Closure:

Origins (CH8)

By obi's girl

Author's Note: Taken excerpts from Welcome to the Hellmouth and Buffy vs. Dracula; Buffy Vs. Dracula has a little different ending where everything comes together and makes sense.

Disclaimer: Buffy belongs to Joss Whedon. The idea of an earlier Vampire Slayer that looked like Buffy belongs to me.

~~Buffy frowned as Giles pulled out a large old book with the word 'VAMPYR' written in gold leaf on the front cover. This wasn't happening. Her past, her calling – she came to Sunnydale to start anew and her past was slammed right back in her face. Would it never end? Of course, it would never end. She was the Slayer and as much as he wanted to run and hide from it, she couldn't. It wouldn't let her. She gazed up at Giles, a deep scowl on her face. "That's not what I'm looking for."

He shrugged, still smiling, removing his glasses, "Are you sure?"

She rolled her eyes, looking away from him. She never wanted this life, never wanted to be the one to kill vampires and save the world because to her it was a curse. Something she couldn't escape and she knew it. Buffy huffed, glancing at him again, "I'm way sure."

He frowned, putting the book back behind the counter, "My mistake." As Buffy quickly made her leave without the books she needed and the one she didn't want to begin with. ~~

**

~~Buffy irritably swirled around, facing her Watcher to be. She knew he meant well, trying to bring her out of her shell but he couldn't possibly understand why she was against starting up her Slayer career again. No one could understand. But even that wasn't' going to stop him. He was resilient and stubborn, much the way she was. Right now, she didn't want this life. The late night patrols, her mother scrubbing stained blood from her clothes and the lies and pain, she couldn't go through that anymore. She refused to. "Why can't you people just leave me alone?"

"Because you are the Slayer." He came down the stairs, calming himself, removing his glasses yet again. Buffy almost smiled but reminded herself not to. "Into each generation a Slayer is born, one girl in all the world, a Chosen One, one born with the strength and skill to hunt the vampires..."

She scowled again, rolling her eyes, "...with the strength and skill to hunt the vampires, to stop the spread of their evil blah, blah, blah... I've heard it, okay?"

The Englishman frowned, staring back at the young girl before him. She was the Slayer, the Chosen One and it was an honor, her calling. Why would she denounce it? "I really don't understand this attitude. You, you've accepted your duty, you, you've slain vampires before..."

"Yeah, and I've both been there and done that, and I'm moving on." ~~

**

~~Why couldn't she be like other girls? It wasn't fair. It was never fair but that was the way things were. She couldn't choose, 'cause fate miserably picked her to be the Slayer, and she with some reluctance had no choice but to accept. But why did he have to rub in her face? Why couldn't she just survive high school without having to worry about the end of the world, or some vampire gang making trouble? 'Cause she had to worry. She was the Slayer but was it worth it?

"Prepares me for what? For getting kicked out of school? For losing all of my friends? For having to spend all of my time fighting for my life and never getting to tell anyone because I might endanger them? Go ahead! Prepare me." She cried back, staring at him, feeling some connection, a bond that would last for several years and a friendship. Buffy exhaled, turned and left the library in disgust. She was the Slayer and like it or not, she was out of retirement. ~~

**

~~Dracula smiled watching the petite vampire Slayer from afar. Normally, she would detest Slaying and patrol but lately, she seemed to be drawn deeper into it; almost an intimate kill. But that wasn't what brought him to Sunnydale. It was the fact that she resembled his long dead wife, Sarah Van Helsing. After her death, he has basically shut himself out from the world; his castle became his sanctuary.

But one night, he had a dream about the Slayer. He thought it was Sarah come back to haunt him but judging from the way she dressed and acted, it wasn't Sarah but another Slayer that deeply resembled her. He thought he would never find love again, never find anyone like her but he was wrong.

Buffy got the upper hand with the huge vamp. She flipped him over and staked him, breathing hard and somewhat aroused. He stepped into the light, wearing faintly Old World clothes and a cape. Dark, incredibly handsome - and particularly commanding eyes. He exuded an air of elegance and power. When he spoke, he revealed a slight Eastern European accent. "An impressive hunt. Such power."

She turned to him, sensing this creature's strength, and shrugged, "That was no hunt. That was just
another day on the job. Care to step up for some overtime?"

He smiled partially, "We are not going to fight."

The slayer thought a minute, surprised a vampire would actually turn down a chance to fight her. No one vampire had ever done; most of the time they wanted her dead and out of the way but she sensed this guy was different. There was something about him; something familiar and tempting. But she dismissed the thought and continued, "Do you understand what a slayer is?"

He smiled knowingly, raising an eyebrow, "Do you?"

Who was this guy? Of course, he had heard of her but it seemed to be deeper than that; like she knew him a different lifetime she couldn't remember. Self-assured; didn't want to fight but talk, and that accent, where'd that come from? "Who are you?"

He titled his head slightly, showing off his fangs some. "I apologize. I assumed you know. I am Dracula."

"Get out!" Dracula. The legendary vampire seducer of women. This had to be a joke. The fact that she was staring back at the one who started the whole vampire hype was amusing. His gaze was fearless, daring her to come at him. If this really was Dracula, he certainly lived up to his name as the Dark Prince. "So - let me get this straight. You're Dracula. The guy. The count."

"I am."

She laughed, still not convinced. After all she had seen and done, this was the last thing she expected. But it was still fascinating, well, he was but she would never admit that. "This isn't just a fanboy thing, is it? 'Cause I've fought more than a couple of pimply, overweight vamps who called themselves "Lestat."

Dracula smiled again, focusing her eyes. Same eyes, same innocent look he loved so much. Sarah was weak, falling for him too quickly; she didn't even tell him who she was after she died but this Slayer, she was different. She wasn't easily swayed, and stubborn. But years as training as the Chosen One made her like that; she was a challenge and he reveled in it. "You know who I am. As I would know without question that you are Buffy Summers."

A smile pursed her lips, a little flattered and intrigued. Dracula moved a little and she doesn't stop him. "You've heard of me?"

He smirked, walking around her a bit, taking in every bit of detail of her. She wasn't like Sarah; she wasn't like her at all. She was already an experience vampire slayer and feared by most vampires and demons, which gave her a little bit of an ego and attitude. But despite all this, she did share one similarity with his lost love – to find love, to fill the emptiness inside of her. "Naturally. You're known throughout the world." Before coming to Sunnydale and some after Sarah's death, he studied up on the legend of the Slayer. Especially her. She fascinated him; strength, skill, not to mention absolutely beautiful.

"Naw!… Really?"

Dracula smiled, "Why else would I come here? For the sun?" He paused, gazing at her. She had grown into a fierce killer but that was only part of what she was. "I came to meet the renowned killer."

Buffy's face clouded, drawing away from his thrall. Killer? She wasn't.... The Slayer, that's not what she was about. "I prefer the term "Slayer." "Killer" just sounds so…"

"Naked?" he mused, pacing about some more.

She shrugged. No one had ever called her killer but coming from him, it made some sense. No, no, no gurl! He's evil; evil she scolded herself. "Like I paint clowns or something. I'm the good guy, remember?"

Dracula smiled at her foolishness. The Slayer, the strength and power, it was more than that. The first Slayer was only a killer; killed to survive which was exactly what she was. "Come now. You can't deny your history."

Buffy snorted, "What do you mean, history? There is no history; I slay vampires, i save the world – I go home and snuggle up with my honey, but there is NO history."

"Perhaps. But your power is rooted in darkness. You must feel it."

His attitude and the turn the conversation deeply troubled her, and annoyed her enough. "No, you know what I feel? Bored." With that Buffy lunged at Dracula but the only thing she caught was dirt. Buffy growled, pushing off the ground, searching for Dracula who miraculously stood some distance away from her. She recovered and flew violently at him again but he avoided her by morphing into mist and drifting away.

Buffy spun around, looking for him to reappear. "Okay. That's cheating." She looked about some more but saw nothing and hurried off.

He reappeared, a mischievous smile on his face. "We will meet again," and disappeared.

**

~~Buffy slowly backed away as Dracula advanced, equally slowly. The other night...She couldn't allow herself to fall under his thrall again. Again? That sounded familiar, like in another lifetime or something. But Buffy knew she only met Dracula for the first time four days ago, so why did she have this feeling of 'killer' deja-vu? Something didn't connect here. Dracula knowing about her (that made sense because she was the Slayer and had already made a name for herself) but there was something else; something else on a more intimate level. Whatever it was, she wasn't willing to ask about it or question him. "Stay away from me…"

He smiled knowingly, to mock her powers he knew so well. "Are you afraid I'll bite you? Slayer, that's why you came."

She nodded furiously, avoiding his gaze. "No… last night was… That's not gonna happen again."

Again, he smiled as he drew nearer, "Stop me. Stake me."

Buffy glanced at the stake on the table but somehow couldn't bring herself to pick it up. The thrall. "I'm… any minute now…"

Dracula stopped, raising his head a bit, still smiling, "Do you know why you can't resist?"

Buffy frowned, "'Cause you're famous?"

He laughed, leaning closer though she didn't move back, "Because you do not want to."

She tried to look away, again glancing at the stake that seemed unreachable. "My friends are –"

He waved his fingers as if to dismiss her next words. "They're here. They will not find us. We are alone. Always… alone." His eyes drifted downward, noticing he has reached her and they had come to some understanding. Dracula stood behind her and ran his hand along her neck under her hair; Buffy doesn't even flinch. "There is so much I have to teach you. About your history, your power… What your body is capable of…"

"I don't… need to know…"

Dracula leaned in, almost whispering in her ear, "You long to. And you will have eternity to discover yourself." He rolled up his sleeve and gazed at her, "But first… a little taste."

Buffy whetted her lips, her eyes staring at his wrist. Despite the struggle to fight against him, she couldn't and there was that deja-vu feeling again. It was almost annoying. "I won't… let you…"

He pulled back, looking into her eyes, his own calm with mischief, "I didn't mean for me." As sliced a fingernail across it, drawing a thin trail of blood. "What are you…"

"All these years, fighting us - your power so near to our own - and you've never once wanted to
know what it is we fight for? Never even a taste?" he raised his wrist to her though she hesitated and for good reason.

There was still a sense of deja-vu at the back of Buffy's mind, and it was getting stronger. Angel had drunk from her to save his life; the Master killed her but she knew that wasn't what was bothering her. It was something else, something ancient before her. But now wasn't the time to worry about it, or maybe it was? "No… if I taste that –"

He gasped, leaning back a bit. "I have not drunk enough for you to change. You must be near death to become one of us and that will come only when you plead for it."

Plead for Death? She knew Death; she dated the guy and she never pleaded for him to take her life. And she wasn't about to start now. "I'm not hungry." But she cannot take her eyes off the trail of blood…

"No. Your craving goes deeper than that." She gazed into his eyes, realizing something about him. Something long hidden but allowed him to continue. "You think you know. What you are, what's to come… you haven't even begun."

She took his wrist in her hands and slowly put her lips to it and drank. Dracula's lids half-closed in ecstasy as Buffy drank slowly, her eyes shut. "Find it… the darkness…. Find your true nature."

A series of images flooded her mind; rapid fire, hunting, blood going through veins, finally the face of the Primitive and an explosion of white as she pulled away, looking at Dracula a little dazed. "Wow." She slammed her palm into his chest, sending him flying halfway across the table to land on his back. "That was really gross."

He came off the table in pain and controlled fury, "You are resisting…"

She shrugged a proud smirk on her face. "Looks like…"

"Come here. Come to me." He commanded but she only stood there, a smile still on her lips.

"You know, I think the thrall has really gone out of our relationship. But I wanna thank you for opening my eyes a little." She mused, somewhat understanding his interest in her.

Dracula scowled, not pleased she was resisting. He had come all this way, all the way across the world for her and she was turning him down flat. No one had been able to say 'no' to him before, not even Sarah and she was a Slayer. Buffy was a challenge but he wasn't about to lose her. "What is this…?"

"My true nature. Wanna taste?"

He nodded, still not convinced she wasn't under his thrall anymore. "You cannot run from your darkness."

She shrugged again, grabbing her stake along the way from the table and twirled it in her hand. "Who says I'm running? Come on Drac. We did your little dance. Let's see if you're any good at mine." He charged roaring, and she leaped over him, landing behind him as he smashed into the wall

Dracula flew at her again, this time taking her down. Buffy's fighting style was rough but ferocious. She didn't give an inch as they slammed each other into the floor again and again. Dracula got the upper hand and threw Buffy off him. She flew hard, landing into the opposite wall. Recovering quickly, she grabbed a lit torch off the wall and thrust it toward Dracula. "A guy like you should think about going electric. Seriously."

She swung it at him and he mists. Her eyes followed, dropped the torch and ran, scooping her stake and leapt on the table and thence to the landing, coming down right as Drac reformed. She slammed the stake home.

"How do you like my darkness now?" He stumbled, falling down the stairs disintegrating as he hit the steps below.

Buffy smiled to herself, brushing her pants and shirt as she wandered through the dining room. She saw a portrait in the center of the room; it was covered up from dust and cobwebs. She grabbed a stool and lifted the frame off the fireplace. The Slayer examined the frame for any hidden compartments before removing the cloth on top. She stopped halfway, seeing blonde hair then continue to unravel it.

What she saw there confirmed her suspicion about Dracula and also scared her. A young girl, long curly blonde hair and brown eyes. Same face, same height and same determined look. Buffy glanced at the bottom of the portrait to the plaque. It was covered in dust so she brushed her fingers over it and blew some, revealing the name of the girl.

Sarah Van Helsing, Lady Dracula

Below that it read:

Former Vampire Slayer & Niece to Doctor Abraham Van Helsing

Daughter of Elizabeth Anne Van Helsing and Rupert Van Helsing

Buffy laughed at that, wandering if there was any relation to Giles, her Giles but let the thought slip as she stared at the young girl. She looked to be about her own age. Buffy frowned at that. She was so young. She had everything; probably only called a year and her first assignment to kill Dracula and she ended up being his wife. No wander why Dracula was interested in Buffy.

She heard the guys coming and stashed the portrait under the table and left to meet them and report what happened, with the exception of the uncanny picture. ~~

The End