Worth the Fight (BTVS fanfic, Book Three)

chapter 1 - Anne

There was a new vampire rising tonight. 

Andrew Hoelich, 1981-1998

There was a bouquet of flowers there.

A hand came out of the freshly filled grave and clawed for solid ground. Slowly, Andrew pulled himself out of his grave, now a newly made vampire. He growled when his head cleared the earth, and continued to climb out on his stomach. He crawled along the ground, pulling out his legs. He stopped when he saw my feet, looking up.

I smiled mischievously. "Welcome to the land of the unliving. You're not gonna be in it for long."

Andrew jumped to his feet, growling at me, stepping toward me.

I stepped back, kicking into his gut. Andrew spun, kicking me into a grave stone. I jumped over the top of it, turning toward him, a stake held ready in my hand. He ran toward me. I side stepped, making him miss. He ran up the side of the mausoleum behind me, flipping over my head, landing on the ground behind me. I spun to kick him back.

Andrew fell into a grave stone, making it break.

"Hey, can you tell me something?" I asked. "Why do vampires always learn how to fight right after they wake?" Andrew ran toward me, growling. I drove a stake cleanly into his chest. "Guess that's a question for another day, huh?"

Andrew exploded into ash.

Oz walked toward me. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah," I answered, only slightly out of breath. "You know, I like patrolling. It gives such a rush!"

"First of all, what was with the acrobatics?" Oz asked. "How did that happen?"

I looked in the direction of Andrew's ashes. "Wasn't Andy Hoelich on the gymnastics team?"

"That's right, he was," Oz told me. He looked at the ashes. "Cheater." I smiled slightly. Oz looked at me. ,lOkay, and the, uh, second problem I'm having... You were talking some serious trash back there." I shrugged. "Why? I mean, doesn't it piss them off?"

"Well, actually it throws the vampires off, and it makes them nervous because I'm wisecracking," I told him. "Something I learned from Buffy."

"Uh, if I may suggest," Oz told me. "'This time it's personal.' I mean, there's a reason why it's a classic."

I stepped away. "I've always been amazed with how Buffy fought, but . . ." I picked up my bag. "In a way, I feel like we took her punning for granted."

"Zoey, past tense rule," Oz told me.

"Oh, sorry," I told him. "I just meant we in the past took it for granted and, uh . . . we won't when she gets back. Do you think Buffy knows school's starting tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow," Oz repeated. I looked at him. "Right. Big day."

"Oh, I'm gonna be busy a lot," I told him. "With Buffy away, Giles wants to make the only, non-supernatural protector of Sunnydale knows how to defend the town. Which means training after school. But, but only till 3:00, and that's when you usually get up. I think Giles likes it more than I do."

"What do you mean?" Oz asked.

"I think it makes him feel like Buddy's here," I answered. "The more he pushes my limit, the more I fight like a Slayer. It drives me nuts."

Oz nodded. "I guess we should pack it in."

"Yeah," I agreed. We started to walk out of the cemetery. "Wouldn't it be great if Buffy just showed up tomorrow? Like nothing happened?"