The Nyazian Prophecies

Salome strode through the cemetery. She clutched the Nyazian Fang tightly in her hands. She shook her head savagely. "I can't believe I have to do this..."

She heard the rustling behind her and whirled around. She caught sight of the hulking grey demon. It quickly disappeared from view. She rolled her eyes and sighed deeply. "I just got off a long shift at work. I really don't feel like chasing you all over Palo Alto, ugly. Let's make this short and sweet."

The breath was knocked out of her as the demon tackled her to the ground. She hit the ground with a hard thump. Her sword fell from her hands, falling aside. Salome desperately tried to reach it, but found her hand pinned down by the immense bulk of the demon.

Salome wriggled and writhed, trapped beneath the creature. She strained her arm, vainly trying to grasp the handle of the Fang again. "You're really..." Salome managed to free her arm, bringing it back hard to elbow it in the jaw. "... Pissing me off!"

The demon reached out to stop Salome, but she managed to grab onto her sword. She brought it up, savagely cutting through the demon's arm, severing it at the elbow. The creature let out a howl, rolling off her.

Salome pulled herself to her feet. She looked down at herself in disgust. The lacy white top and jeans she was in were now stained with red blood. "Son of a bitch!" She snapped. She jumped in the air, performing a butterfly kick, hitting the howling demon in the face twice in quick succession. She morphed to her demon form mid-kick, skin turning purple. She glared at the demon as she hit the ground. "I just bought this shirt," she hissed angrily, pulling at her shirt for emphasis. "And does it look like I have money to burn? Tuition's a bitch!"

The demon just grunted, swinging both arms at Salome, trying to grab her. She jumped back, easily avoiding the demon. The wound on his arm continued to spray her with blood. She let out an indignant cry. "Didn't we just discuss this?" She demanded.

Salome gripped her sword in both hands. With a savage cry, she thrust it forward, embedding it deeply into the demon's chest. She grimaced as she twisted the blade, a twisted smile on her face as the creature gurgled out a final breath. She tore the sword out of the demon. The sword disappeared from her hands before the corpse hit the ground.

Salome wiped the blood from her face. Instead of cleaning herself, she mostly just spread the droplets around, creating a red streak across her violet flesh. "Why do I even bother getting myself nice things?" She asked to no one in particular as she walked towards the exit. "I always end up getting screwed over." She looked down at herself critically as she reached the gate. "Why does it have to get everywhere?"

She was suddenly thrown back by a punch to the nose. Salome hit the ground hard, blood dripping down from her nostrils. She wiped the blood away with the back of her hand, looking down at it in shock for a moment before looking up at her opponent.

It was a young woman with short blonde hair. She had her head cocked casually, a dagger clutched in her hands. "Maybe it wouldn't get everywhere if you didn't cause trouble."

"What the hell is this?" Salome demanded. She struggled to stand. "Abuse the Nyazian day?"

Before Salome could get back up, the girl kicked her hard in the stomach. Salome coughed, falling back down. "Sweet Moses!" She gasped out.

The girl looked around wildly as Salome disappeared from her spot on the ground. She was thrown off balance as Salome reappeared next to her her, delivering a harsh right hook to her eye. "People keep on insisting on pissing me off today."

The Nyazian Fang instantly appeared in Salome's hand again. The blonde eyed the sword. "Neat trick."

Salome smirked. "Got a lot more where that came from." The two girls began to circle each other, waiting for the other to make a move.

As they sized each other up, Connor strode out from behind a crypt, axe clutched tightly in his hand. He furrowed his brow as he noticed Salome. "Sal?" He then noticed the girl, eyes going wide. "What the--"

"Bitch is mine," Salome yelled savagely. In the momentary distraction, the blonde made a move, slashing Salome in the arm. Salome howled, dropping her sword. Her lip curled in a snarl and she kicked the blonde in the chest, shoving her back.

"What?" Salome looked confused and angry, hand covering the wound on her arm. Thankfully, it was fairly superficial. "Why?"

She looked back at the girl, eyes going wide. She could now see the rise and fall of her chest. With her enhanced hearing, she could pick up the thrum of her heartbeat. Salome took a step back. "You're not a vamp."


Vincent Kartheiser	Anna Paquin	Bret Harrison	Kou Shibasaki	and Tom Lenk

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Based on the Characters by Joss Whedon	Created by Emcee

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Guest Starring

Nicole DeBoer
Laura Silverman
Christopher Khayman Lee
Brian Thompson

and
Allison Mack

Written by

Emcee

"Vampire Slayer?" Salome repeated, hissing in a breath as she gripped her injured arm tighter. She took a step back, narrowing her gaze on the pair. "Wait a minute... You two know each other?"

Connor kept his attention focused on Mandy. He shook his head in amazement. "We've been hanging out together for a month and you never told me you were a Vampire Slayer?"

Mandy smiled at Connor broadly. "I'm shocked you even know what a Vampire Slayer is ." She threw her hands over her mouth, letting out a delighted gasp. "No way! No way !" She jumped up and down. "You're Angel's son! You're the Destroyer!"

Connor turned his attention to Salome. He frowned deeply. "Sal... Are you all right?" He took her arm, frowning deeply as he looked over the wound. He held out his hand to Mandy. "Can I borrow?"

Mandy handed the dagger over to Connor. He used the blade to cut the bottom of Salome's shirt. "Hope you don't mind."

"Ruined anyway," Salome murmured, voice filled with hostility. She let Connor swathe her arm. She kept her gaze locked on Mandy. "So you two have been 'hanging out' for a month?"

Mandy glared back at Salome, distrust etched in her features. "So this demon is a friend of yours, Connor?"

"I'm his girlfriend ," Salome spat venomously. She turned to Connor, her expression cutting with betrayal. "I'm surprised if you've been hanging out for a month that Connor hasn't mentioned me."

Salome jerked away from Connor. She wiped her bloody nose. "I am covered in blood and way too much of it is my own. I'm going home." She glared at the pair. "Why don't you two just hang out?"

Mandy frowned deeply. "You know... All the times we've talked... I'm guessing we've never really talked."

Mandy frowned as Connor led her down the street towards Lamia House. "I'm surprised we haven't run into your girlfriend. I didn't think it was that far ahead of us."

Connor sighed deeply, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "She probably teleported so I couldn't catch up to her. She's not happy."

"She," Connor amended. "She's my girlfriend. She's... A she. And yeah. It's something she does." He furrowed his brow. "Wait... You know all about me, but you don't know anything about my friends?"

"Faith only gave me the bullet points," Mandy admitted. "I didn't ask her for specifics. She told me you're Angel's son. Strong. Hot in a bratty way."

"I thought we solved the comm--" Connor's eyes went wide. "Faith said I was hot?"

"In a bratty way," Mandy stressed teasingly. She let out a joyous laugh. "I just can't believe you're him! We've hung out for so long and I had absolutely no clue you were Angel's son."

Connor shook his head. "I don't get why the Council didn't tell you. They should have told you..." He growled softly. "They should have told me . Dammit, Buffy gave that huge speech about making sure everyone knows what's going on..."

Mandy shrugged apologetically. "It's not the Council's fault. I didn't want to know about you yet... And I didn't want you to know about me."

"Mandy?" Andrew was standing on the porch. He ran out onto the lawn, pulling her into a tight hug. "Salome said... But... Is it really you, girl?"

Mandy let out a delighted squeal, hugging Andrew back. "It's me," Mandy assured him. "I can't believe it! It's been a year!"

"Maybe we should go in," Connor said. "Get Mandy some ice for her eye." He looked at Andrew, concerned. "You talked to Salome? Is she..."

"She's fine," Andrew assured him. "Oni's patching her up. The cut doesn't need stitches."

"I can't tell," Andrew admitted as he opened the door. "Usually, Salome yells and hits stuff if she's mad. She's just being really quiet... But she's kind of growly."

Mandy nodded. "Yes. He was never my Watcher, but we hung out a few times. We bonded over Degrassi."

Connor was just about to speak when Salome started down the stairs. Her wet hair was swept up in a ponytail and she was dressed in a baggy brown shirt. She paused when she noticed Connor and Mandy. "Hey." She narrowed her gaze on Mandy. "Blondie."

"Sorry I messed up your face." Salome gestured vaguely to Mandy's eye. There was still a note of hostility in Salome's apology.

Tugging on the hem, Salome frowned deeply. "I didn't think you would mind. I'll take it off if it bothers you." She went back up the stairs.

"Don't bother," Connor called after her. He looked down. "It looks better on you," he added under his breath.

Andrew came back into the hallway, carrying an icepack. He held it out to Mandy. "Here. Now let's get you into the living room so you can tell us why the heck you're here."

Mandy allowed Andrew to usher her into the living room. Connor glared at Mandy as she sat down on the couch. "I told my dad I didn't want any Slayers sent here. I can handle things on my own."

Andrew just smiled at Mandy. "I guess this means you finished your training, huh? I missed the graduation of the first group. But congratulations."

"Huh?" Connor looked between Andrew and Mandy. "What are you two talking about and do you mind explaining?"

"Mandy was one of the first Slayers brought in to study at the school we set up in England. The Slayers who worked with Buffy in Sunnydale were also given training, but she was part of the first group that knew nothing about her calling before the spell."

"It came at a very inopportune time," Mandy added with a blush, trying to cover her face with the icepack on her eye. "The day before Willow and Andrew showed up to tell me what I was, I got in the middle of a fight between my friend Morton and the star quarterback... I accidentally broke two of the guy's ribs and his wrist. I had no clue what was going on."

"Anyway," Andrew continued. "With the curriculum set up by Giles, Buffy and Willow, Slayers, Slayers attending the school go through two years of training. After that, they can either stay with the Council for additional training, be assigned to an area of supernatural conflict or go off on their own and just keep in contact with the Council."

Mandy nodded. "That's right. I put off my college plans to attend the Slayer School. But my plan was always to go after I finish training. I applied here and... Well, here I am. I have to say, the Council was not unhappy by that decision. I mean, yeah... You said you didn't want anyone assigned here." She smiled at Connor. "But you can't exactly say no to someone going to school here."

"Well..." Mandy blushed again. "I sort of asked them not to." She looked down. "Not because I didn't want to be a Slayer or anything. I just wanted to... You know, adjust first. This is a big change for me. I wanted to get used to my classes before I started fighting the forces of evil. Since the Destroyer was here and he didn't want anyone here anyway, it was all right with the Council. This is actually the first day I've gone out patrolling. Real bad luck I should run into Connor's ghoulfriend."

"Her name is Salome," Connor muttered. He glared at Mandy, a slightly menacing look in his eyes. "If you're going to be around here, you're going to have to get used to there being some demons who aren't evil."

Mandy moved the icepack away from her face. "Actually... You're supposed to be my Watcher. You and your... Assistant? I didn't really get that part."

"Great!" Andrew exclaimed. He hugged Mandy tightly. "We could always use more help! Hey! You should move in here!"

"What?" Mandy looked momentarily shocked before shaking her head. "No... No... I have a dorm already." She frowned. "And I think some personalities might clash."

"I'm sure she's really nice when she's not covered in blood and trying to kill me," Mandy said, a slightly patronizing tone in her voice.

"Don't take it personally," Connor replied. "She doesn't like Slayers. She's one of the good guys. Believe me."

"Maybe you should go check on her," Mandy said quietly, rather grudgingly. "I got some good hits in."

Connor looked longingly towards the door. "She doesn't like me that much right now either."

"She'll be fine," Andrew said. "I mean, she goes off on stuff like that, but it's always okay in the end. I mean, after everything that happened..."

Andrew kept droning on, but neither Mandy nor Connor paid attention. They kept sharing furtive looks.

After a few minutes of quick glances, Connor looked to Andrew. "Do you think I can talk to Mandy... Destroyer to Slayer?"

"Oh!" Andrew jumped to his feet. "Right. I can do that. I'll just... Well, I should call Giles." He ran off.

As soon as Andrew was out of the room, Mandy blurted out, "I'm sorry I tried to kill your girlfriend."

"So why didn't you tell me about her?" Mandy asked. She cocked her head in curiosity. "I mean... We've been hanging out for a month. And you never said anything."

Connor slumped down further. "I thought we were just hanging out. As friends. Did you think..."

"I liked being around you too," Connor replied. "And if I led you on... I'm sorry..."

"You didn't," Mandy said quietly. "You were just my friend." She frowned. "Maybe I just thought we could be more than that eventually."

"I thought I had mentioned her," Connor admitted. "Really. And if I didn't... Well, things are complicated with us right now."

Connor shrugged. He then looked at Mandy. "I like you and all, Mand... But I'm not going to get into this with you."

Mandy walked to the door. "So... You didn't want a Slayer here." She stopped, turning back to Connor. "You don't play well with others?"

"I think it's still up for debate," Connor replied honestly. He held up a hand. "Night, Mandy."

Mandy smiled winsomely. "I wish you well and take my leave. I pray you know me when we meet again." She slipped out the door, shutting it behind her.

Connor furrowed his brow, frowning slightly. He then turned, shaking his head. "Weird girl."

Jamie walked down the hall towards his bedroom. He was slightly hunched over as he carried half a dozen books.

Jamie nearly dropped his books, stopping in front of Oni's door. She was sitting cross-legged on her bed, phone in hand. She looked at him curiously.

"I'm fine," Jamie managed out. "I just have a paper I've got to work on. I'm falling behind. Too much time at the store. Besides, looks like you're about to make a call."

Oni dropped the phone down onto the bed and got to her feet. She scrambled over, taking several of the books from Jamie. He let out a sigh of relief as the weight was lifted. "Thanks."

Oni skipped ahead, going to Jamie's room. Jamie followed after her. "You can just put them down on my desk."

"It is of no concern," Oni became much less chipper, her shoulders slumping. "I was not attempting to communicate with anyone."

Jamie put his books down onto his bed and placed a hand on Oni's shoulder. "Why don't you just call him?"

"What..." Oni pushed a lock of hair over her ear, looking very uncomfortable. "What makes you assume that?"

Jamie let out a small laugh. "Oni, I know you... You weren't trying to be the first caller to KAEB. So when was the last time you talked to him?"

Oni swallowed hard. "I have left several messages on his recording device. But he has not responded to any of them." She bit her lower lip. "I have not left a message in two weeks however." She pulled away. "So did you hear Connor's new friend is a Slayer?"

"Mandy?" Jamie shook his head. "No, I didn't... Is that what Salome was bitching about?" He rubbed his forehead. "Oni, that's not what we were talking about. Who cares about Connor's new girlfriend?"

"I've only dated one!" Jamie protested, holding up his index finger for emphasis. "One time! It's not like it's a fetish!"

"Wesley and I are not together," Oni said very suddenly. She averted her gaze, cheeks going red. "We never were. Occasionally, I forget this salient point. I am required to remind myself."

"I just..." Oni sighed. "I became accustomed to seeing him every day." She forced herself to smile. "Perhaps I just need to begin a mating ritual with someone else."

"You're going to have no problem there, Oni," Jamie said with a smile. "Hottie like you will have no problem... Demon or human, it's your choice."

Jamie looked over Oni. "Do you ever think... Maybe you should be with someone you're already friends with? Just so you won't be lonely?"

Jamie laughed softly. He leaned in, hugging Oni and giving her a kiss on the forehead. "You really can't fault a guy for trying."

Connor slipped into his room. He hesitated at the door, watching Salome. She was sitting on the bed reading. She kept a hand to her nose, gingerly touching it.

"How's your nose?" Connor asked quietly. "Really. You don't need to be all tough. There aren't any Slayers here right now."

"I'll be mouth breathing for a few days." Salome looked over the top of her book. "But I'll be fine. Really."

"I'm sorry about Mandy," Connor sat down on the edge of the bed, keeping his back to Salome. "I didn't know she was a Slayer. I would have told you if I did."

"Not knowing she was a Slayer isn't the problem," Salome muttered, turning back to her book.

Salome shut her book and set it on the side table. She crossed her arms over her chest. Her expression was calm, just a hint of anger simmering below the surface. "I just didn't think we'd reach this point so quickly."

Salome got off the bed and pulled back the covers on her side. She stayed completely calm. "The point where you hang out with a beautiful blonde for a month without telling me a word."

Salome glared at Connor as she climbed into bed. "Don't do that. It's not cute."

Connor slipped his hand out of the drawer. He sighed deeply. "Never mind." He got up, stripping down to his boxers. "We should just go to bed."

Salome hugged her pillow, keeping her back to Connor. "I really hope tomorrow's better than today. Tomorrow's special."

Salome turned to look at Connor, a look of surprise on her face. "What's..." She sighed. "Nothing. Nothing's tomorrow." She inched away from Connor. "Good night."