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Part 2
Knowing what he suggested was impossible, Buffy had a dozen other questions to ask Angel, but knew they would have to wait a few minutes. She turned to the crowd behind her, speaking loud enough so they could all hear her.
"Everything's okay. This girl's a friend of mine," Buffy announced. "I'm going to take her home, so just go back to what you were doing." To Angel, she added, *Help me get her up.*
Angel eased the girl into a sitting position, drawing one of her arms around his shoulders. Buffy brought the other around hers, then she and Angel began to walk towards the exit.
They hadn't made it far when Buffy heard Willow and Xander calling after her, obviously knowing something was up. Sighing, she passed the girl entirely to Angel and moved to face her friends.
Buffy put an end to Xander's questions almost before they started. "It's nothing to be concerned about, guys," she informed them. "But I'll fill you in later. Right now is research time."
"But we can help. Whatever you're looking up, having us along could help find it faster," Willow cut in, sounding almost eager. Buffy supposed they had gotten so settled into this routine that Willow automatically assumed it was something they would always do as a team.
Tonight, however, was an exception. "I appreciate the 'Three Musketeers' deal, but this I can do solo. It's not fair for all three of us to run out on Giles on his big night. You two just have fun, and I'll see you tomorrow."
Disappointed at not being included, Willow and Xander went back in, leaving Buffy and Angel to walk the few blocks to his apartment, located in the basement of an old building.
They laid the still unconscious girl on the sofa, and Buffy waited while Angel grabbed a quick "snack". Then, her questions began to spill out.
"Okay, so when did the 'one Slayer per generation' rule stop applying? How can there be two of us now?" Buffy asked for starters.
Angel took a moment to lay a wet washcloth on their guest's forehead, then turned to face his girlfriend. "Rules are meant to be broken sometimes, I suppose," he answered absently, deep in thought.
Buffy groaned. "Don't you dare go cryptic on me again, Angel. Can you please give me a straight answer?"
Angel sighed, sitting down and facing her. "Okay. Straight off the record, this girl's name is Stefanie Marks, and she was a Slayer from the 1960s... I thought she had died years ago, but I was wrong." Angel picked up a piece of cloth, wrapping it around his hand, "Give me your necklace."
Buffy instinctively looked at the cross laying against her chest, then moved to unhook the chain. She watched in slight fear as Angel held it a few inches from Stefanie's face for a minute, not wanting to believe what he implied.
Suddenly, Stefanie awoke with a growl, slapping the cross from his hand. Then, she reached up and grabbed Angel around the throat, her face reverting to its demon-like visage.
Buffy took a step back in shock, too frightened to do anything. It had always been her worst nightmare to become a vampire, and it scared her even to see it had happened to another Slayer. But her fear passed quickly when she saw what Stefanie was doing and she said, "Let go of him."
In the process of breaking the wooden leg from a chair, Stefanie looked up in surprise; she had been unaware anyone else was in the room. "You," she said. "You're the girl from the dance club." Stefanie paused, then began to gently probe Buffy's mind. After a moment, she glanced up at Angel. "You're in love with this vampire?!? Even knowing what he is, who you are?!?"
Judging by the rage in Stefanie's voice, Buffy knew she would have to tread carefully. "Well, interracial relationships have become common in this decade," she cracked, hoping to ease the tension. "Besides which, he's not your enemy, and neither am I."
Buffy took two steps forward, taking Stefanie's hand and calmly drawing it away, leaving Angel to massage his sore neck. "Trust us, Stefanie," she said. "We mean you no harm."
Again, Stefanie glared at Angel. "He practically shoved a crucifix in my face! Do you know how much that burns?"
Angel spoke up in his own defense. "I'm sorry," he answered. "It was a bad call on my part... Smelling salts would have been kinder. Provided I actually had them."
Stefanie eyed him in confusion, having never encountered a vampire who had the courtesy to apologize. Or a Slayer like Buffy who obviously cared for one. She had witnessed many things in her long life, but never quite like this. "Who are you people?" she blurted out.
Buffy pulled up a chair to sit in, taking a moment to clear her throat and introduce herself. "And this here is Angel," she began, reaching for his hand. "He's um... he's approaching his 244th birthday, and... Well, basically, he's not your average vampire."
*Mind if I cut in?* Angel told Buffy silently. *You're only confusing her more.* Without waiting for an answer, he said aloud, "I was average, at least for the first hundred years or so. Then I fed on a young gypsy girl, and her family put a curse on me." He paused, leaning forward. "You're looking at one of the few members of our kind with an actual conscience."
Stefanie was impressed, to say the least. But then, she looked to Buffy, anxious to hear of her background.
It took a second for Buffy to catch on that she was again the center of attention. Once she had, she added, "I've been a Slayer for a few years. Started in L.A. Then, I burned down the school gymnasium due to vampire infestation, got kicked out of school, my parents got divorced, and my mother and I moved here of all places. I've barely had a moment's rest since."
With that, Buffy leaned back, feeling slightly nervous. "Now if you don't mind, could you drop the vampire look?"
Unfazed, Stefanie did as asked, knowing how unsettling she must have appeared. But despite what she had learned, she still felt she couldn't trust Angel just yet. Buffy was another matter. "You're lucky you've lived so long," Stefanie said. "I didn't even last a year as a Slayer before my life was stolen."
"I nearly came close to dying myself," Buffy replied. "Dozens of times. But I don't consider myself lucky. Being drowned, stabbed, and bitten repeatedly will do that to you... But enough about me. Tell me about you. Who did this to you, Stefanie?"
Stefanie bit her lip, wiping a stray tear from her eye. "There are times I wish I could go back and live my life differently. I didn't want to get caught up in this whole Slayer deal to begin with, but soon found I had no choice... I had a brother who meant the world to me. One night, one female vampire, and that was it. He became one of them."
Buffy's lips parted slightly in shock, but she simply waited for Stefanie to go on, clutching Angel's hand a little tighter.
"My love for him became my weakness," Stefanie said sadly, laying her head down on the pillow. "Linda... My Watcher kept telling me that he was gone, that I merely had to destroy him to end it. But how can anyone kill their own flesh and blood? I drove myself crazy over that one for years afterward."
"Your brother betrayed you in the end, didn't he?" Angel asked. "He made you what you are."
Stefanie nodded. "He drained me to the point of death, but for some reason, he didn't let me die... When I woke up from that ordeal, I was so scared. But I was grateful for my fear, which proved I wasn't entirely like them."
She turned her head to look at Buffy, noticing that the other girl had tears streaming down her face. "I learned later that Slayers can't be touched, that the demons which inhabit other vampires can't take them. Ours is a race that is simply too strong for that, Buffy."
"Why didn't they just do away with you then?" Buffy asked. "Knowing what a threat you would be to them."
"My brother hid me away from the others, claimed that I was dead. Maybe it was because of the bond we shared in life. A part of that must have stayed with him when he changed, and that's why he couldn't hurt me.
"Anyway, I spent the next few months getting my strength back, regrettably through... well, you know," Stefanie said, her shame apparent. "And eventually, I escaped him... Then, I began to search for Linda, hoping she could help me. And that's how I learned she was dead and another Slayer had been called upon to replace me. I've been running from who I was ever since, slaying the occasional vampire along the way. Nobody knew I existed anymore."
"Until you wound up here," Buffy finished. "Which leads me to my next question. You came to the Bronze looking for help. Why?"
"I slayed a vampire in this area," Stefanie replied. "I didn't know there were so few in Sunnydale. It alerted others to my presence. One attacked me about a mile from the dance club. Roughed me up quite a bit before I staked him. Then, I went to find a place to hide out... When Angel approached me outside the Bronze, I panicked. You know the rest."
Buffy took a deep breath, sympathizing for this girl. "Well, in that case, I'd be willing to help you, Stefanie... I live not too far from here, and my house is completely vampire-proof. Except for Angel, of course."
Stefanie cast a worried glance at Angel, then dismissed any concerns she had about him. If she could be a pleasant vampire, she supposed the same could be true for someone else. "How did you two get so close? I mean, without killing each other?"
Buffy shrugged. "We started off slowly and simply grew to trust each other, the way normal people do," she said. "Plus, Angel's a great guy once you get to know him." With that, Buffy went to retrieve her necklace from the floor, grabbed two bags from the refrigerator, kissed Angel goodnight, and left to walk home with Stefanie.
All in all, the night had been anything but typical for her. But it wasn't over yet...