A/N: Thanks go to the lovely Blacknblue_2 for the beta.

Prompt Table

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Buffy awoke in utter darkness. Damp, cold dirt surrounded her, smothering her. Somehow she managed to claw out and up. Why was she down here? For a few seconds, she couldn’t think of any reason. Then realization and horror dawned on her…the Master. He threw her down into an open grave.

When she got out, she was so going to kill that ugly bastard. Just as soon as she figured out how she stepped out of the hospital and almost into the graveyard. It had to do something with that boy, but she couldn’t concentrate. She had to keep digging.

Buffy needed help, and no one knew where she was. Suddenly she heard something on the other side of the dirt. She opened her mouth to scream for help, but dirt rushed inside, making her gag. So, she continued her actions, hoping that whoever or whatever on the other side would do the same. If it turned out to be some vamp that she had to stake…well, then she’d give him or her a head start before doing her duty.

So close! Buffy could almost taste the subtle traces of air and knew she was almost free from this grave. She thrust her hand up and felt the comforting sensation of nothingness. No dirt…nothing in her way.

A hand took hold of her own, and she was pulled from her would-be tomb. She glanced back and saw a grave marker. No, she didn’t want to see what it said. Instead, she patted down her clothes — clean? and smoothed down her hair. She didn’t feel any dirt in it. Way weird.

Buffy then focused on her savior. He was absolutely gorgeous. His hair reminded her of Billy Idol, and she stifled a giggle that was threatening to erupt. So, Buffy began, much to her chagrin, babbling and thanking him at the same time.

*******

Buffy lay on her bed, Mr. Gordo tucked under her chin. Willow had just left and now she was forced to actually think about all that had happened to her today. That little boy had been almost killed by his baseball coach, and the trauma of it had opened up his nightmarish world.

Giles said that everyone had been forced to live out their nightmares. Buffy now knew that Xander had a clown phobia, Willow had stage fright, Giles feared that he would fail her and she’d die. She’d always feared being buried and having to crawl out of her own grave…oh and being a vamp. And while she’d take a big no on the repeat of digging out of a grave again, being a vampire didn’t go the way she thought it would.

Sure, there had been that moment where she had gazed a little too long at Xander’s neck. The hunger was there, but she was able to control it. She’d still been her. No, it wasn’t like anything Giles had told her.

Giles always said vampires have no souls…that the human goes away and a demon takes over their body. Yet, she still felt like her…was it because she wasn’t really a vampire?

Then why did that gorgeous vampire try to help her? He’d been almost sweet. She’d not even known he was a vamp until he got so mad about everything maybe being under some spell.

It had taken her by surprise when he vamped, but when she really thought about it…it shouldn’t have. He’d talked to her about feeling her bones shift in her face – which had been uber-weird with a gross factor of eight. He looked for marks on her neck. His hands had been so cold, but gentle. He even tried to make her feel better. What kind of vamp was he? Were they all like him? Or was he just special?

If her nightmare was about becoming a vampire, then why did he show up? If he was having a nightmare, what was it? Meeting a Slayer? Before he was all vanishy, he looked surprised, disappointed, and a little sad…but fearful…no, he hadn’t been afraid of her.

He didn’t belong in her nightmare. He was far from any nightmare…he was dreamy. He was almost like…oh my God! Buffy closed her eyes tightly and searched her memory. Her eyes popped open wide again.

“My vampire!!!!” she declared to her empty bedroom.