's a witch."
Buffy shook her head. "If Venus were some other creature, you could forget about her being the mistress. Vamps don't mix well with other monsters. Whatever she is, if anything, we can deal with her after..." Buffy broke off suddenly here, remembering what later would be like.
Stefanie recalled also, feeling blue once more at the thought. On the way to Giles' apartment to pick up Ivory, none of the three spoke to each other, but their thoughts were all focused on the uncertain future that lay ahead...