Disclaimer: All the characters but Ralph belong to Joss Whedon, and Mutant Enemy Entertainment. I own Ralph and this story, but if someone wants to use it for something, I really don't care, just tell me about it first.
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Part Three
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Ralph was in a state of shock. He had expected... he didn't know what he had expected, but this wasn't it. "So let me get this straight. I have spent my whole life living in 'Salem's Lot, and I didn't realize it?"
Giles frowned. "Salem's who?"
"Never mind. Furthermore, you mean to tell me that mild mannered teen Buffy Summers is actually a freaking super hero."
Xander decided to throw in his two cents. "All except for calling Buffy 'mild mannered', you're pretty much right." He ignored Buffy's dirty look.
"OK, great. Then I guess I picked the right town to turn into a demon in, didn't I?" He looked up at Giles. "Which reminds me, we never did get around to ... " He stopped. His eyes began to glow faintly. He cocked his head as if listening to something. "I'll be right back." Suddenly he leaped up from his chair, and was across the room in a blur. He yanked open the doors, grabbed the surprised person standig there, and slammed him up against the wall. "Ok, vampire, what are you doing, spying?" Ralph grinned, exposing way too many long, glistening fangs. "Boy, did you pick the wrong night."
The look of shock faded from Angel's face, and was replaced b anger. His own face changed, becomeing the snarling face of a predator.
The two were pulled apart. Buffy pulled Ralph away from Angel, and Giles, Xander, and Willow pulled Angel away. "Man, and I thought I didn't like him!" Xander was staring at the bestial expression on Ralph's face.
Buffy was trying to calm Ralph down. "It's ok, that's Angel. He's one of the good guys."
"He's a vampire."
"Yeah, I know. But he's different. It's a long story. Acually, you two have a lot in common."
"What", said Angel, "was that?"
Giles told Angel about Ralph. By the end, Angel was frowning. "Hmmm. This all fits. I should have thought of this before."
Buffy walked up. "So Angel, care to tell us what's going on?" She tried to be serious, but she couldn't help smiling at him.
"A lot. Should I tell you the bad news, or the bad news?"
"Spill."
"There's a new Master."
"You're joking, right?"
Angel just frowned.
"Perfect. Well, I suppose that explains the rise in vampires."
Giles looked ill. "No. It doesn't. There were never this many vampires before."
Angel spoke. "That's the other thing. The Hellmouth is leaking."
Nearly everyone wore looks of shock. Ralph wasn't paying attention. He seemed to be having an argument with himself. His eyes began to glow again.
"But, but... " Xander was flustered. His face was pale. "What about the night of the Spring Dance? I distinctly remember the demon being pulled back when the Hellmouth closed. In fact, if it hadn't Ralph would probably be... Um, Giles, did I just grow an eye in the middle of my forehead? You're looking at me in a way which frankly makes me wish you could look at something else so I can stop babbling.
Giles slapped his forehead. "Of course! Ralph was bitten the night of the Spring Dance. His transformation began while the Hellmouth was open! He is receiving power directly from Hell, through the Hellmouth. Because of the fact that he was bitten on the night the Master rose, and all of the ley lines were concentrated on Sunnydale that night, he has become a doorstop to the closing of the Hell. All we have to do is - "
Willow interupted, her face pale. "Giles, I don't mean to intrude on your thoughts, but do you know where Ralph is?"
"What?"
They looked around the room. Ralph was nowhere to be found. The door of the library was open.
* * *
"The Master was a fool." a scowl twisted the mouth of the thing currently in control of the vampires and the Hellmouth. "All this potential mayhem, and he couldn't even think of a way to destroy one slayer. I mean, I've been in charge for what, two nights, and I already have an idea that can't fail. He had, like, two hundred years. Oh, and I want a team of thirty vampires on Angel. I don't think he can make a difference, but I don't want an unstable factor altering this equation."
The vampires before him bowed. "Yes sir. Shall we bring you anything, sir?"
"No. In fact, I'm going to go out preying with you tonight."
This caught the undead by surprise. "Uhhm, but sir, uhh, you see hackpfugurglle - " His voice was choked of as a taloned hand ripped out the throat of the unfortunate vampire. He then proceeded to jab his fingers though the neck of the vampire, and drag upward with one hand, while holding down his shoulders with the other hand. The head disconnected from the body. Both head and body crumbled to dust.
"Don't ever do that. Ever!"
The other vampires looked downward. Such is the price of questioning their new lord.
* * *
Buffy and Angel had seperated, and were searching Sunnydale for Ralph on opposite sides of town. Buffy walked down the sidewalk, trying to find anything out of the ordinary. So far she had uncoverred two cats and a homeless man. She was almost done with this side of town, and was about to head back to the library, when she stopped walking. She could sense several vampires coming toward her. She pulled the stake from her sleeve, and prepared for battle.
The first came at her in a blur. She sidestepped and stabbed. A cry, a puff of dust. "Next?" Three more leaped at her. She did a flip over them, coming down behind them. She quickly staked the one on the left, leaving her facing two. They advanced on her. Now Buffy was at a loss. If she went at one, the other would grab her. They backed her into a wall.
"Leave her alone." A dull voice spoke from behind the vampires. For a moment an almost comical look of astonishment coverred their faces, and then the broken edges of a baseball bat broken in two stabbed out the front of their shirts. They dissolved.
Ralph stepped forward. His condition had worsenned. Most of his hair had fallen out. His horns were bigger. His eyes glowed red, the light pulsing.
Buffy sighed. "Thanks, Ralph. For a moment there I was pretty worried."
Ralph grinned. This wasn't really much of an improvement, as it revealed several rows of inch long fangs. "No problem. I heard Angel say who the new Master was, and I got a feeling, like I knew who it was." His grin widenned. "I found out who it was."
"Who"
Suddenly he lunged forward, grabbing Buffy by the throat. He picked her up off the ground, and began to squeeze her throat. "Well, I'll give you a hint. Right now, he's about to use you for a Pez dispencer."
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