It was early evening, after the sun had fully sunk below the horizon, but not quite full dark yet. The streetlights were only just flickering on as two young women, Guinevere Smith and Morgana Pendragon, left the Albiondale University library and headed for the student apartments just outside of the university campus. They'd been studying for one of their shared classes, and Gwen was walking Morgana home since their apartments were in the same direction but Gwen's was a couple blocks farther. As the moon started to rise, the two girls were chattering animatedly, not noticing what phase the moon was in. It was the night before the official full moon, when the great silver orb appeared to be full and was only missing the tiniest sliver.

There was a loud rustling sound, and a creature

To the four people participating in my Buffy!verse AU: If I do not see a reply from at least one of you by the time I come back online, I will be extremely displeased.

“In every generation there is a Chosen One. She alone will stand against the vampires, the demons, and the forces of darkness. She is the Slayer.”

 The quiet of the night was broken by the sound of fighting. In the center of the Albiondale Cemetery, a young woman dressed in close-fitting, black clothes whirled and flipped, her mocha skin flushed with exertion and her long black braid whipping through the air in her wake. A wooden stake bit into a man’s chest, and the man disintegrated. “Another one bites the dust. C’mon, uglies. I’ve got a lot of stress to work out tonight,” the young warrior muttered, twisting to avoid another male’s lunge and slamming her stake through his ribs, dusting him like the last. Within a few more minutes, the girl stood straight and wiped sweat from her brow.

“Eight minutes and seventeen seconds. Better, but you still need to work on your reaction time, Gwen,” said a stern voice. The young woman turned to face the grey-haired man sitting on a headstone.

“Says the man who hasn’t moved from his perch since getting here,” Guinevere retorted.

“I am your Watcher, Gwen. It is my job to teach you, not fight your battles for you. Had you been in real danger, I would have stepped in.” 

“Uh huh. Sure,” Gwen muttered. “Can I go home now? I’ve got an exam in biology at seven thirty, and I want to at least get two or three hours of sleep.”

“Yes, I think that’s enough for tonight,” the Watcher said. “Come to the library tomorrow in between your classes. We have much to do.”

Gwen blew out a disgruntled breath and rolled her eyes. “Got it. See you tomorrow, Uther.”

The next morning