It was about 4:00am before Cassandra finally got back to her hotel room. She had been walkingaround Sunnydale for hours just thinking. Wearily, she sat down at the small table in her room to write in her journal.
Cassandra’s Journal: October 4, 1997
Things seem to be getting worse and worse since I came to this God-forsaken town. Tonight, my friend Mike and his fiancée, Marie, were killed by vampires. I found their bodies in an alleyway, drained of blood. They were such great people, they didn’t deserve this. No one deserves this. Fortunately, they were not brought across. They can now rest in peace. It just hurts that more good people are dying because of vampires and demons. I wish that I could find out who did this. They would pay. I doubt it was Spike, it doesn’t look like one of his kills.
Speaking of Spike, I saw him tonight. He saw me too. I went to the park after I found Mike and Marie. He came up to me. He was not too happy that I have a soul. He also knows about Angel returned soul. He said that he couldn’t believe that two of the most powerful and vicious vampires had souls and were not killing. He is right, it is strange. If someone told me while I was soulless that I would stop killing in the future and get my soul back, I would have laughed at them. I also would have ripped their throats out for suggesting such a thing.
The police will probably find Mike and Marie’s bodies soon. Since I was a friend and his boss, I will probably be questioned. If the Sunnydale police is as blind as the other citizens of this town, they won’t suspect their deaths were anything strange at all. This town just doesn’t want to see what is right under their noses. For some people, I guess ignorance is bliss.
I wanted to leave town tonight, but with Mike and Marie being found dead, it wouldn’t look too good if I leave town quickly. Also, for some strange reason, I don’t want to leave just yet. I am more than curious about this new slayer and Angel’s involvement. Also, I am going to have to find someone to manage The Bronze while I am gone. It will be hard to find someone. Mike was a good friend and I trusted him completely. Their is no one else that I can think of that could manage the place. Maybe I should just stay in Sunnydale and run the place myself? It is an option that is becoming more viable the longer I stay in this town. I will have to think about it.
* * *
Sunnydale Library:
When Buffy came into the library, Willow was already there waiting on her. “Buffy, you left so suddenly last night. Are you all right?”
“Yeah Will, I’m fine. I just needed to think about things.”
“Did you ever talk to Angel?” Asked Willow.
Buffy sat down at the table. “No, I got all the way to his apartment. Before I knocked on the door, I chickened out.” Buffy sighed, a little bit disgusted with her own cowardess. “I am such a wuss.”
“You need to talk to him about this, Buffy.”
“I know, it’s just hard. Angel has told me hardly anything about his past. I will admit it, I kind of liked it that way. I know that he didn’t have a soul back then, but I didn’t think that it would affect me since it was so long ago. I didn’t want to know the intimate details about his soulless days. Now, one of those intimate details is now in Sunnydale.”
Willow nodded in understanding. “I know this is hard, Buffy. But, as soon as you talk to Angel about this, it will be better. You don’t need to let this come between you two.”
“Yeah, I guess you’re right. You know what else is bad? She used to be a Slayer, like me. She’s killed four Slayers already.”
“What about what Angel said about her? That she has a soul just like him.” Asked Willow.
“I don’t know about that. Angel did seem convinced, and she was pretty damn convincing when she talked to me at The Bronze. However, I’m not going to let my guard down around her.”
Giles then entered the library and greeted the two girls. “Hello Buffy, Willow. Buffy, did you find out any more information about Cassandra? Did you talk to Angel?”
“No, I didn’t.” Buffy then got an idea. “I think I need to talk to the source. I need to talk to Cassandra personally.”
“Do you know where she is staying?” Asked Willow.
Buffy looked over at her friend and smiled. “No, but you can find out. Look on the computer and see what you can find.”
“I’ll have to hack into an airline’s data base and see who arrived here matching her profile. I can do that.” Willow then went to the computer and started working. “It will take a while, I have to sort through a lot of stuff. Then, from there, it should be fairly easy to follow her trail to where she is staying.”
* * *
Cassandra’s Hotel: 5:45pm:
Cassandra had been awake for a few hours. She had always been an early riser, even as a human. She used this time before sunset to do some paperwork. Her work was interrupted by a knock at the door. Cassandra got up and looked through the peephole to see who it was. She saw that on the other side of the was a nervous looking Buffy. [ Damn, how the hell did she find out where I am staying! ]
Cassandra opened the door. “Hello Buffy, fancy seeing you here.”
Buffy looked around awkwardly. It was obvious that she was nervous being here, but she was doing her best to cover that fact up. “Can I come in?”
Cassandra moved out of the way of door. “Sure, come on in.”
Buffy entered the room. When Cassandra closed the door, Buffy spoke. “I guess you are wondering why I am here.”
“The thought did cross my mind. Actually, I am more interested in how you found me.”
“Computer records.” Buffy replied.
“Ah, computers. Those little machines will be the downfall of us all.” Cassandra said with a sarcastic smile.
“I need to talk to you.”
“What about?”
“We’ve been researching you.” Buffy turned around to face Cassandra. “I found out some interesting things.”
Cassandra was curious about what Buffy could have found out, but she did not let it show on her face. “Oh really, what did you find out?” She asked in a tone that made it seem like she was just humoring Buffy.
“I found out that ‘Cassandra’ is just your middle name. Your real name is ‘Mary Williams.’ Before you were turned into a vampire, you were the Slayer.”
[ Damn! How could she have figured that out? ] Cassandra was angry, but she held her temper. She did not want Buffy to distrust her even more. In a low voice Cassandra spoke. “How did you figure that?”
“Lots of research.” Answered Buffy, simply. “Is it true?”
“What kind of answer do you want?”
“The truth!” Buffy yelled. “Stop these games!”
Cassandra did not want to tell her the truth. She did not want to face this. She had tried to forget that part of her life for so long. However, if she lied and said that it was not true, Buffy would not believe her. Buffy knew the truth already. The only reason she asked was so she could hear it from Cassandra’s mouth. “Yes, I used to be called ‘Mary Williams.’”
“Were you the Slayer?”
Cassandra turned away from Buffy’s gaze, and answered in a low voice. “Yes, I was once the Slayer.”
Buffy looked as though a truck had just hit her. This was her worst nightmare come to life, so to speak. Cassandra was an undead reminder that even Slayers can be turned into the very thing that they are supposed to destroy. “You told me that you had a soul and that you could be trusted.”
“It’s true.” Cassandra said, still facing away from Buffy.
“Why did you keep this so secret?”
Cassandra turned around to face Buffy again. “I was once just like you. The Slayer, the one girl in all the world with the strength and skill to fight the forces of darkness. I was called when I was only fifteen, but I handled it. I did my job, I slayed vampires and demons. For almost four years, I did what I was supposed to do. But, my training and preparation wasn’t enough. I was killed and turned into a demon on my nineteenth birthday. I then started calling myself by my middle name, and I effectively disappeared. No one, except a few ever knew that I was the Slayer. Until now.” Cassandra then asked. “Does this account of things coincide with your research?”
Buffy just stared at Cassandra. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Then she finally spoke. “Yes, it does. What about your soul?”
“Until about a hundred years ago, I was just like all of the other vampires. I was cruel, vicious, and violent. I came to America and met a witch and instead of killing me, like she could have easily done with her magic, she restored my soul. So, for almost a hundred years, I’ve been a vampire with a soul.”
“Like Angel?”
“Yes, like Angel.”
“I still don’t know if I should trust you. However, my gut is telling me that you are sincere. Also, Angel trusts you.” Buffy then stopped. She had to ask this question. “I have to know. Was Angel the one who sired you? Was he the one that killed your family?”
Cassandra sighed. “Yes, the unsouled version of Angel killed me and my family.”
“I thought so. According to the research, it pointed that way.” Buffy said sadly.
“How much has he told you about his past?”
“Hardly anything.”
“You need to talk to him about this. I’m not the one that should answer your questions about him. I will tell you this, he is not the same vampire that I used to know.”
Buffy turned to leave the room. “Will I see you around, or are you leaving town?”
“I don’t know.” Cassandra answered honestly.
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