Author: Agarwaen / Rachel Title: Just One of those Nights Warnings: Pointless Summary: Nick moves to Sunnydale after Last Night and encounters a whole new set of problems. "Damn you Nicholas!" LaCroix's final shout was ringing in Nick's ears as jerked awake. It had been months since that fatal night and yet he still could not forget it. It haunted his every moment and thanks to his perfect memory he remembered every detail. He could even remember the way her blood had tasted. She had so much love and trust and…faith. "And I killed her." Nick stifled back a sob. He remembered how he had begged his master for death. In the end he saw how much Lacroix truly meant to him. His Master was his closest friend. Nick could still remember the way the stake felt as it plunged through him. That red hot fire and then the cold that burst from his shattered heart. What he did not remember was how long he had lain there next to his beloved Natalie. All he knew was that sometime later he had awoken, very much alive and in pain. Sometime while he had lain there dying the vampire within had managed to muster one last try for survival. With a last burst of strength it had torn out the stake. He had awoken to a world of pain. His chest was on fire but that was nothing to the cold body of is Natalie that lay still beside him. Or even the cold ashes of his master. Nicholas' request had been the last thing Lacroix had done. He must have greeted the sun shortly after he had fulfilled his son's request. The only time Lacroix had ever done what Nick asked. Nick shuttered at the memory. And once again he longed for death, but that was beyond him. He cursed himself again for not having the courage to face the sun, the only death left to him. He was too old and too powerful for the stake. Nick wiped away a single blood tear and reached for the bottle that he now had to keep by his bedside. After that night and after drinking from Natalie his thirst had awoken again stronger than ever before. The blood in the bottle he now held was Human. It had to be. Better to drink bottled human blood than risk the lives of those around him by starving his vampire. Nick pushed back the covers and sat up. He looked around his modest new home. He could have afforded much better but since his new identity was a teacher he had decided to at least appear like he only had a teacher's salary. After he had fled Toronto he had gone as far away as possible. He had taken the name Nicholas Girard again and had decided to try his hand at teaching. And so he had arrived in Sunnydale. The last place in the world anyone of his kind would think to look for him. Sunnydale was the complete opposite of Toronto. And today was his first day of work. Yes, day. He had done something else that no one else would suspect; he had taken a job that would require him to work during the day. Nick had, of course, informed the school staff that he was allergic to sunlight. They had neatly arranged for him to have a classroom with no windows. All Nick had to do was arrive at work before sunrise and leave after sunset. Not so hard really, it would give him time to do all his paperwork at school so he would never have to take work home. He would, however, take a heavy coat and some other clothing with him just in case he needed to go outside at any time. That was only a precaution though and despite all that had happened recently he was looking forward to starting. He was going to be the history teacher at the aptly named Sunnydale high. At last he could have a quiet place; at least here he would not have to worry about what was going on in the supernatural realm. >>>>>>>><<<<<<< "Darn school!" Buffy and her friends were hanging out in the library for the few minutes they had before the first bell. "Who would have thought the summer would go by so fast!" Buffy moaned again at the injustice of having to return to school again. A whole year of math and English and...History!! Why couldn't she just stop coming, she was the slayer after all. It was not like math would help in her vocation. What was she going to use geometry for, to calculate the angle of her stake in relation to the vampire's heart? And worst of all was history. Somehow any history teacher always managed to make her fall asleep faster than the speed of a disintegrating vampire. "I really don't mind school... plus... I heard there was a new history teacher this year! I can't wait to meet him…I wonder if he gives extra homework!" "Oh stop it Willow! He is probably super old and smelly!" Xander quipped sleepily. Buffy was about to make a comment as well when the first bell rang. She glanced down at her schedule, history first period. Oh no! She was already sleepy... she was doomed. >>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<< Buffy would have picked the seat farthest away from the front if she had had it her way. But, lo and behold, Willow was in the same history class with her this year. At least she would have someone to help her study this year. Or to copy off of. As it was, Willow had picked the seat closest to the front and center of the room and Buffy had taken the seat behind her as her dutiful friend. Buffy watched as the room filled up from the back forward and there were still some students coming in as the tardy bell rang. Honestly, Buffy was not surprised; the classroom was not in the usual history area. Last year it had been a math room and there were still some math posters on the walls that had yet to be taken down. The slayer in her also noted that was one of the few rooms in the school that did not have any windows. Oh well, shifting rooms around was nothing new and since he was a new teacher she did not think anything more of it. Speaking of the new teacher, where was he? "I bet he got lost on the way to his own room." Buffy heard some snickers behind her; she turned to look at whoever was giggling and was surprise to notice that Cordelia was also in this class. She and her friends were looking in Buffy's direction and laughing. Buffy tapped Willow on the shoulder. "My, my but if this isn't a popular class... Look who decided to grace us lesser mortals with her presence." Buffy jerked her head in Cordy's direction and Willow turned a shade paler as she saw who Buffy was pointing at. Willow opened her mouth to say something but just at that moment the teacher arrived. Buffy was taken aback for a moment when she saw the new teacher. He was paler than even Willow with short curly blond hair, and he could not have been barely out of his twenties. Buffy heard a sigh from Willow and she knew that her red-haired friend was smitten. "Hello class, sorry for the delay. I hope you all found seats that suit you because the seats you are in now are your assigned seats for the rest of the year." Buffy heard some more giggling from Cordelia's group behind her. She noticed that the new teacher looked up at Cordelia at once. "My dear lady, no one in this room, save perhaps you, honestly cares about your sex life; I would ask that while you are in my room, that you keep such details to yourself." Buffy nearly cheered when Cordelia's perfect face turned beat red and she clamped her mouth shut. "I think I am going to like this guy." She did not even wonder how the teacher had heard exactly what Cordelia had said. >>>>>>><<<<<<< "I think that Willow is in love... Willow Girard does have a nice ring to it..." Xander was stopped from continuing his taunt when Willow kicked him in the knee. "Don't mind him Will, he is just jealous." Buffy quipped. "I am not!" Since they had arrived in the library after school got out Willow had talked of nothing but Mr. Girard. Buffy had to admit that Mr. Girard did have a very likable personality, plus his class was the first time she had ever stayed awake for the whole history class. He even made prehistory interesting. "My only complaint is that he is sorta light on the homework..." "Willow, sometimes you scare me." Xander added lightly. After he had silenced Cordy the whole class had gone smoothly. No one wanted to risk Cordelia's fate. "Who are we talking about?" "Giles! Where have you been?" Willow asked "A librarian's job is never done. I was securing the requisition of some new books for the library." "Have you met the new history teacher?" Willow asked excitedly. "Not yet, but it is only the first day, there will be plenty more. I was talking to some of the staff while I was up at the office and I managed to learn that Mr. Nicholas Girard does have an allergy to sunlight. Some of the teachers were complaining because they had to move them around so he could have a windowless room. Not a pressing concern but definitely not something we should ignore." He cast a glance at Buffy meaningfully. "Nicholas, that is such a pretty name..." Willow stated dreamily "How does he get to and from school then?" Xander asked. Shooting a glance at Willow. "Well that one is easy, all I have to do is arrive before the sun comes up and leave after it goes down. The hard part is trying to fill the time inbetween." Even Giles jumped when the unexpected voice came from behind him. "My! I did not even hear you open the door!" Giles exclaimed. "Yeah," Nick chuckled, "That's what my friends used to always say." Nick seemed sad for a moment and his eyes unfocused as if he was looking someplace that only he could see. After a few moments he shook himself out of it and turned with a smile to Giles. "Well, Hello Mr. Giles. It is a pleasure to meet you! I was looking through the history textbook and I don't think I like the history curriculum they gave me so I might use some of the books here to make up my lesson plans." Giles looked a little startled at Nick's statement. Giles gestured at Buffy and her friends, "Well, we are not used to company here. It will be nice to see a new face. I trust you have met most of these students before?" "Yes, Buffy and Willow I know. And mister Xander here as well." Nick smiled and nodded his head at the bookshelves. "Well, I guess I had better get started. Sorry to have interrupted you." And with that he disappeared into the maze of shelves in search of the history section. >>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<< "How are we going to get any work done while he is here!" Buffy whispered demandingly. "He won't be here forever! We have had visitors before!" Giles whispered back. "Excuse me!" they all turned when they heard the young teacher's voice coming from somewhere amongst the shelves. "Yes?" Giles and Willow replied together. "I am sorry to bother you all but I need some help retrieving a book." Nick stated innocently as he stuck his out form behind one of the shelves. "I do it!" Willow yelled quickly and she ran to where Nick was standing. "How can I help you?" "Follow me I will show you…" Nick walked further back into the maze until they came to a shelf near one of the windows, the whole bottom of the bookshelf lay in a pool of sunlight. Nick gestured at it sheepishly, "I need one of those but I can't…" "Which one?" Willow asked quickly. "See the big one….Ancient Sumeria…on the bottom.." "Oh yeah… Let me get it." As Willow leaned down into the sunlight she brushed back the hair that covered her neck, leaving the smooth line of her neck exposed. Nick's eyes were immediately drawn to the pulse in her throat, he could smell her blood, roses and honey, she would taste so sweet…. "No.." "What?" Asked Willow, as she glanced up her hair fell back into place over her shoulder again. Nick ducked his head and waited until he could speak without lisping around his fangs. "Nothing. Thank you for helping me." He retrieved the book and restrained his urge to run away. In a few seconds he was thankful for his self control. As he turned he nearly ran into Buffy and Giles who were standing right behind him. "What happened Willow?" Buffy asked softly. "Nothing, I just got this book for Mr. Girard. What is the matter?" Buffy looked at Nick, he didn't feel like a vampire. "It must have been my imagination." Buffy whispered. Still looking at Nick she backed out of the aisle and beckoned Willow to follow her. Nick and Giles stood there for a few more moments before Giles too retreated with a whispered apology. After he had retrieved a few more books, Nick left with a polite good bye and a promise to come again. He chided himself softly. As he listened to his heels clack and echo down the deserted hallway he couldn't help but wonder why Buffy and Giles had followed. Did they know? It was very unlikely. They were probably just curious about why Nicholas Girard would need help. Well he had made it through one day, the last few periods had been hard but he had made it. Tomorrow he would bring a small flask of something to drink, just in case. >>>>>>><<<<<<< "I could have sworn I sensed a Vampire!" "Maybe you made a mistake, all he did was ask me get a book from a place that was in the sunlight!" "Willow, do you know how suspicious that sounds?" Xander asked. "Well I don't care. Why would a Vampire work during the day? Huh?" "He did nothing suspicious?" Giles asked again. "Well, when I bent down to get the book he asked for he whispered something, it sounded like he said 'no' or something,. He could have been thinking about something to do for class. It could have been anything!" "Was there nothing else?" Buffy asked, "I know you like him but we have to know." "When I asked him what he said he ducked his head and it took him a moment to speak, he could have been deep in thought! Besides, if he was a vampire you would have sensed him way before! Right?" "Yeah, I guess. But I think I am going to keep an eye on Girard anyway." "That is a very good idea. Follow him tonight and you can inform us about his activities tomorrow." Giles added thoughtfully. "Fine, make me do all the dirty work." >>>>>><<<<<<>><<><>< Nick was out the door just as soon as the sun had set. He was very tired, working during the day was going to take some getting used to. After all, he had been nocturnal for the last 800 years. He chuckled softly to himself as he made his way down the sidewalk to his home. He had had to leave his beloved Caddy behind when he fled Toronto so he did not have a car just yet. But that was alright, he lived close enough to his work that he could walk or fly if he wanted to. Being busy at a job again had helped him take his mind off the past and he was not anxious to go back to his empty house. So he decided to explore the town, on foot. Nick was so deep in his thoughts that he did not even notice the shadow that followed him as he walked. Nick walked past the line of shops and restaurants that constituted downtown Sunnydale. He walked by the church and stopped for a few moments to look. He almost went inside but stopped himself before he could walk up the steps to the door. Even when he had been in Toronto and closer to humanity than ever before, he still could not take being in a church. He was not anxious to find out how it would feel like now that he had backslid to nearly the point he had been before he stopped drinking human blood centuries ago. He dipped his head respectfully and mournfully. Even his hard won reflection was fading again. He caught himself before he began dwelling on that night again and moved on quickly. He nearly passed the graveyard as well but a morbid curiosity drew him towards it. The graveyard gates had closed at sundown but he had no trouble scaling the low wall. Nick found himself wondering what must have happened to Natalie's remains. Had they found her yet or was she still lying there? Nick paused by a stone bench and sank onto it. He held his head and let the sorrow rise and take him. >>>>>>>><<<<<<<<< A little while later, Nick rose again. He carefully used his sleeve to wipe away any vestiges of the blood tears. He had needed that release. Nick gazed up at the night sky and drew in a deep breath. As soon as he did he was aware that something about this graveyard didn't smell right. Or at least, something in this graveyard didn't smell right. Suddenly he felt a presence behind him. Nick swung around to discover what looked like a human with a distorted face. The eyes and the fangs looked like a vampires but the rest… "What are you?" It demanded in a rough voice. "I should ask you the same ques---" "Look out!" Nick swung around again to see a girl jump from behind a tomb and race at the creature. It gave a growl of anger and turned to run away but before it could the girl grabbed it and shoved it to the ground. The creature jumped quickly to its feet and aimed a savage kick at her. She blocked it with her arm and knocked the creature down again. Before the creature could rise the girl produced a stake from her jacket and pushed it through the creature's chest. Immediately it dissolved into a pile of dust. "What the he-" "Don't ask here, Let me get you somewhere where we can talk." Nick didn't like the idea of going anywhere with someone who liked to stake people. He may not die as easily as he once did but it still gave him the creeps. But it was probably best not to annoy her. The girl grabbed Nick by the arm and began to pull him down the path and out of the cemetery. "Oh, Buffy. I didn't realize it was you." "Yeah, well, Giles can clear all that up for you. Just keep moving this way." She continued to tug on his arm and Nick couldn't shake the feeling of unease this latest development had given him. Nick looked down at the arm she was using to pull him, the one that had just rammed a stake through some unnatural creature. Unnatural, hah, if she only knew what she was so willingly dragging to safety. He felt the beginnings of a laugh start to tickle his throat but he stifled it. Would not do to have her wondering. Nick was just about to protest being dragged around when he would and could follow her under his own power when he felt a trickle of something warm on his arm. He looked down and to his horror saw blood running from a bad gash in her arm onto his arm. The smell of blood hit his sensitive nose and he staggered. "What's the matter?" Buffy asked. Nick pointed wordlessly at her arm, he was afraid if he had to take a breath to talk he might lose any control he had. There was something about the smell of her blood that made the pull stronger. It smelled so rich and so sweet, and he had not had anything cense breakfast that morning. That was not a very good combination. Buffy looked down at where he was pointing, "Jeez, I didn't even notice." She gave a sad smile and then looked up at Nick, "You okay?" "Yeah, yeah I'm fine, I just…..don't really like the sight of blood……" "Nauseous huh. There was a time I would have joined you in a puking fest if I saw my arm like this…" She smiled sadly again and beckoned him. "Come on, Giles will have some bandages and stuff at his house. Maybe he can fix you some tea or something." Nick nodded again and followed her at a safe distance. Unconsciously he wiped a finger over the blood on his arm and brought it to his lips. He staggered again from just the taste of her blood. It was all that the scent had promised and more! Her blood was so ….full of life and power! His eyes snapped to the still bleeding cut on her arm. All he needed was one more taste…. "We're here!" Buffy turned off the sidewalk and headed towards the entrance to an apartment on the groundfloor. "Is this Giles' place?" "Yeah, I come here sometimes." Buffy knocked on the door. "Kind of close for a student-teacher relationship isn't it? I mean, knowing where his house is…" Buffy gave him a sly grin, "You have no idea." >>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<< Nick sat in the living room of Gile's apartment and pretended to be sipping tea. "….so you see, she is the Vampire Slayer. She risks her life every night hunting Vampires so she can keep the world safe. You see?" "So how is it that you fit into this whole slaying thing?" "Well, I am her Watcher, I am her to teach and guide her as long as she is the Slayer." Nick coughed and set down his glass of tea hard on the coffee table. "I came here to get away from all this!" Nicholas' shout startled both the slayer and her watcher who were both lounging on the couch opposite Nick's chair. "What?" Giles's benign face displayed a twinge of doubt. This was clearly not the reaction he was expecting. Nick stood and began to pace. Buffy grabbed Giles' arm roughly. Something was not right. Buffy stood and blocked Nick's next round of pacing. "What the heck are you!" Nick looked up at and met her eyes. He felt his own eyes change as his vampire wrested for control. Here was the blood he had tasted. All he had to do was reach out and take it. In a movement to fast for the slayer to see, Nick came up behind her and pinned her arms with one hand and with the other he brushed back her hair and pulled her head to the side, exposing the line of her neck. He could see the pulse beating, he could hear as it quickened the soft scent of fear that arose from her only aroused the Vampire further. Distantly he could feel someone trying to pull him away from Buffy. He growled deep in his throat and with his free hand swatted the nuisance away. Giles' flew away from him and crashed into a book case and lay there. Turning his attention back to Buffy, Nick bared his fangs and struck. Her sweet blood poured into his mouth. He could drain every last drop from her, he could take all he wanted…. "" Nick paused. "" "" Nick drew away from Buffy and threw her away from him. Natalie's voice still rang in his ears. "It's happening all over again….." Buffy lay on the ground but already she had begun to wake up. Giles' too had begun to stir from his crumpled position under the bookcase. Nick looked around anxiously. He could still feel her blood coursing thorough his body. His vampire had been beaten back but it lay there still, close to the surface, ready to finish what it had started. Nick lunged for the door, longed to be away from this mess he had created for himself. But as soon as he flung open the door he saw the soft rays of morning creeping over the horizon. Even flying, he would never make it to a safe haven before the sun rose. Nick roared in frustration. "Will nothing ever go right!" "Here let me help…" Distracted by his own thoughts, Nick never even heard Buffy come up behind him. He felt the stake as it pierced through his heart He felt the fire as the wood invaded his body but he did not feel the cold fire of death that he had felt when LaCroix had staked him. Nick looked down at the wood protruding from his chest. Then turned to Buffy, a sad smile crept across his lips, "I would to God that it was that easy." Nick reached around and easily pulled out the stake. He barely even felt the pain. He looked down at the stake, he was as startled as the others but bravely kept it from his face. "I believe this was yours." Buffy took the stake but Nick's eyes moved to the mark still on Buffy's neck, "Perhaps it would be best if you moved farther away." Buffy looked at him with a skeptical look but backed further away. Nick looked around, there had to be somehow he could escape….then it came to him. One glance at Giles' showed that the librarian had produced and cross and another stake. Both he and Buffy were glancing at one another meaningfully. Nick would not be safe here for the day. He cast one more glance at the lightening sky outside. Maybe…. A slow smile crept across his face. He bowed his head and disappeared. Both Buffy and Giles' gasped. "What was he?" "Sounds like we have a new research project." Buffy rubbed her neck. He could have killed her so easily, he was so strong! But he let her go. "This time, make Willow do the work." >>>>>><<<<<< A few moments later, a smoking bundled literally flew into a small home near the school. Nick tumbled into the house, trying to ignore the pain of his burns and attacked the refrigerator. He was through with two bottles and beginning on a third before he began to feel better. "Man, and I thought I was going to Sunnydale to stay out of trouble. Being a history teacher was supposed to be easy!" He shook his head again. This was turning out to be the worst place to get away from his problem that he could have possibly picked. "" I will make this turn out for the better. I have to. I cannot leave again, not so soon Things will be better tomorrow, This was just one of those nights. ~the end~ yes, the nightmare is over. Comments (hah!) please! randomnessguru@yahoo.com