"The X-Factor"
By Teresa Owens and Ashley Evans
"In any battle scenario, there is always one variable you cannot predict."
--Caesar...Julius Caesar, "Render Unto Caesar", *Hercules: The Legendary Journeys*.
Sunnydale High School Library
Friday
5:51 PM
Scully sat at the central table, her attention riveted on 'The Complete History of Sunnydale - Volume One'. She sighed, settling back in her chair and removing her glasses. For the last hour or so she had gone over just about every book and newspaper article she could find on Sunnydale, the journals of the Spanish who'd settled the area first, as well as police documentation on all of the 1998 unsolved murders, missing persons reports, and more.
In her professional opinion, Sunnydale was no different from any other town. If a high crime rate was inicative of something paranormal, Washington, D.C. would have been a much likelier Hellmouth. How did Mulder form this hypothesis on the information she'd just reviewed? He would have found the exact same information she had just read during his research. Sure, like Chaney, some of the murders in Sunnydale's colorful history were vampire-like. Someone looking for it would definitely find it. She'd seen some damn strange murders on the evening news--even stranger than the stuff that happened in Sunnydale, and the people who had committed those crimes were very much alive.
'But what about the murders in '37, Scully?' She could just hear Mulder's question in her head. Easily explained. People reacted differently in disaster situations--like, say, after a horrific earthquake. Perhaps someone just used the chaos to his advantage while he committed his grisly murders. It wasn't uncommon. And the weird gang murders which plagued Sunnydale in the present were the easiest to explain. The kids were on drugs. With its proximity to gang-riddled Los Angeles, it's no wonder that Sunnydale had a gang and drug problem. Pretty much everything "weird" in Sunnydale had a very rational explanation.
Scully looked to her right, catching Willow staring at her. Scully smiled a little when Willow quickly turned her head, pretending to be lost in the ragged book lying on the table in front of her.
"What are you reading?" Scully asked as she placed her glasses on the table.
Willow raised her head slowly then looked over to Scully. "Who, me?" she asked, pointing to herself. "Oh, it's nothing much. Just an old..." She couldn't say 'witchcraft book'. "Uh, an old book, uh, on something...old." She pulled the spell book closer, almost protective like. "And it's not an interesting subject. Well, not to someone like you because you're in the FBI and I don't really think you'd like a book of witc--uh, um....old...stuff." She bit her lip and pulled the book even closer. "Did you find anything in the books and the articles?"
Scully shrugged a bit, half-nodding. "Plenty of evidence proving Mulder's out here on another wild goose chase." She picked up something she'd found in old issues of the local paper. "I did, however, find this rather interesting."
Willow scooted her chair closer to Scully as the agent pushed some computer printouts towards her. "What is it?" she asked, looking the pages over.
"Obituaries," Scully answered as Willow studied each page closely. She sighed softly. "It tells a fascinating tale," she added.
Giles stepped out from the rows of library books, the tattered text in one hand and a neat, recently bound book in the other. He looked down upon Scully and Willow, who were both absorbed in various computer printouts. Closing the newer book, using his right index finger as a bookmark, Giles listened as Scully elaborated on her interest in the obituaries.
"Do you notice anything about the obituaries over the last month?" Scully asked. She paused, watching Willow read through the pages.
Willow nodded slowly. She could tell right off what Scully meant. "There are significantly fewer for the past month than in previous months," she responded, looking up at Agent Scully. "Right?"
Scully nodded, pleased that Willow had figured it out so quickly. The kid was sure bright. "Yes, drastically fewer than the month before."
"Oh, yeah," Willow whole-heartedly agreed, pushing the papers back to Scully. "But what do you think it means, Agent Scully?"
"I'm not quite sure," Scully replied slowly, picking up the printouts. She looked them over as she continued. "I've noted other drop-offs in the deaths in this town's history. Fluctuations in crime are not unusual for any town, but somehow this is...odd." Her brow furrowed. "I'm not much of a profiler--that's Mulder's area of expertise, but what I've found is in my area: cause of death." She glanced up, noticing that the librarian was watching her intently. Embarrassed, he retreated back into the stacks.
"Cause of death?" Willow repeated, eyes widening. She couldn't wait to hear this.
Scully's gaze shifted back to Willow. "Yes. Before, most of the deaths were murders, or freakish accidents." She tapped the printout with her finger. "But not in this lot. Natural causes, mostly." Sighing, she dropped the papers on the table. "Just seems odd to me."
An uncomfortable silence fell between the two.
"Is investigating obituaries part of your job, Agent Scully? I mean, what exactly do you *do* in the FBI?" Willow asked.
"I'm a licensed medical doctor, but my primary focus is in forensic pathology," Scully replied. "My interests are purely in the science of the division in which Agent Mulder and I work. We are the only agents investigating the X-Files--unexplained or unsolved cases shuffled away and forgotten about. As for what's it like--" She couldn't help but shake her head. "Working with Mulder is hardly ever boring."
"Forensic pathology?" Willow said, making a face, feeling a slight wave of nausea rush over her. Dead bodies. Ugh. She definitely didn't mesh well with the dead. "I think I'd like to be in the FBI one day," she thoughtfully added. "Oh! But not with the, uh, dead bodies and the forensic pathology and...stuff." She shuddered at the mere thought of cutting up a dead body. "May I could be in the computer crimes section!" she suddenly said. "It takes a hacker to know a hacker." As soon as those words left Willow's mouth, she scrambled to change the subject. She told a federal agent she was a hacking fiend! What could she possibly say to--"Hey, do you want to see me change ice into fire?"
Scully's eyebrows arched in extreme surprise but Willow saw definite interest there. Willow had really turned the conversation upside down with that question. "And how do you plan to do that?" she asked, sitting back in her chair and crossing her arms over her chest.
"It's a spell I learned," Willow explained. Oh, well, if it took Scully's interest away from the 'hacker' comment, what was the harm? "I've been learning a lot of new spells." She pushed the spell book over so Scully could see it. "See?"
Giles carefully stepped out from behind the stacks, watching Scully as she talked to Willow. He closed his tattered text, focusing his attention on how the skeptical agent would respond to Willow.
"Spells?" Scully said, glancing from the open book to Willow, who nodded enthusiastically. "As in witchcraft? Witches? Warlocks?" Scully received a nod after each question. She chuckled softly. "Those things aren't real, Willow. According to some scholars, the myth of the witch evolved in an age when women were oppressed. Mid-wives and those who used herbs for healing were feared because of their medical knowledge. The women who practiced this herbal healing were usually loners. Since it wasn't deemed proper that women have knowledge like that, people believed they were in league with the Devil. That these women had exchanged their souls for preternatural powers. Also, herbal healing was seen as a pagan practice by the Catholic church. They were branded witches." She tried to smile. "There is no such thing as witchcraft, or sorcery or magick."
Giles took a few steps forward, totally captivated by Scully's matter of fact and no nonsense reply to Willow. Scully had just explained away the existence of witchcraft--an art which he knew for a fact was very real. He had even performed a bit of it himself. But if he didn't know better, he would have believed her.
What an intriguing woman, he thought. Absolutely intriguing.
Willow glanced from her spell book to Scully. "I'll take that as a 'no'," she replied quietly, and went back to her reading.
The awkward silence that followed didn't last long. The library doors burst open, and Buffy, dressed in more appropriate slaying attire--gray T-shirt, black sweatpants, and sneakers, charged into the room. She didn't even notice Scully sitting at the table with Willow because her attention was focused on Giles.
"Giles, we have a *major* problem," she said, stopping at the table where Willow and Scully were. She waited for the Watcher to respond, but Giles kept pointedly looking down, indicating the table beside Buffy. After sighing heavily, she asked, "What?" then she looked down, meeting the curious gaze of Scully. "Um...hi!" Buffy politely said to Scully. "Excuse me, please?"
Scully didn't get a syllable out before Buffy ran up the steps to Giles. She turned around, as did Willow, to see Buffy pull Giles back into the privacy of the bookshelves.
That was weird, Scully thought. She heard the hushed voices of Giles and this other girl.
"Do you know what that is all about?" Scully inquired as Willow turned around. "Seemed awfully urgent."
Willow shrugged. "With Buffy, it could be anything," she replied. She glanced in the direction where Giles and Buffy talked. Oh, boy. Something terrible was about to happen. She glanced at her watch--almost 6:15. And she had the feeling Scully's partner, Mulder was in danger.
When Buffy was sure she and Giles were out of earshot of Willow and the strange lady, she began talking. "I'll say it again, Giles," she told him in a low voice. "We have a major problem. Earlier, while Xander and I were in town, I literally ran into some FBI guy. Well, he ran into us...anyway! He was totally strange! Asked a lot of questions about vampires and the Hellmouth." She paused, peeking through the bookshelf, to see if Willow and the lady with her were listening in, but the two redheads were talking. "Apparently," she continued, looking back to Giles, "he's been all over town, asking this stuff. It's all anyone could talk about. The FBI, Giles. This is not good."
Giles nodded slightly. "Yes, I-I know all about it," he replied, in an equally quiet voice. "I mean him. This man--Mulder."
Buffy's eyebrows raised in surprise. "You do?" she said. "How?"
"The redhead with Willow, s-she's this Mulder's partner," Giles answered. He smiled faintly recalling Scully's well-crafted explanation of witchcraft. "She's...she's quite the impressive woman..." His sentence trailed off.
Buffy gave him a stiff poke in the shoulder with her finger, drawing his attention. "We have a problem, and you're going all ga-ga googley over some FBI lady," she said, waving her hands around in a goofy manner. "Now I need 'Serious' Giles, not 'Sappy' Giles." When Giles focused back to her, she said, "Great. Back to the FBI guy. Do you know what these two are doing here?"
Giles adjusted his glasses after he shifted the tattered text to one hand.. "As I understand it, they're looking for Sheriff Hartwell," he replied.. "Willow mentioned it was something about a murder suspect; someone named, uh, Strickland. Does that mean anything...to you?"
"Strickland? No, nothing at all," Buffy answered.
"These agents are searching for him," Giles went on. "And they believe that Sheriff Hartwell knows the whereabouts of this...this Strickland character." He tapped his book, thinking. "I imagine he's a member of this nomadic vampire clan which arrived in Sunnydale with Hartwell. I-I keep thinking I've heard this name Strickland recently, though."
Buffy shook her head slightly, holding up her hands. "Whatever this is, I know Sheriff Hartwell can't be part of it. He's just...not that kind of vampire. I mean, come on, Giles, how many vampires do you know who *enjoy* law and order? That's right, just the one!"
Giles remained quiet for a moment, pondering a thought. "I don't...I don't understand why this didn't occur to me before," he started, drumming his fingers lightly on the book. He looked to Buffy. "Did you ever think that--that Hartwell's presence is the reason for the decrease of vampire activity of late? You said yourself the drop off didn't happen till...about a month ago. That was..when he arrived."
Buffy considered Giles' conclusion for a minute. "Yeah, it could be," she replied thoughtfully. She shook it off, remembering the real problem. "That's not the issue now. I told this Mulder not to go out at night, and he insulted me. He's probably out there right now, getting his throat ripped out, or worse. It's so not good if some federal guy gets whacked out here, Giles."
"Yes, yes, you...are quite right," Giles agreed. He peeked around the stack of books. Scully smiled and laughed at something Willow said. "It....it wouldn't . Umm... why don't you k-keep an eye on this...Mulder." He flicked his attention back to Buffy. "Follow him tonight."
Buffy nodded. "Affirmative," she replied, giving Giles a slight salute. "And what are your plans?" She jerked a thumb in the general direction of Scully and Willow. "About the lady agent you've got the hots for?"
"I'm-I'm not...quite cer--" Giles started to reply but abandoned that in exchange for a "What? What are you talking about?"
"Don't pretend, Giles," Buffy teasingly replied, shaking a finger at him. She wore a smile on her face. "You get this teeny weenie glimmer in your eye and this look on your face every time you refer to her. It's a look that just says, 'Take me, I'm yours'."
"I most certainly do not," he declared. The smile on Buffy's face told him she wasn't convinced a bit. Not a single bit. "L-look, why don't...you go a-a-and keep an--an eye on her--" He placed a hand to his forehead, closing his eyes momentarily, attempting to gather his thoughts. "I mean, keep an eye on *Mulder*," he corrected himself as he lowered his hand and opened his eyes.
Buffy folded her arms across her chest, nodding every so often as he spluttered out his instructions. The smile continued to grow. "Yeah, of course, Giles," she said in a serious voice.
"A-and...I'll just keep Agent Scully...*here*...for awhile," Giles continued. "She and Willow, they appear to get on quite...quite well."
"Gotcha," Buffy said, giving him a thumbs up. "I'll do the best I can." She started to leave, but paused and looked over her shoulder. "Hey, Giles." When he looked over to her, she added, "Good luck." She nodded in Scully's direction.
Willow turned in her chair as Buffy came down the steps, a sly smile on the Slayer's face. "Buffy, is everything all right?" she asked.
Buffy stopped at the bottom of the steps, glancing from Willow to Scully, who also looked at her. "Um, yeah," she answered. "Everything's just fine. I thought I'd lost a library book, and you know how much Giles loves that book I checked out."
Willow raised an eyebrow in puzzlement at Buffy's replied. "I don't remember you checking out anything lately, Buffy," she said.
Scully turned around, going back to work when she saw it was only a major problem in a high school life which plagued this girl, Buffy.
As soon as Scully turned around, Buffy emphatically shook her head and pointed to Scully, mouthing, "Her partner." She held her arms out, almost level with her shoulders. "Big problem."
Willow glanced at Scully. Boy, did she hate being right sometimes. She motioned to the library as she looked back to Buffy. "We'll be here," she mouthed back to her.
Buffy nodded. "I'll see you on Monday, Willow!" she called as she left the library.
"Bye!" Willow called after Buffy's reatreating figure.
Spike's Mansion
6:19 PM
Ronnie took a deep breath before he knocked on the door. While Ronnie wasn't scared as such, he was a little worried about how Spike was going to take the news. It's bad news, but what's the worst he's gonna do, kill me? He might get pissed, but that's what walls are for - to put your fists through when you want to hit someone but know you can't.
Actually, I'm doing him a favor by telling him this, Ronnie thought, his confidence growing by the second. So he can come up with another plan. Yeah, I'm doing him a favor. Nodding, he repeated the word "favor" to himself as he knocked.
The door creaked open slightly, but no one showed up to see who it was. Ronnie looked over his shoulder.
Oh, yeah, he thought with a chuckle. Daylight.
He'd forgotten these vamps didn't take to sunlight as well as he did. He stepped inside the mansion then shut the door behind him. He turned to the meek-looking little vamp who had opened the door.
"Spike," Ronnie said authoritatively. On a weak little guy like this one, he could afford to pretend to be in control.
The vampire pointed towards a closed door. Ronnie puffed himself up a little as he strutted across the room. He could feel that confidence slipping away with every step he took.
Favor, I'm doing him a favor. He'll thank me for this. No problem here, he thought as he walked into the dark room.
"Hey, Spike?" Ronnie called out. He paused when no one answered him. "It's me, Ronnie. Where are you?" Even thought Ronnie couldn't see Spike, he could sense him, and the others with Spike in the room.
Spike's eyes rolled backwards. Just when he was starting to have a nice, relaxing afternoon... another visit from the geek. Deciding there was no point in staying quiet because the little worm would just walk in and eventually find him, Spike called out, "Over here, Strickland."
He noticed the spring in Ronnie's step immediately. The geek wasn't going to be... perky, was he? A perky vampire was almost as abominable as an altruistic one. Spike braced himself for good cheer as he stood up to greet Ronnie. "Hello. What brings you here today?"
"I had some news for you about the...the Hartwell project." Ronnie looked around furtively, spotting two men and one woman lurking in the shadows.. "Are we among friends here?" he asked in a low voice, leaning conspiratorially towards Spike.
Spike sighed. Clearly, this was Ronnie's first time at anything vaguely resembling a covert operation. He was enjoying it a little too much. "What's the matter, Strickland, someone make you check your cloak and dagger at the door? Everyone's fine here. I take it this isn't a social call, so... talk."
Ronnie looked for a place to sit down. No place except the couch Spike had just vacated. Standing was fine. "I... I have some news about..."
"Sheriff Hartwell, yes, so you said. What is it?"
Ronnie mentally repeated "favor" a few times before he said, "Mulder's here, and... " He paused to nervously chuckle. "and...uh, he's not quite doing what we thought he would."
"Correction, he's not doing what *you* said he would do," Spike replied, pacing in a circle around Ronnie. "I know nothing about this Mulder or his behavioral patterns." He stopped in front of the frumpy vampire. "Regardless, what's he doing?"
Ronnie shifted from foot to foot. This was going to *seriously* blow his cool. "Mulder's... he's...well, he's just not doing anything." He scratched his head, avoiding eye contact with Spike. He sensed Spike wasn't happy with this house call as it was. "Well, he's doing something, but it's not what he was *supposed* to, and it doesn't look like..."
"Now that you've defined dithering, could you get to the point?" Spike interrupted.
"Okay." Ronnie took a deep breath. "He's not looking for Hartwell." A quick glance at Spike. "I followed him around for a while, and he's just asking people in town about the Hellmouth. It seems like he's... shifted his focus." After clearing his throat, he added, "I, uh, I kinda thought you'd want to know." A tense cough. "Or something," he muttered.
After a few moments of chuckling, Spike's mood did a complete 180. "Thought I'd want to know!?" he shouted, grabbing Ronnie by the shirt. "Shifted his focus?!" He lifted Ronnie up from the floor. "Are you telling me that in addition to your friend the Boy Scout with Bicuspids, there's now a nosy FBI agent here to screw things up even further?!"
Ronnie winced at the force of Spike's reply, then meekly replied, "Yeah."
"And, correct me if I'm wrong," Spike continued, shaking Ronnie a little, "but this FBI agent wouldn't be here now if it wasn't for *you* ?!" He let go of the kid then turned away from him.
Ronnie smoothed down his shirt. "Yeah," he repeated. His head hung low.
"So now we have TWO problems to solve--" Spike turned back to Ronnie, who ventured a glance up at him. "--thanks to your sage advice?"
"Hey, I didn't *have* to come here and tell you about Mulder," Ronnie declared, his head raising, his gaze meeting Spike's. His moment of courage dwindled away when he saw that look in Spike's eye. "If it hadn't been for *me*," he went on, motioning to himself slightly, "--*you* wouldn't have known he was screwing up."
"No, if it hadn't been for *you*, he wouldn't be here to screw up!" Spike paced back and forth by the couch, muttering, "I'm so mad right now, I could..." Whirling around, he suddenly knocked a glass against the wall. Watching it shatter, Ronnie decided that it was okay, at least it wasn't a fist through the wall.
"Now look, you little pissant," Spike snarled as he walked back over to Ronnie, pointing a finger at him. "*You* brought this problem into town. Therefore, it's only logical that you take care of the problem, right?" He waited for an answer. "RIGHT?!" he shouted when Ronnie didn't give one.
"I-I-I did you a favor--" Ronnie started to respond.
"You did *nothing*!" Spike growled, cutting Ronnie off. He took a few moments to calm himself then, in a much more controlled voice, said, "You have a small but open window of opportunity to rectify the wrong you have done." He paused when Ronnie quickly looked up to him. "Do you want to take it?" Spike asked enunciating each word carefully.
Ronnie saw the two men in the room start to come closer. Three against one, he thought. In my present condition, definitely not my kind of odds. "What do you want me to do?" he softly asked.
"That's much better." Spike grinned, pleased this Strickland idiot saw things his way. "Take care of this Mulder person."
Ronnie's face twisted slightly in confusion. "Take care of him meaning....?" he asked, letting the sentence trail off.
"Take him out, fool. *Kill* him." Spike shook his head. "What would I ask you to do, take him to dinner and a movie?"
"Kill him. Yeah, right, good plan," Ronnie said quickly, nodding. He cleared his throat, taking a few steps back from Spike. "I'll go right now," he added. Spike didn't seem so cool now--terrifying was more like it.
As Ronnie started to back up the stairs, Spike said, "Where are you going?"
Ronnie stopped on the stairs, turning back to Spike. "T-t-to kill Mulder," he spluttered. Stop it, he told himself. You're in deep enough crap already. Stop sounding like a moron.
"In broad daylight?" came Spike's incredulous reply. He rolled his eyes then added, "For God's sake, at least wait until it gets dark, will you?"
"Right!" Ronnie said, nodding vigorously. "Dark. Yes, good point. I'll wait until... tonight. Sound good?" Great, he thought. Way to get back into his good graces, acting like an idiot.
"Sounds fine. You may go now." Spike dismissed him with a hand wave. As Ronnie started to leave, he called out, "And, Ronnie?"
Ronnie paused, swallowing hard, before asking, "Yeah, Spike?"
"Please don't come back unless Mulder's dead or gone. Preferably *dead*." The tone in Spike's voice told Ronnie this was a command, *not* a request, so Ronnie left without saying another word.
Spike watched him walk upstairs, then sighed wearily. Falling back onto the sofa, he said to no one in particular, "Why me? You try to take a new vampire under your wing, and this is what happens, your protegee turns out to be an imbecile." He looked around the room, his eyes resting on one of the men standing aimlessly nearby. "You," he pointed across the room.
"Yeah, Spike?"
"Follow him," he said, waving his hand towards the stairs, meaning Ronnie..
"Now?" the vampire asked, panicked. He shook his head. "I'll be fried!"
"No, when he goes out tonight. Make sure he does what I told him to do."
"Okay. Wait... how will I know where he's going?" Before Spike said anything, he added, "I think I know... the usual place?"
Spike nodded. "If he's as big a moron as I think he is, he'll wait until this Mulder creature goes to the cemetery."
"Right. If he screws up, should I kill him?"
"Please do." Both of the men left the room, leaving Spike alone with the woman. Spike sniffed the air, then said inquisitively, "What is that smell?"
"You know what it is," a female voice purred behind him.
He sniffed again, then smiled at Dru. "You're right, love. All redheads DO smell like peanuts."
8:15 PM
Mulder drummed his fingers on the steering wheel of the rental car, humming a nonsense tune to the beat. He looked to the police station across the street. He'd been staking out the place for almost a half an hour and no sign of Lucius Hartwell. Hartwell had to be in that building someplace, Mulder'd seen him go in there.
Sighing, Mulder stopped drumming his fingers and relaxed in his seat. He fished around in his coat pockets, grumbling when he came up empty. "Dammit," he muttered. He grabbed his trenchcoat lying in the passenger's side seat. After rummaging through those pockets, he pulled out a bag of sunflower seeds. "Ah-ha!" he triumphantly declared.
The sound of a car starting up caught Mulder's attention. He looked up in time to see Lucius Hartwell drive passed his rental car. "Shit," Mulder muttered. He stuffed the bag of seeds into his jacket pocket then started up his car. He threw the car into "drive" and pulled onto the road.
Mulder followed Hartwell's police cruiser at a safe distance. He sat up in the driver's seat, his eyes never leaving the back end of Hartwell's car. The cruiser took a left turn, headed towards one of the 12 cemeteries in Sunnydale. And Mulder was right behind him.
Cemetery, Mulder thought. I bet the others are around here. It makes sense they'd be around a cemetery.
POP! THWUNK...THWUNK...
Mulder fought hard with the steering wheel to keep control of the car. Damn, flat tire. Damn! Gently, he pumped the brake, slowing the car down as he pulled over to the side of the road, right next to the cemetery. As soon as the car stopped, Mulder threw open the door and got out. He saw Hartwell still driving up the street until the rear lights disappeared..
"Dammit!" he growled as he slammed the car door shut. He walked around the car, checking to see which tire had blown out. When he reached the right rear tire, he swore again and repeatedly kicked the flat tire.
In the bushes, just outside of the rickety cast iron fence surrounding the cemetery, Ronnie Strickland watched Mulder open up the trunk of the rental car. A smile spread across his face, his eyes glowing a mild green for a moment.
Flat tire, Agent Mulder? Ronnie thought as Mulder threw the jack onto the grass, muttering curses the entire time. This just isn't your lucky day..
Mulder stopped cursing under his breath when he heard a rustling in the bushes nearby. He forgot about the spare tire as he turned around. He saw the bushes move as if someone walked through them. "Hello?" he called out. The bushes quieted, but resumed after a moment. "Hey!"
He pulled out his gun. Slowly he made his way towards the bushes which continued to move. "Hey! Who's in there?" he called as he stopped near the bushes. When the bushes stilled, Mulder swallowed hard, raising up his gun.
Ronnie heard Mulder's heart thumping, and the mixture of adrenaline and blood rushing through the young agent's veins. Deep inside, he felt old instincts re-emerging, stirring. An ancient memory arose, a memory from the days when his clan fed on humans, and lived as masters of the world.
Yes, Ronnie thought as that feeling became stronger and stronger. The demon inside him, the demon who'd been repressed for so long, fought to reach the surface. A low growl escaped Ronnie's lips as he spotted Mulder moving in closer.
Mulder's eyes widened slightly as he heard a guttural growl come from what ever was in the bushes. He jumped back when Ronnie, completely vamped out, emerged from the bushes. "Oh, shit!" he gasped, his finger moving to depress the trigger.
Ronnie grabbed the gun by the barrel, yanked it out of Mulder's hands then tossed it away. It sailed over the fence into the cemetery. "Hello, Agent Mulder," Ronnie greeted as he seized the agent by the lapels of his suit jacket. "Remember me?" he asked pulling Mulder closer.
Mulder chuckled nervously and replied, "You know, I never forget a face, but for some reason, I've forgotten yours." He gagged a little when Ronnie tightened his grip.
"Let me give you a hint," Ronnie snapped, shaking Mulder. "You shoved a stake in my chest." He growled. "Ring any bells?"
Mulder blinked a few times as he realized who this was. "Ronnie...Strickland?" he asked, his voice all but a whisper. He looked the boy, who now held him off the ground, over. "But...how did you...what did you...?"
"No more time for talk," Ronnie said. With a force of strength that Mulder rarely encountered in his life, Ronnie threw the agent into the air. Mulder sailed over the fence and into the cemetery. He landed hard, but continued to roll until he slammed into something.
"God...damn....ohhhh," Mulder groaned, as he tried to touch his back. He attempted to sit up but only fell onto his back, groaning. The groaning died off when he saw a headstone to his right. That was what he'd slammed into. "Oh, great," he muttered.
Hidden behind one of the mausoleums of the cemetery, the vampire Spike had sent out to make sure Ronnie did his job, watched the ancient vampire easily hop over the fence. He laughed a little, watching Ronnie slowly approach Mulder.
Ronnie chuckled as Mulder struggled to sit up. "You're more trouble than you're worth, you know that, Agent Mulder?" he said as he looked upon Mulder.
Mulder coughed. His hands searched the ground in hopes of finding his gun. "Oh, really?" he replied in nothing more than a whisper since the wind had been knocked out of him. He coughed again. "And why is that?"
Ronnie kicked Mulder in the ribs. Mulder cried out in pain as he curled up in the fetal position. "Because, Mulder," he hissed then kicked the agent again. "You were *supposed* to get rid of Hartwell." Another swift kick to the ribs. "Not goof off out here."
Mulder went into a fit of coughing. His hands brushed against something. The fingers of his right hand curled around a...a good sized stick. He raised his eyes to Ronnie, who towered over him. "Oh yeah?" he said, voice still hoarse. "And what do you plan to do about it, Pee-Wee?"
Ronnie grabbed Mulder by the shirt with one hand, pulling Mulder up slightly as he leaned over. "I'm gonna KILL you, that's what, dork," he snarled.
"Not if I get you first," Mulder responded. He brought up his right hand, grasping the stick tightly. He was two inches from Ronnie's chest when Ronnie's left hand effortlessly batted the stick from Mulder's hand.
Ronnie tightened his grip on Mulder. "Not this time, Mulder," he growled then whipped his razor sharp nails across Mulder' left cheek, leaving four lines which oozed blood.
Oh, shit, Mulder thought as Ronnie bared his fangs--*real* fangs. I'm gonna die. I'm truly gonna die. My life should be flashing before my eyes right now. It would help to have *had* a life.
Ronnie was just about to sink his teeth into Mulder's neck, but he froze when a voice said, "Ew, I really don't want to know what this is all about, do I?"
Ronnie and Mulder both looked towards the sound of the voice. Standing a few feet away, a stake in one hand while the other rested on her hip, was Buffy.
She shook her head, her ponytail waving slightly. "Oh, wait, one of you is a vampire," she said, her eyes locked on Ronnie. "Guess one of you is gonna die." She shrugged then flipped the stake. "At least I came prepared." She gave Ronnie a swift kick to the face.
Ronnie flew off of Mulder and landed hard on the ground. He shook his head. That kick had really dazed him. He looked up to Buffy. "You've walked into the wrong fight, girl!" he yelled. He growled as he charged her.. He caught her by the waist and tackled her to the ground.
Buffy lost her stake in the fall, but her only thought was to survive this fight. This vampire was a thousand times stronger than any she'd encountered before. This fight was not going to be easy. She managed to wiggle out of Ronnie's grasp, giving him a kick to the face before she flipped up onto her feet.
Ronnie was up in a flash, growling. "You should've walked away," he said.. He ducked a spin kick from her. "What kind of Slayer are you?" he asked as he blocked another kick from her. "You're terrible!" He laughed as he grabbed hold of her right arm when she tried to backhand him. "You know, we were always kind to Slayers," he said as he twisted Buffy's arm behind her back. "For so many damned years, we helped you people out. But I'm not gonna do it anymore."
Buffy tried to kick Ronnie, but he seemed to anticipate all her moves. The kick was easily blocked. "Ok," she said, trying to look over her shoulder at him. "Now you're really starting to irritate me."
"Likewise," he hissed in her ear. Gripping Buffy's arm with both hands, Ronnie whirled her around. As she whipped around him, Buffy felt her feet lift off the ground. She found herself gliding through the air when Ronnie let go of her arm. He grinned. He felt so...undead.
"Oof!" Buffy slammed into the rickety cast iron fence and blew right through it. She thumped onto the sidewalk, dazed for a moment, but sat up. She saw Ronnie going back over to Mulder. She looked around for anything to use against him. Her gaze fell on a nice sized pole from the fence.
Ronnie laughed as Mulder tried to sit up. "Heh, stupid girl," he grumbled as he put a foot on Mulder's chest, shoving him back to the ground. "Surprised, aren't you, Mulder?" he asked as Mulder looked up at him, utter fear in the agent's eyes. "I'm not that same dumb assed kid you chased through those woods back in Chaney." He laughed as he stood straight. "I'm back to full power, thanks to this Hellmouth!"
A black metal pole whirled around and whacked Ronnie in the face. He flipped to the left and backwards and landed on his back. Buffy twirled the pole around like a staff then stood in a battle ready position with the pole in one hand. She glanced down at Mulder. "Don't you just hate it when they have to make speeches?" she asked.
Ronnie sat up, his hand on his forehead where Buffy had hit him with the pole. He looked over to Buffy who protectively stood between him and Mulder. "That really hurt," he said, almost whining.
Buffy took the pole into both hands. "Had enough? Or would you enjoy another?"
she called out to him. She raised her eyebrows, waiting for his answer. "I'm always happy to oblige, ya know."
Ronnie got to his feet growling at Buffy who now twirled the pole around in her hands. "I'd enjoy tearing your head off!" he yelled then he charged towards her.
Buffy, still twirling the pole, side stepped as Ronnie neared her. He barreled past her, but quickly skidded to a halt. Buffy brought the pole around, much like swinging a baseball bat, but Ronnie's hand caught the pole before it struck him. "Uh, oh," she said. She widened her grip on the pole, but Ronnie pulled her closer, grabbing onto it with both of his hands.
"Your Watcher should be strung up," Ronnie snorted, shaking his head. He laughed as Buffy tried to wrestle the pole from his grip. "Letting you go out all alone like this so... defenseless. Must be some sort of idiot who trained you."
Buffy's eyes narrowed on Ronnie. "All right," she declared as she regripped the pole in her hands. "You can insult me, but don't you trash-talk Giles." She twisted the pole as she raised it above her head. Through swift manipulation, she and Ronnie were back to back, hands high over their heads grasping onto the pole.
Ronnie brought his hands down over his head, leaning forward as he did so.. Buffy rolled over his back and landed on her feet in front of him. They still held onto the pole. "Looks like we're right back where we started," he said.
A grin spread across Buffy's face as she shook her head. "I don't think so," she replied. She kicked Ronnie in the stomach. When he fell forward, holding onto the pole, she gave him another kick to the face. He stumbled back as his hands slipping off of the pole. Grinning even wider, she whirled the pole around Yet again, before it made contact, Ronnie caught it in his hands.
He yanked the pole out of her hands then growled. "Guess I get a turn now," he snarled. He kicked Buffy in the stomach and knocked her flat on her back. While she was down, Ronnie came up to her. "That was quite fun," he said, gripping the pole in both hands. He positioned it so the pointed end was over her heart. "Bye now."
As Ronnie brought the pole down on Buffy, a bunch of sunflower seeds scattered onto the ground beside the girl. He stopped the pole just before it hit Buffy in the chest. He turned to see Mulder grasping onto the headstone with one hand and holding a bag of sunflower seeds in the other.
"Man!" Ronnie yelled as he threw the pole away in frustration. "You *always* do that!" Sighing, he forgot about Buffy and proceeded to gather up the seeds on the ground beside her.
Buffy flipped to her feet, curiously watching the vampire carefully pick up the seeds. "What the--?" she said. Well, he was occupied so she decided to find her stake while she could.
Ronnie straightened, all the seeds clutched in his hand. He looked around for Buffy, but she was no longer where he'd left her. He turned to find the girl searching the ground. "Hey!" he called, gaining her attention.. "What are you looking for?"
Buffy grinned when she found her stake. It was just in front of Ronnie's feet. She raised her gaze up to him, and replied, "Never mind. I found it."
She did a few handsprings towards him. As she went into a handstand, she grabbed the stake in her left hand. She locked her legs together at the ankles around Ronnie's neck then pulled herself up so she sat on his shoulders, uneasily. "Buh-bye," she said, grinning down at him. She rammed the stake into Ronnie's heart through his back.
As Ronnie disintegrated, Buffy landed on her feet, covered in dust. She brushed off her clothes as she made her way over to Mulder. He stared up at her in awe. He shook his head slowly then said, "You really *are* the Slayer."
"Can we say 'Duh'?" Buffy replied as she looked down at Mulder. He struggled to get up, so she offered a hand to him. "Here. Are you all right?"
Mulder took Buffy's hand, wincing as his ribs throbbed. "Yeah, I think so," he answered. He used the headstone to push himself up as Buffy pulled. "Oohhh," he groaned, letting go of her hand, falling against the headstone.
She steadied him by placing both hands on his shoulders. "Are you *sure* you're ok?" she asked. She removed her hands when Mulder nodded. "That was quite a beating you took."
Mulder groaned loudly, closing his eyes for a moment. "Oh, don't remind me," he grumbled. His eyes flicked over to the pile of dust which was Ronnie. "What did you do to him anyway?" He nodded towards the dust.
Buffy glanced back to the dust pile. "I staked him," she said. "You know, I'm the Slayer--" She pointed to herself. "--he was the vampire." She waved a hand towards the dust. "I stake him, he dies. The end. It's not like quantum physics or anything."
Mulder shook his head, grasping his left side in pain. "No," he said, between clenched teeth. "When I staked him, he didn't turn to dust like that. He just went down."
"Wait, when *you* staked him?" Buffy asked. She put her hands on her hips, raising an eyebrow. "What do you mean? Did you know that guy?" She jerked a thumb at the dust pile.
He nodded. "Ronnie Strickland," he replied. He waved her off when she stepped forward to help him balance himself. "I was attacked by him in Chaney, Texas, a few months ago." He sighed. "He was different at that time." He motioned to his own face. "He was...normal. Not all with the face and everything. He *ran* from me. My partner even saw him after I staked him, and he didn't do that." He nodded to the pile of dust again.
"Then you did it wrong," she told him. She put an arm around him, catching him when he tried to take a step. "You should leave the slaying to the professionals," she added. She looked around the cemetery. "This really isn't the best place to hang around and discuss this."
"My car has a flat tire," Mulder said as they made their way out of the cemetery. Buffy supported Mulder as he walked all the while. "And I lost my gun, too."
"Like *that's* gonna help us anyway," Buffy replied as they left the cemetery. They stopped on the sidewalk. "And I'm not standing around while you change a tire." She paused, her body tensing as she sensed a vampire nearby.
The vampire ducked into the bushes as Buffy looked around. Damn, she'd sensed him. She probably wouldn't leave the human alone now. And no way was *he* fighting the Slayer. She'd defeated one of the oldest vampires he'd ever known, he didn't have a prayer.
Buffy let go of Mulder as he gained enough balance to stand on his own. The vampire was near, watching. So Ronnie had not been alone. Great, she thought. Just great. Now what am I going to do?
"My motel isn't far from here. If you have...Slayer stuff to do, you go ahead--"
"No," Buffy cut in, whipping her head around to look at Mulder. "I will not leave you alone out here." She snapped her fingers when an idea popped into her head. "Giles. You can go to the school library. And your partner is there, too. Great idea!" She grabbed him by the jacket, tugging him along behind her. "Let's get going."
"Hey!" Mulder said, pulling his arm away from her. He stumbled a little but fell into step beside her. "I don't need you to hold my hand. I can walk."
Buffy glanced behind her. She felt that vampire near. "Ok, ok." She sighed, looking over to Mulder. She noticed him popping sunflower seeds into his mouth. "What was it with that guy and those sunflower seeds anyway?" she asked.
Mulder tossed an empty shell into the grass. "In some legends, vampires are very obsessive-compulsive creatures."
"Yeah," agreed Buffy, nodding. "They obsessively and compulsively kill people." She glanced over her shoulder again. Whoever had been following them was now gone.
Mulder, however, continued on. "Back in Chaney, I used that legend to save myself from Ronnie." He shrugged. "I figured it would work again. His need to pick up those seeds made him lose interest in the fight." He popped another seed into his mouth. "The least I could do in return for you saving my ass."
"I warned you about going out at night," Buffy said after a few moments of silence. "Didn't I tell you? What are you doing out here anyway?"
"Following Lucius Hartwell," Mulder answered then spat out a shell. "I'd hoped he'd lead me to Ronnie Strickland, but *he* doesn't really matter anymore now." He glanced over at Buffy, smiling slightly. "Justice has been served. But...Hartwell and the others are still out there."
"I heard the tale of Ronnie Strickland," she said then paused. "Well, not really, but I do know he was wanted for murder. Now *that* I can understand." She looked at Mulder. "But why do you want to bother Lucius Hartwell? Or the vampires with him? I mean, they don't *do* anything, and the guy's not bad as a sheriff."
"He's a vampire!" Mulder replied, tossing up his hands. He winced as a pain stung his left side. "I thought it was your job to *slay* them, hence the title 'The Slayer'?"
"I only slay the ones who don't behave," Buffy said. She could think of a few current undead residents who caused trouble at every damn opportunity. "Lucius Hartwell isn't like most vampires."
"How can you be so sure?" Mulder asked. "How can you *know* he's not the same demonic blood-sucker as Ronnie Strickland?"
"It was a few days after Lucius and his tribe breezed into town," Buffy explained. She tucked a loose lock of hair over her right ear. "I watched Hartwell while he was on night patrol. New vampires usually mean a megaton of bad news. Anyway, while he walked through a park--it's across town--" She gestured to her left "--he came across a vampire attacking some kid. Of course, I was totally gonna handle the sitch, but Hartwell jumped right in."
"What did he do?" Mulder asked when Buffy didn't continue with her story.
Buffy stopped then turned to him. Mulder stopped as well. "He *saved* the kid!" she answered like he should've figured that out for himself. "And since then, I've pretty much been out of a job. At least around here."
Mulder scoffed, shaking his head. "And you believe he's here to help you out?" he asked then snorted.
"No, I don't think he knows about me," Buffy stiffly replied. "And I don't mind him being here either. He and his vampires don't bother anyone."
"Except Ronnie Strickland," Mulder interjected, pointing a finger at her, a look on his face that said, 'Ah-HA!'.
"Yeah, but he's dead now," Buffy retorted, folding her arms across her chest. She looked away, muttering, "No thanks to you."
"What?" Mulder exclaimed. "What is that supposed to mean?"
"Think about it," Buffy snapped flicking her gaze back to him.
"Well, I don't know what version of the fight you saw, but I recall a certain vampire Slayer almost having a metal pole become one with her chest cavity!" Mulder told her. He raised his eyebrows a little. "And maybe, just maybe, I didn't want Ronnie Strickland dead. Huh? You think of that?" He paused to let his words sink in. "He escaped with the rest of these vampires when I tried to arrest him."
"You wanted to put a vampire in jail?" Buffy asked then laughed as her arms dropped to her sides. "Oh yeah! That alone would totally fix the prison overpopulation problem!" She smirked a little when Mulder narrowed his eyes at her. "Look, Strickland is dust, and Lucius Hartwell isn't unappreciated in Sunnydale. Why are you still here?"
"To...satisfy my curiosity," Mulder replied after a few moments. He nodded a little.
"Curiosity? About what? What it feels like to have your blood Hoovered out of you?" Buffy rolled her eyes. "You *so* don't have a clue about Sunnydale, Agent Mulder! Come on." She started up the sidewalk, heading towards the building.
"Where are we going?" Mulder called out after her, throwing his arms out in frustration. "Huh?"
Buffy turned, walking backwards. "To the school? Hello?" she replied, jerking a thumb at the building. "Sheesh!" She faced forward, rolling her eyes a little as she continued into the school.
Mulder sighed as his arms dropped to his sides. "This is just great," he sarcastically muttered as he shook his head. "I just *love* it here!"
A rustling noise nearby caught his attention. Slowly, his raised up his head, his muscles tensing. The rustling grew a little louder. He casually stuffed his sunflower seeds into his jacket pocket then looked around. After a moment, Mulder broke into a run headed for the front doors of the school.
"Meow." A cat trotted out of the bushes and headed up the street.
Scully sifted through the card catalogue. She paused for a moment as she yawned, covering her mouth with her hand. Blinking a few times she shook her head then check her watch.
Almost 9? she thought. I wonder where Mulder is?
"A-Agent Scully, may I help you, uh, find something?" asked Giles' voice from beside her.
She jumped slightly in surprise but steadied herself rather quickly then looked to Giles. "Oh, no, Mr. Giles, I'm only browsing," she replied. She flipped through a few more cards. "You have a great deal of books for such a small town school." She plucked a card out of the file drawer.
"W-well, yes. It's important to make certain these...these children have sufficient information on any...any subject," he answered. He glanced up at Willow as she came back into the library.
Scully nodded. "Yes, as I've noticed, Mr. Giles," she said. She placed the card back into the file then looked back to him. "But books of...witchcraft?" She raised her eyebrows. "Do you really think those sort of books are appropriate for high school age kids?"
Giles flicked another glance over to Willow, who flipped through a book lying on the check out counter. "Agent Scully, I believe it is necessary for these children to understand what is in the world around them." He paused, impressed by the fact he hadn't stumbled once during that sentence to her.
"As do I, Mr. Giles," she agreed. She shut the drawer of the card catalogue and turned to him. "But witchcraft?" She kept her voice low so Willow couldn't hear her. "Willow is a very bright girl, and she's been here for hours reading spell books. Don't you find that disconcerting?"
Giles tried to find the words, any words, to respond to Scully. She'd never believe the truth since she was so bloody skeptical, but still, he didn't want her to think *he* was off his rocker, as she seemed to think of her partner. "W-w-well," he started.
The doors to the library burst open and a dirt laden Buffy, followed by a disheveled Mulder, entered. Buffy sighed as she stopped in front of Giles. "I followed him," she said. "And it's a lucky thing that I did."
Scully looked from Buffy to Mulder who stood a few feet back, picking at a few minor scratches on his cheek. "My God," she said as she rushed over to her partner. "Mulder, what happened to you?" She studied the marks on his face.
"Flat tire," Mulder replied. He glanced over at Buffy. "Ow!" he exclaimed when Scully touched his injured cheek. "Hey, hey. Sore."
"Mulder, these look like claw marks, like from some kind of animal," Scully said as she looked up to her partner. "How did you get these?"
Willow came up just beside Buffy. "What happened?" she asked Buffy in a whisper.
"I was following Hartwell," Mulder replied. He saw Scully's expression switch from concern to suspicious. "I was hoping to find the others."
"And Sheriff Hartwell attacked you?" Willow asked, her eyes wide in astonishment.
"No," Mulder said, glancing at Willow then to Buffy. "Different vampire, same clan."
Scully sighed as she rolled her eyes. Did he have to do this in front of complete strangers? She'd just met some normal folks on one of his wild escapades, now he had to open his mouth and sound like a crazy man.
"How did you get away?" Willow inquired.
"Yeah, gee, Agent Mulder, how *did* you get away?" Buffy asked, feigning enthusiasm. After a few moments of silence from Mulder's end, her eyebrows arched with a look that said, 'We're waiting!'
Mulder cleared his throat, scratching the back of his head. "My, uh, masculine prowess?" he replied, more of a question than a statement.
"God," Buffy muttered as she rolled her eyes while Scully snorted at Mulder's reply.
Mulder's gaze settled on the floor of the library. Quietly, he mumbled, "Buffy showed up." He coughed a little then cleared his throat again.
"What?!" Scully exclaimed as she looked from Mulder over to Buffy. "What the hell is he talking about?"
Buffy looked to Giles. "Guess there are a few things she missed in her research, ay, Giles?" she said.
"She's the Slayer, Scully." Mulder told his partner as he held out a hand in Buffy's direction. "She's the Chosen One. The one girl in this generation who posesses the strength and the skill to destroy the vampires." He laughed. "There's your proof, Scully! Proof that vampires exist!"
"Mulder, did you receive a blow to the head?" Scully asked, staring up at him, wearing a puzzled expression on her face. She glanced at Buffy. "All I see is a normal high school girl! There's no proof whatsoever!"
Buffy looked to Willow beside her. "Should I take offense to that?" she asked, pointing a finger at Scully.
Giles walked over to the counter and picked up the tattered text he'd lugged around the last few days. "Buffy, are you certain this vampire you fought was a part of, uh, of Hartwell's clan?" he asked as he came over, flipping through the pages of the book.
"Well, he was one of the strongest vampires I've ever battled--" Buffy paused then shook her head. "Scratch that. *The* strongest vampire. Yeah." She nodded then looked at the page which Giles skimmed, then added, "Then Agent Mulder said it was." She flicked her gaze over to Mulder. "What was that guy's name again?"
"Strickland. Ronnie Strickland," Mulder supplied.
"Ronnie Strickland never was and is not now a vampire!" Scully declared as she stepped between the two factions--Mulder on one side, Buffy, Willow and Giles on the other. She glanced from each side.
"You're half-right," Buffy said, gaining Scully's attention. "Ronnie Strickland *was* a vampire, but not anymore. I killed him." She flicked her fingers against her dirty T-shirt. "I'm wearing most of what's left of him."
Scully tossed up her hands as she walked over to the counter. "I give up!" she said, shaking her head. "This is just...crazy!" She faced the four of them, who all stared at her like *she* was the insane one. "Vampires do *not* exist! They are creatures of fantasy, the direct result of ignorance."
"I'd really like to believe that, too, Agent Scully," Buffy said. "I'd actually have a way cool life then." She shrugged. "But it just ain't so.."
Scully took a few steps forward. "No, I've seen these so-called vampires for myself," she told Buffy. "They were quite normal human beings, a little eccentric, I'll give them that. And they walked around during the *day*. These people are *not* vampires!"
Giles cleared his throat, drawing everyone's attention. He took a step forward and glanced at Scully. "I'm-I'm afraid you're quite wrong, Agent Scully," he told her. "T-the text I've been reading the last few days suggests...suggests we're dealing with an ancient clan of vampires."
Scully rolled her eyes a bit, letting out a light scoff. This was a nightmare. Everyone around her sounded like Mulder. "Oh, really? How ancient?" she inquired.
"Well, a-according to these writings by a 12th century monk," Giles started as he consulted the book in his hands. "These specific vampires are so old that most, uh, most vampires consider them a legend."
"Oh, yeah, that's very interesting," Scully said, a hint of sarcasm in her voice. She nodded. "Mythical creatures considering other mythical creatures legend." She rolled her eyes slightly.
"What else does it say?" Mulder asked, coming up to Giles. He looked over the librarian's shoulder, trying to decipher the Latin written on the pages.
"The monk writes these particular nomadic creatures have...have been around since the dawn of modern man. T-t-that's quite a long time, considering when..." Giles stopped mid-sentence, forgetting the anthropology lesson. He laughed, nervously. "They're e-e-extremely old. The text is sketchy at best. The monk who wrote it received most of this information second-hand."
"They can't be all that old if Buffy killed one of them," Willow said. She looked to Buffy then opened her mouth apologize for how that sounded.
Buffy held up a hand. "Don't, Willow," she said. She smiled reassuringly at her best bud. "I know exactly what you meant. And it wasn't an easy task either, killing Ronnie Strickland."
"I-I'd imagine it wasn't," Giles replied, looking up from the book to Buffy. "Since this text is over 800 years old, w-we can safely, uh, assume that they're older than--than 800 years." He flipped back through the pages. "The monk writes these vampires have been inactive for many millennia." He glanced over to Mulder. "Explaining how they've survived for so long."
"Inactive?" Scully repeated. She gave Giles a half-questioning look. "What exactly is that supposed to mean?"
"Inactive," Giles said. He adjusted his glasses, thinking of how to explain it to her. "Uh, it's--it's...they haven't fed," he finally told her. "At least on human beings."
"Until recently," Mulder put in, glancing from Giles to Scully. "Chaney. Ronnie Strickland grew bored with his life and decided to relive the glory days." He looked back to Giles. "Does that book say *why* these vampires ceased to feed on humans?"
"Nothing much," Giles responded. "Only speculation based on, uh, the stories." He ran his finger down the page, searching for a particular passage. "Oh, here it is. Oh, yes. A l-leader of sorts emerged a hundred or so centuries before. He, uh, he preached isolation f-f-from these creatures known as humans. Those who agreed with him followed, and those who opposed--" He paused then looked from Buffy, to Willow then to Mulder. "--they were, uh, were destroyed. But this is...is only speculation, in part."
"Ronnie mentioned something about his clan 'being kind to Slayers' in the past," Buffy said.
"Yes, the Slayer is also mentioned," Giles told her, tapping the book. "Humans had a-a-a champion, a powerful one--The Slayer. It's not hard to discern why they would respect the Slayer. I'm quite sure they had enemies among their own kind. These vampires turned to seclusion, uh, in order to survive. It...it also explains why Hartwell would relocate after the incident in this other town."
"Survival," Mulder matter of factly said, nodding.
"That doesn't explain why Ronnie Strickland attacked Agent Mulder," Willow said. "I mean, if Ronnie got in trouble the last time, why would he do it again?"
Mulder shrugged, but suddenly a strange expression washed over his face. "Ronnie told me something while he beat me to a pulp," he replied. "He said I was here to get *rid* of Hartwell. Apparently, I wasn't doing a good enough job."
"That's it!" Scully exclaimed coming over to the group. She grabbed Mulder by the arm. "Excuse us, please," she said to Buffy, Willow and Giles. She practically dragged Mulder out of the library. When they were in the hallway, she demanded, "What the hell are you doing in there?"
"What am *I* doing in there?" Mulder exclaimed, pointing to himself. "What are *you* doing? You're always preaching to me about proof, Scully, and now when I present you with it, you blow it off!"
"Proof?!" Scully incredulously replied, a little more loudly than she'd meant to. She lowered her voice. "What proof? All you've shown me is a girl and a book which is full of myths and stories written almost a thousand years ago! Where is this proof?"
"She's not just 'a girl', Scully," Mulder replied in an equally restrained voice. "She's Buffy, the Vampire Slayer. You didn't see her do what *I* saw her do." He pointed towards the library. "Ronnie Strickland hurled her through a cast iron fence, and she wasn't even phased! She wielded a metal pole as a staff with skill I've never seen before." He took Scully by the upper arms. "I saw Ronnie turn to *dust* in front of my eyes, Scully!"
Scully stared up at Mulder, that skeptical 'Look' firmly in place. "Mulder, what part of 'What proof' didn't you understand?" she calmly asked.
Mulder's hands dropped from Scully as he sighed. "Why can't you believe this, Scully?" he demanded. "Ronnie Strickland did this to me." He motioned to his face. "You said yourself they looked like animal scratches."
"The operative words in that statement being 'looked like'," Scully responded. She sighed softly. "Mulder, you were under a lot of stress tonight, and you haven't slept much in the last 48 hours. I'm sure you believe you saw all of these things."
"Scully, the girl--Buffy--she's confirming my story!" Mulder said, waving a hand wildly at the library doors. "An-an-and that guy--that guy seems to know what the hell is going on around here!"
Scully folded her arms across her chest, shifting her feet a little. "I don't know why this Buffy is humoring you," she said. "Perhaps she likes the idea that *you* believe she is this mythical Slayer," she suggested. "And Mr. Giles--" She paused, scratching her forehead with her pinky nail for a moment. "Well, everyone has their little idiosyncrasies."
"Oh!" Mulder said, raising his eyebrows at his partner. "So with me it's 'crazy' but with him it's an 'idiosyncrasy'. Hmm?" he added when she looked away from him. "Scully...do you have a little thing for that guy?" He jerked a thumb at the library. He laughed a little when Scully didn't respond. "You do, don't you?"
Scully's eyes flicked up to him. "Mind your own damn business," she snapped. "And if you pursue this stupid vampire angle any further, Mulder--"
"You won't have to worry about it, Scully," Mulder interrupted, holding up his hands in surrender between them. He turned and started up the hallway.
"Mulder, where are you going?" she called out after him. He kept walking up the hallway, not even acknowledging her. "Mulder? Mulder, don't you--" He turned a corner, disappearing. "Dammit," she muttered.
Mulder slowed to a stop after he'd turned the corner. As he leaned against a row of lockers, he spotted an open classroom door. Wanting to stay away from Scully for a while but definitely having *no* desire to go back outside, Mulder went into the room.
He flicked on the light and took a look around. It was a high school chemistry classroom. Mulder laughed, almost as if he were mad, as he sat down on one of the tables full of tubes, beakers and tools. He'd wanted to get away from Scully and he'd walked right into a *science* classroom.
Spike's Mansion
Spike rested comfortably on the sofa when the vampire found him. "Uhh...?"
"Yes?" Initially, he didn't open his eyes at the sound of the voice because he recognized it as belonging to someone that didn't annoy the hell out of him. Just as a precaution, he sniffed the air. No peanut butter scent. A good sign. He opened his eyes slowly and let his glance fall on the vampire standing nervously beside him. "Strickland's not with you?"
The vampire's gaze fell on the floor, and a little shifting from foot to foot followed. "No. To say the least."
"This means one of two things: The little wimp either failed to kill Mulder and fled, or he's been staked." He paused, a slight smile creeping onto his face, then he added, "Make me happy, tell me it's the latter."
The vampire smiled as he looked back to Spike. His shifting around stopped. This wasn't so hard after all. "It IS the second one."
"Oh. Pity. Wait," Spike paused briefly, then said, "It's passed. I *almost* cared. What happened?"
"Well, he went to the cemetery, he found Mulder, he was all set to kill him." The vampire stopped, chuckling as he remembered the beating Mulder took from Ronnie. Who'd have thought that small guy could whip the hell out of that FBI character? "Actually, he managed to pound Mulder pretty good. Really, I thought he was going to succeed but... someone showed up and staked Strickland."
"Someone?" asked Spike, casting his gaze onto the vampire. "Could you be a little more specific?"
The vampire looked down at the floor, shifting from foot to foot again. "Well... I... honestly, I've never seen anything like it," he replied, flicking his gaze up from the floor to Spike. "Ronnie fought like hell, but she just kept coming back for more until she got him. This girl was... *ferocious*."
At the mention of the word "girl," the smile disappared from Spike's face.. This was something he hadn't counted on. With the arrival of Sheriff Do-well in town, he'd just assumed the Slayer had taken a vacation. Preferably someplace *very* far away from Sunnyhell. Obviously that was too good to be true. The only response he could muster up was a very dry, "Really."
"No, Spike, I mean it," the vampire said, his shifting coming to a stop. He shook his head, a look of amazement on his face. "This chick looked like a twig, like you could snap her in half with your pinky finger--" He raised his own, crooking it slightly "--but she fought like a... like a.... well, it was scary. Since she didn't come after me, I sure as hell wasn't going to go after her. I wouldn't be here now if I'd even congratulated her on her work."
No question about it - it was Buffy. While Spike was more than a little pissed that the vampire hadn't even tried to get her, he couldn't blame him, having gone up against Buffy himself. "Well, at least you were smart enough to know your limits. Something our departed friend didn't do. Do you have any idea where Agent Mulder might have gone?"
"They said something about... the school?"
The school. Of course. Buffy, while being able to fight splendidly, was occasionally as predictable in her thinking as most humans. Thanking the vampire for the information, Spike was left alone to plan his next move..
This... Agent Mulder person proved to be more of a pain in the ass than he could have imagined. Somewhere in hell, devils should be making Ronnie Strickland dance the hula naked over hot coals for all the trouble he'd caused with the simple statement "Hey, there's this FBI guy that *really hates* Sheriff Hartwell..." Clearly, this was going to be one of those times where the old adage was true - if you want something done right...
His thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of someone else in the room. "Spike," her voice cooed.
He smiled widely. "Yes, my love?"
"Are you thinking again? You shouldn't, your face looks so bad when you frown," she said as she sat down next to him.
"Don't worry, pet, I'm not thinking anymore. Now I have to take action."
"Are we going out to play?"
Spike considered the options. While the company would be nice, the process of taking Agent Mulder out would be much simpler if he went alone. "No, I'm afraid I have to go on my own. Daddy has to go kill an FBI agent."
Dru seemed momentarily pleased with the idea. "Do they die faster than most people?"
"No, but I'll wager it gets you bonus points in hell when you do it. Now, I must be off."
Dru pouted. "You always get to go out. Bring me back a souvenir?"
"I promise. Head or heart?"
She thought for a moment, then smiled. "I really wanted to go out with you, so... both."
Smiling as he pretended to sigh in exasperation, he left the room.
On the drive to the school, he pondered how easy it was going to be to get to Mulder with a Slayer nearby. Not knowing enough about the FBI agent to devise a way to lure him into a secluded room, he'd have to hope the agent would eventually be a normal man enough to have to use a restroom at some point.
While Spike didn't relish the thought of hiding out in a high school washroom, it seemed the only time the agent would be without Buffy nearby. After all, following his experience in the cemetery, Mulder couldn't possibly be silly enough to wander around on his own.
Best to leave things as simple as possible. Go in, kill this annoying Mulder person, then bring back presents for Dru and his existence would return to normal.