Xander Harris, were-hyena raced through the wooded property on the eastern perimeter of Holy Innocence cemetery. He raised his nose to the breeze, sniffing both the slayer and her prey a little ways away. Stalking the vampires' rear, he heard the slayer verbally sparring with the doomed vamps. As the first vampire attacked Buffy, Xander pounced on the largest of the three vampires, heading straight for its throat. As the vampire disintegrated into a cloud of dust, the hyena coughed and sputtered to clear his mouth of dust.
"Good kill, Xander!" Buffy called out as she staked the last vampire in the cemetery, turning to scratch the were-hyena behind the ears. Xander whined and attempted to spit out the last of the vamp dust into the grass, shaking himself as though he were a big striped dog. Buffy sat on a nearby tombstone, looking across the cemetery. A new grave sat fifteen feet away. Xander paced around it, whining and nosing at the grave. Buffy chuckled, popping a bubble gum in her mouth, "He'll rise, give it time." A moment later, Buffy stiffened and gave a groan. "Trouble coming."
"You have no time, youngling. I challenge you." A tall man in a gray duster stepped out from behind a nearby tree. "My name is Gregory. I will have your head tonight."
Buffy smiled at him and batted her eyelashes sweetly. "Oh, that sweet talk will get you everywhere," she said in a saccharine voice. Then she turned serious. "This is hallowed ground, go away."
The man straightened up to his full height -- six foot four. "You will have to leave, you cannot stay here forever."
Buffy shook her head, sending her hair flying. "I am not interested in your head. You're too young. Don't waste my time." Buffy sat disinterestedly on the tombstone, blowing a large bubble and watching the wind move it back and forth. Xander went up to her and butted his head on her foot.
"Who says I'm young? I was old when the Highlander was born."
Buffy cackled. "The Highlander? You mean Duncan McLeod, boy scout? He's a baby. And you, you're barely out of diapers yourself. Come back when you outgrow your teddy bear."
"I challenged you. You cannot refuse a challenge, child. You know the rules of the game as well as I. And I know you are brand new. An easy kill. My kill. If you don't have a sword, it's not my problem."
Buffy narrowed her eyes at the man. "Who says I need a sword to defeat you? If you like your head where it is, I suggest you leave now."
Gregory stood his ground "I will not."
"Fine." Buffy slid down from her perch, approaching Gregory. Her head barely reached his chest. "This way." Buffy threaded her way through the cemetery, headed for a clearing nearby. She looked down at her heels, where Xander followed so close that his nose nearly touched her ankles. "Xander, whatever happens, stay inside the cemetery, and don't interfere. Do you understand?" Xander whined and backed towards the border of the cemetery, his tail between his legs. He tossed his head up and down in a rough approximation of a "yes", while continuing his growling and whining. He was clearly unhappy. Buffy withdrew her saber, stepping across the border between the consecrated and unconsecrated ground. When Gregory looked surprised, Buffy smiled. "I said I didn't need a sword -- not that I didn't have one."
"Your sword will be of no use to you, I am older, faster, stronger, and better than you could ever be." Gregory immediately attacked, launching himself at the young slayer.
It was not a fair fight -- in less than a minute Gregory lay in two pieces on the ground, and the blue lightning began. It shot straight into Buffy's chest. Buffy fell to her knees, screaming. Xander kept vigil just inside the cemetery wall, watching the scene unfold, as trees were uprooted and tossed about like matchsticks, and the winds blew relentlessly.
An eternity, or several minutes, later, Buffy was wiping her own sword on Gregory's coat, while retrieving his sword. She searched his pockets for wallets and keys, and once she had taken all the valuables he had on him, she motioned to Xander. "Hungry, pup?" Xander tossed his head and barked once. "It's on me. Just tell no one what you've seen tonight." Buffy walked away from the scene, leaving Xander to consume the remains.