Buffy the Vampire Slayer Take Two

There's nothing like actually doing stuff to help distract you from what's on your mind. It helps that Cordelia appreciates getting to watch you work out. It almost makes up for missing how spars used to feel with Buffy before things changed. It's funny to realize that you're not looking at Buffy the same way anymore. Despite everything Cordelia put you and Willow through growing up, you really do think you love her. Arguing with her is as fun as making out with her and dancing together.

The field trip to the beach the school gets to celebrate the swim team is a bit odd, if as good a reason to kick back as any you could think of. Sunnydale High wasn't exactly tripping over itself in winning sports teams, so the swim team actually winning was enough of an excuse to throw a celebration. Buffy even seemed to be enjoying herself, with a member of the swim team flirting with her. Maybe that was a good sign she was getting past Angel.

You really shouldn't have gotten your hopes up, as the next day Buffy's complaining about how Cameron had pushed himself onto her and gone too far trying to get her attention. You wittily quipped about Buffy putting the guy back in his place, before Giles came in to inform the group that part of the body of one of the swim team members had been found at the beach. You frowned. How had one of them gone missing on the beach when the whole thing had been about celebrating them? Had none of the teachers been tracking their star athletes?

You were out getting snacks for the group when Cameron bumped into you. "Hey, watch it," you complained.

"What, Buffy's little gopher gonna try and stop me?" Cameron sneered.

"Hey, I get you're sour about being rejected, but Buffy just isn't into guys that smell like seaweed," you shot back.

"And you think she's into guys like you?"

"Who, me? I have a girlfriend."

"You don't actually think Cordelia is into you, do you? She just saw an easy minion." That stung. You frowned as the guy walked away and turned back to buying a bag of chips. A moment later you heard Cameron screaming in the hall. You were really tempted to just ignore it. It could be anything after all. Unfortunately your need to be nosy got the better of you, and you went down to see what was up. You found Cameron's skin in a disgusting pile on the floor, and felt something breath on you. You turned around to see a fish monster.

[ ]Try to fight it, you've trained to
[ ]Run like the wind
[ ]Try to talk to it, maybe it's reasonable
[ ]Write-in

"Hey there, big guy," you breathed out. "You wouldn't happen to know what happened to my buddy Cameron, would you? Wouldn't happen to have...come out of him?"

The fish monster drew itself up even taller and let out some kind of sonorous call that echoed through your body and left you feeling like you had just gone ten rounds non stop on a spinner at a carnival. You stumbled backwards. The beast stalked towards you, but a cry similar to its own sounded and it stopped. It let out another cry in answer before turning and slipping down one of the overly large drains the school had.

"Ok. So swamp monster is living under the school. Cool." And you were pretty sure it hadn't eaten Cameron, considering it hadn't tried to eat you. So the options were it could be like a chest burster from Alien, ate Cameron's insides before ripping itself out. Or it could be Cameron. Either way, you weren't going to question that you'd survived.

Somehow you made it to the library, still feeling sick from that sound it had made. "Think I know what got the swim guy," you mumbled. You laid down on the table taking deep breaths. "It just got Cameron too."

"Xander! Are you alright?" Amy exclaimed.

"Yeah, just...fish guy's voice is not pleasant."

Giles came over and started checking you over. "You seem ill," he noted worriedly.

"Like I said. Fish guy's voice. It's bad."

Giles went to get Ms Calendar, and she brought in an incense stick that made you feel better after a while breathing in the smoke. You described the creature to the best of your abilities, Cordelia helping out by sketching it. It didn't take a genius to realize that these fish things were going after the swim team. It had already taken the two top best swim team members, and they weren't likely to stop there. Perhaps they were trying to boost their numbers by taking members of the swim team and converting them.

[ ]Do research into what kind of creature this is
[ ]Look for the fish creatures in the school sewers
[ ]Try to get close to the swim team to see if you can find how they're being reached through there
[ ]Write-in

If it was targeting the swim team, the best thing to do would be to get as close as possible so you could investigate what was targeting them without drawing suspicion. Buffy had decided to do her best to keep a discrete eye on Gage, the next guy that was on the list for a possible disappearance, and you joined the swim team with Cordelia as a very supportive girlfriend who was happy to gossip all about what the swim team got up to.

You aren't a terrible swimmer, but you can't say you're a good one either. You wished that Oz had come with you to try out, but he had admitted that with band practice he didn't have the time for the swim team on top of that, especially if it was only going to be temporary while figuring out what was up. Willow assured him of course that she found him way more attractive than anyone on the swim team before dissolving herself into spluttering and being bright red over having actually voiced such things out loud.

The swim team were very much bros. They mostly stuck to each other, and talked about training and girls. They were also all extremely fond of their coach, who they credited for helping them become winners. That was something to poke into. The sauna after swimming to clean off from the pool was amazing. You could feel yourself relaxing deeper as you sat there.

"So, what's it like being with the hottie?" Greg asked.

"Cordelia?" You grinned. "I am so outclassed. Making out with her is out of this world."

"Happy to give you tips to keep her happy if you want any. Being a winner will definitely keep her sweet," Gage said.

"I'll keep that in mind." You would be far more likely to ask Oz, but these guys were more like the kind of guys Cordelia dated before you. Maybe you should ask what they do with their girlfriends.

[ ]Ask for girl advice
[ ]Listen and see if they say anything useful

The next day Cordelia was very appreciative after practice. Apparently she'd been chatting with Buffy and Willow, but Willow had turned bright red and left in a run, leaving Buffy to go after her. It seemed seeing you topless had been too much when she'd realized who she was looking at. You laughed and kissed Cordelia. "Find anything out?"

"Coach Marin overhauled how the swim team works when he started. That's when they started winning."

"Cool, sounds like we might need to poke around the coach." It was good you had a solid excuse to do that. You headed into the coach's office and started looking around with Cordelia. You found plans for training the swim team, but nothing supernatural. Maybe he didn't hide what he was doing in his office, but in his home.

"Harris," Coach Marin interrupted as he came in. "Can I help you with something?" He looked at Cordelia and grinned. "Private spot to be with your girl?"

You seized the excuse and pulled Cordelia close. "Thought you wouldn't mind."

"Ha! I don't, but next time try to keep it somewhere I won't walk in." He winked at you and watched the pair of you leave. Cordelia leaned further into you.

"Buffy suggested the swim team might be taking something," she murmured. "A vampire tried to go after Gage, but didn't like the way his blood tasted."

"Vamps will back off if they don't like your blood?" Wait, focus Xander. You could look into that later. "I'll see if any of the swim guys will tell me what they're taking."

You don't sleep well that night. You dream of sinking through the ocean and drowning, choking as something too large and uncaring stares at you and pulls you deeper under. You don't really want to go to swim practice after you wake up, not when it means getting in the water again. Gage doesn't turn up for practice, and the team complains about having to get someone new. You ask about what happened to Gage, but they just shrug it off. You ask if Gage got pulled cause he got caught taking what's helping the swim team improve, and they laugh.

It's in the sauna. Gage couldn't have been caught. You hadn't even realized you were being doped, after all. Why would anyone question it? The coach did well looking after his team.

[ ]Immediately tell the Scoobies about the sauna and how you've been exposed
[ ]Inform the Scoobies the coach is behind the team getting doped
[ ]Write-in