EPIC!
by Tyval



Chapter 4:

The customized Rolls Royce pulled into the city limits of Sunnydale, Ca. The
cars driver and sole occupant quickly sized up the town. ' Typical preppy
California suburb' she thought. The driver was beautiful by any standards, her
long brown hair bound in a braided ponytail, sunglasses half down her pert
nose as she rolled the widow down.

To the world she was known as Lara Croft, one of the best archaeologist in the
world. Her critics and enemies called her 'Tomb Raider'! She had come to this
suburb of Los Angelas to see a former colleague of her father, Mr. Rupert
Giles!

According to her fathers notes, Mr. Giles had possesion of a jewell they had
found together called the 'Vampire's Eye'. According to legend a vampire who
possesed this jewell would become a 'Daywalker' and would be unaffected by all
religeous icons. ' Vampires, ha!,' Lara thought, ' My father gave eccentricy
new meaning.' Lara flipped open the rolodex on the sun visor thinking she
should be able to get to the listed address within a few minutes.

Thirty minutes later Lara cursed as she was still quite far from her
destination.

" I don't believe this shit!." Lara swore as the cars onboard computer told
her the the cause of the unexpected traffic delay," A frigging Britney Spears
concert tonight in this out of the way town!"

In reality Lara usually liked Britney's music, especially since she was moving
away from her bubblegum image. Lara was also a devout lesbian and would have
enjoyed getting her hands on the pop princess. Finally, after another 30
minutes of frustraion, Lara pulled into the driveway of her destiation. In
anger she slammed the door of her car, not caring if she scratched the
customized half-million vehicle.

Through a window Lara saw several young men and women, barely college age,
around a table listening to an older bespeckled man that she knew from his
pictures and her memories to be Rubert Giles. Lara briefly wondered why
someone who was supposedly as stuffy as his reputation would have a half dozen
youngsters around him that looked like they would be at home at the nights
concert. Lara rang the bell and was amused as a red haired girl jumped and
then hurried to close the window's blinds.

The same girl opened the door. Her eyes grew wide as she obviously recognized
the visitor.

" Omigod! Lara Croft! Here in Sunnydale!," the excited girl cried out.

" Willow, who is it?," came a man's voice that had to be Giles from the
British accent.

" You are not going to believe this!," Willow cried out," It's Lara Croft!"

" Lara Croft? Are you sure?," Giles said as he entered the room with an
attractive blonde girl of 20 or 21 Lara surmised.

Pushing his glasses up, in a gesture that Lara remembered him doing when she
was a girl, the eyes of Rupert Giles brightened.

" Lara!," Giles cried out as he extended his hand," My goodness, you were
what, 8, 9?"

" Ten," Lara smiled taking his hand.

" Oh dear, where are my manners?," Giles smiled as the others that Lara had
glimpsed entered the room," You have met Willow, this is Buffy Summers,
Xander, Oz, and Faith."

Lara smiled and shook hands with all of them. The grip of the blonde girl,
Buffy, seemedunusually strong. The unusual names of the young people certainly
didn't sound like typical southern California kids either. Lara had to admit
that she was becomming curious as to why these young people, she hestitated to
call them kids since she was barely 5 years older than any of them, would
gather at the home of a historian and librarian on a saturday afternoon when
their peers were probably jamming what passed for an arena in this town.

" I fear I must get right to the point," Lara said minutes later as Willow and
Xander brought tea and sodas to everyone," I've been going through my fathers
diary recently and I have been finishing certain, adventures of his. Such as
one you made with him in '67."

" I know what you are looking for," Giles said suddenly growing white," Will
all of you except Buffy please leave the room."

Faith seemed about to protest, but a raised hand from Giles ended it before it
began. ' She must know something,' Lara thought about Buffy as the others left
the room, For his part Giles had risen, closed the door and was nervously
wiping his glasses and glancing at the clock. Giles summoned all his resolve
as he turned to face Lara. ' I have to get Lara out of here before sunset,'
Giles thought,' This concert is like ringing the dinner bell for them.'

Lara studied the face of Giles. He was stalling, that was clear, but there was
something more. Giles was afraid.

" Mr. Giles," Lara began," I have seen a lot of strange things, I have heard
many legends, all but one have I found that didn't have an logical
explanation."

" The 'Vampire's Eye' is no myth, Miss Croft," Buffy flatly said.

" The 'Vampire's Eye' is a ruby," Lara replied," A very large one and worth a
great deal of money, but it's just a ruby. Half of it is legally mine and I am
quite prepared to pay handsomly for your half Mr. Giles."

" Miss Croft," Buffy sadly smiled," There are few people in the entire world
that I respect more than you. But the 'Vampire's Eye' is dangerous."

" Next I suppose you will tell me that vampire's really exist," Lara scoffed,"
Grow up girl! I think you've seen too many bad Hammer films."

" Miss Croft, surely you know that all legends are based in fact," Buffy
sighed.

" Yes, and I've debunked quite a few of them," Lara grinned.

" Would you care to come with me tonight?," Buffy asked.

" I was actually hoping to be halfway back to London tonight with the 'Eye',
but if you and Giles insist on playing childish games then I have little
choice but to stay," Lara said," Especially since you will not even do me the
courtesy of allowing me to see the 'Vampire's Eye'."

" Oh, you will see it very soon, Miss Croft," Buffy grinned," You see it was
hidden in plain sight for tonight becase of the threat to it. The 'Vampire's
Eye' has been loaned to Britney Spears as part of her costume."

" So, you are saying that there will vampire's at the Britney Spears concert
tonight," Lara laughed," All right, I'll play along with your psychosis for
the moment. But after that I want you both in a mental institution."

Afternoon slowly drew to a close. Lara watched with some amusement as Buffy
and the others armed themselves with bandoleers of wooden stakes and water
balloons. For her part, Lara played along as she strapped on 2 glocks. Giles
walked up to her.

" Lara, you may think me mad, but you are going to see things tonight that
will question everything you ever believed," Giles said.

" Miss Croft," Buffy said," Those clips you have are useless, take these."

" Silver bullits? I thought that was for werewolves?," Lara grinned.

" They work, but you have to get them in the heart," Buffy said holding out
ten 15 round clips," Stakes are more effective. But of course, you think I'm
crazy and are going along just to get the 'Eye'."

" Maybe," Lara smiled, taking the clips anyway," But I know one thing, if you
don't stop calling me Miss Croft and start calling me Lara, we're never going
to become friends."

Buffy smiled. Buffy was happy that Lara was taking this at least seriously
enough that she loaded the silver bullits and replaced her regular clips with
the ones that Giles had had made for an occasion like this. Although Giles had
never envisioned the daughter of his old friend to be the one to use them. '
Then again,' Giles thought,' Even as a child Lara was very stubborn.'

A knock on the door broke the silence that was descening on the house. The sun
had just vanished on the horizon. Xnder looked out the peephole and then
opened the door. A very handsome young man entered. Lara felt a slight chill
despite herself. The man was dark haired and very good looking, but there was
the aura of death around him.

" Angel, it is good to see you," Giles nervously said.

It was obvious to Lara that everyone but Buffy was not overly pleased to see
him.

" Angel, this is Lara Croft, she'll be coming with us tonight," Buffy smiled.

" Yes," Angel smiled," I would recognize you anywhere Miss Croft. Everywhere
from Time, Newsweek, People, to Archaelogy Today."

" Lara, please," Lara said shaking his hand," I've had so many people call me
Miss Croft today I feel like an old lady."

' Cold, so cold,' Lara thought as the touch of Angels hand sent chills down
her spine. Lara had faced down 100 men with machine guns, she had killed
geneticly created dinosaurs, she had survived the attempt of an ancient and
secret orginazation to master time itself, but none of them had ever given her
the creeps like Angel did. Whatever it was about Angel Lara soon burst out
laughing s she saw the transportation that Giles was taking them to the
concert in. A green van that some joker had painted the words, 'Mystery
Machine' on.

The referance to the cartoon was not lost on Laura. Giles producing backstage
passes was another surprise as was the fact that Angel didn't get in the van.

" Isn't he coming?," Lara asked Wilow who was sitting beside her.

" Um, Angel has his own way of getting there," Willow said," He'll be there
before we are."

Buffy and the others were out of hearing range at the moment.

" Um, Willow, is it?," Lara asked," I have a question or 2 I would like to
ask."

" Yes," Willow answered.

" What is really going on here? I mean really, vampires, in this day and age.
Surely you can't believe in all this?," Lara asked.

" It's hard to believe, I know," Willow answered.

" Okay, so what's the deal with Angel and Buffy?," Lara asked.

" Buffy and Angel used to be in love," Willow sighed, a faraway look in her
eyes," Talk about star-crossed lovers. Angel's a vampire and Buffy's a slayer.
Anyway, Angel become evil, Buffy killed him, he came back, Buffy died, we
brought her back, the whole thing sounds maddening unless you were there.
Anyway, Buffy is a lesbian so it wouldn't have worked anyway."

" I knew it! Your'e all mad!," Lara laughed.

Lara stopped laughing when she saw Angel flying.

" Are you ready to go Lara?," Buffy smiled as she saw Lara's eyes grow wide.

.........................................

end of chapter 4