OCTOBER 26, 2002

Perhaps there was a conflict brewing between the two, or perhaps that conflict had been settled. Nonetheless, Xander had a few sodas and sandwiches set up when Buffy returned from nightly patrol, and he had seemingly enforced Dawn's new and much later curfew without incident. The Slayer was grateful for both, so they just sat down and watched one of the hundreds of specials on horror films that cropped up then like the Zapruder film in late November.

*In 1922, Director F.W. Murnau had plans to film a silent version of Bram Stoker's Dracula. But twin tragedies struck the set as a wild-eyed young woman killed actor Max Schreck, whose body then just disappeared. Further, Stoker's widow caught wind of the production, which was unauthorized, and threatened suit, ending the effort.*

Xander nodded.

"Guy dressed as vampire. Wild-eyed young woman. No body found. You don't suppose?"

Buffy just stared at the screen.

"This was like 'Cabinet Of Doctor Caligari', right? Geez, I wonder what the vamp would have looked like. Guess we'll never know."