Thank you to TheMuleteer for BETA.

1CHAPTER 3

Eight thirty. Buffy examined herself on the mirror. She did a slow twirl while keeping her head on the mirror in an effort to see her backside. She had changed her outfit from earlier today. Casual was still the theme of the day. She didn't dare to try and make a fashion statement among the high school crowd. It just wouldn't be smart and she had no desire to stand out.

She hoped that Claire was right on that she could easily pass as an eighteen year old. She let out a sigh and ran her hands over her dark denim jeans. After several moments, she finally tore her gaze away from the mirror, finally satisfied with her appearance.

She sat down on the couch and waited for Claire. There was still a good half hour before the cheerleader got there. Her mind drifted off to last night's festivities. Whatever did come over that policeman?

Maybe he's just...depressed?

The blonde let out a chortle at her own thought. She could only hope. But her instincts told her that whoever he was chasing had something to do with it. It was not normal to kill yourself in a middle of a criminal chase. She had no idea where she could find said criminal, so she'd just have to let go of the matter for the moment.

Then there was meeting Claire. Buffy smiled as she recalled their conversation. It was odd that they bonded instantly, especially since death isn't the ideal scenery for such thing. Nevertheless, the blonde was pleased to meet someone in this new town. Claire was a sweet girl.

Very observant too.

She should have done a better job of fixing herself up because the cheerleader noticed that all wasn't well with her. Maybe she shouldn't have just answered the door but she was afraid Claire would never come by again. She was afraid that she'd never see her again. Thankfully, Claire hadn't pressed any further and everything was great with Buffy.

---

Claire knocked on the now familiar door. It was just three minutes before nine. She had to fight off the urge to come any earlier in fear of seeming too eager. The door opened and she was greeted by Buffy's smiling face.

"Hey, Buffy," she said nonchalantly. "You look great."

The blonde really did look great. She looked beautiful and impressive at the same time. The dark denim she wore accented her curves and the red blouse underneath her light jacket looked perfect. Claire noticed that Buffy looked better. She didn't seem pale like she had earlier.

"Thanks, you look pretty too." Buffy stepped out and locked the door behind her.

Claire just smiled at her. The football game just ended an hour ago and she was expected to wear the cheerleader outfit to the bonfire party. She ditched the cheerleader clothes in favor of a casual attire. Claire felt that the outfit would have made Buffy unkempt at the party and refrain from speaking to her. She didn't want Buffy feeling isolated. Sure, there were other people not wearing jacket letters and cheerleader outfits but she was the only one that Buffy knew.

"You ready?"

"Yes, I think so," Buffy said nervously.

Claire chuckled. "You're going to be fine Buffy. Besides, why do you care what a bunch of teenage strangers think of you?"

"Hmm...good point. It's just...it's been a while since I've been to a party. And no, I don't care, but I do care about what you think of me," Buffy stated.

Claire stared at her and looked at the vision before her that was Buffy. "I think you're great, Buffy," she whispered. Claire may have just imagined it but she thought saw Buffy's face tinge with a light shade of red for a split second.

"Guess I don't have to worry about that part, huh?" Buffy asked.

"Nope. C'mon, we'll take my car."

---

Bonfire Party

Claire thought she would never be able to get away. She was endlessly engaged by her peers in meaningless conversation. Jackie, unsurprisingly, was the worst of all. She clung to Claire like they were joined twins. It was undoubtedly just another attempt to upstage her. Intelligent, humble compliments of Claire's outfit from Jackie were 'subtly' followed with her "I would have wore...it would have look better with..." suggestions to show off to her peers who has the more fashionable tastes. Claire wanted to tell her off but she didn't want to be rude. To explode on Jackie in front of her schoolmates would lessen people's opinion of her. That would be the only thing Jackie would need to finally established her social superiority from Claire. So she let Jackie have her way and just smiled.

Finally, she was able to pull away from Jackie. Everyone was gathering around the mascot that was about to be blasted into smithereens by fireworks. Now would be the perfect opportunity to find Buffy. She hoped that the blonde woman didn't take off. It didn't take long to find Buffy. She found him sitting on a car hood, talking to some guy. Claire ran over to her in a hurry. She didn't know the guy she was talking with but she already disliked him. Her dislike intensified even more as Buffy laughed at something he said.

"Hey Buffy!" she greeted, not paying attention to the guy with him. As far as she knew, she was here to spend time with Buffy. Not watch some guy spend time with her.

"Hi, Claire," she replied cheerily. "I was just making a friend here. This is—"

"You wanna watch the fireworks with me?" she interrupted. She didn't want to know whoever that guy was.

"Umm...yeah, sure," the uncertainty in her voice telling Claire that Buffy noticed her snippy behavior.

Claire took Buffy away by the hand, leaving the poor guy Buffy was chatting with confused and bewildered. Reaching safe hearing distance, Claire felt Buffy's eyes boring on her. She was relieved that the blonde did not protest from being pulled away.

"So..." Buffy began. "I take it you don't like the guy?"

Without looking at the blonde, Claire replied. "Nope. He's a bastard and I'm saving you from him."

Nice one, Claire. You don't even know his name.

"Really? He seemed really nice and funny," Buffy stated.

Claire was on the verge of losing it. She might have but she didn't want to create a gap between her and Buffy. Wisely, she controlled her emotions and faced Buffy. "I guess... Look, I'm just wanting to spend time with you and I'm just upset it's not really happening. We have a chance now but you can hang out with him if you want. We'll always have next time."

Buffy's hand that was still in Claire's shifted around, drawing the blonde's attention. "No thanks. I'd rather spend time with you." Her hand was now intertwined with Buffy's.

Claire's lips stretched into a happy smile. She sensed an oncoming blush and turned away before the blonde could notice it. Her mind was being nonsensical. It interpreted Buffy's last sentence in a way that brought on the blush. Oddly, the interpretation filled her with intimate joy and for a moment, she felt as light as a feather, her body threatening to lift off the ground.

The cheerleader figured that this meant that she really wanted Buffy to be her closest friend. She had no rational way of explaining why she was feeling possessive of Buffy. Maybe, she just couldn't put her finger on the reason yet. For now, she chalked it up all to friendship.

"You're sweet, Buffy," she smiled at her.

"That's what they tell me," Buffy smiled back at her. Hand-in-hand, they walked together to the fireworks stuff. Their hands broke apart as they reached the spot. They watched their school mascot get blown to smithereens and they laughed together.

---

Buffy had never had this much fun in ages. Hanging out with Claire and all these people, she felt like a normal girl. She cheered as colorful fireworks exploded up in the night sky.

"You having fun, Buffy?" Claire asked her.

"Yep. I'm really glad I came," she replied.

"Me, too." Claire said with a smile.

Claire. It was moments like this that makes her wonder. The smiles and the compliments...sometimes Buffy wondered if Claire was saying them for the sake of something greater than friendship. She quickly shook those thoughts off her mind. It was ridiculous. We've only known each other for two days! There was one thing she was sure of, though; she liked seeing Claire smile.

"So is this what Claire Bennet's life like, always?" Buffy asked.

Claire snorted, and oddly, Buffy found it cute. "No. Times like these makes me feel normal, but when it's done, I feel alone because I'm different. All I want to be is normal."

Buffy was seeing signs of memory lane. Where had she heard that before? Oh yeah; that was her when she was just a few years younger. She strived to be normal but it never quite worked out. There were moments where she still felt no one understood her even though her speciality was gone.

"I used to feel like that. I don't know...you just have to learn how to deal. I was never good at dealing with it though. You'll just have to accept that you're different," she advised. She was relating to her past Slayer years thinking that it applied normally in teenage identity situation.

A few moments of pause.

"I'll keep that in mind," Claire replied. The cheerleader was appraising her, trying to get some hints of what she experienced.

Buffy felt that it was time to move on to a lighter subject. "So, these fireworks are—"

The Slayer stopped mid-sentence as she sensed something. Someone or something not right is here watching. It wasn't a vampire. The air became slightly chillier. She looked around, only seeing teenagers that seemed harmless.

"Buffy?" Claire waving her hand in front of her face. It took a moment before it registered. "You going to finish that thought?"

"They're pretty. Listen, I need to go get some fresh air. Too much excitement," she muttered and stood up.

"Ok, I'll come with," Claire readied herself.

"No!" she nearly shouted. "I mean, I'll only be gone for a bit. You might as well finish the fireworks." Buffy left without giving the cheerleader a chance to reply.

---

She had a bad feeling about this. Her eyes darted left and right, trying to find what or who it was. She could sense him, but couldn't find him.

Maybe he's invisi—There!

A man, standing far away. She couldn't make him out. The shadows engulfed his features. What she didn't like was the direction he was facing. He seemed to be watching Claire.

She ran towards him. Her rapid footsteps made no sound as she approached him. Still, he seemed to notice that she was coming. Or perhaps, just by luck, he turned his head and spotted her. Instantly, she felt her legs freeze and she crashed down into the ground roughly. She quickly got up and took off after him once more. The man ran away and seemed to be heading to the nearest building. She quickly gained ground on him thanks to her superior speed and grabbed him by the back of his jacket and threw him hard against the wall.

Now, she had a closer look at him he seemed like a regular guy. He was groaning in pain, but there was a hostile expression on his face. About to lay the smackdown, her body went airborne and crashed against the wall. The velocity with which she crashed was enough to crack the wall.

Why am I sticking to the wall?

The man was on his feet now though he was supporting his back with both hands. It had been months since she faced something other than vampires. It made her careless. Running off after him was a bad idea. He wasn't a vampire and she had no idea what he was capable of. Still, he was checking Claire out in a weird, creepy way. He might have gone after her, and she would not have that.

Nearby steel from fire escape ladders broke apart and began to zoom towards her. To her relief she could still move her limbs. Psycho Guy was just keeping her pinned to the wall with his abilities. Buffy brazed herself and caught one of the metals and quickly threw it with all her might at him.

Buffy fell down on the ground, the pain disrupting the man's hold on her. Still, the other metals rained on her. She screamed in pain as one of them embedded in her stomach. She quickly pulled the offending bar out of her and got up and delivered a side kick to the man's face. She wouldn't let him have the chance to do whatever he did. Now breathing heavily, she delivered a right hook at him. The truth was, the Slayer was at a loss at what to do. He was clearly human, yet it would be the end of her if she let him live.

No other choice. She picked up one bar, determination in her eyes. Summoning all her strength, she—

Everything went dead silent. She knew, in reality, it was just her. She couldn't hear a sound.

No, not now!! I've already had an episode this afternoon!

It was just the beginning. She felt the familiar throbbing in her head. It was like a drum, banging a beat in evenly spaced intervals. Softly at first, then it grew loud and became piercing.

The bar fell with a 'clank' on the ground. Her hands now gripping her forehead in a futile attempt to stop the banging on her head. Amidst the blinding headache, she squeaked out a logical thought to brace herself of the worst to come.

It came on cue. Searing pain wrapped around her. She fell to on all fours and screamed in pain. Her eyes closed shut. It felt like her insides were trying to be outsides. She started coughing severely and she wasn't surprised that red liquid accompanied it.

The banging on her head passed and now it felt light. She welcomed the moment that was about to come, her worry for Claire momentarily forgotten. She collapsed on the ground as she became unconscious.