Damsel in Distress

Buffy and Pike sat on a park bench, watching the sun go down. It was something they hadn't been able to do in quite a while, what with the roving packs of vampires and all. A dog barked in the distance, and Pike slid his arm around her protectively. Buffy just smiled and snuggled in. It was the thought that counted. It had been seven days since the "incident" at Sunnydale High. Classes had resumed to give the students some sense of normality, but the remaining handful of students couldn't help but notice that half the students were dead or in detention or both. Of course, Buffy had an even harder time than the others, since she was the reason both for the dead students and the live ones. She was the one who had staked dozens of former classmates, some of whom she'd hung out with in the past. She was the one who had dealt with that spaz vampire who took longer to die than the rest put together. Now he was totally mental. And then there was Lothos. She still wasn't sure what to think about him. One moment he said he'd never hurt her, then he threw her across the room. What was his deal? Well, he was dead anyway. She drove the stake in herself and watched him crumple into dust. As for all that stuff about them belonging together, totally gross. Even if he was maybe a little cute, he was way too old for her. "Buffy? You all right?" Pike asked. She realized she was staring into space. "What? Oh, of course I'm all right," She said. She pulled him in for a kiss. And everything was all right.