Lifting his eyeglasses with his right hand he massaged the bridge of his nose with the other as he tried to ease the headache he was starting to receive. Buffy, Willow, Xander, and his annoying ex-demon girlfriend Anya sat in his living room talking their usual banter towards each other making Giles wanting for quieter days. Replacing his spectacles Giles was saved from having to respond to another one of Xander’s annoying quips when the phone rang.

            “Hello,” he answered recognizing the voice on the other end as Angel’s immediately.

            “Hi Giles, its me…” there was a pause at the other end of the line, “Look, I’m not sure how to relay this but here goes. You know how Faith gave herself in and was sentenced to the LA State Institution for Women.”

            Giles sat back in his seat fearing the worse, escape or murder. “Oh, dear.”

            The gang, at the sound of Giles voiced concern, stopped there bantering to listen in on the conversation. Buffy got up from the couch and approached Giles mouthing a silent, “What is it?” Giles just shook his head as he listened on.

            “Well, there was a riot and people were killed. It was reported that Faith was trying to protect and save some of the guards when a few of the inmates managed to…Giles she was killed.”

Giles brows rose and crinkled at the sound of the news, “Are you sure?”

“Yeah, it was all over the LA front page news.”

“Thank you Angel, we appreciate your call.” Giles hung up the phone just as he heard the click on the other end.

Buffy made for the phone but stopped when she saw the look on Giles face, “What, what is it? What did he say?”

He stared blankly a few minutes before answering, “There seems to have been a prison riot where Faith was in.”

“I knew it she probably started it. Back to her old ways I guess.” Buffy huffed remembering her last encounter with Faith, the slayer gone evil.

Giles shook his head no, “No, it seems that she was trying to stop it. She was killed trying to protect some of the prison guards.”

Willow and Xander exchanged surprised glances as Buffy started to feel like a real ass for her earlier comment. “Oh…” was all that she could really say. She really couldn’t feel any pain for Faith’s death, not since everything that she had put her and her friends through. Faith had betrayed them, tried to kill her and her friends, tried to kill her mother, then took her body, and slept with her current boyfriend. She was far from feeling at all sorry for her.

Xander felt the weight of the silence and found it extremely suffocating, “I guess that means that we’re going to get another slayer in the mix.”

Buffy, Giles, and Willow all looked to Xander in surprise making him shrug as if to say “what, what did I say now” expression.

Buffy was surprised to hear something useful come from Xander, “He’s right. When one slayer dies another is born.”

Giles shook his head agreeing, “Yes, well that just means that we need to keep an eye out. With the hellmouth here she is likely to be drawn here.”

Willow feeling left out thought she would put in her two cents worth, “I wonder who she’ll be. How will we find her?”

“It's more likely that she will find us, that is, if the watchers don’t find her first.” Giles answered her question.

Buffy stared out the window to her side, “I hope we find her first. I don’t know about you but I’m not feeling all too watcher happy these days... All right, all we can do is keep an eye out and watch for any newcomers that happen into the mix of our wonderful town of Sunnydale.”

With that said they dispersed with their usual meeting and went to their usual tasks. Buffy with her nightly patrols and the others…tagging along.

Sunnydale College was a mass of new and old students walking around campus. Some looking lost while they looked for their classes while others hung in their groups massing to their destinations laughing and carrying on.

Sarah steadied her backpack on her shoulder pushing her hair behind both her ears. Taking a deep breath she made her way towards her first class. Unlike some new students she had made sure that she knew the campus grounds well before her semester started. Looking down at her schedule she saw that Advanced Algebra was her next class, room 308 in the east wing. Making her way through the mass of people she finally made it to her first class. Taking her seat she rummaged through her backpack taking out her notepad and pencil.

Buffy and Willow entered the classroom and made their way towards where they wanted to sit. Sitting down beside a woman with long dark brown hair she thought she would introduce herself, “Hi, I’m Buffy and this is my friend Willow.”

Sarah looked up to the blond-headed women who had introduced her then to the red head beside her smiling warmly, “Sarah Williams.”

Willow leaned over the side of her chair, “So, are you new around here. I don’t remember seeing you last semester?”

Sarah smiled at the red head, “Yeah, is it that obvious.”

Their short hellos were put to an end as the class professor entered the room and addressed the now fully seated class. Sarah didn’t really pay too much attention as the class went on. Her mind drifting off to the one person that had been continually haunting her dreams for the past four years. Doodling with her pencil she looked towards the professor not really looking at him.

Buffy was so totally bored with the class and couldn’t wait until it was over. She had tried to pay attention when class first started but the professor was so boring she thought that she would lose consciousness at any moment. ‘Give me Demons, vampires and curses, anything other than this! I don’t know how I let Willow talk me into taking this class in the first place. Hmm, that’s interesting’ she thought to herself as she glanced at Sarah’s notepad beside her.

She glanced at the notepad taking in the image that was starting to form beneath Sarah’s pencil strokes. The sketch was of a strange yet attractive man standing as he was holding out some round object towards them. He was dressed in some kind of medieval attire with a jacket over a poet’s shirt and very tight and revealing pants.  Leaning in to get a better view Buffy whispered to Sarah, “That’s pretty good. Though the hairstyle’s a bit strange.”

Sarah looked to the blond confused and whispered, “What?”

Buffy smiled and eyed the pad of paper making Sarah look down. Sarah’s breath caught in her throat as she gazed at the picture on the piece of paper she was doodling on. She had no idea how she had drawn the very lifelike picture of Jareth, the Goblin King but she had. Her eyes grew huge at first but her expression quickly turned to that of annoyance. It was bad enough that he had to invade her dreams but now he was starting to invade her waking life as well. Part of her wanted him to come back into her life and whisk her away but another part of her was enraged at the way he was starting to toy with her.

Buffy observed Sarah’s reaction and noted the oddness about it. There was something about this girl that struck her as off but her thoughts about that were cut short as she heard her name called out. Looking up from Sarah, Buffy saw that the person who had called her name out was the stuffy professor glaring at her.

“I’m so glad that I could get your attention Mrs. Summers. Would you care to comment on what we have been discussing.”

Buffy shifted uncomfortably in her desk chair her cheeks flushing in embarrassment.

The professor glared at her with distaste, “I thought as much…Now let us continue with class for those who are actually interested in learning something…” he went on and on with his lectures.

Willow glanced over at Buffy feeling sorry for her embarrassment. She also looked curiously at the notepad that Sarah was starting to put away as the class was coming to an end. The students started standing and gathering their things to leave just as class was called to an end. Buffy was about to say something else to Sarah when she had quickly left before she could inquire about her strange response earlier.

As soon as class was dismissed Sarah made for the door not wanting to interact with anyone at the moment and headed straight for her dorm room. As she finally reached her wanted destination she slammed the door shut behind her leaning up against the door. Tossing her book bag onto the floor she made for the small vanity in the corner of her dorm room. Looking into the mirror before her she shook her finger pointing to the mirror in anger, “Jareth, I don’t know what you’re up to but its not going to work.” At that moment she felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end.

“My, my and what makes you think that I had anything to do with your little art work during class.”

Sarah could never forget that sensually heavy accented voice and whirled around knowing that she would find Jareth within her dorm room. Knowing what she would see she still had a hard time hiding the small gasp that escaped her lips.

Jareth, the Goblin King looked stunningly handsome as he leaned against the wall behind her. His eyes sparkled in a way that captured her within them. He was the same as she had remembered dressed like the King that he was but there seemed to be something more. Something that made her want to go up to him and trace her fingers along his jaw line and over his sensually soft thin lips. Sarah flushed, mentally slapping herself for thinking such things of someone who was so obviously the enemy.

“You…because I couldn’t draw a line let alone a picture of you if my life depended on it.” She was furious now wanting to slap that conceited smirk from his face. She had almost forgotten how much he liked to toy with people, she should have known better. Sarah suddenly backed up as she saw Jareth starting towards her. Her eyes shot towards the door as he came closer and closer, closing the distance between them. One thing she was sure of was that she did not want to be cornered by him. Suddenly she dashed for the door desperately trying to turn the knob that would not budge. Turning to glare angrily at the Goblin King she quickly regretted her decision as she was met face to face with Jareth. Her back slamming up against the door as she gasped in surprise at the closeness of his body to hers.

Grinning like the cat who just ate the canary he tisked at her behavior, “Sarah, I would think that you would have learned by now that there is no escaping me.”

Sarah stared up at him unbelievingly; finding it hard to concentrate with him so near she wasn’t prepared for what he did next. He looked down to her taking in her flushed faced and soft pouty lips. Leaning down he brushed his lips against hers lightly testing the boundaries between them.

Her lips tingled from his light touch and she was powerless to stop the raging emotions that his small action had invoked. Her breath became shaky and rushed as she felt a burning desire to pull him towards her and kiss him fully on the lips. Her eyes darted quickly away from him not daring to look up into those eyes that could hold you for an eternity within their depths.

His voice pulled her eyes back towards him as he whispered in her ear, “Do you fear me Sarah?”

Her hands shot up pressing against his chest, caught between the desire to pull him closer or to push him away. Her emotions were jumbled but it didn’t stop her from deciding on the latter. Sarah pushed at his unmoving form to no avail, as he did not move from his position against her. Frustrated and angered by his unwillingness to move away Sarah raised her chin towards him meeting his eyes. Mistake, big mistake, she was starting to feel a bit faint but quickly recovered, but not without him noticing.

“You have no power over me,” she charged, as if daring him to try something.

Jareth chuckled softly at her attempt to drive him away, “Those words won't help you this time Sarah. This time there are no rules and this is not a game.” With that said he was gone, vanished as if he never were.

Leaning her head back against the door Sarah closed her eyes trying to calm her now shaken nerves. It had been four years since she had confronted him in the flesh and now…now she was more confused than ever. He was so arrogant, cruel, seductive…the way that he had spoken the last comment. Now that she was older she knew what that look that was in his eyes meant and just then she wondered if she was powerless to stop him. ‘Ok, think. Two weeks ago I have some weird dream with a vampire and some girl named Faith in it. She tells me that my life’s about to change. Which it has and it still is.’ Her mind then flashed back to the morning after her strange dream about being the next Slayer.

She was playing with her five-year-old brother at the park. The day seemed perfect, there wasn’t a cloud in the sky and she was in one of her more pleasant moods. Watching Toby squeal, as he chased after a butterfly, Sarah’s attention was momentarily distracted when she heard a loud bang behind her. A passing car had discharged. She returned her watch over her little brother but as her eyes darted back to where she had last saw him her heart leapt into her throat. She could see no trace of her little brother. Springing up from her sitting position on the grass she franticly looked around for Toby calling out his name.

Everything seemed to be spinning as she turned and turned looking in every direction. She was frantic. Then she heard his squeal, not the pleasant squeal, but the one where the harshness of it could render one deaf. Running she followed his cry, praying that she would find him soon. To her horror a man had Toby packed under his arm carrying him away. She screamed out Toby’s name as she closed the distance between her and Toby’s abductor.

Reaching the man she grabbed the sleeve of his shirt jerking him back forcefully with more strength than she knew she had. The man lost his grip on Toby letting the struggling child go. Sarah’s full attention was now on Toby as she rushed towards his crying form. Toby sat helplessly on the ground bruised and scraped sobbing his heart out. Before she could get to him though, the man that she had stopped from abducting Toby had recovered from his mishap and slammed his fist hard into her back.

Sarah gasped out in pain as she lost her balance and fell catching herself with her hands before her face could hit the ground. The man rushed past her towards Toby and that’s when she did something she never thought she would ever possibly be able to do.

Rushing back up to her feet she lunged towards the man before he could reach Toby. He pushed her off and just when he was about to hit her with his fist she managed to block his attack and struck back. Slamming her fist into his face she watched almost as if she were detached from her own body as the man flew back from her blow landing hard on the ground before them. Toby had stopped crying and watched as if stunned having witnessed Sarah’s actions. The man tried to get back up but had fallen back down unconscious. Running to Toby she gathered him in her arms and hugged him to her not able to take her eyes off of the unconscious man. She had almost lost her brother, again.

Mind returning to the present she slowly walked towards her vanity and looked tiredly at her reflection in the mirror. ‘I need my friends’ she thought hopefully. Just as she had thought of them her image within the mirror rippled like water until her image was replaced by the three closest friends she had ever had in her whole entire life.

Hoggle, the small dwarf with his obsession with jewelry, smiled to her warmly. Sir Didamous, valiantly bowed his wolfish vissaud and Ludo just grinned his big dark brown eyes smiling warmly to her.

“Hoggle, Didamous, Ludo!”

“My lady why has thou summoned us? Are you alright?”

Sarah smiled at Sir Didamous’s query, “I am now.”

Sir Didamous’s brows rose at Sarah’s answer and was about to speak when Hoggle beat him to it, “What’s happened.”

Leaning back into her chair she let out a long deep sigh, “Nothing, everything…You would never guess who had the nerve to come and visit me in person today.”

“Core, the nerve of that…”

“Hoggle, don’t. Knowing him he’s probably watching us as we speak and I don’t think you want HIM hearing what you really think of him. Now do you?”

Hoggle’s face contorted worriedly and knew that she was right. “EHH, you’re right.”

Ludo looked from Hoggle to Sarah, “Ludo scared.”

“Oh, Ludo it’s ok! I think I can handle him. So far he hasn’t really done anything but make me worry about what he’s up to. Can you guys do me a favor?”

“You know that we would.” Hoggle said without hesitation.

“It would be an honor, my lady. Ask and it shall be done,” Sir Didamous bowed valiantly.

She knew that she could count on them, “Could you keep an eye out on things especially, you know who, but be discrete. Don’t let him know what you’re doing. I hope he’s not eavesdropping into our conversation though, it could be dangerous. Maybe you shouldn’t.”

 “Ma lady Sarah danger or no we shall fail thee not.”

As that was said her friends faded from her vanity and her own reflection returned. Turning away from her vanity Sarah lazily swept her eyes over her dorm room thankful that she was able to get a room to herself. The roommate that she was supposed to have never turned up and with all the other students already assigned to a room they let her keep the room to herself but only until next semester.

As her eyes fixed on her book bag she cursed to herself, “Damn him, I’m late for my next class.” Sarah jumped out from her chair grabbing her book bag in hand and exited her door at full speed.

Buffy and Willow walked side by side on the campus grounds not really in any hurry to return to their dorm room. The day had gone by with nothing in particularly special happening, which was a good thing for a change. So far there had been no apocalypses or threatening demons out to burden the small town of Sunnydale, nothing other than the usual vampires at night when she would make her nightly patrols.

“What’s up,” Willow asked looking at her unusually quiet friend.

“Oh nothing. Just sponging up the quiet.”

“Yeah, it’s been nice for a change. It’s given me plenty of time to study up on my witchcraft. Definitely liking the quiet.”