Drink Me

"Oh my god!"

That was all Buffy could find to say as she took in the blackened ruin of the school that she had spent 2 of the not necessarily unhappiest years of her short life in. "They completely totalled the place."

There were other kids stood looking, kids who had graduated who were holding whispered conversations that her Vamp/Slayer hearing could make out. Their conversations were like any that might occur post battle, who had died, who had lived, how they had fought. Younger teens, sophomores and seniors to be just talked, louder, about how the hell they'd get the place back in one piece before the new school year started.

Already though that was in progress town and county officials were inspecting the damage, Sunnydale high would rise again. Buffy hoped next year’s graduates wouldn't have to fight for their lives like this years had.

A few of the graduated teens had looked at her as if to say were where you, she had a reputation as a tough customer, a troublemaker yes but a girl who could fight, where had she been when the chips were down, had she known, had she run. Buffy felt a little guilty but figured being dead at the time of the battle was a cast iron excuse, a pity it wasn't one she could share.

The tingling in her skin had subsided but she was glad she'd put on the long sleeve blouse she wore and buttoned it to the neck; she knew she'd have had a very nasty case of sunburn otherwise, sunglasses protected her eyes but already she had a faint headache from the UV.

"Buff," the word was hesitant and spoken from behind her, she recognized the voice but turned slowly having been hurt enough by her Mom that morning already.

"Hey." Xander was stood closest to her, Oz a little behind ready to jump in like that Bhoutros Dude from the UN if the peace needed to be kept.

"We missed you," Xander said sadly. "Graduation was a blast, we led the class of 99 to victory, Chief Blond Wolf here with his bow and arrow counted many coups and Willow did the 200 meter sprint in a new school record time, the G had to blow up his own library and even Dead Boy was here but no Slayer."

Xander shook his head. "Guess you were to busy becoming Dead Girl."

Buffy flinched as if she'd been struck, she had known Xander wouldn't take what she had done very well, but she hadn't really believed he would be this harsh. She had no come back to make, he was right she had put Angel's life before her friends lives and her own betraying her sacred duty in the process.

She would have walked away and left Xander and Oz standing there if the guitarist hadn't intervened.

"Xander man that was a bad thing to say, you know why Buffy did what she did. It was just for love man, would you do any less for people you love." Oz looked at the Slayer. "You ok Buffy cause I got to say you look good for a dead person."

"Thanks," Buffy though was concentrating on Xander's face as he fought with his emotions. "I feel totally weird but thanks. Xander please understand I didn't mean for this to happen things just got carried away."

"Sorry Buffy." Xander hugged her to him, repressing a shudder at how cold she felt. "But you did a really dumb thing getting yourself turned, if we didn't know the restoration spell you'd have destroyed the town. What if you were so strong the spell wouldn't have worked."

"It did though, and if it hadn't you would have stopped me." As Xander pulled away she asked. "Are we cool?"

"You and I are, though I still think you must have taken to many blows to the head." Xander's face-hardened as he went on. "If I see Angel though, on any terms other than when we're fighting vamps, bad vamps, he's going to find out what I've learned about Slayage."

The teen shook his head. "I hate him for what he's done to you, if he loved you he'd have died before he let this happen."

"I'll tell him." Buffy felt better but knew she had to find away to bring Xander round, if he fought Angel seriously one of them would die, probably Xander. And resisted the urge to point out that this was all down to her and Willow Angel had done nothing but involuntarily donate the blood. "He'll keep out of your way for awhile."

"How's Willow," she asked the still concerned looking Oz.

"She's hurting, she blames herself." Oz wasn't looking too happy either. "Buff if we hadn't have left you alone with him this wouldn't have happened, we could have stopped you...."

"I would have found a way." Buffy put her hand on the teens arm. "You saved me, you and Willow, I won't forget that. What happened is my fault, could you call Willow and tell her I'm going to Giles's and to meet me there in an hour."

"She's kind of avoiding Giles," Oz looked uncomfortable with the fact. "On the grounds that when he finds out what she did he's going to maxi-wig, your Mom already has."

"They spent way to much time together." Buffy remembered her mind reading activities and would have blushed had she still been able to. "But fortunately neither of them work for the Postal service, Willow needn't worry I'm not mad at her and I'll make sure my Mom apologizes."

*If she ever speaks to me again.*

"That would be good." Oz knew having Mrs S pissed at her at upset Willow a great deal if Giles got equally angry with her he didn't know how the witch would take it.

"With Wesley in the hospital," Xander smiled at the thought of the trampled Englishman. "Cordie's constantly round at Giles's trying to persuade the poor guy to talk his fellow countryman into staying, like Giles would consider that for a second, you wouldn't do me a favour would you and...."

"Show her my game face," Buffy didn't need demon blood to read that one. "Absolutely not."

"Just thought a good scare might persuade her that LALA lands not a safe place for a girl on her own." Xander shrugged. "She's going to hate you even worse when as I assume Dea...Angel tells her he isn't moving there anymore and she finds her Hollywood dream is going to be without protection from creatures of the night of an undead credit card carrying kind. Though she swears she has no intention of going anywhere near him."

"A good scare might get her out of Sunnydale even faster." Buffy felt a minuscule fragment of guilt, first Wesley now Angel she really was raining on Cordie's parade, LA had a substantial population of Vamps the ones drawn by the Hellmouth to California but who were smart enough to know that Slayer equalled dust. "I know she hates the idea of being poor but really it's you who needs to find a way to make her stay here."

"If you know the location of a horde of gold coinage tell me." Xander knew Cordie was going, no way would she accept a trailer park dwelling and him. "If there be dragons I'll fight them for it, but I think even if I got rich quick Cordie would still be gone. She just can't tolerate the idea of being reduced to me again."

"Well if I see her I'll tell her she should stay." Buffy's headache was worsening being in Giles apartment might involve a high level of noise but at least it would be out of the sun. "I'll come back here tonight and meet up with you all, bye."

"Make sure you eat before you come out," Xander noticed a strange glint in Buffy's eye as she glared back at him and fearfully added. "Joke!"

"I know," Buffy smiled showing normal teeth. "But the look has got real good hasn't it."

Then she set off for Giles, she needed research doing and in a hurry, she didn't need to be shouted at but that would be a prerequisite, one she would just have to tolerate.

*Anger equals growling equals heart attack, time to copy Seven of Nine, but without the really tight clothes.*
*****************************************

The most powerful vampire in the world, (Vampiress in fact), looked fearfully up at her mentor and friends apartment. *He is going to be so pissed!*

Despite the problems telling her Mom had caused Willow, Buffy really wished her friend had bitten the bullet and told Giles as well, not like he wouldn't still have majorly wigged but he'd have been round to Revello Drive like a shot and she could have had the shouting thing from her Mom and Giles all over with at once.

Though actually that might have been much worse.

The suns effect on her was getting worse, her head throbbed and her eyes ached, her hands were starting to itch unpleasantly, she needed to be indoors and soon.

"Well here goes." She said aloud as she crossed the street only to pause on the opposite sidewalk as a brunette figure suddenly emerged from Giles apartment doorway and began walking down the stairs, "Oh shit it's Cordelia!"

Nowhere to run the now ex-cheerleader had spotted her. "Buffy wow finally you show after all the slaying is over, my life is ruined by the way and it's your fault."

"I was sick," Buffy hoped Cordie would buy that.” And your life got ruined by the IRS not me."

"Sick!" Cordelia gave her an appraising look. "You do look kind of slagged at that, your eyes are bloodshot behind those shades and your pale in a not particularly interesting kind of way, and your hands are really red, what did you do fall in a patch of poison ivy or something. I'm amazed Angel changed his mind about leaving Sunnydale for you."

"Well he did," anger and demon were both swelling in Buffy as she barged past the brunette and headed up the stairs to Giles apartment.

"And don't think I didn't catch that line about the IRS." Cordie shouted after her surprised and delighted that she'd so easily upset the Slayer. "You made Wesley decide to leave but it doesn't matter, I'm going to be a success in Hollywood and your stuck here until hell freezes over or Faith dies and a new Slayer's chosen, I think you'll find your the loser."

Having already had a bad day Buffy replied carefully looking at Giles home not at Cordelia, the fangs that had just appeared would probably made her scream bringing Giles outside to see the full truth in far to graphic a detail. "I'm sure the movie biz is crying out for you Cordie, first exploitation then the adult movie industry, do have fun with your co-stars and please don't send Xander video's your in, he thinks about sex too much as it is."

"Xander!" Cordie laughed. "He can stay in Loserville with you and your Watcher, you even succeeded in chaining Willow to this place, well it's seen the last of Cordelia Chase."

Buffy heard her turn and walk away and panicked, *I'm outside Giles Condo and I'm vamp faced, God I know what I did may have been wrong but I'm still on your side. Please!*

Prayer didn't help and worse the tingling started again obviously she was slightly more vulnerable to sunlight with her vamp persona on the outside.

*Picture myself looking normal.* Angel had said that to her before finding that the kissage approach worked just as well. She pictured herself, still vamped, she pictured herself some more, no change. *Arrrrgh where's Angel when you need him.*

Then she pictured Rupert Giles horrified face if he looked out of his doorway now and saw a Buffy-Vamp on his stairway, her demon subsided before that fearful prospect. Buffy clamped her stinging hands to her face, this was not good she needed to be inside, and Cordelia hadn't shut the door properly.

Walking up to it the Slayer paused and without knocking or asking permission to enter effortlessly crossed the threshold.

**************************************

The apartment was a mess, not in a dirty kind of way or in an untidy teenaged girls manner like Buffy's room at home, no what made Giles home different was the large number of stacks of books he'd crammed into it, the reference books from the library.

Out of the direct sunlight the tingling faded once more and she seemed to be almost able to feel her enhanced healing working on the skin of her hands. No sign of Giles he was probably hiding from Cordie somewhere, but the door was unlocked and the kettle was whistling itself to the boil so he must be home.

*Oh well here goes I suppose.*

"Giles, are you here Giles?"

The Englishman emerged from the kitchen and looked round he hadn't been hiding from Cordie just ignoring her till she went away. He was tweed guy as usual even though it was summer and he was on a day off. He looked at her concern all over his face. "Buffy were on earth have you been I've been so worried Willow said that you were sick but your Mother wouldn't talk to me about you."

"I wasn't sick as such." The Slayer decided then and there that prevarication wasn't going to work best to come out with it. "Angel, he needed a Slayers blood to cure the poisoning and I messed up majorly over trying to get Faith's, so I had to let him drink mine and it all went wrong and he didn't have as much control as I thought he would and he killed me."

Listening to the torrent of words Giles just shook his head, "Oh my god....Buffy how...?"

"I'm a vampire Giles, but a nice en-souled one." Giles seemed to collapse before her eyes. "Willow found me dead and Angel to stunned to understand what he had done and she turned me, I rose this morning and here I am."

"Will...ow?"

"Yeah, you know girl who hangs out with us, red hair, hacker and sometime witch." Buffy didn't like the colour her Watcher had gone. "Giles I'm sorry perhaps I shouldn't have told you like this but hey I kind of think you would have noticed."

"It's...it's....daylight." Giles took of his glasses and wiped his eyes. "Buffy I don't..?."

Going over to stand in front of her friend Buffy gently took him by the arm and led him to one of the few seats in the room not piled with salvaged books of demonology or vampire lore. (Mostly spelt VAMPYR.) Sitting him down Buffy having nowhere to sit herself knelt on the floor at his feet.

"Your research guy but this is what I know." She began looking up at her Watcher, unofficial but Wesley having quit the guy with the job. "Turned Slayers keep the extra strength they get when they’re chosen and also get a demons strength on top of that, according to Angel they can walk in daylight and enter homes uninvited. Both of which turns out to be true....if I was invited into a place when I was mortal does that still hold after I was turned."

"No you'd have to be invited in by a living resident," the Watcher murmured, "My god I thought that when you were turned due to your nightmares it was just the fact it wasn't real that allowed you to live in sunlight, I thought all those stories where just legends their mostly so old they might as well be. Buffy how could you have been so foolish so idiotic as to allow this to happen?"

"I didn't allow it," Buffy had expected anger not a weariness which frankly troubled her. "It was an accident not something planned."

"Faith is in a coma in hospital, you won't be replaced again," Giles put his head in his hands. "Because of what has happened to you the world will be without a Slayer until Faith dies or gets better, dying would seem the most likely event but she could be kept on life support for the next ten years."

"Hey I'm still here aren't I, I haven't run off with Angel." Buffy had a feeling of guilt though because she had thought about it on her way over here. "I can still slay."

"To be an effective Slayer Buffy you have to blend in, to be regarded as a target by the vampires." Giles finally looked at her. "They will know what you are."

Taking a few seconds to think on that Buffy answered slowly. "And what else do vamps want beside blood, they want sex and submission from other vamps and I'm still going to be smaller than most of them and cuter, if I say so myself, so I expect to see plenty of action....that sounds so skanky by the way, I've gone from them wanting to bite me to them wanting to fu..."

"All right," Giles was blushing. "Point taken there's no need to go into detail."

"Oh I don't know," grinning evilly the vampiress added. "For all I know you might have only had sex twice and..."

"I don't think this is the time or place..." Giles managed to halt what would have been the beginnings of a major argument. "Is your soul permanent Buffy or have you merely been cursed, without any guilt to tie it to you I dread to think of the potential consequences."

"Willow changed the spell or so Angel tells me," Buffy shrugged. "You won't blush I hope if I mention that there's only one way to know for sure. If it works we do the same spell on Angel and he and I live happily ever after."

"And if it doesn't you get your souls back and spend forever unfulfilled." Giles noted how her face fell and wished he hadn't been so blunt. "I’m sorry Buffy but you must consider that, is there anything else you can tell me?"

"I don't have a reflection and I'm allergic to crosses. I can walk in the sunlight but currently I wind up feeling a little icky, if I get angry my demon starts rising."

"No reflection, that will be a problem." Giles cast his mind back to his studies, interrupted as they had been by his rebellion against the career path laid out for him there where gaps in his knowledge. "Turned Slayers are a rarity and no vampires been stupid enough to turn one for centuries and unfortunately it’s the kind of information that the Watchers council don't exactly share."

"Oh," looking at all the books around her Buffy was somewhat surprised but then again. "How come you never told me what happened to turned Slayers?"

"It wasn't something you needed to know." Giles answered speedily his brow arched. "Especially bearing in mind who you were in love with."

"How trusting of you," Buffy shifted a little on the hard floor but decided not to take that matter further. "The reflection problem is going to majorly blight my educational prospects and my life, Mom threw an absolute total wig on the subject."

"Strong vampires have the ability to use magic and amongst the easiest spells available are glamour’s." Giles looked around at the many works available to him. "If we train hard between us Willow and I should be able to get you into a position where your able to effortlessly convince those around you that your reflecting normally by the time college starts."

"Cool, could I be taller and maybe..."

"Thinner!" Giles gave her a hard look. "You don't need to be anything of the kind, have you eaten by the way."

"Yes a nourishing bag O’blood, the first of many." Buffy picked up a leather bound volume and opened it, then screwed her face up as she tried to decipher the Latin inside. "Weird parchment."

"It is rather isn't it," gently Giles took the book from his ward, deciding not to tell her it was made from human skin. "It's unfortunate that all the more pertinent volumes we will need are not let out of England and are restricted in access even then."

"And you’re not Mr Popular back in the old country."

"Quite, what we need is someone who would be trusted to access the records by the council but who would pass the information onto me." Giles paused then smiled. "Wesley!"

"Wesley Wyndham-Price, excuse me!" Buffy couldn't believe her ears. "But he really doesn't like either of us and if he finds out I got turned into a vampiress...."

"Whilst he was still technically your Watcher," Giles smile had a trace of Ripper in it. "It would be so embarrassing for him and guarantee that he would never be assigned another Slayer for the rest of his life. Don't worry Buffy Wesley will be only to happy to help."

"Well blackmail would probably work with the guy." Buffy wished she'd thought of that before but...."What do you expect him to find."

"Your strong Buffy, you died certainly but you’re not a normal vampire." Giles tried to remember how she had looked game faced in the time of her nightmare induced turning but found he had blotted it out. "I hope that at sometime in the past someone may have found a means to change a turned Slayer back."

"I think you'll be disappointed." Buffy stood up and gently kissed Giles cheek. "Thank you."

"For what."

"For not shouting at me." She had expected it and found instead if not understanding then at least an offer of help.

"I abandoned that approach the day I met you, but I felt like it today." Giles stood up and walked back into his kitchen. "I'll make us some tea shall I?"

"Alright, but not the Earl Grey." Buffy opened another book, suddenly thinking. *A hundred years from now I'll be an entry as a Slayer and a vampire...and be here to read about myself.*

Then walking into the kitchen she asked. "Angel is a Master Vampire, what am I. Please tell me I'm not a Mistress Vampire?"

"Buffy you’re the most powerful undead creature in the world." Giles turned the kettle back on. "That means you can call yourself whatever you like.....though I think the term Vampire Queen would be most suitable."

"Wow I'm royalty.....wait till Cordelia hears....."

*************************

"Buffy are you mad at me?"

Giles had gone off to the hospital to as he phrased it, "Put the arm on Wesley," so Willow had found Buffy in the apartment on her own.

"No Will you saved me, you've given me a chance to be with Angel forever, no I'm not mad at you." The two girls where stood in the doorway, light streaming through the open door, but Buffy didn't feel in the slightest bit disturbed by it anymore. "It was my fault what happened not anyone else's, you and Oz especially."

Willow hugged Buffy to her not caring about the coldness of her skin. "I'm so sorry you died Buffy I shouldn't have left the Mansion and then Angel was so upset at what he'd done and all I could think was.... but you aren't mad at me."

"No," hugging her best friend back Buffy was just glad of the contact with another human being, and one who so far hadn't flinched. "I'm totally not mad at you."

"Your Mom sure was." The hacker hated to have to raise the subject.” Was she as harsh with you?"

"She thinks I've thrown everything away by becoming what I am now." Buffy looked pulled back a little from her friend. "That without a reflection I'm screwed as far as going to College is concerned, Giles thinks you and he might help there, teach me magic."

"Yeah, glamour’s aren't to hard long as you don't over complicate stuff," the red head wondered why the blonds face fell, then realized why and smiled. "By changing stuff to much."

"Oh come on just a couple of extra inches between friends!"
******************************************

The sun was setting as Buffy walked back up the path to 1630 Revello Drive, Giles had dropped her off a block away and she had walked back here not wanting to risk her Mom's reaction if she saw the Watcher. She didn't want to risk her Mom swearing at him to.

The Giles and Willow had had an interesting afternoon discussing Magic they hadn't let her try anything yet but it sounded hopeful, and if she could convince her Mom of this perhaps she might be if not forgiven then at least not homeless.

Giles had reported somewhat surprisingly that once Wesley had gotten over the shock of what had happened he had promised to do all he could to help. She found the knowledge reassuring.

As she fumbled for her key she felt her stomach churn, it was a mix of fear and hunger. Fear of what her mom might say and the lust for blood that came with her demon, she hoped Angel had a good stock of pig’s blood back at the Mansion, she was going to need it.

Putting her key into the lock Buffy drew in an unnecessary breath and letting it out slowly entered the house and immediately saw her Mom sat on the stairs looking lost and unhappy. "Mom......I'm sorry."

"I know," Joyce looked at her daughter standing there and knew what she had to do, it didn't matter what had happened, how her daughter had been changed, and she was still the child that Joyce had raised. "I'm sorry to for what I said to you, please don't leave Buffy."

"Oh Mom," Buffy wanted to hug her but didn't not wanting to upset her with her corpse like temperature again. Instead she just sat next to her on the step. "Giles thinks it might be ok, the not reflecting thing and aside from that I think after a while I may get used to the sunlight to."

"Good," Joyce gently took her daughters hand in hers, it was cold as death but Buffy was still here with her for all that. "I don't want you to get upset but there's something you have to do for me."

"What, whatever it is Mom I'll do it?"

"Angel's in your room, as soon as the sun sets I want him out of my house." Joyce noted how her daughters smile at the reconciliation died. "I know you love him Buffy but having to look at him after this has happened to you is just too much."

"You know he's going to be in my life more or less permanently from now on don't you?" Buffy replied. "I love him Mom."

"I know you do honey," Joyce got up and still holding Buffy's hand gave a half smile as she added. "In a month or so I might be able to look at him without thinking stake, but not now. Is that something you can live with?"

"Yeah,"

Joyce's heart lightened as Buffy smiled again.

"Is it ok if I spend time at the mansion?" Buffy was going to anyway but wanted her Mom's blessing.

"During the summer you can go there when you like daytime and evening, but come the fall just weekends and when you don't have college, but you sleep here for now." Joyce flushed before she added. "Your soul is permanent isn't it, I'd hate to have to explain to your father how you and Angelus tried to destroy the world."

"We think so," this was so embarrassing. "But there's only one way to know for sure, when we're ready we'll have Willow take the necessary.....precautions and...."

"Ok.... I don't think I need to know anymore thanks." Joyce put her free hand on her daughter’s head. "I'll go sit in the kitchen till you have Angel out of here. I'll see you later tonight. Bring anything you need to eat back with you it'll be freaky having blood in the fridge but I'll get used to it, I suppose."

"Thank you," the Angel thing aside Buffy couldn't have been happier. "I know we can make this work Mom."

"I hope so, ask Willow round for dinner tomorrow I need to apologize to her and thank her to."

"I will."

*****************************************

Arriving in an empty bedroom the Slayer jumped straight into the closet occupied by her Sire/Lover.

"Hey there isn't really room for two of us in here you know!"

"That's the idea silly!"

And with that there was silence...