This piece of FAN FICTION is written by Ariane Budberg and does not express the views or opinions of TimeWarp fan club. No copyright infringement is intended.

Part III of VI

"Well..." Buffy smiled and took another one. "For muffins from the supermarket they're great. Would you like one, too?"

This was one of the nights when Giles asked himself why fate had chosen Buffy of all people to be the vampire Slayer. 

Early in the morning, Willow and Xander got up again. They met at school where they spent the rest of their time until the lessons started with looking for information about the couple. They did not know that Buffy and Giles were already one step ahead. They had followed the couple's way from Ireland to Sunnydale and they had discovered that many strange deaths appeared in the cities were they had spent some time. Which could only mean that they were to blame for these deaths. Buffy had accompanied Giles on his way to school where they went to the library first. Now that Giles knew exactly what he was looking for, it would be much easier for him to find something. By noon, he would already have a great deal of information about anything this strange couple had ever done. At least, that was what Buffy hoped although she still had Giles' words in mind about the fact that nobody had survived an encounter with them. When the bell rang, Buffy followed the other students to the rooms and took part in the lessons. After all, she had to keep her image as a young student up.

The red-haired girl and Richard had withdrawn from the sunlight. They were now in their cave deep down under the streets of Sunnydale, and they were in a really good mood. Their plan went exactly as they had imagined it. The Slayer trusted Richard and wanted to meet him again. So tonight, after darkness would have fallen over this town, both would go to the club where Richard had met the Slayer. They would have a nice evening with her before they killed her.

"Richard, darling, what do you think should I wear tonight?" She tossed her black stockings off her feet and took the suspenders off. Then she grabbed a red cluster of cloth and laid it beside herself. First, she took the stockings and pulled them up her long, slim legs before taking the red suspenders out. She went to Richard and turned around in front of him. "Would you close my suspenders, darling?"

Richard closed the small hooks at her back and admired her beautiful figure again. She was still as beautiful as three hundred years ago - except that she had decided to change her look. Three hundred years ago, it would have been impossible to show up somewhere in these... clothes but today, nearly everything was possible. He remembered the movie they had once seen together. It had been about a sweet transvestite from transsexual Transylvania, and she had especially liked the young domestic in the movie. Since she had seen this movie, she wore her hair like the young woman had done it, she wore the same clothes... Sometimes it seemed strange to him - but after all, she had the right to wear whatever she liked. Though in his opinion, she did not have to wear clothes at all. After all, he was just a man. "Well, I think you should wear your black dress with the white arm lapels. Would that be alright for you? I mean, that's what I think could easiest be accepted by these... humans up there."

She turned around and faced him again. "Alright. We don't wanna attract too much attention."

"That's true." He looked at her, but she still did not seem to be ready. "What is it?"

She turned around and sighed. Then she burst out. "Nothing! It's just that I hate this cave! I hate being caught in it! I'm really tired of it!"

Richard stood up and caught her waist before she was out of reach, pulling her close to himself. "You know that it's just a matter of time now. We have to be patient if we wanna succeed. You don't wanna stay here for another century?"

"No!"

"Then I suggest we wait another night or two before we complete our mission, just to be sure that nobody keeps us from getting our titles back." He breathed a kiss on her lips. "We will succeed this time. I know that."

She wrapped her arms around his neck. "If you say so, I believe it. And you don't know how much I wanna kill this girl. She's the only one who could ever keep us from succeeding."

"But this time she won't." Richard heaved her on his arms and carried her over to the giant bed on the other side of the room. "You should rest now for tonight you've got your big night, my dear."

This time, she smiled, shifting into a more comfortable position on the bed, adding a seductive pose. "What about you?" She let her hand run down her body, following the slight curves.

Oh dammit, why did she always succeed? Richard was forced to go back to the bed. Her lewd, lascivious lips were waiting for him, and he could not prevent himself from following their call. With a content sigh, he sank down beside her and pulled her near, stopping for a moment to look into her deep blue eyes before he kissed her...

Xander was just making his way towards the cafeteria when Cordelia nearly ran him over. When she recognised him, she stopped and smiled. "Xander, darling, I've been looking everywhere for you! I wanted to ask you if you'd like to join us for tonight. We wanna watch a video, have some pizza... Does this sound alright for you?"

Xander pulled her close, kissing her slightly. "That sounds great, Cordelia, but I promised Buffy to help her with this vampire couple. You're also gonna have some fun without me."

Cordelia freed herself from his grip. "Oh, yes! Always Buffy! Can't you think about your girlfriend? What about me? Don't you think I'd like to spend some time with you, too?"

Trying to calm her down, Xander pulled her over in the corner. "Cordelia, this could really be important for Buffy. If what Giles said is right, then Buffy is in great danger. This couple is probably planning to kill her."

"Oh fine. How many times did he tell this? Four hundred? Five hundred? Xander Harris, I'm asking you to spend one night with me and my friends, and all you can think of is hunting vampires. Thank you very much!" Holding her head up high, Cordelia ran away from him, leaving him back staring after her. Then he shook his head and told himself, "Wonderful. Just perfect. You just made her really angry."

Buffy was sitting on a bench under a big tree on the schoolyard, eating a delicious green apple. She was waiting for Willow and Xander who had probably found something out for her. Something that did not confront her with danger. There had to be a way to prevent this damned couple from killing her and getting their power back. She had the strange feeling that she had overseen something in this whole case. One of the things she knew did not fit into the frame. But she could not figure out which thing that was.

"Buffy?"

She lifted her head and looked up into Willow's face. Right beside her, Xander was standing. "Hi. I hope you've got good news." She took her books from the bench and laid them on her lap so that Xander and Willow could sit down beside her.

"I'm not quite sure about that. We've found out that they probably aren't just vampires, maybe they have some...  How shall I say, magic powers." Willow looked at Buffy in expectation.

"Magic powers. What powers are those?" Buffy thought she had understood her friend wrong. Of course, there were beings with 'magic' powers such as telepathics, visions, and even the ability to move persons and objects with thoughts. But she had never heard of vampires with such abilities. That was completely new to her. Except maybe for Drusilla who had been able to manipulate Giles's mind with what he had wanted to see.

Willow shook her head and shrugged. "I don't know. There was no information about that. We just found some reports about strange happenings wherever this couple appeared. Pictures falling from the wall without an explanation, explosions where there was nothing to explode... I know this sounds crazy but we should keep an eye on these reports. Rumours always contain a trace of the truth."

Buffy sighed. "Yes, that's true. Unfortunately, I have to admit. Well..." Taking her books in her hands again, she stood and smiled. "I've to join a biology lesson now. We'll talk later, alright?"

Willow raised her eyebrows. "Why are you so happy suddenly? Is anything wrong with us?"

"No, it isn't, Willow. But I'll meet a very nice young man tonight, and it looks as if there could grow something more between us..." She turned around and walked away from her friends, leaving them back in astonishment.

"Now what's that? Is this the same Buffy who nearly cried yesterday when I said something about Angel?" Xander glanced a curious look at Willow. "Any ideas?"

Shaking her head, Willow stared after Buffy. "No. But now I know that something's definitely going on here. We have to find Giles. Maybe Buffy's already in greater danger than we could imagine."

"What do you mean?" Xander looked at her suspiciously. "Do you think she's being influenced by this couple?"

"Xander, I don't only think so. Remember yesterday when she was nearly crying about Angel? And today she's happy and meeting another guy? That's a little bit too much of a coincidence or an improvement of her mental state. Come on, we have to get to Giles. Perhaps he knows what we shall do about this beside joining her tonight." Willow stood up and walked towards the building again. After a few steps she noticed that Xander was not following her and she stopped in mid-step. "Xander!"

He rose quickly and hurried to catch up with her. "You mean we're gonna observe her."

Clapping her hands slightly, Willow nodded approvingly. "Yes. I'm sure we're gonna find a clue as to who this mysterious man is and what he's got to do with her."

Without looking back at her, Xander started walking away with long, energetic steps. "Then we should hurry to find Giles, I don't wanna miss my Maths lesson again. Willow, what are you waiting for?"

  Willow could not help herself but sigh. Why did this boy always have to fall from one extreme to the next?

The first person Buffy saw when she entered the Bronze was a girl with incredibly red hair, wearing a black dress with white arm lapels. She was standing right opposite the door and obviously waiting for someone. Buffy passed her and made her way to the bar. She had to get something to drink; it was really hot in here. She got herself a coke and waited. Waited for Richard to appear again. Last night, she had dreamt that he was inside her room, watching her tenderly. Well, she could have imagined worse things that a good-looking young man in her room - except, she would not only want to be watched. But that was another story. Buffy let her gaze roam through the room. She could not see him anywhere, at least not on this side of the bar. Slowly walking through the crowd, Buffy imagined how it would be to dance with him again, to feel his strong arms again... But then she stopped shortly. What the hell was she thinking? Angel was merely three weeks gone and she was thinking about a relationship with a guy she did not even know? How could that be, after all that she had had with Angel? She had sworn to never forget him - but all she was thinking of was this mysterious Richard. Something was wrong here. There was something she did not know about him, something important. Maybe she should just get the hell out of here and ask Giles if he had found out some new details about this couple she had seen. Couple? One moment - she had seen this red-haired girl at the entrance, and now that she thought it over, she looked quite like the girl she had seen on the graveyard. Buffy's head flew around to see - nothing unusual. The girl was gone. With a sudden haste, Buffy put her glass on the table nearby and rushed to the door and out of the Bronze. But there was only darkness, nothing that gave even a small hint as to where she had gone. And Richard had not shown up, too.

Slowly realisation came to Buffy.

"Giles!" Buffy's hands hammered against Giles' door. "Please open the door! It's important!" She rang the bell once again. "Giles! Open the door!"

After another long minute, Giles appeared at the door. He had obviously been asleep already for he was wearing something but he had thrown a bathrobe over it. He rubbed his eyes and looked at her tiredly. "What is it, Buffy? It's nearly eleven p.m. Why are you hammering at my door?"

Buffy rushed past him and entered his living room. It was not as tidied up as she had found it the day before. When she took a closer look, she saw high-heels lying in a corner, together with a feather-boa. This was enough of a reason for her to turn around to Giles - and what she saw there under his bathrobe was nearly too much for her. He was wearing a pair of black stockings that were also held by black suspenders, a black corset that was ornamented by small, shining sequins, and long, black gloves. Buffy swallowed hard and could not hold back a comment when she saw that Giles' lids were covered with thick, blue eyeshadow, his eyelashes were delicately coloured black, and all in all he made a very strange impression. She breathed deeply and grinned at him. "Giles, I don't know what you're doing here, and I'm not quite sure that I wanna know it - but what exactly are you wearing???"

Giles looked at her as if he did not know what she was talking about but when he looked down at himself, he slowly began to realise how strange this must have been for Buffy. He scratched his chin. "Buffy, wait. I can explain! You see, an old friend of mine, Richard O'Brien, asked me if I would take part in his musical. I'm playing a transvestite there. And believe me, I'm only playing him. After tonight's show, I simply was too tired to take these clothes off." He stopped and waited for Buffy's reaction.

Buffy could not hide a grin. "Don't tell me you're acting in The Rocky Horror Show. Please don't tell me you're Frank N'Furter. This is too much for me, Giles." She sat down on the couch, shaking her head, completely dumbfounded.

Giles did not now how to convince her that he was telling the truth. "Buffy, you must believe me. I am only acting. I am not a transvestite." Unfortunately, he had not foreseen Buffy's next reaction. She was laughing loudly. Obviously she was really amused by his progresses as an actor. She patted her thighs and gasped for air for she was laughing wildly. "Giles, this can't be true! You as Frank... I can't believe this! I've gotta tell Willow... Are you gonna show up in school this way, too?"

Giles could not help himself, he had to smile. If he had found another man dressed the way he was dressed at the moment, he would probably have reacted in the same way. "Okay, now that we've cleared this out - what did you want here? I mean, it's really late, although you seem to develop a preference for late hours."

Finally, Buffy managed to calm herself down. There was nothing bad in Giles having some fun on stage. "Alright. You see, I was in the Bronze until half an hour ago, and there I saw a girl with red hair. I believe she was the one I saw on the graveyard. And the man, Richard, I told you about him, he also was on the graveyard. They're the couple we've been looking for all the time!"

Giles cocked an eyebrow. "Are you sure? I mean, we didn't find out anything beyond the fact that they're obviously vampires from Ireland. Do you really think you've found them?"

"Yes, I do. Now I've got to find them again, and then I can put an end to this game. I mean, Richard's been playing games with me all the time, and I didn't even realise it because I wished to be loved. Giles?" She paused for a moment. "Did I behave very strange today?"

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