Elizabeth was sitting on the counter in Sunnydale High School's library. The fact that there wasn't a book within reach didn't particularly concern her - she hadn't come for the advancement of knowledge. Well, she had, but not the sort you find in a high school library. She sighed impatiently, checking her watch. Thirty seconds later she had resorted to drumming her fingers on the counter surface.

"Come on, Uncle Giles. Where are you?" She checked her watch again. It was a minute later than the last time she had looked. "Great! The one time I actually want to know something, and there's no one around!" Elizabeth jumped off the counter, and made for the swing doors. Not exactly brimming with patience at the best of times, the prospect of spending the weekend in detention, coupled with last night's enigmatic encounter, had left her feeling…well, tetchy.

Last night… The vampire attack didn't concern the slayer. She'd had many such attacks before, and would doubtless foil a great many more before she died. No, what was filling her mind was the man who had come to her rescue. Un-demon-like he may have seemed, but Elizabeth had never met anyone normal who had the faintest idea what went on at night in Sunnydale. So who was the man? A demon? A demon hunter? The latter seemed more likely, but Elizabeth acknowledged ruefully that there was probably an element of wishful thinking in there. He had been…interesting. A lot older, of course - her parents' age. At that thought, she couldn't help but giggle.

"My God, Elizabeth! You're having evil thoughts about someone old enough to be your father!" Shaking her head in mock despair, she made her way to homeroom, unhappily aware that she was late.

**********

Patrick Lawrence was one of those strange creatures: a Watcher. His father had been one, so had his grandfather, not to mention sundry other ancestors. He had always known that this would be his destiny, and, excepting a few years in his adolescence, had eagerly awaited the day he would take on the training of a Watcher. Finally, at the age of thirty-eight, his day had come. A new slayer had been chosen, and Patrick Lawrence had been called to train her.

Unfortunately, it hadn't turned out as he expected. He had anticipated teenage tantrums, a reluctance to fulfil her duty, a disbelief in the existence of tangible evil. What he hadn't expected was Elizabeth Osbourne. When he had first arrived in Sunnydale, Patrick had been filled with zeal, anxious to begin his task. He had got himself employed as a history teacher at the local high school where the slayer was a student, and planned his first contact. He'd even worked out a little speech, not to mention a back up plan in case she failed to believe his story. When he kept her behind after class to 'have a little talk', what he hadn't planned was her, "I suppose you're my watcher."

"What?"

"My watcher. Y'know - I slay, you watch?"

"You…know?"

"It looks that way, doesn't it. I mean, unless we're both hallucinating which is possible. Being on the Hellmouth and all. You are the watcher, right?"

"Um…well….yes."

It had all gone down hill from there. Patrick soon discovered that Elizabeth was quite aware of the whole Hellmouth/vampires/assorted other demons/slayer thing, and had fought and killed even before she became the slayer. Her parents had been friends with the infamous (at least in watcher circles) Buffy Summers, and had done a fair amount of vampire slayage in their time. And the crowning discovery: Rupert Giles, maverick yet reputedly brilliant watcher, was on campus, still employed as the librarian, and supervising the slayer's education in all things supernatural.

Elizabeth the Vampire Slayer didn't need a watcher. She had her Uncle Giles.

Which meant Patrick Lawrence was kind of superfluous. But he loved teaching history. So when Elizabeth poked her head round his classroom door, his initial thought was that she ahd a problem with her homework.

"Can I help you, Elizabeth?" She stalked up the room, and flung herself into a chair.

"So, I was patrolling last night, and Alex appeared, but that wasn't important, the thing is that these vamps turned up and tried to cart me off…"

"Are you ok?"

"…but that's not important either. See, the thing is, this guy showed up all of a sudden, and saved us. And he knew I was the slayer. Nobody's meant to know that. I mean, yeah, Mom, and Dad, and Alex. And Maddy and Will. And Uncle Giles. But no one else. So I'm like, well who is this man? And what's he doing in Sunnydale?" She looked at her watcher, who was staring at her open mouthed. "Well? Who was he?"

"I…I…er…"

"See? No one ever tells me anything I want to know! You and Giles are just the same. Go on and on at me, telling me about demons that might possibly appear in ten years' time, but when I have a question you're both useless!" She stalked off again, leaving Patrick gasping in her wake.

**********

In the junior common room, Maddy Bowen and Will Mortimer were comparing trig notes. Or rather, trying to piece together a complete set of notes from their sketchy attempts to record what their stunningly boring maths teacher was trying to impart to them. When their friend Elizabeth threw herself into one of the chairs beside them, and started grumbling about men in tweed who never did anything, they ignored her. Elizabeth tended to be…temperamental about some things. They had both known her all their lives; all three had grown up in the environs of fair Sunnydale, and attended school together. When Maddy was attacked going home at the age of ten, it had been Elizabeth's father who had rescued her, and eventually told the two of them about the reality behind Sunnydale's quiet façade. Since then, all three had been alert to the dangers of the night, and when Elizabeth ahd been called as the next slayer, it was only natural that she should tell her best friends.

In the grand tradition of Sunnydale's slayerettes, Maddy and Will were always ready to lend a hand at fighting evil, and were becoming surprisingly adept. It was inevitable, though, that they found themselves isolated from the rest of the school - killing evil creatures of the night didn't lend itself to an active social life. There was no point in denying that their gradual alienation from the rest of their peers sometimes hurt, but Maddy, Will and Elizabeth were sensible people, who had been quite happy in each other's company for many years.

Will and Maddy decided that they'd had enough of trying to get any sense out of trig, a subject that remained elusive to both of them. Which meant that Elizabeth was the only interesting thing within reach of their very comfy chairs.

"So, how was patrol last night?"

"What?" Elizabeth had been in the middle of a scathing diatribe about the distinct lack of intelligence in any person born on the wrong side of the Atlantic, and the change in subject was a little too much for her.

"Patrol. You know, that thing where you stroll through the delightful scenery of Sunnydale stabbing vampires with a little pointy stick?"

"I met this man…"

"Hallelujah! Come on, Elizabeth, let's have all the juicy details!" Elizabeth cast a derisive look at her shallow friends before replying,

"Not like that, idiots. These vamps tried to take me, and this man showed up and saved me. That's all. Then he took off. I don't know he who was. And those lame-brained tweed-wearing imbeciles who are supposed to tell me things are being totally useless. I couldn't even find Uncle Giles." Maddy had switched off before Elizabeth's attack on her godfather, and was focusing on the rescued from certain death by a tall, dark, handsome stranger.

"He was tall, dark and handsome, right?"

"Well, I guess so."

"Ooh! You're so lucky." And she swooned into her chair. And was hit by her trig textbook.

"Don't be so stupid, Maddy. He was way too old - Dad's age, at least. And I only want to know cause…" Will and Maddy looked at her with scepticism as she floundered. "Cause…it might be…important, Butr that's not why," she added hurriedly, seeing the looks of, well, complete disbelief. "He knew that I was the Slayer. And he knew my name. But not my name. Just that I'm mom and dad's daughter. Which was weird. Actually, that was really weird. No, that's actually a bit scary weird." The possible ramifications of the man's identification of her suddenly dawned, and she leapt out of her seat. "Look, I have to go home. Now." As she started gathering her things, Will checked his timetable.

"You've got English next."

"So?"

"So, you'll get sent to the principal if you miss it. Again." Shrugging on her jacket, Elizabeth grinned at her friends.

"Cover for me." And she ran out of the room.

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