ABANDONED
        Rated – PG
        Disclaimer – Not mine. Don’t sue.
        Author’s Notes - This is the first Buffy fan fic I ever attempted. It's really old, set first season. It will never be finished.
 
 

    Prologue

    Black hair flowing past her slim waist, the girl stared casually at the reflectionless mirror, wondering what she looked like. She hadn’t seen herself in over two hundred years. It wasn’t really important to her anyhow, not really. Beauty was pointless when you already had power, which she did.

    Chapter 1

    Grinning like a fool, Buffy joined two of her closest friends as she exited her class. “That’s it!” She yelled excitedly, “We’re done! I can’t believe it! I thought this day would never come!”
    Willow grinned back, “I know, it’s almost too good to be true. Graduation always seemed like some far off unattainable goal. Sorta like killing all the vampires in the world and having a normal life.”
    Xander smiled like a fool, as usual, as he punched Willow’s arm lightly, “No creepy crawly talk! It’s a rule for today, okay? I don’t know about you two, but for now I want to revel in the miracle that is graduation!”
    Buffy giggled and nodded in agreement, “Sounds great to me but…” Xander groaned, there was always a but, “but,” Buffy continued, “we gotta go talk to Giles and make sure the world won’t end tonight or anything before that rule goes into action, k?”
    Xander moaned, “Great, he’s probably found some obscure reference to the apocalypse just to ruin my day.”
    “Better your day ruined than your life,” Willow pointed out.
    Xander was forced to agree and dragged himself to the library along with the girls.

    “Giles!” Buffy yelled as she entered the library. She was rewarded by a loud thunk and the muttered sounds of Giles’ equivalent of cursing.
    “Bloody Hell,” He muttered rubbing his head as he turned to where Buffy was standing.
    “Could you please not do that?” He asked exasperatedly as he observed her snickering quietly.
    Buffy glanced at the offending bookshelf. “I’m sorry Giles, maybe we could chop that bookshelf up and make stakes out of it, as punishment.”
    Xander could no longer hold in his snickers. They turned to full-fledged snorts in his vain attempt to conceal them from the seriously annoyed Giles.
    Buffy ignored her friend and decided it was time to get serious, “Bad joke, I’m sorry. Are there any signs that the world will fall apart in the next day or two? I mean, we just graduated and I really want some time off to party and stuff… You know, be a kid for at least a day of my existence?”
    Giles sighed and motioned for her to sit down.
    “This can’t be good,” Willow muttered.
    Giles studied the group and decided to be blunt, “I have no idea.”
    “What do you mean you have no idea?” Buffy asked confused.
    “There’s about a two month gap in my books… in all my books. I have no idea what is going to happen. It’s a complete puzzle,” He admitted, absently rubbing his forehead where he’d hit it on the bookshelf.
    “Well, that’s great then!” Xander exclaimed, he voice squeaking in excitement,  “If there’s nothing bad in the books then nothin’ bad’s gonna happen for a month.”
    “I’m afraid it’s not as easy as all that,” Giles sighed. “It’s not that there’s nothing there, it’s that what was there is missing. I’ve had Ms. Calendar search the Internet and she’s come up with nothing as well. I even called some overseas friends of mine who have other texts. All of them are missing a great quantity of information. The only thing we’ve come up with is an obscure reference…”
    “I knew there’d be an obscure reference involved,” Xander muttered.
    “An obscure reference,” Giles continued, “to the slayer meeting the Queen. That’s all.”
    “The Queen?” Buffy asked, “You have no idea the Queen of what? Or when? Or if it’s dangerous?”
    “No idea,” Giles said sympathetically.
    Xander briefly considered commenting that he loved that group and thought their music was great, but decided he’d had enough scowls cast his way. It was, after all, still early.
 

    Chapter 2

    After several minutes of debating with her mentor on how to approach their latest problem, Buffy had convinced him that she would be cautious as usual, but there was nothing more she could do. In light of that, she and her friends elected to party!
    “Buffy?” Willow’s voice called out over the phone, “Um, I think there may be a problem.”
    Buffy groaned, “What sort of problem?”
    “Well,” Willow continued, “the senior class is throwing a major party up at the lake tonight.”
    “And?” Buffy asked, not seeing how this was a problem in any sense of the word.
    “Buffy, it’s outside, at night, and our entire graduating class will be there. It’s like an all you can eat buffet for the undead!”
    “Great, well, we’re obviously going to this one. We’ve gotta be there in case the vamps hear about it, not that I wouldn’t want to go otherwise…” she grinned.
    “Ok, um, Xander and I will meet you at your house in half an hour, okay?” Willow asked.
    “Sure, when does the party start?” Buffy asked.
    “Not until eight o’clock. Plenty of time to get there,” Willow assured her.
    “Alright,” Buffy agreed, “See you in half an hour.”

    The ethics and morals of killing no longer haunted her as they once had. It was a necessary evil. She had decided that many years ago. There were those of her kind that enjoyed killing, those who reveled in it. But then, there were humans like that too. She sighed quietly as she sat upon her throne.
    “Where is Mr. Dewey?” She asked her nearest servant, a Roman Centurion nearly two thousand years old.
    “I believe he is in the library, your Highness,” he answered.
    The girl chewed the inside of her lip for a moment, “Alright, I need you to get him. Tell him to bring the writings. He'll know what I mean,” she decided.
    The guard bowed and left.
    A moment later, the librarian vampire entered the room. “Yes, your Highness?”
    “The time of the prophecy is almost upon us. What have you found?” She asked hopefully.
    “Your Majesty, I have found the key to lure her here,” the librarian smiled in triumph.
    The golden specks in her eyes shown brightly in her relief, “Wonderful! See to it that the plans are made…” She paused a moment, recalling her earlier thoughts, “What do I look like?” She asked the surprised librarian.
    “You are beautiful, my Queen,” He answered non-chalantly, as if any other answer would be inconceivable.
    She looked down at her hands, two hundred and thirty nine year-old hands. They looked the same as they had when she had been eighteen, when she had become a vampire.
    “Send for Michaelangelo, please,” She told her guard.
 

    Chapter 3

    To look at Buffy, you would never think she had a weapon on her. The tight, short blue dress left little to the imagination and even fewer places to hide something. However, years of experience enabled her to hide half a dozen stakes, four bottles of holy water and over a dozen crosses on her. She grinned, satisfied, as she studied herself in the mirror. This would do nicely.
    Hearing a strange noise, she turned to see Angel standing just outside her opened window.
    “You look amazing,” he told her as he studied her in the stunning dress.
    “Thanks,” she smiled, “Come on in.”
    He stepped through the window and took several steps towards her, “Congratulations on graduating,” he said staring at her intently.
    “Thank you,” she said for the second time in as many minutes, “I thought it’d never happen. There were a few days in history class I was doing so badly I about wigged out, sure I’d fail, ya know.”
    Angel gave a lopsided grin, “History isn’t that hard, you just have to learn it in an interesting way,” he told her.
    “Well, having a great teacher helps, too,” she murmured stepping closer to him and wrapping her arms around his neck.
    He licked his lips in a vain attempt to resist her charms that worked so very well on him, “Are you going to the Bronze?” He asked, attempting to change the subject.
    “Nope,” she smiled, “I’m doing vamp duty at one of the grad parties. It’s outdoors at the lake and I’d prefer for some of my classmates to be able to make it to the ten year reunion!”
    Angel smiled, “Mind if I join you?” He asked.
    Buffy snorted, “Sure, If I said ‘no’ you’d follow me anyhow. Besides, I rather like your company.”
    She leaned in to kiss him. Angel, unable to resist her, leaned in to meet her lips. Less than a second away from what would have been an intensely delicious kiss, the doorbell rang.
    “Buffy,” her mother called, “Willow and Xander are here!”
    Buffy groaned, “They have the worst timing.”
    “Yeah,” Angel agreed, his eyes never leaving her.
    “Okay Mom, I’ll be right down!” She yelled.
    “I’ll meet you outside, okay?” Buffy asked Angel.
    Angel nodded and left through the window as Buffy made her way downstairs.

    “Hey guys!” Buffy grinned as she joined her friends outside.
    Xander, upon seeing her outfit, was unable to get a coherent word out.
    “Hi, you look very nice, Buffy,” Willow smiled at her friend, suddenly feeling inadequate, not an unusual occurrence when Buffy was there.
    “Ditto Willow!” Buffy grinned cheerily, “Green is so your color.”
    “May I say, as a very, very, very lucky man, that both of you ladies look radiant and I am very honored to be your escort tonight,” Xander grinned bowing grandiosely.
    “Um, Xander,” Buffy said, biting her lip, “Angel’s sort of my date tonight. So, you’ll have to make do with just one beautiful woman, okay?”
    Xander groaned and Willow ribbed him, not so softly.
    “Angel!” Buffy smiled as she ran to her favorite vampire and wrapped her arms around his neck.
    “You’d think they hadn’t seen each other in a year or something,” Xander moaned.
    Willow looked at Xander dejectedly, “She loves him, Xander. He’s a nice guy and she’s our friend, so you are going to be nice to him! Understand?” She asked, figuring that if she couldn’t be happy with the man she loved, she’d at least make sure Buffy was.
    Xander looked back to her and nodded, “Alright, I’ll be nice, for Buffy.”
    Willow nodded and sighed inwardly wondering if he would ever feel that way for her.

    “Caesar,” the Queen called to her soldier, “I need to lure the Slayer here. Send a troop of thirty soldiers to Fox Lake outside Sunnydale. I don’t want them to feed on any more than four people and I need the slayer and her friends alive.”
    “Yes, my Queen,” the Roman bowed extravagantly and left.
 

    Chapter 4

    Arriving at the party, Buffy couldn’t help but notice things were a bit too normal. Not that she minded, but it was just weird. In the next three hours, the vast majority of the graduating class showed up and the party escalated to full swing. Buffy leaned against Angel and sighed as she closed her eyes and swaying to the music, enjoying the closeness they shared. It was so comforting to be in his arms. It was one of the only times she felt truly safe anymore. She knew he could and would protect her with his life, if necessary, and she knew he loved her. Both were more comforting to her than most people could ever imagine.
    “I will be nice,” Xander muttered beneath his breath as he danced with Willow, “I will be nice.”
    Willow rolled her eyes momentarily and glanced over Xander’s shoulder, not wanting to see the guy she loved drool over one of her best friends. Spotting something strange she furrowed her brow and looked back to Xander.
    “Xander,” Willow asked, forcing him to tear his eyes from Buffy and Angel, “Xander, who is that?”
    “Oh, great,” Xander groaned, seeing Willow point to a guy he’d never seen before, “Now you’re gonna leave me too.”
    “No, Xander, I’m not. I’m just wondering cause I’ve never seen that guy before. That’s kinda weird you know? I mean, most everyone here has even met Angel and he’s, well, you know.”
    “Yeah,” Xander murmured, beginning to get suspicious himself, “you’re right. I wonder who that is.”
    Suddenly Buffy’s head darted up and she looked around frantically.
    “Look’s like we have our answer!” Willow told Xander, motioning to Buffy.
    In the next minute or so, dozens of vampires crashed the party. The confused teens screamed and ran in every direction. Buffy pushed a disoriented teen out of harm’s way and stabbed a charging vampire, turning him to dust.
    “Shit, that was some joint!” The disoriented boy yelled. Buffy rolled her eyes at the boy’s stupidity and kept on stabbing. As the teenagers ran from the lake, surprisingly few vampires followed them. Instead, the miniature army surrounded Buffy and her friends, completely ignoring everyone else.
    As a good dozen of them closed in on Buffy, Willow lept up with a stake and stabbed one in the heart through the back.
    “Wow!” Xander cried as he threw some holy water on a charging vampire, “I never knew you could do that!”
    Willow smiled as she took on the next vampire with a cross, “Neither did I!” She yelled back.
    The slayer and her friends were doing well against the vampires, but sheer volume and lack of supplies soon forced Buffy and her friends into a tight situation.
    “Willow, Xander, run, now!” Buffy bellowed out, “Go tell Giles what’s happening!”
    The two obeyed knowing if they stayed they’d likely all die and Giles would never know what happened.
    “Angel,” Buffy said softly as she kicked and narrowly avoided an on coming vampire, “I want you to go.”
    “No way!” Her vampire lover shouted fiercely as he fought a particularly evil looking bad guy, “If you’re here, so am I!”
    The sentiment was heart-warming, but did little more than that. Soon, they were back to back with about ten vampires around them. Clutching her crosses like lifelines, Buffy was nervous for one of the first times in her life.
    “Halt!” A voice called from somewhere beyond the entrapping circle of vampires, “Hold your positions.” The vampires no longer assumed a threatening position, but followed the orders of the voice.
    “What the Hell?” Buffy muttered looking at Angel. He offered no explanation.
    “Slayer,” the voice called again, “I am Julius. We do not wish to harm you, but you must come with us.”
    Buffy laughed, “Like Hell I have to! You must be nuts!”
    “If we wished you harm, you would be dead already,” the voice pointed out.
    Buffy shrugged, “You have a point there.”
    “Why do you want me to come with you?” She asked suspiciously.
    “The Queen wishes to meet with you,” Julius answered, coming into sight for the first time.
    “The Queen? The Queen of Vampires? I didn’t know there was one,” Buffy said, looking Julius over.
    The tall man with a typical Roman shave and hairstyle looked back at her slightly amused, “Yes, there is a Queen.”
    Julius studied her and looked amused for a moment.
    “Something you find funny?” Buffy asked, mildly annoyed.
    “I thought you would be bigger.  You’re so small,” He smiled lopsidedly, “But then, I should not be so surprised. The Queen herself is quite petite and yet so very powerful.”
    Buffy looked confusedly at the uncharacteristic vampire. She glanced to Angel who looked very deep in thought and decided to take a chance.
    “Alright, I’ll meet your Queen, but he comes with me!” Buffy said, gesturing towards Angel.
    Julius nodded and motioned for her to follow him. Buffy latched onto Angel’s hand and wondered what exactly lay ahead.
 

    Chapter 5

    As Buffy followed her vampire escorts through an immense labyrinth of underground tunnels she studied Angel carefully. He looked so deep in thought, so worried, she couldn’t help but wonder exactly what concerned him. She squeezed his hand lightly to get his attention. He looked down to her and smiled weakly to her questioning glance.
    “What are you thinking about?” she asked him softly.
    “Just remembering,” he replied.
    * Cryptic man strikes again, * Buffy thought to herself. * That answer told me a lot… NOT! *
    Buffy waited for what seemed an eternity, though in truth it had only been an hour or two, before turning to their undead escorts, “Um, excuse me, I hate to be rude and all, but how long ‘til we get to this Queen of yours. I mean, we’ve been going through mazes for hours now.”
    Julius turned to her, “It’s won’t be much longer, Slayer. Perhaps another fifteen minutes or so.”
    Buffy sighed but kept quiet. Fifteen minutes wasn’t that long, she could wait. * 99 bottles of beer on the wall, 99 bottles of beer. Take one down, pass it around, 98 bottles of beer on the wall. 98 bottles of… 4 bottles of beer on the wall, 4 bottles of… *
    Buffy stopped singing the song in her head as they rounded yet another corner and stood in front of what looked like an underground castle. Complete with a moat and drawbridge, the castle was a feast for the eyes. Her breath catching in her throat, she turned to Angel to see his reaction. On his face lay an expression of pure hatred. He stared at the castle as if it were his life long enemy.
    * Well, * Buffy thought, * in a way it is!*
    Entering the castle, Buffy found herself in the presence of thousands of vampires. It was very difficult for her slayer sense to deal with. Part of her, the instinct part, told her to fight them, kill them. Another part, her rational side, told her that if she dared to do such a thing she’d be dead in a matter of seconds. She listened to her rational side.
    The vampires stared at her with a look of hunger and hatred. Several considered advancing on her, even with the guards there, to feed on her blood. But, after seeing Angel, they all backed down, some with looks of fear, still others with looks of reverent adoration cast in Angel’s direction. Buffy was sure if she should be upset or grateful for their reactions to him.
    Entering a guarded room, they left the majority of the vampires outside. The room was elaborate. It was decorated in works that strongly resembled Monet, Michaelangelo, DaVinci, and Picasso. There were windows that looked out beyond the castle to an entire city. Suddenly overwhelmed, Buffy had no doubt that it was a city of vampires. Off to the left side of the room sat an extremely beautiful young woman while a man painted her portrait. She seemed familiar, but Buffy was sure she had never met her.
    Angel looked out the window, staring at nothing, as Julius approached the young woman.
    “My Queen, we have brought the slayer and one of her friends,” the Roman announced, deliberately not revealing Angel’s identity.
    “Wonderful,” she replied, Buffy noticed a slight Irish accent in her voice, “Michaelangelo, this will have to wait until later.” She said looking towards the artist. He nodded in reply.
    Turning to her guests, the vampire Queen’s eyes went wide in shock.
    “Angelus?” She asked, not believing her eyes.
    “Hello, Niamh,” Angel replied. Buffy looked to him in surprise.
    “You know the vampire Queen?” She asked incredulously.
    Angel looked to Buffy, “She is my sister,” he told her.
 

    Chapter 6

    Queen Niamh’s knees went weak on her. A part of her wanted to run and hug her brother, but another part knew he would shun her.
    “Angelus, I am so, so very sorry for what happened. I never meant for her to become like she did. I was a fool, I thought I was strong enough to control how strong a demon she got. I did it all for you!” Niamh implored Angel’s forgiveness with her eyes as much as with her words.
    “I never asked you to do that. I never wanted you to,” he replied angrily, “I know what you want is forgiveness Niamh. I can’t give that to you. You made my life a worse Hell than you could possibly imagine for 80 years!”
    “Woah, wait, for those of us who have no idea what you are talking about, would someone care to explain?” Buffy begged looking at Angel.
    Angel dropped his eyes to the floor and sighed before looking at Buffy and starting his story.
    “When I said vampire’s have no souls, that was only partially true. Most people, when they become vampires, their soul is not strong enough to control the demon. That’s true of the vampires we fight every day. They’re all taken over by the demons; I was like that once. There are some, however, who either get a weaker demon or have a strong enough spirit to control the demon within them. These vampires usually become the aristocracy, for lack of a better word, of the vampire community. They are more in control and are not just heartless demons, though most still kill people for food.
    “My sister, Niamh,” he said gesturing to the Queen, “has always had a strong spirit and she conquered the demon within. When she became a vampire, when I made her a vampire,” he amended ashamedly, “she was very powerful. But she wanted more power than what she had. She wanted to rule. At that time, the vampire aristocracy was very, very cruel. There were no limits on who or how many people you could kill. Vampires ran free with little intervention by the ruling class. Niamh wanted to change all that. When she approached the elders, the last generation of rulers, with this idea, they shunned her, thought her crazy. They were going to kill her. But, Niamh surprised them all. She fed upon their blood and killed them, making her the strongest vampire ever. She was only about fifty when she did that. She became the sole ruler for the first time in thousands of years and she was obeyed without question.
    “When I regained my soul, through the gypsy curse, I was repulsed by the idea of killing other people to live. I could not understand how anyone in their right mind could do such a thing. I refused to become a part of the ruling class and wandered the world alone.”
    He paused for a moment before continuing, “About ten years after I regained my soul, I fell in love with a young Irish girl named Gwynefar. She was nineteen at the time. She knew who and what I was and accepted me in spite of it. Niamh saw this as the perfect opportunity to get me to accept her and join the ruling class, where she thought I belonged. She, being so very powerful, thought she could control how strong a demon someone got when they became a vampire. She went to Gwynefar and changed her to a vampire. She thought giving me a way to be with Gwynefar forever would make me so grateful that I’d join her in ruling the vampires. Niamh was wrong, very, very, very wrong. She had no control over how strong a demon Gwynefar got. Gwynefar’s spirit, though extremely strong, was joined by an equally strong demon. She and the demon fought for control and eventually drove her insane.”
    “For the next eighty years I roamed the world alone, wanting nothing more than to die, but never finding the courage to kill myself. I used to try to seek out slayers and get them to kill me. You guys are harder to find than you know! You were the first one I found,” he told her as Buffy blinked incredulously, trying to absorb all that he told her.
    “Why didn’t you have her kill you?” Niamh asked Angel curiously.
    Angel didn’t answer.
    A look of realization crossed Niamh’s face, “You love her! That’s why. That’s why you live, that’s why you fight your own kind with her.”
    “Vampires are not my kind,” Angel hissed at his sister.
    “But you do love her; you love the slayer!” Niamh concluded. “I’m happy for you Angelus, that you’ve found love again. I truly am. I hope you know that.”
    Angel nodded.
    “As wonderful as this all is,” Buffy smiled, he eyes lingering on Angel before turning to the Queen, “I don’t think this is why you invited me here.”
    “No, no it isn’t,” Niamh replied. She turned to the other occupants of the room, “I want you all to leave. I need to speak with Buffy alone.”
    The guards obeyed immediately, but Angel protested.
    “No,” Angel countered suspiciously, “I lost Gwynefar to your hands. I won’t risk losing Buffy, too.”
    Niamh blinked back tears and stared into her brother’s eyes, “You have my word, I will not let her be harmed while she is here. That’s a promise, Angelus.”
    Angel hesitated and looked at Buffy.
    “It’s alright,” Buffy told him, attempting to convince herself as much as to convince him, “I’ll be fine. Go on.”
    Angel nodded, but before going, he tenderly traced her jaw line and met her lips with his in a soft yet passionate kiss.
    Both Niamh and Buffy watched after the reformed vampire as he followed out the door the vampire guards had gone out.
    “I hope for his sake you love him as much as I think you do,” Niamh said solemnly, as she observed her brother’s love.
    “I would die for him; I would kill for him. I would do anything he asked of me, because I trust him completely and I love him more than anyone could ever possibly know,” Buffy responded with fierce devotion.
    “So did Gwynefar,” Niamh answered, “She even became a vampire for him.”
    “If it were necessary, I’d do the same,” Buffy answered, surprising herself with her answer as much as she surprised the Queen.
    Niamh filed away that interesting piece of information for later use and began her conversation with the slayer.
 

    Chapter 7

    “I invited you here to show you something. To show you we are not animals,” The Queen said, gesturing for Buffy to sit.
    Buffy snorted, “You’ve got a long way to go if you expect me to believe that you and Angel aren’t wild exceptions to the normal vampire!”
    “But we aren’t,” Niamh protested, the gold in her eyes catching the light of the candles in a fiery declaration. “The vampires you fight on a daily basis are either the ones who have been conquered completely by the demons within or are insane. We now care for the insane vampires. We feed them; keep them away from the rest of society. It wasn’t always like that. Those that have been insane since before I was Queen have either been captured, which is very difficult, and cared for, or they run free while we try to catch them.”
    Buffy was surprised that the vampire community as a whole was sensitive enough to care for their ill, but she show no sign of this as she stared Niamh squarely in the eye.
    “I’ll admit to you, there are those who enjoy the kill, but most of us aren’t like that,” Niamh insisted.
    “Right,” Buffy scoffed incredulously, “I’ve faced a Hell of a lot of vampires and I don’t think many of them were all that upset at killing.”
    “Most have accepted it, as I have, to be a necessary evil. Something we must do to live, but do not enjoy. After doing it for several centuries, it no longer bothers you as much,” Niamh revealed almost sadly.
    “But there are those who enjoy it,” Buffy pointed out.
    “Yes, there are, and there are people who enjoy killing too, aren’t there Buffy?” Niamh asked.
    “At least vampires kill for food, for survival. Your kind kills for spite and leaves the carcasses to rot. Don’t deny this, Slayer. I was there during the World Wars. You can’t possibly expect me to believe myself crueler than your kind!”
    Buffy blinked, taken aback. She’d never thought of this before.
    “I don’t condone people killing anymore than I do vampires. Why can’t you just steal blood from hospitals, like Angel does?” Buffy asked.
    “Is that what he does? Poor man, that’s not very effective. It leaves a vampire much weaker to have older blood. As for why we can’t all do that, what do you think would happen if millons of vampires stole blood from hospitals on a daily basis? It would be fairly obvious what was going on.”
    Buffy had to acknowledge she had a point there, “Yeah, I don’t think you could expect a whole lot of sympathy from people if you were discovered.”
    “Tell me about it! We’d be hunted to extermination! We are not evil, Buffy. We are a sad people. We can’t live normal lives. We were robbed of that years ago. The most we can do is try to survive. To do that, yes some people are killed. I can’t change that, I wish I could.”
    “So, what do you want me to do?” Buffy asked, “It’s not like I can stop hunting vampires any more than you can stop drinking blood. I’m kind of attacked a lot and I will defend my friends. You can’t expect me not to.”
    “I may look young,” Niamh smiled slightly, “But I am not the naieve girl I appear to be. I want you to know that I restrict the number of people that are allowed to be killed and where. After all, we don’t want to be noticed and we don’t want to eliminate the human race. We’d die of starvation if that happened. What I want to do, is strike a deal with you. I will protect your life, and that of your friends, for as long as you live. In return, I want you to promise me that you will only kill the vampires to prevent the deaths of others.”
    Buffy looked at Niamh suspiciously.
    “You’re powerful, Buffy,” the young Queen conceded, “I fear that one day you will decide to destroy all vampires, hunt down those who do good as well as those who kill. Do you know how many compositions Bach and Mozart have written since they died? How many paintings DaVinci and Picasso have done since becoming vampires? Shakespeare has written more plays than you can imagine. Polk has developed many of the vaccines your people use. Even Einstein has made progress in the world of science since dying. We are a people, Buffy, and we do not deserve to be exterminated because we need to eat any more than your people deserve to die for not being vegetarians!”
    “If, if I agree to this…” Buffy started, “you swear to me no vampire will maim, kill, attack, turn into fellow bloodsucker, all that, Me, Angel, my mother, Giles, Ms. Calender, Willow, Xander, or Cordelia, ever?”
    “I swear this upon my throne and upon my life as a vampire,” Niamh said solemnly.
    Buffy thought briefly, Niamh was an intelligent ruler. Most vampires would not have such restrictions upon their kind. The human race would be open season for hunting. Thus, Buffy had a vested interest in keeping Niamh in power as long as was possible.
    “As long as you rule as you do now and keep your end of the bargain, I agree,” Buffy stated.
    Niamh’s eyes widened, she hadn’t expected the slayer to be so reasonable, “I, too, agree.”
    Buffy smiled, relieved and shook the Queen’s outstretched hand.
    Biting her lip, Buffy looked Niamh squarely in the eyes, “Angel still won’t join you, you know.”
    Niamh nodded, “I know and I understand. I don’t expect him to ever forgive me. In fact, I find it an ironic and fitting punishment for my crime. It serves as a reminder that none of us are as strong as we think we are. I just wish that for one instant he’d look at me with that lovingly protective look he used to have. We were, so close, such friends.”
    Buffy leaned back, prepared to be the receptor of the Queens confessions. She couldn’t offer absolution, but she could listen, “Would you like to talk about it?”
    “I had fourteen brothers and sisters. Angel and I were the fourth and seventh children, respectively. When I was ten years old some thieves attacked me as I walked home with some supplies from town. Angelus was with me and saved my life. From that point on, he was my protector. When he was turned into a vampire, he and his sire, I don’t know her name, attacked and killed our entire family. His sire was an evil demon and Angelus’ demon was just as strong. Neither’s souls were in control. Even so, Angel couldn’t bring himself to kill me. Instead, he turned me into a vampire. I’ve always wanted him to rule at my side. I know that can never be though. I’ve wronged him to greatly. I still take care of Gwynefar. She insane and has been for eighty years, but she’s in there somewhere and I owe it to both of them to care for her.”
    Buffy stared at the Queen, “Where is she?” She asked quietly.
    “What?” Niamh asked.
    “Where is Gwynefar, I want to see her. I have to see her,” Buffy told her.
    “I’ll take you to her,” Niamh said, wondering why the young slayer would make such an odd request.
 

    Chapter 8

    Buffy found herself standing with Niamh in front of a vampire version of a hospital. As she tried to enter, however, Buffy found she could not.
    Niamh smiled slightly, “I invite you in, slayer,” she said.
    Buffy stepped though the threshold in shock.
    “We cannot enter your hospitals without being invited and you cannot enter ours,” Niamh smiled lightly, amused at the slayer’s confusion.
    “Wiggy,” the slayer responded. Niamh didn’t ask.
    “My Queen,” a confused looking vampire said, staring at the slayer, “may I humbly ask why we have a mortal here?”
    “She is my guest and my brother’s lover; she is not to be harmed,” Queen Niamh stated with authority that no one would challenge. She wasn’t dumb enough to mention the girl was also the slayer.
    “We are here to see Gwynefar,” Niamh told the vampire. “Make sure that everyone knows my friend is not to be harmed.”
    “Yes, my Queen,” the vampire said as he bowed deeply and hurried off.
    “Cool! They like, really listen to you,” Buffy grinned.
    “That they do,” Niamh assured her as they proceeded down the hallway.
    Entering a room, Buffy was taken aback by what greeted her. There was a thick glass plate between her and a wild looking woman on the other side of the room.
    “Would you like to be alone?” Niamh asked.
    Buffy nodded.
    “You can speak to her through the microphone on your left,” Niamh told her as she left.
    Buffy watched the girl silently. Her wildly curly red hair went in all direction. The light caught it in such a way that it edges had a slight glow to them, almost angelic. Noticing the mortal girl, Gwynefar crossed the room and met Buffy’s eyes with her crazed vibrant green ones. Every several moments, the girl would twitch and the look on her face would phase from demonic to angelic and back. The internal struggle had become overtly external somewhere along the way.
    “Hello,” Buffy said nervously to the pale girl.
    “Hello,” Gwynefar managed to choke out as her face changed again.
    Buffy waited until the girl was momentarily composed again.
    “You are mortal,” the vampire commented, struggling in vain to keep the demon in check.
    Buffy nodded.
    Gwynefar closed her eyes and breathed evenly, attempting to calm the beast within. After a moment, she grabbed a syringe from a nearby compartment and injected herself with its contents. Soon after she turned and walked back to the glass near Buffy.
    “That will calm the demon for a time. It cannot handle the drug, but it also kills me slowly,” Gwynefar told her.
    “I’m sorry to hear that,” Buffy said sincerely.
    Gwynefar shrugged her shoulders and cast her emerald eyes to the floor, “I’ve accepted it.”
    “Who are you?” Gwynefar asked the girl curiously.
    “My name is Buffy,” the slayer answered.
    “That’s a start. I have a name now! But that doesn’t answer who you are,” the redhead smiled.
    “I’m, oh, I shouldn’t be here. Maybe this was a bad idea,” Buffy said turning to leave.
    “No, wait! Please?” Gwynefar called after her. “I get so few visitors and never anyone new. Please, just talk to me.” Her pained eyes pleaded desperately.
    Buffy nodded, “Alright, I’ll stay.”
    A moment of awkward silence followed.
    “Are there many like you?” Buffy asked, hoping she wasn’t touching a sore subject.
    “Yes, there are a lot. Most just become insane vampires though. The human spirit gives up after a time. I won’t give in though. I’d sooner die. I am unusual in the form of my insanity. Very few have the soul and the demon fighting for control of their body as I do,” She said sadly.
    “Oh,” Buffy said, not sure what else to say or perhaps fearing to say what she wanted to say.
    “You came here for a reason,” Gwynefar said in a certain voice.
    “Yes, yes I did,” Buffy answered her, “But I don’t want to upset you with what I was going to ask about, so I’ll just drop it.”
    Gwynefar smirked, “My dear, I am nearly a hundred years old, you can ask me anything you please!”
    “Even Angel?” Buffy asked, looking the torn girl straight in the eye.
    “Angel,” the vampire breathed, saying his name as though it were her most sacred treasure, “how do you know Angel?”
    “We’re friends,” Buffy said, electing not to specify on how close friends they were.
    “How is he?” Gwynefar asked, tears glistening in her eyes.
    “He’s fine,” Buffy said.
    “So, he’s still hanging around with mortals I take it?” Gwynefar smiled sadly.
    “Yeah, he does. I’m the slayer, Gwynefar. He helps me. He’s save my life countless times,” Buffy told the girl, uncertain what her reaction would be.
    “The slayer, huh? Angel has hated vampires for as long as I have known him. That’s one of the reasons I will never give in to the demon within me,” Gwynefar told her.
    “I understand that,” Buffy said, “I don’t think I’d give in either. But then, going through it for eighty years, I probably wouldn’t have made it.”
    Gwynefar studied the slayer in silence for a moment, “You aren’t just friends, are you?” She asked.
    “No, we aren’t,” Buffy admitted, “we’re sort of a couple.”
    “And he’s happy?” Gwynefar asked, holding back tears.
    Buffy nodded, “Yes, I think so.”
    “Good,” Gwynefar replied, “I want him to be happy. I could never make him happy with how I am now. I’d be a burden.”