“We will arrive in Los Angeles in about 10 minutes, Zo'or”, Sandoval informed the Synod Leader.
“Uh, excuse me for having to correct that, but it may take longer. There's a problem with the drive.” Liam's hands hurried unsuccessfully over the control panels.
“Can you repair the malfunction, Major?” Da'an wanted to know.
“I'm afraid, no, Da'an. Hold on to something, we're leaving ID space!”
The shuttle bucked wildly. Liam had his hands full trying to get it down safely.
With a jerk he managed to make a forced landing on a meadow.
“Where are we, Kincaid?”
“The next city is a small town called Sunnydale, Agent Sandoval.”
“How strange. It's getting dark outside, but it ought to be noon”, Da'an noticed.
“That is not interesting. Sandoval, Kincaid, see to it, that you repair the shuttle. We have an appointment in Los Angeles in half an hour!” Zo'or was the only one still sitting in his chair, tapping impatiently on its arm.
“I have tried to get contact via global to anyone, but it doesn't work.” Sandoval was hitting the buttons of his global. “I can't get a connection.”
Da'an joined in. “We should try to find someone in the city, who is able to help us. Something is wrong about all this.”
“You are free to walk to the city, Da'an. I myself will not budge an inch from the shuttle.” Zo'or stated arrogantly.
“I'll try to find the shuttle's malfunction”, Sandoval tried to ingratiate himself with Zo'or.
Da'an turned around and started walking in the city's direction. “Major Kincaid, please accompany me to Sunnydale.”
Liam hurried to catch up on him.
“Are you sure you don't want to stay here with Sandoval and Zo'or? If something is wrong here, you might be in danger when you visit the city.”
“I do not intend staying in Zo'or's bad mood company. Sandoval has my sympathy.”
Liam laughed. “You are right. That might be more dangerous, indeed.”

 
* * *
 

“Buffy, please, be care…”
“Careful, I know, Giles. Aren't I always? Don't answer that.”
Giles darted her a look. “The vampire population here in Sunnydale seems to increase daily. There is a prophecy that a mighty demon will rise in the next days. And there is nothing that can stop him but a being called the “Shining One”. Nobody knows who or what the “Shining One” may be. There are no legends about him. This worries me a lot. So please be careful, Buffy!”
“I will, Giles, I promise. Bye!”
When she was gone Giles sighed and moved over to the next pile of books. There had to be some information about the “Shining One” somewhere. He hoped.

 
* * *
 

“What is his place, Liam? It looks like…” Memories came up, memories of a lost friend.
“It is a cemetery, Da'an.” Liam glanced at his friend, sensing his mood. Then his head jerked up. “There is a fight. Come on!”
When Liam and Da'an reached the fight, they saw a young woman landing hard on the ground. Da'an walked over to help her up, but she was gone back into the fight when he reached her. He heard strange noise and then the girl turned around to him.
“You're not going to get me, demon!” she said. Pointing what seemed to be a wooden stake at him she launched at him… and ran directly through his body.
Da'an had lost his façade, gasping in shock. Buffy had turned around, not believing her eyes.
“The “Shining One”?”
“Da'an!” Liam hurried over to the Taelon, aiming at Buffy with glowing shaquarava.
Before he could react she had grabbed him and sent him flying to the ground, straddling him with his palms skyward and pointing her stake to his heart.
“Stop!” Da'an had regained his composure and grabbed Buffy's arm.
“You're no vampire, but you are not entirely human, too.” She nodded at Liam. “And you… Are you the “Shining One”?” she asked Da'an.
“Shining One?” “Vampire?”
Buffy stood up, her stake ready.
Da'an moved to help Liam up. Both looked at Buffy in confusion.
“What are you talking about? Who are you? And where is the man you were fighting against?”
“Vampires and demons, Buffy Summers, dust,” answered Buffy. “Who are you?”
“I am Da'an, Companion to North America and this my protector, Major Liam Kincaid. We are here because our shuttle crashed and we need help.”
“I don't understand one word you say. You're not human, but you are not evil. I don't think you're a demon. So what are you?”
“You haven't heard of the companions?” Liam darted Da'an a confused look.
“My people are calling themselves Taelons. We arrived here on earth four years ago. 71 Taelons are living here on your planet.”
“Four years ago? You mean there are aliens living on this planet for four years now? Where have you been hiding?”
“We have not been hiding. We live in embassies in the important states of this world.”
Liam had an idea. “What time is it?”
“20:23 pm. Why?”
“No, I mean what year?”
“1999.”
“Oh. The Taelons arrived in 2008.”
“Oh. Time traveling. Cool. I've seen a lot of strange things, but that one was new.”
“Talking about strange things, what did you mean with “vampires?”
“Vampires like in “look over there, there is one eavesdropping”!”
With that she jumped over a tombstone, grabbing a strange looking man at his collar and knocked him over. “Don't you know the eavesdropping is a sign of bad attitude?”
The vampire knew he had no chance but he tried. “I… I'm s…s…sorry?”
“Well, you are showing repentance.” The vampire nodded, grinning in fear and hope.
“So I'll make it short and painless.” The grin fell. Then the vampire exploded into dust.
“You've seen? Vampires.” Buffy turned around to Da'an and Liam. Liam's mouth was hanging open and Buffy walked over to him putting her finger under his chin and closing his mouth with a click.
Da'an had phased when Buffy had stabbed the vamp but seemed to recall some novels Boone had given him to read. “Evil, undead creatures who turn to dust when stabbed with wood or exposed to sunlight?”
“That's them. You said you need help? My spider sense is telling me that I can trust you, and perhaps you can help us, too. Please follow me.”
Buffy turned around and returned to the Sunnydale High Library.

 
* * *
 

“Hi folks!”
“Buffy! You're early. No news here. There's no hint one the “Shining One”.”
“Quit searching, I think I've found him.”
“You what?”
“Da'an, Liam, that's Giles, my watcher. The others are Willow with the computer, Xander, hanging around on the chair, Oz behind the pile of books there and over there's Cordelia.
“Folks, meet Da'an, Companion to North America and Major Liam, Kincaid, his protector, time travelers with problems and perhaps Da'an is our “Shining One”.”
“Is he.. is he.. a d…d…”
“No Giles, he is an alien, not a demon.”
“A…Alien?!?”
“Long story Giles.”
“Uhm, Buffy, he's not shining the tiniest bit.” Xander piped up.
“This is not my true appearance,” Da'an answered him. Then he changed to his natural state.
“Oh, I see.”
“Cool!”
Liam stepped forward. “Our shuttle crashed about two miles outside the city. We need help to fix it. Buffy said you can do that?”
“A shuttle? Wow. Can I… I mean, I'm very good with computers, perhaps I can help!” Willow jumped up and down on her chair. “I can, can't I?”
“I will try to help, too.” Oz had walked over to his girlfriend and put his arm around her shoulder.”
“Let's go, them!”

 
* * *
 

Stuffed together in Oz's van and Giles’ car they drove over to the meadow, where the shuttle had landed.
There they found a very angry Zo'or and a very cringing Sandoval.
“I can't find a malfunction, Zo'or. The shuttle should work properly, but it just doesn't!”
“Then you have made a mistake! Check it all again!”
“Zo'or, Agent Sandoval, we have found people that are willing to help us. And we have found out, why the globals aren't working here. We are in the year 1999.”
“Oh, great.”
“Folks, these are Zo'or and Agent Ronald Sandoval, his protector.”
“Pleased to meet you, Agent!” Cordelia moved over to him and shook his hand. “I am Cordelia Chase.”
Sandoval made an approving sound, then turned back to the control panels he was working on.
Willow climbed into the shuttle and looked over his shoulder. “I'm Willow, and I'm good with computers, can I help you?”
“Don't know. You haven't seen a shuttle, so I don't think you are able to help my find the malfunction.” He looked up. “How old are you anyway?”
“I'm 17.”
Sandoval groaned inwardly and looked up, examining the newcomers for the first time. Teenagers of all people. Cordelia smiled at him, smoothing her skirt. This was definitely not his day.
“We will go back to the city, Zo'or. These people are needing our help,” Da'an told the synod leader.
“We have to start to Los Angeles as soon as possible. You will stay here and help.”
“We are trying to help you. It's only fair that you will try to help us in return.” Buffy walked up to the sneering Zo'or.
“You cannot help us, children.”
“But we are going to try. You said you can't find the malfunctioning part of your shuttle. There is a prophecy that tells us about a “Shining One” who will help us defy an evil demon. I guess Da'an is this “Shining One” and your shuttle will work again when the demon is beaten.”
“You say it was our fate to strand here?”
“Exactly.”
“I do not believe in fate, nor do I believe in demons and prophecies. You are wasting our time.”
“Listen, you…”
Both of them were now standing nose to nose, staring furiously at each other.
“Oh, oh.” Giles knew what would be coming next. “Buffy, calm down. He's not worth it.”
Zo'or's head jerked up. “What did you say?”
“Uhm, nothing!” Giles backed up. “Buffy!”
“Okay, okay.”
Da'an joined in. “I will help them, Zo'or. They try to help us and I will try to help them in return.”
With that he turned around and sat down in the front seat of Giles’ car.
Liam shrugged and joined Buffy on the back seat.

 
* * *
 

“What information do we have about the demon and the Shining One?”
“Not very much.” Giles answered. Buffy, Da'an, Liam and the watcher were sitting in the library, scanning through the books Giles had piled on his desk.
“We know, that a mighty demon called Azrael will rise. The exact time is not clearly described in my books, but I fear that he will appear this night. The vampires will welcome him and he will gather his strength with their help. The only way to stop Azrael is with the help of the Shining One.”
“How could I help you? What do I do to stop this demon?” Da'an wanted to know.
“I have no idea. There is no further information available.”
“I don't like this. Da'an, this is much too dangerous!” Liam was pacing up and down.
“The vampires are no threat to me, Liam.”
“But we don't know the abilities of the demon, Da'an. He could be a danger.”
“Calm down, Liam”, Buffy piped up. “He's not alone. I will be there to protect him and I bet you will not stay here and eat cake, too. And there's always Giles with his magick for backup.”
“You can do magick?”
“When I was young, but now…”
“Now he's best, aren't you, Giles?” Buffy darted him a threatening look.
Liam seemed not to be convinced yet, but he gave in.
“I know that Da'an will help you, no matter what I say, so count on me. But I still don't like it, Da'an.”
“What do we do now? Where will the rising take place?”
“I don't know”, Giles had to admit.
“Perhaps I can help”, a voice said from the depths of the bookshelves.
“Angel!” Buffy seemed to be both glad and angry about the appearance of this new person, Liam recognized.
“This is Angel, my ex-boyfriend”, she introduced. “He's a vampire, but he's on our side.” She added as she saw Liam changing to protection mode.
“What do you know about this?” she asked coldly.
“The vampires are gathering in an old cave under St. Mary's Church. Something big is going on there.”
“Thank you. Let's go there,” Buffy said brusquely.
‘She's not over him yet’, Liam thought. ‘A vampire and a vampire slayer! What a pair!’
Giles opened the weapons locker and equipped them with the necessary tools for a vamp fight: wooden stakes, holy water and crossbows.
Liam looked a little flabbergasted at the weaponry in the locker, then shook his head clear.
Da'an refused to take any of the weapons but gave in to a small cross on a cord Buffy hung around his neck. “Better be safe than sorry”, she said.
“Let's go then.”

 
* * *
 

About ten minutes later they arrived at St. Mary's.
“I have to leave you here. I will join the other vampires in the cave and try to find out what exactly is going on there.” Angel said, the he seemed to vanish into thin air.
The others entered the church. Angel had mentioned an entry through the vestry and they found it behind an old wooden wardrobe.
No vampire was seem or heard when they climbed through small corridors and tunnels deep down into the earth.
“Look over there! There's a light. I guess we've found the cave. Turn out the flashlight, Liam!”
He turned it out and the four sneaked on. When they were about to enter the cave the light inside went out.
“Sh*t!” Buffy cursed. “I can't see anything.” They did not move, listening into the darkness that surrounded them like a blanket.
“I can't hear anything. But I have a bad feeling about all this.” Buffy whispered. “Liam, turn on the flashlight.”
“I'm trying, but it doesn't work!” Liam whispered back.
“Let me help.” Da'an started to glow in the darkness, emanating a soft blue light that filled the cave to the last corners. And illuminated the shocked faces of the vampires gathered inside.
“Oh, sh*t!” Buffy cursed.
“Oh, sh*t! The Slayer!”
“Forget the slayer! That's… that's the Shining One!”
The vampires started to panic. “It's a trap!” “Get outta here!” “Run for your un-life!”
Within a minute the cave was deserted.
“What was that?” Buffy exchanged confused looks with her companions.
“I guess that's called panic, Buffy.” Giles stood there, not believing what had just happened.
Then another light started glowing at their right. Some kind of altar had been set up and behind it something like a well had been build. A cloud of red dusty fog emanated from it, then formed a body.
“The demon! That has to be Azrael!” Liam shouted.
Azrael looked around, searching for the vampires he should gather his strength from. Then he spotted Da'an and his eyes went wide.
“But… you can't be real! The last but one watcher who tried to stop me invented a story of a Shining One. But he was hit on the head and saw stars. There had never been a Shining One! But you...!”
Azrael seemed to melt away.
“Where are they? Where are the vampires? I need their loyalty to feed me! Where are my vampires.”
His voice faded. Then there was nothing left but a puddle of red ooze on the floor.
Staring at the demon's remnants Buffy and her friends heard the bell of St. Mary's ring one o'clock.

 
* * *
 

Sandoval was lying on his back beneath the shuttle when the drive turned back to life. A stream of strange smelling black liquid squirted in his face before he could seal the pipeline he was working on.
Spluttering he crawled back into the open. In the distance he heard a bell ring. He checked his watch. One o'clock.
“What have you done, Miss Rosenberg?”
“For the hundredth time, don't call me that. And I've done nothing.”
“Of course!” Sandoval muttered to himself, trying to get rid of the black liquid on his face.
“Let me do that!” Cordelia came to his rescue, wetting a handkerchief with water she had found in the back of Oz's van.
‘This is too much!’ Sandoval thought, when she began to rub his face with the cloth.
Trying to avert Cordelia's kindness he heard a car approaching.
“Hey, that's Giles’ car!” Willow climbed out of the pilot's seat and waved.
“You've come back just in time,” Zo'or greeted Da'an. He shuttle is back online since a few minutes.”
“Let me guess, since exactly one o'clock?”
“That's right,” Sandoval confirmed, still fighting with Cordelia over the handkerchief.
“What happened to you, Sandoval?” Liam wanted to know.
“Nothing important, Major. Stop that, Cordelia!”
“You called me Cordelia! Have you heard that Willow, he's called me Cordelia!”
Sandoval groaned.
“Can we go on now?” Zo'or wanted to know.
“I've checked the computers,” Willow answered. “The course you've taken is stored in the log. You can take the same way back. It will take you to exactly the same place and time where you've started your time travel from.”
“Let us go then. Major Kincaid, please start the shuttle.”
Taking off the shuttle entered interdimensional space and after a hard jerk the communication panels went back online.
“Have you helped these humans, as you wished to, Da'an?” Zo'or wanted to know.
“Yes we have. But it was a very strange experience.”
“Tell me about it.”
“Why? I thought, you do not believe in demons and prophecies?”
“I do not.”
“Then it is not necessary to tell you about our experience, you would not believe it.”
“Hmmpf.”

 
* * *
 

At the appointment in L.A. the people darted curious looks at Da'an. When they went back to Washington he could understand them. Watching his reflection in the virtual glass he noticed he was still wearing the small cross Buffy gave him.
With a smile he instructed a volunteer to find out about the whereabouts of a human female named Buffy Summers.