Becoming One parts 8-12

RESTORATION - PT. 1

Three vampires at once, was a daunting task. Well, to Willow anyway. She had gotten stronger magick wise and more adept at slaying over the past two weeks. She wouldn't say that battling vampires was a walk in the park now, but it was definitely easier. Still, when they attacked in a pack, it got tricky.

She knew the Goddess was watching. The woman had tried to keep her distance, slowly trying to build up Willow's confidence in herself and to teach her self-reliance. And Willow was learning. Even how to pun too.

She looked at the three vampires around her. "Do I have to shoot a starter pistol or wave a checkered flag? Let's go!" That was one of her better ones.

They obliged her. Two ran around behind her, and one charged from the front.

'Concentrate.' She thought quietly.

She round-housed the one in front of her, while at the same time, moving a fallen branch off the ground. Waiting to see where he landed, she then thrust the branch into his chest. He turned to dust.

The two behind her each grabbed one of her arms and held her. This was the tricky part. As she was trying to figure out what to do, she felt a pain in her stomach.

The pains had been coming fairly regularly recently, and just when she thought she had gotten rid of them, they came back stronger. And so were the vampires grips.

Mentally telling her body to knock it off, she propelled herself, using all her strength, over and behind her two captors. When she finished the backflip, the vampires were stunned. Using that, she got Mr. Pointy from her jacket, and using the old fashioned method, staked one in the back. She grabbed the other by his shirt collar, and reached her arm around to his heart area, and finished the job.

Taking a breath, Willow started to walk. "They seem more focused lately. Wonder why."

"I'm not one to take all the credit," Angelus said walking towards her from the street, "but I have to be honest. It was me."

'Don't freak out, Willow.' "Doesn't look like you've done a very good job."

"Oh they're still idiots, but like you said, they're focused. But enough about me. You seem to have gotten a little more interesting since I've been gone. Now it's my turn to ask why."

"Steroids." Willow deadpanned through her fear.

"Where's Buffy, Willow? I've been watching you for awhile. Never any Buffy. In fact, I can't seem to find her at all."

"And it's gonna stay that way." She felt the pains begin again.

Time was running, and he didn't have time to beat around the bush.

"I still can't figure out how you didn't die." His face shifted, his yellow eyes locked on hers. "And right after I beat what I want out of that pretty, red head of yours, I'll correct my mistake."

***

Across the ocean, a secluded complex sat in the English countryside. Inside the series of connected buildings, everything seemed normal. People were going about their business. Potential watchers not assigned to Slayers trained, studied, and some just did paperwork.

But there was an underlying tension that enveloped everyone. Ever since the active slayer, Buffy Summers, had removed herself from the Council, they had been waiting for the inevitable dissolution of their institution. If they weren't connected to the Slayer, there was no need for them to exist.

There had been suicides. Demons they held captive for study purposes had picked up on the fact that things were falling apart, and had risked escape. People had died. Of course, nobody spoke of the occurrences. It wasn't good policy. The Council ran a tight ship. Or tried to.

They all knew that with Buffy's calling, things were going to change, they just hadn't anticipated how much. She had friends, a life, and a mother who knew about her destiny. Slayers weren't supposed to have those things.

They lost one of their most respected watchers. Rupert Giles had been very respected. But some, basing it on his rebellious past, had suspected that he would follow his darker tendencies, and turn against his employers. The loss was still great, however. And a shame.

In the extensive occult library on the grounds, one man was searching volumes furiously. A man who knew all about the 'Buffy situation', and had experienced it first-hand. Wesley Wyndam Pryce was one of the youngest watchers enlisted in the Council's ranks, very promising, and to some, the most impressionable.

He had left Sunnydale months before, his views, the rules he lived by, shaken. When he first met Buffy and her friends he couldn't figure out how a Slayer, a misguided ex-watcher, and a few civilians had managed to last three years. One would have expected them to last at the very least, three months. He soon found out why.

Emotional attachment, he had figured out, was the reason for their survival. And that was surprising, because that was one of the main things the Council frowned upon. But emotional attachment gave those people reasons to fight. To keep each other alive.

And they were efficient, and creative. He had tried to keep control, but at the time he hadn't realized that it was already under control. Just not the kind he was used to. Terrible things had happened to them, things that could have destroyed them, and not just physically. Yet they were still strong and together.

They were the balance between the Earth and its destruction, and he knew now, but the rest of the Council chose to ignore it, that the mixed group in Sunnydale was necessary and nobody could do any better. And now that the situation had taken a turn for the worse over there, he had to do something. Had to help.

In the library, he was sure the Council had the book that held the right spell, the right instructions, to restore Buffy's soul back to her. And the quicker he found it, the better. As necessary as Willow was to the cause, and important as she and Buffy were to each other, a Slayer's soul belonged in the body it was born to. No one else.

But if he was reading the spell correctly, he was only half-right.

"What are you researching?" A man walked up to the table Wesley was sitting at.

"Mr.…Mr. Travers. Just for my personal knowledge. Can't be too informed."

"Quite." Quentin Travers looked down at the book, and began to read. "I hope you're not planning on sharing this with anyone."

'Stand up to him, Wesley.' "We have the information they need. Why not give it -"

"Because they chose to leave us. You know the policy."

"I hardly think the policy applies anymore. We're losing our status. Besides, and correct if I'm wrong, we were created to rid the world of evil creatures, and they've done that better than any single slayer in history. We cannot let them -"

"If she dies, we can summon the next slayer. Then we will regain control."

"You and I both know that something big is approaching," Wesley stood from his chair, and looked Quentin in the eyes, "and any slayer we activate will not be prepared for the battle."

"What did they do to you?"

"Nothing. Sir. I just went out in the world. You should try it sometime."

"I could have you fired, you know."

"I suppose you could."

Quentin picked up the book off the table, and placed it in Wesley's hands.

"But I won't."

"If you want to help, why -?"

"I have some power, some influence, but we all answer to someone. Now go. And good luck."

Wesley looked at him, and then they both turned and saw another man approaching. A man he recognized as a fellow watcher. When Wesley turned back, Quentin was gone.

***

Willow and Angelus approached each other cautiously, both assuming battle stance. She was scared out of her mind. Slayer abilities or no, this was Angelus. The man who had inflicted hours of torture on her while she was chained against a wall. But she couldn't let him see that, or he'd use it to his advantage.

He snarled, and threw a punch, which she avoided. She kneed him in the chest, and magickly threw him backward onto the ground.

"Hiding behind spells. I never pegged you as a cheater."

"Being moral is at the bottom of my list right now. And like you wouldn't cheat if you got the chance."

"You know me too well." He lunged at her, tackling her to the ground. She tried rolling, but it didn't work. His body weight kept her firmly beneath him, and her brought his arm down towards her head. "Tell me what I want to know, or I start crushing."

"You'll do it whether I tell you or not."

He brought his hand closer, and leaned down closer, and she was starting to find breathing difficult. Then he started to smoke, and recoiled, jumping off her. She flipped back up into a fighting stance, and showed him the cross around her neck.

"Bitch."

"Thanks." She grabbed her stomach. Why wouldn't the pain stop?

Angelus was enraged now. This was Willow. So what if she had some slaying ability, and a little magick? Still, there was something strong about her, and something making her weak at the same time. He couldn't figure it out.

He was about to use Willow's temporary pain, to kick her head in, when the Goddess appeared between them, facing Willow.

"Let's go, child."

"This isn't your business, witch." Angelus said to her.

She turned around. "I'm not stopping you." Not having learned his lesson from last time, he tried to attack her. Without lifting a finger, the Goddess' mere essence caused him pain. She turned back to Willow. "It's time to leave."

They walked away, and Angelus stared after them, and then disappeared into the shadows.

***

"That was close. Thanks." Willow said to the Goddess when they were far enough away.

"I will not always be there to help. Or be able to."

Willow nodded. "I…Buffy and I will get him."

"Keep that determination. You'll need it. It seems the pain is getting worse."

"I'm a little scared. What's happening to me?"

"What do you think is happening?"

"I don't know. It probably has something to do with…Buffy's soul?"

"Most likely."

"Most likely?"

"It is not my body. You have to discover the problem for yourself."

"Well I just can't talk to my soul. It's not something you talk to. 'Hey soul, how are you? Keeping my girlfriend company?'"

"Not in the conventional way. You're soul, Buffy's soul, is a part of you. You can communicate with it. Not many people know how, but you have the ability. Most times it happens involuntarily through dreams. Although it doesn't have to happen that way."

"Oh…okay. Well…um…I have to go see her."

She visited Buffy after every patrol. It was a ritual. "Be careful."

"I know. Will you be at Giles'?"

The Goddess had vanished. Willow should've gotten used to that by now, but it still freaked her out a little. She glanced over her shoulder, and made her way to the hospital.

***

Cordelia, Xander, and Oz sat in Giles' house, reading. They had been trying to find anything to put Buffy back where she was supposed to be, but so far, there was nothing at all. They were starting to get worried.

On the plus side, Xander was back to full strength. His legs had healed, and his bones had set rather quickly. Quicker than expected by normal medical standards, anyway. They all figured that it had to do with the Goddess' presence in their lives every day.

She hadn't healed him directly, but when she was around, things seemed to flourish, and the air was charged with feelings. Feelings of goodness, healing - positive things. Of course Xander hadn't thought that deeply. He was just glad that his legs were in working condition again.

"Who else is frustrated?" Cordelia asked. The three other people raised their hands.

"These books could use simplification." Oz said.

"Somehow I don't think that would help." Giles said.

"What are you saying?" Xander asked, already knowing the answer.

Giles took his glasses off, and rubbed his eyes. "That none of these books may hold the answer."

"Well, what about the Goddess person? Who by the way, could use massive amounts of plastic surgery."

"She chooses that guise."

"Well that's the worst choice in the history of choices. So back to my question… what about her? She's gotta know something."

"If she did, I think she would have given a clue as to where to look, but she hasn't. We cannot rely on her for everything. We're lucky she's aiding us at all."

Cordelia flinched slightly at his tone. "Somebody needs a pill."

"I'm sorry, Cordelia. I'm just -"

"Exhausted. Like the rest of us." Xander finished.

"Call it a night?" Oz asked, although it was more like a statement.

"Yes, you three should. I have to wait for Willow to return." They all hesitated. "Go. I'll call each of you when she gets back."

They waited another second, and went out the door. Giles turned around, and came face to face with the Goddess.

"You should rest." She said.

"Eventually I'll get around to it. Is she all right?"

"For now. When she returns she'll have things to tell you. Things are…"

"Things are what?"

"Progressing. On both sides. Someone carries the answer to restoring Buffy to her rightful place, but there are difficult times ahead."

"When are there not?"

The Goddess smiled briefly, and disappeared as quickly as she had come.

***

Angelus followed Willow as she walked. Seeing no sign of the Goddess, he was glad. More than he would admit to himself. He was evil, sure. But he wasn't strong enough, powerful enough, to match the goodness, and the light that emanated from the old witch. So he had no choice when he succumbed to her.

But it was still embarrassing.

He followed Willow every night, but somehow after awhile, she had managed to elude him. Fighting her tonight, he came to the conclusion that it probably had something to do with magick. A trick so she was invisible to him or something. He always despised spells. Well, only when it was used against him.

He noticed that she always passed by the hospital. She would walk the next block down, turn onto the next street, and that's when he'd lose her. Tonight as she turned down that street, he hung back, and waited across the street from the hospital.

Sure enough, a couple minutes later, Willow jogged to the hospital entrance.

He started to walk over to the hospital, and then stopped, cursing under his breath. He could smell the sun coming. Frustrated, but feeling better, he stalked off. He'd be back. After all it was good manners to pay respects to sick. He was practically family, after all.

***

Willow entered Buffy's room. The nurses had stopped trying to deny her access. It wasn't worth the effort. She saw Joyce asleep in a chair, by the bed. Willow smiled sadly. She didn't know who missed Buffy more. Her or Joyce.

Not wanting to wake her, Willow walked around to the other side of the bed. There were no more chairs, so she knelt on the floor, and grasped Buffy's hand.

"I…kinda need to talk to you. Big patrol tonight. Finally ran into Angelus. That was a big, not very fun thing. We're close to getting you back. I can feel it. So, I'm gonna try something."

***

She closed her eyes, thought about Buffy, envisioned her inner self, and took deep breaths. After a few seconds, she wasn't aware of the hospital anymore, and the next thing she saw was her dorm room. Their dorm room.

"Willow?"

That was Buffy's voice. Willow looked around to Buffy's bed, and saw her soul and Buffy's sitting on it, joined together. "Buffy?"

"You're here." They both said at the same time.

Willow went over to her, and they embraced.

"And here I thought…" Buffy trailed off when she felt the tug of her soul partner.

"What's wrong?"

"Soul You has been a little more active lately. I've been fighting it, but I don't know how long I can last."

"Until what?"

"I'm not sure, but I think it has something to do with permanent melding."

"That's probably what…"

"Huh?"

"Nothing. I'm gonna get you back in your body, don't worry."

"If you tell me not to, I won't. You been okay?"

"So far. You?" Not exactly sure what to say.

"Gets lonely."

"Even with -"

"This," Buffy said looking over at Soul Willow, "is just a part of you. I want the whole package."

"Big agreeing ditto from me. I miss you."

"Same here, Will. Come 'ere." They hugged again.

Willow looked over at her soul. "And you behave. Don't fight with her. You'll hurt both of us."

"But…I want her to stay." Her voice echoed back at her.

"You know where she belongs."

"In your arms? Physical arms, I mean." Buffy smirked. Well, as much as she could in her current state.

"I like the sound of that." Willow felt herself, her body, calling her back to the world.

"I know you have to go…just hurry, okay?"

"Count on it. Love you."

She heard Buffy echo her words as everything disappeared.

***

"Willow? Willow, are you all right?"

It was Joyce. She was leaning over her, and Willow realized she had been lying on the floor of the room. She knew what she had just experienced had happened, but every time she did something mystical and metaphysical, she was always questioning if it was real or a dream.

She realized she hadn't answered Joyce. "Yeah, Mrs. Summers. I'm fine."

"I woke up and you were laying on the floor. I tried to wake you, but you wouldn't, and I was just about to get a nurse -"

"I'm fine, really." Joyce had been through a lot lately, and Willow saw how worried she looked. She embraced her.

"I was so scared. If something happened to you…Buffy wouldn't have a reason to come back." Joyce took a deep breath. "That sounded horrible…I'm sorry."

"Don't be. I know what you meant. Did you get much sleep?"

"Enough. Come on…I'll give you a ride to Mr. Giles' house."

"Okay." Willow put her hand in Joyce's. "Soon. I promise."

Joyce smiled at her, and they walked out of the room.

***

Around noon the next day, they were all in Giles' house, and Willow had filled them in on everything that had happened. They all were a little more hopeful, because it meant Buffy was really there. With Willow. It was something to help them keep going.

There was a knock on the door, and Giles went to answer it. They all looked as he opened it.

"Hello everyone." Wesley said, as they stared at him.

"Wesley. What brings you here?" Giles asked.

Willow studied his face. She walked up to him. "You have something, don't you? Something to bring her back."

"Possibly, yes." He pulled a large book out of his bag, and opened it up. He handed it to Giles.

"Not to sound, ungrateful, but why are you here?" Xander asked.

"As in, why are you helping us?" Cordelia asked.

"Valid questions. The Council's in a less than stable state at the moment -"

"Someone wants to get a Slayer back into their employment. Anyone else sense a bribe?" Xander asked.

Oz raised his hand in answer.

Giles studied the book, and shook his head. "Once the Council hands down their decision, they don't go back on it. No matter what the circumstances."

"Quite correct, and as I was about to say, I came here because I've been aware of what happened to Buffy, and I want to see her well again."

"They let you leave?" Giles asked, astonished.

"It surprised me as well. There seems something off about the Council now. Quentin seemed strangely…unraveled. I believe something rather big to be coming."

"Yes there must be, if the Council has let you leak information."

"I don't mean to sound rude, but right now the Council really doesn't matter to me. What is this book, and how can it help Buffy?" Willow asked, impatiently.

"Sorry." Wesley said. "Ah, this is the hand-written journal and spell book of Jonas Barton. He was a self-proclaimed warlock in the Middle Ages. It's true that most of the reported magick done during that time period was a hoax, but this man 's talent was genuine.

"He didn't advertise his services. In fact he was very much into isolation. However, he did extensive research and experimentation on soul existence. Soul mates, and the like. He was very adept at it."

"Kinda strange that a guy into isolation, would be interested in soul mates." Oz said.

"There are sketchy reports that even though he had a magickal ability for most of his life, the reason for his sudden interest in the subject was that he had lost his wife to a murderer, and he was afraid that she was not at rest in the afterlife…" They stared at him. "Which is a story for another time. Anyhow, he refined his spells, and his learnings, into this book. Before he passed on, he donated it to the Council."

"That's great, but what spell -"

Giles pointed it out to Willow, and began to read Jonas' writing.

***

"This is your last chance to eliminate the obstacles that are a threat to our coming. A threat to the opening of the gateway below your feet." The cloaked figure said.

"Your point?"

"Whether or not you succeed, your energies must be refocused on preparing for my return. Completely. If the two light warriors are still breathing when I walk on this ground fully once more, they will be the first to die."

"They're my kill."

"We'll see. Focus, Angelus. I hope you're successful tonight, then you'll have fewer distractions later."

The figure vanished, and Angelus sat in the Master's old chair. There were eight hours until sundown.

***

They read over, more like scrutinized, the spell again and again. Willow mostly, because she was the one who had to recite it. It seemed simple, but she wasn't taking any chances.

Joyce had come to the house. She was basically a bystander, leaving her daughter's well being in her friends' hands, and out of hers. She wished she could've been more helpful, but Buffy's condition had to do with something she barely understood. But Willow was in control, and she cared about and loved Buffy as much as Joyce did. She would get Buffy back.

"Read it to me. Again?" Willow asked Giles.

" 'This must be performed in a completely positively charged environment. No negative emotions whatsoever, no hate, anger, they all must be cleared in order for this to work. The person's soul mate must be the one to carry it out, whether he or she is magickally versed or not. They must also be alone. No outsiders.

" 'Physical contact is necessary for the transference, as well as an open heart. This may sound less like magick and more like poetry, but in all my studies, I find that the soul creates its own magick, and we follow what it tells us. It is connected to every part of us, but for those special cases, the souls that are so joined together that they belong as one, but reside in two bodies, they sometimes get confused. So we must help them return to where they belong. The following words -' "

"I'm sorry, but can I mention something?" Joyce asked. They all nodded. "Buffy is in a hospital. The doctors won't let us take her home, so it would be…difficult to perform this without interruptions."

"I hadn't thought of that." Giles said.

"Speaking of things we haven't thought of, what about Angelus?" Xander brought up.

"When you do the spell, Angelus won't interfere." The Goddess said, appearing in the room. "But after this point, direct contact won't be allowed. You're on the right path, Willow, and I can't take you much further. You will learn much in the near future, and with Buffy at your side, you will go far."

Willow walked up to her. "Will I see you again?"

"I'll be around. Good luck to you."

"Thank you."

But the Goddess was already gone.

"Best entrances and exits I've ever seen." Oz said.

"We will worry about the hospital later. The sooner we do this the better for everyone. For the world." Wesley said.

"Tonight." Willow said, and closed her eyes fighting off the pain. Her soul wanted to keep Buffy bad. Not that she could blame it.

"Are you okay?" Cordelia asked.

"I will be. Giles, can you finish reading?"

"Of course."

***

At sundown, Angelus made his way to the hospital. He had one thing on his mind. No more games, no more scheming, nothing else except finishing off his ex once and for all.

So what if Willow had slaying ability? He didn't care. It was somehow connected to Buffy, and he figured if he got rid of her, Willow wouldn't be far behind. It would be simple. And it would have to be quick, because he had bigger obligations. Buffy and Willow were insignificant next to the larger plan.

Whether he believed that or not, it wasn't up to him to make the decisions. He had orders, and he hated following them, but that was the only way he'd get to stay among the human populated world. And get his power later on.

He entered through the automatic doors, and went to the front desk.

"Can I help you?" A woman asked, sitting beside a computer.

"Buffy Summers' room."

"Friend or family?"

"Killer." He said under his breath.

"Excuse me?"

"Close friend of the family."

The lady was wary, but seeing look in his eyes, she also didn't want to object.

"Third floor. Room 308."

***

Xander and Oz returned to Giles' house after buying supplies at the magick shop. Willow was talking with Wesley and Giles, and Joyce was on the phone. Cordelia was simply offering silent moral support.

Willow saw them, and walked over. "You get the stuff?"

Oz nodded.

"Yep. One bag of pixie dust and a bottle of Love Potion Number Nine." Xander joked.

"Xander." She said forcefully.

"Sorry. Don't worry. We got everything."

"No," Willow grabbed her head, and took an exhausted breath, "I'm sorry. It's just…I'm on edge, you know? This is the only option we've got, and if it doesn't work…"

Xander put his hand on her shoulder. "It'll work…It'll work."

"Make me believe that. Please."

Oz took his turn. "If anyone can do it, Will…it's you. She'll come back because you want her to. The spell stuff is just a helper, but if you want her to come back, she will. Want something badly enough, and you'll get it."

"I gotta tell you, Oz, when you decide to say more than a word, its strangely moving."

"I'm full of surprises."

Willow chuckled a little. "Thanks, guys. You're right. Just have to use my resolve face."

Joyce just got off the phone, and went over to Willow, Xander, and Oz.

"It took some pushing, but using the mother card, I got them to move her to a more secluded wing on the hospital. It's older, but they'll be fewer people around, and it'll be pretty much isolated."

"What about Angelus?"

"Oh, I gave them his description. They won't let him go near her."

"And they'll stop him, how?" Cordelia asked, coming out of her silent state.

"We go now." Willow stated, and Giles grabbed a bag of slaying tools off the table.

They were out the door immediately, no objections or questioning. This was Willow's plan, her rules. It was time to get Buffy back.

***

Angelus walked into Room 308, intent on his task, only to find it empty. He found it hard to keep his temper. He walked along the hallway, until he saw what he assumed was a doctor. He stopped him.

"What happened to the girl in that room?"

"Blond-haired girl? Coma?" The doctor asked.

"That's her."

"She was moved to another area of the hospital."

"Why?"

"Her mother asked us to, and as we saw no harm in it -"

Angelus grabbed the doctor by his shirt, and held back a snarl. "Where is she?"

He looked the man over who was holding him more carefully, and knew from description and his current predicament, that this man was dangerous.

"I'm sorry. I can't reveal that."

"Listen to me. I can do one of two things. If you tell me, I let you go. If you don't, I can kill you and tear this building apart until I find her. Your choice."

"I won't." The doctor squeaked out, still trying to appear unfazed. Plus he figured that this was a hospital. With potential witnesses. The man had to be bluffing. But he was wrong.

"Don't you know the brave ones are always the first to go?" He snapped the doctor's neck, and threw him to the ground.

"Security to the third floor. Security to the -" A nurse said into an intercom on the wall.

Angelus rushed over to the woman, and knocked her to the floor. Tears were forming in her eyes. "I know you're not as foolish as the doctor. Are you?"

The woman didn't move or speak.

"Tell me what I want to know."

"She wasn't on my rounds, I don't -"

"Wrong answer."

"Wait!" She said frantically. "I can find out."

"Better answer."

***

Everyone got to the hospital, and went to the wing on the lower level where they said Buffy was moved. They were all pretty much regulars, so the staff recognized them, and didn't bother them. But one of the women at the reception desk saw where they were headed, and ran to them hurriedly this time.

"Are you going to see Miss Summers?"

"Yes. Is something wrong?" Giles asked.

"It's not safe. There's this crazed man, and the guards have -"

They ran past the woman, ignoring her warnings.

"He isn't going to take her from me…he isn't going to take her from me…" Willow kept repeating to herself.

***

He stood in Buffy's room. Seeing the machines, the tubes, the wires…he was getting a rush of pleasure just from the sight before him. He walked to her beside.

"We could've made such a good team…" He kicked the plug for the heart monitor out of the wall. "But you made your choice."

He bent down to her face. "I'd say goodbye, but…let's just get this over with." He removed the ventilator tube from her mouth, and started to push down on her throat.

***

As they raced into the hallway, Willow completely hunched over and nearly screamed. "He's…he's killing her. We have to -"

One of the security guards came running down. His face was bloody, and his shirt was torn. "He's a monster! Don't go…" He kept running.

When they got closer to Buffy's room, they saw more guards' bodies piled up.

***

"Remove yourself from this room." The Goddess said, appearing from behind Angelus.

"Not this time. I'm not finished."

"Remove yourself now." He ignored her. "I banish you from this room. I cleanse it of your evil, and may the goodness of this girl and all she represents torment and torture you."

Angelus tried to fight the sensations trying to overpower him, but it was gaining strength. His flesh started to crawl, and he felt like he was burning. His head started to throb, feeling like it was about to explode.

"I spare you because it is not my duty to kill you. I leave that pleasurable task up to this girl and her partner. And believe me when say that I sincerely hope it is slow and painful for you."

He was flung from the room, and the Goddess vanished.

***

They reached Buffy's door just as Angelus slumped against the wall. Willow ran over and saw he was shaking.

"Does it hurt? Here, let me help." Using a combination of slayer and Wicca ability, Willow threw him down the hall, and he crashed into the doors. "I don't think he'll try anything else, but watch him anyway." She moved to go into the room.

"Good luck." Giles asked.

"We're all here for you." Joyce said, as her friends nodded.

"Thanks. And you too, Wesley. Without you…"

"No need, Willow." He said, even though he was touched.

"Here goes nothing."

***

"Hey." She said to Buffy. "You ready?"

She set candles in a circle at the side of the bed, on the floor. Pink, for love and friendship; White, for peace; Red for protection, passion, strength, and courage; Orange, for vitality; and Purple, for intense healing. She stood in the middle of the circle, and then sat down.

She lit each of the candles, and pulled a bowl, ingredients, and a knife from her duffel bag. She put a dove feather in the bowl, and a powder that held healing properties. She needed something. Symbols of their union.

She took her ring off, and put it in the bowl. She stood up, and leaned over Buffy.

"Just need to borrow this." She carefully got Buffy's ring off her finger, and put in the bowl.

The final ingredient was some of her blood. Jonas wrote that for a soul to leave its mate's body, it needed something from that person, something familiar in its body to entice it to return. Blood was the best choice.

So Willow took the knife, and cut her finger slightly. She let a few drops fall into the bowl.

Now the true test. She stood once more, and gripped Buffy's hand.

"Help me, okay?" Willow shut her eyes. "With complete love, trust, and friendship, I call on my soulmate within. It is time to return back to the body to which you were born. Our joining is forever, but you must take your rightful place.

"Return knowing that we are one. That flesh is a necessary boundary between us."

She felt Buffy begin to shake. She felt herself start to shake.

"Our feelings surpass the body. Take comfort in the fact that we are not weakened by minor separation. That the love and feelings are expressed in every possible way. Return to this plane. This physical world. Come back so we can be together as we were meant to. Not just our souls, but our minds and bodies as well. Come back. Come back to me."

The candles flickered, and the contents of the bowl, created energy in the air, a bright blue energy, that went right into Buffy. Their convulsing increased, and Willow felt something leave, as well as stay.

After a few seconds, it was over. The candles were out, and sometime during the course of the…whatever happened, Willow ended up on the floor. She cleared her head, and jumped up to see if it worked.

Buffy's eyes slowly came open, and she smiled. Willow thought she was going to faint. She had so many things she wanted to say, do, but she had to tell everyone. She squeezed Buffy's hand, and smiled when Buffy squeezed back.

"I'll be right back, okay? Gotta go tell your mom and everyone. Right back. So don't go anywhere."

Buffy rolled her eyes, and Willow went to go get their friends.

***

Later, Willow sat at Buffy's bedside late after the big welcome back, and after the hectic time they had with the cops, and trying to explain what happened to the guards outside in the hallway.

Willow was a little startled. 'Whoa. It's been a long time.'

'Too long. Come sit the bed up for me?' She got up, and hit the remote, and the bed moved so Buffy was in a sitting position. 'Now come closer.'

"So I can kiss you." Buffy said aloud, but softly.

Willow leaned in immediately and kissed her soulmate. Her friend. It had been so long. There was a passion and a gentleness to it at first, and then Willow increased it, needing to feel her breath, her warmth. Just to make sure it was real.

And then they stopped, and Willow broke down into sobs. Partly out of sadness, but mostly out of joy. She had been holding it in for months, and it all came pouring out.

"I missed you so much…I…"

Buffy put her arm around her, and felt tears start to come as well. Her body had been doing nothing, and she had no way to release her emotions. It was a relief for her. She could feel again, feel Willow again.

"God, I missed you too. But I knew you'd do it."

"Now that I have you again…I don't want to let you go…"

"Then don't."

And Willow didn't. In fact, she gripped Buffy tighter. "Love you."

"I love you too, Will. I love you too."

They both cried until they couldn't anymore, and fell asleep content in the knowledge that everything was restored, and that they were in each other's arms.

The lights in Jake's bedroom were off. Candles were lit all around the room. The flames flickered showing the various objects that he had on display. A Freddy Kruger poster hung on his door. A glove with five razors sat on his bureau. All seven films were on his shelf, along with a doll, a dirty brown hat, and red and green sweater.

Playing in his VCR was the original film. The one that started the series. Started his obsession. His friend sat beside him, looking nervous.

"This is crazy."

"Why? You scared?" Jake asked, amused.

"Course not, it's just -"

"Ssh. This is cool. Right before Tina bites it."

The TV showed Tina, the first victim, staring down an alley at an approaching Freddy.

"Please God."

He held up his gloved hand. "This…is God."

Jake focused his attention back on his task. He dropped a magazine clipping of Freddy into a bowl, and a piece of the sweater. He bought the original outfit at a recent auction, it had cost him, and his parents' credit cards a lot of money.

"He's the best horror villain of all time, man."

"Yeah, yeah he is. Isn't this…dangerous?"

"Look, I got this book that said that if people believe in something enough, even something in a movie, it can take on a life of it's own."

"But…he's just a guy in messed up latex."

"Maybe, but the name Freddy Kruger scares everybody in some way. He's etched in my mind. Every night I go to sleep." He knew he sounded nuts, but he was beyond caring.

"So you wanna make him real? Come on, Jake."

"If you don't believe, get out. I won't stop you."

"No…no…I'll stay."

Jake closed his eyes, and began to chant the words from the book. He had become fascinated with the occult. And that coupled with obsessing over a teenage-killing maniac, was not a good mix.

"Bring forth the essence of the being." Jake lit a match, and started burning the contents of the bowl. Smoke started to rise. "Let him enter reality. Let his evil leave the fictional realm, release him from his prison."

The wind picked from outside and the candles blew out. The movie was still running.

"I brought something back from my dream." Nancy said on screen, holding Kruger's hat.

It all stopped after a minute. And both boys jumped up, looking around the room frantically.

"Didn't work." His friend sighed in relief.

"Guess not." Jake said, almost sadly.

"See you tomorrow? Gotta get home."

"Yeah, tomorrow."

"Sleep tight." He said sarcastically.

"Funny."

***

An hour later, Jake went to sleep frustrated. He knew it wasn't going to work, but still…

In the middle of the night, he woke up hearing a screeching sound. He reached over to his bureau, and turned on the lamp.

The glove…was missing. He got out of bed quickly.

The TV came on. Little girls in pure white dresses were jump roping in a park. And singing.

"One, two Freddy's coming for you,

"Three, Four better lock your door,

"Five, Six grab your crucifix,

"Seven, Eight better stay up late,

"Nine, Ten never sleep again…"

He went over to the TV, and checked the VCR on top of it. No tape. This dream was different. He didn't feel…in control. He went to turn the TV off, and a gloved hand reached through the screen, and grabbed his shirt.

He was staring face to face with his obsession.

"You wanted me, Piglet. Well, Freddy's home."

"But… this isn't Elm Street."

"You watch too many movies."

The last thing Jake saw was razor blades coming at his eyes.

***

"So what's the up?" Buffy asked Giles and Willow when she entered her ex-watcher's home.

She had just come back from the college campus. That was not one of her top things to repeat. Trying to explain why you were not attending classes for a little over two months was not easy.

But together with her mother, doctor and nurse testimonials explaining her situation, she had cut a deal. She would study with a tutor to catch up on the stuff she missed. Which wasn't so bad, except that wasn't it. She'd have to attend courses over the summer so she'd have all the necessary credits to not repeat her freshman year.

But besides that, it was amazing how great she felt. She was back. Whole and complete. She could hold Willow again. Ever since she got back, using Willow's own blood to help her come back, they were closer. In every sense of the word.

They just couldn't place how. Something about the spell Wesley provided them with, maybe. Oh, well. It wasn't like it was a bad thing. Plus, they had other things to worry about. Like dealing with Angelus, who had gone into hiding. Nobody liked that at all.

Willow handed her a newspaper. "A gift? Really, Will." She said sarcastically. The red head smirked a little, but quickly looked worried. Buffy took the hint, and read the headline on the front page. "Teenage boy found murdered. Not to sound uncaring, as I am kind of desensitized, but what else is new?"

"The reporter doesn't go into many details, but…he does say that the eyes were…removed. And there were carvings."

"Where?"

"On his chest. Like razors." Willow said quietly.

"So that rules out vamps, right?"

"And leaves us an endless supply of various demons to consider." Giles said.

"Something…doesn't seem right." Willow added, sounding unnerved.

Willow was going full-speed into the magick area. She still trained herself, although not with the Goddess, sometimes it was with Buffy. She was more attuned to, well, everything. And it scared her somewhat. Add to that that she still felt residual effects from Buffy's slayerness, and had no idea why, she was rushing to get a grip on everything.

So much had happened to her during the time that Buffy was gone. She had become different. Not in a bad way, just…different. More independent, she was realizing that there was more purpose to everything she did, and everything she would do.

But even as independent as she had become, she thanked whatever forces had helped her to get Buffy back, because she needed her. That was the one thing she was clear on.

"As in?" Buffy asked her.

"Not sure. Just a feeling."

"Maybe you should visit the morgue. See if -" Giles started.

"Oh no. Giles, Willow and I are not going to go snooping around in a morgue. You're the reason they say romance is dead, you know. Sending us to places like that."

"Do you have to be romantic everywhere you go?"

"Maybe." Buffy said, pulling Willow to her, and giving her a quick kiss.

"Then what do you suggest we do?"

'Duh! Why didn't I think of that?' Willow sent back, seeing what Buffy had in mind.

"I hack into the medical examiner's files and get the autopsy report. I may have been real witchy lately, but I haven't forgotten how to use a computer."

"Plus, it's safer." Buffy added. "Where's your laptop, Will?"

"It's in the closet upstairs. I kept it here…while you were gone…I…"

Giles watched as Willow nodded to what he assumed was a silent exchange. He was happy, extremely happy, that Buffy was safe, and that Willow had her back. Any parental figure would be. But he was also envious of them. Of the deepness, and the unspoken feelings they shared with one another. He didn't know if he'd ever feel that. He hadn't had enough time with Jenny.

He had shut himself off to the hope of ever finding companionship again, which was probably a bad mistake on his part, but he'd have to live with it. He made his own choices, and he couldn't blame anybody else for them. And he most certainly couldn't hold Buffy and Willow's happiness against them.

"I'll," They looked at him, "I'll go get it."

***

Nikki Coleman was an intern. Sunnydale was the only place in the world that offered internships for a morgue. But she was studying forensics/pathology, so it was a good place to learn. She had a pretty strong stomach. She had seen a lot of gruesome stuff come in, and she had dealt with it. She could handle anything.

But the new one that had come in…was weird. The pathologist had found no fingerprints, no real sign of a struggle; and whatever or whoever had done it, had fun. Of course she wasn't supposed to know that, but having access to the computer system helped. It was all part of the learning process.

Besides, she had assisted the pathologist before. She would've found out anyway. Eventually.

The guard had left her alone while he ran home to check on his kids. They had been sick lately. So she was left alone with drawers of dead bodies. They never seemed to run out of those. And it was exhausting.

She could doze off for a few seconds. It wouldn't hurt.

A few seconds later, she opened her eyes.

"I guess sleep doesn't want me."

"I want you." A deep voice said that echoed across the walls.

"Who said that?"

No answer.

Then there was a banging. In the storage room. She got up cautiously, and walked into the room. It was quiet, and then…there it was again. It sounded like it was coming from inside one of the drawers.

"But that's impossible."

"Nicole…" The voice said her name. How'd it know her name?

The noise started again, and she went over to the drawer she thought it was coming from. Frightened, but curious at the same time, she opened it, and slid out the tray.

Laying on it was a man, about twenty-five years of age. If she remembered correctly, the funeral was in a few days. They were going to give the body to the funeral home tomorrow so they could prepare it. As she was about to push the tray back in, she heard a tearing sound.

Looking down at the man's chest, she was horrified at what she saw. One by one cuts were being made. Jagged ones. When they stopped, she felt sick. They were words.

'DO YOU WANT TO DIE, NIKKI?'

Her mind was telling her to run, but her body wasn't reacting. And that was a mistake. Because the dead body sat up on the tray, and cold hands reached for her. She stumbled backwards into a sitting position against the opposite wall of drawers.

Then all the drawers flung open, one right after the other, and bodies in all types of decay were crawling out. They were making their way towards her. They were everywhere. Moaning and saying her name.

She did what any frightened, unable to move person would do. She closed her eyes, and screamed. And then…silence. Tears streaming down her face, she opened her eyes. There was nothing there. Except the man towering over her, who was moving his fingers, his razors, tauntingly.

"What the hell?" She recognized this guy. Where had she seen him before?

"You think you can handle death? Think you've got the stomach for it?" Kruger lifted her up by the throat so his gloved hand was at the same level as her stomach. "Only one way to find out."

He rammed his hand into her stomach, his razors piercing her skin, and laughed evilly as she lurched from side to side. She couldn't feel the stomach wound, but she could taste the blood bubbling up in her mouth. She watched it spill to the floor.

"Sorry. You fail, bitch."

The guard came back, and rushed in when he heard the commotion. He saw Nikki's body in the air, hanging. Before he could go over, and before he registered the blood and other…things that were spilling to the floor, she was thrust across the room and into the computer, which smashed to bits.

***

"I can't get in." Willow said, as Giles and Buffy watched her.

"What do you mean?" Giles asked.

"The system must be down, because I'm not getting anything." She was puzzled.

"Happy now, Giles? Looks like we're off to the morgue." Buffy said, moving towards the door. "We'll bring you back something nice. Oh, wait. Forget I said that."

"Be careful."

"Always."

Willow was still shutting down her laptop. 'Wait up.'

Willow blushed as she followed Buffy out the door.

***

When they arrived at the morgue, there were cops everywhere, and they had put crime scene tape around the outside of the building. Buffy and Willow watched as a cop, young by the looks of him, came running out and vomited on the grass.

"Get the feeling we missed something?" Buffy asked Willow.

"Yeah and I also get the feeling I'm glad we missed it."

"If I didn't have to do this, I'd be turning around right now, but there's two things we have to figure out."

"What happened -"

"And how to get inside to figure that out."

Willow thought about it for a second.

Buffy watched her whisper a few words, and then Willow motioned her to start moving towards the morgue. She was amazed at the amount of ability Willow had managed to tap into. How powerful, magickly, she was. She was glad and worried at the same time.

The gladness was that they had both pretty much figured out that Willow was meant to fight along side her. That she could be in all aspects of her life. And most importantly, that Willow finally realized how gifted and special she was. Something Buffy had been telling her for a long time.

The downside was that Willow was fighting along side her. She couldn't keep her safe anymore. Actually, Willow could probably protect herself better than Buffy ever could. But still, the risks were higher.

She felt Willow's hand on her arm as they continued to walk.

Buffy smiled at her, and they saw a cop staring in their direction. Only he didn't see them. So they kept walking, squeezing past people, praying the spell would hold. They got inside, and looked around.

The chalk outline of the body was on the floor; fresh blood still sitting there as the photographers took pictures. They saw a woman in medical scrubs come out of a side room. One of the cops walked up to her.

"Anything?"

"Except extreme brutality? No. The most damage was done by the…opening of the stomach, but that wasn't what killed her. Although it would have if the killer was patient. The impact from hitting the computer, and the amount of force, well, it broke her neck. Not to mention caused several lacerations around the facial area.

"Excuse me, she was a friend and…"

"It's okay, doctor. We'll call you if we need anything more."

Buffy and Willow looked at each other.

Buffy nodded reluctantly, and they made their way into the side room. On a table, covered by a white sheet, lay a body. They were both waiting for the other to remove the sheet. Together, they both went over, and pulled down it down.

"Jesus." Buffy said aloud.

"Oh my God…" Willow said, putting a hand to her mouth. Then she realized something, and whispered. "The spell's broken."

"Then we have to…hurry." They both stepped up to the body to get a closer look. "Well. I've seen enough."

"Wait." Willow was focused on something. "It looks like after he…opened her…he did one continuous cut up her chest."

"What's your point?"

"They look like razors."

"Like the last…"

They heard people moving. Like they were leaving. They poked their heads around the door, and saw two guys heading their way. They saw the back door in the other direction, and then watched as the two men were stopped momentarily by one of the photographers.

"Make a break for it?" Buffy asked.

Willow nodded, and they did.

***

Later, back at Giles' house, everyone was there. Xander and Oz were watching TV on the couch, Cordelia had her face buried in Xander's chest so she didn't have to look at the screen, and Buffy and Willow were talking with Giles.

"I know this is gonna sound weird, but I've seen that before." Willow said.

"The person?" Giles asked.

"No, the cuts. The way she died. I've seen it too." Buffy agreed.

"Dare I ask how?"

They shrugged, and spoke in sync. "Don't remember."

"Certainly helpful."

A loud scream caused the three of them to look in their friends' direction. Buffy walked over to the TV, and watched as girl on a bed flailed around, trying to escape an unseen force.

"What are you guys watching?" She asked.

"Nightmare on Elm Street. Of course it's TV so they edit most of the language, and then there's horrible lip-syncing -" Xander started to rant.

"But it's still a classic." Oz cut him off.

"Is the killing over?" Cordelia asked, her voice muffled.

Xander grinned at Oz. "Yeah, it's over."

She looked up just as four, long razor-like cuts sliced the actress' stomach, and blood began pouring out. Cordelia promptly hit Xander. "Jerk."

Buffy kept replaying that in her mind. Razors, slicing, blood, body…

"No way."

"What is it?" Giles asked.

"I know this is going to sound crazy, bordering on insane even, but I think I know where I've seen the cuts before."

"No way." Willow echoed.

"Will one of you explain?"

"Freddy Kruger."

"The villain from those horrid eighties films?"

"The very same. The cuts look like it was made by his glove-knife thingy." Buffy said.

"Whoa. Are you saying Freddy's real and killing? You know, the scary thing is, that doesn't sound as crazy as it should. Damn Hellmouth." Xander said.

"Let's not jump to hasty conclusions." Giles said.

"Right. It could be a copycat, some horror film buff." Willow said.

"That would be Scream." Oz added.

Giles had picked up the newspaper off of his coffee table. " 'Jake Wilson was found on his bed, apparently murdered, in the early morning hours by his parents. Police searched his room thoroughly, and found little that would explain the reason for the teenager's death.

" 'However they did find an extensive collection of Nightmare on Elm Street merchandise, paying homage to the eighties slasher villain, Freddy Kruger. There has been no evidence to support any connection between his love of the films and his death…'"

"There's your answer." Xander said.

"What?" Willow asked.

"Just some crazed kid who -"

"There's one problem, Xand. He's dead, and there's been another murder. Unless he staged his death, and let's not forget remove his eyes -" Buffy began.

"I get the point. But it's just not possible."

"I didn't think vampires were possible, not to mention werewolves, but hey." Oz said.

There was dead silence, which was eventually broken by Cordelia.

"Anyone want coffee?"

***

Rob Nachan sat in his bed that night. Jake was dead. After they had done that spell, or whatever it was. Sipping his eighth can of coke, he forced his eyes open. He hadn't believed it would work, but it had. He knew it. And he wasn't taking any chances.

Freddy had left him alone, but it would be his turn soon. A cat screeched in the alley outside his window, and he almost jumped off the bed.

"Keep it together…keep it together…"

He was on guard constantly. This was Sunnydale. It wasn't a town out of a horror film. This kind of thing wasn't supposed to happen. He felt guilty as hell. He should've stopped Jake. Shouldn't have left him alone. That's how Freddy won. There was strength in numbers.

He wouldn't fall asleep…he wouldn't fall asleep…

"Rob, man, get up."

His eyes were playing tricks on him. It couldn't be. Jake was standing at the foot of his bed.

"Everyone thinks you're dead."

"That's their problem. Come on, I wanna show you something. It's awesome."

Rob got out of his bed, and followed Jake. His friend opened the bedroom door, and they went out into the hallway.

Except it wasn't the hallway. It was outside. They stood in front of a chipped, white picket fence. Rob's vision went from the overgrown front yard, to the dilapidated house.

"Nancy's house." He whispered.

"I know. Isn't it great? Come on."

Rob heard laughter in the wind. Little girls' laughter. He shook his head.

"Wuss." A flash of lightning suddenly interrupted the darkness of the sky. "You wanna get caught?"

Jake started to run for the front door, and Rob followed. They ran inside, and the door shut behind them. They stood in the foyer, and Rob looked at around the dark house. The windows were boarded up; the stairs were there, that led to Nancy's bedroom, it was all like the movie.

"Now what?" He asked.

"How long can you survive?"

"Huh?"

Jake turned around. His eyes were missing, and blood dripped from his empty sockets. His stomach showed where Freddy made his cuts, and they started to bleed.

"You left me to die."

"I didn't…I didn't know…"

"You were my friend."

"Jake could use some company." That was Freddy's voice. Rob looked around frantically. When he looked back at Jake, Freddy was standing in his place. "True friends stick together, Rob."

He pushed Freddy as hard as he could, and ran up the stairs. Their consistency changed, and his feet got locked in place. His balance was off, and he struggled to stay still.

He pictured himself strong. His legs powerful. Concentrating, he pulled his feet free, and the step broke. He was about to fall so he grabbed the railing. He finished getting up the stairs.

"Where are you?"

"One, two Freddy's coming for you…" A girl's voice said.

He turned into Nancy's room, and looked around for any way to escape. The window. He dove out. And fell, and fell, and fell…

"Wake up! Wake up!"

Rob shot up in bed, sweating. He went to pull off his sheets. They were…red and green.

"You can't escape me."

The sheets wrapped in a circular motion around his body, slowly, moving from his legs and going up, suffocating him. Crushing his lungs. He felt his bones break.

"Please let me go! Please!"

Those were his last words.

***

It was late at night when they all were researching to try and figure out just how Freddy became real. There were different variations on 'making fantasy into reality' incantations, but something was missing. They required a lot of energy and preparation to pull off.

"We're all agreed that it was probably Jake who caused this to happen, correct?"

"Yeah." They all said.

"And he was probably messing with one of these spells." Willow said.

"I get that much. But how can one kid, who was probably just screwing around, do something like that without help? It just seems…too easy." Buffy said.

"I really could care less about how he did it. Let's just kill him." Cordelia said.

"You can't kill Freddy." Xander said.

"They did it in the films."

"And then what happened?"

"He came back in the next one."

"Well, that's not exactly true." Oz said. Everyone looked at him. "In the sixth one, they brought him out of the dream plane and finished him off."

"What about -" Xander started.

"The seventh one doesn't count. Different storyline."

"How did they bring him out?" Giles asked.

"They held onto him as they woke up. It's a long shot." Oz said.

"It's one more shot then we had before." Buffy said. She turned to Giles. "Break out the sleeping bags."

***

"Okay here's what we're gonna do." Buffy said when they got everything ready. They moved Giles furniture to the side, and laid blankets and pillows out on the floor.

"Me, Willow, and Oz will go to sleep. The three of you have to stay awake in case it looks like we're in trouble. And if it looks one of us has him, wake us up. Man, I can't believe we're doing this."

"Why can't I go in?" Xander asked.

"Do you really want to?" Willow asked.

"I wouldn't let you anyway." Cordelia told him seriously.

"We'll be counting on you to get us out. Besides Oz's surprisingly extensive knowledge of this stuff might come in handy." Buffy said.

"Oh." Xander said masking his disappointment.

"Sleeping pills." Oz said handing Buffy and Willow each one.

"You're sure you want to do this?" Giles asked.

"We don't have a choice." Willow said.

The three of them laid down, and within fifteen minutes, were fast asleep.

"I can't believe they have to risk themselves like this again." Xander said.

"What are you talking about?" Cordelia asked.

"Don't you remember? Freddy goes after your soul."

***

"Where are we?" Willow asked as she looked around the boiler room.

"More importantly, where's Oz?" They started to walk forward looking at the steaming boilers and the chains that dangled from the ceiling. "Wait. If he separated Oz from us -"

"Why didn't he split us up?"

"Welcome to my playground." Freddy's voice told them.

They both held onto each other a little tighter.

***

"Damn." Oz said quietly.

He should have expected this. This was Freddy's turf, and he made sure Oz was isolated. He was in the middle of nowhere, in a field, where strangely enough; there was a bright sun out.

Oz's only hope was to envision himself with Buffy and Willow. Slip past Freddy temporarily. He'd be a goner by himself.

Then, within a blink of an eye, the sunlight was gone, and the night came. And so did the full moon. He dropped to his knees.

"Bring the doggie out to play." Freddy said.

***

Xander felt helpless. Ever since he graduated, he had gone from one problem to the next. Job after job, lost to Angelus, ended up in a cast, and now three of his friends were on their own against a dream-hunting, child murderer. And he wasn't allowed to do anything about it.

What good was he? He even felt responsible for Cordelia's situation. It seemed that ever since she had become his girlfriend, she had developed his lifestyle. Her family riches disappeared, and the life she was used to was taken away. So, she tried to make it own her own, barely managed, and now she was stuck back here. She had come back to him. Why?

Everyone had a purpose except for him. An ability. A strength. Something that made them part of the group. Even Cordelia. She had an inner strength, an ability to rationalize something down to its simplest form when everyone was about to lose it. What was he? A distraction. A demon punching bag.

Cordelia walked over to him. And slapped him.

"What was that for?"

"I know self-pitying when I see it. Knock it off. And pay attention." Her gaze went down to Oz, who was shaking a little. "Should we wake him up?"

"Not yet. If he really starts moving then -" Giles was rubbing his eyes. Xander saw the struggle he was having. "Giles, you need sleep."

"As much as I want to, I can't."

"We'll watch them. We're the younger generation here. Got more energy."

"He's talking about Kruger, Xander."

"Oh. He never goes after adults. He has his boundaries you know. You'll be safe. Besides, I'm sure he's got his hands full."

"I really should…" Giles yawned.

Cordelia started pushing him up the stairs. "Go to bed. We'll wake you if there's real trouble."

***

Buffy and Willow kept walking through the boiler room. They ran across a catwalk, and a long set of metal steps. Wherever Freddy was, he wasn't showing himself. They heard screeching on one of the pipes.

"Show yourself, asshole!" Buffy screamed.

'Where the hell is he?' She asked Willow silently.

'I'M HERE.' Freddy's voice said, penetrating their heads.

They grabbed their heads in pain, and ran to the bottom of the stairs. They ran to the right, and stopped when they saw a large furnace. Willow reached out and touched it. It was cold.

"What happens to witches, Willow?" Freddy's voice taunted.

Willow didn't speak, and Buffy was worried. "Will?"

"They get burned." She answered softly.

"Correct, bitch."

The furnace door swung open and a fire started inside. The flames were huge. Before Willow knew what was happening, she was flung inside.

"No!" Buffy screamed, and without thinking, dove in after her.

Freddy now stood in where Buffy and Willow had been. He shut the furnace door.

"I'm just getting warmed up." He laughed, and vanished.

***

Oz was transforming. His werewolf side was taking over. And there wasn't anything he could do to stop it.

He looked up through half animal, half human eyes, at an approaching Freddy. The man took off his hat, revealing more of his burned face.

"Nice doggy."

"Don't come near me." Oz growled.

"Can't let a wild animal run free."

A spiked collar appeared around Oz's neck, and a long pole came out of the ground, to which he found himself chained. The ground changed, and he was now sitting atop coals, and a fire raged around him.

"Hungry?" Freddy asked. Out of the fire came the forms of Buffy, Willow, Xander, Cordelia, and Giles. "Eat up."

"No."

"Oz…" The voices of his friends called to him.

"They want you to. They're begging for it."

"No!"

He transformed completely now, and his feral form snapped the chain, and went right for Freddy…and sunk his teeth into the killer's arm. Freddy screamed, and Oz vanished into nothingness.

***

Giles laid in his bed, restless. Turning to his side, he came face with Jenny. More specifically, her body. He jumped out of bed, horrified, and saw Angelus standing over her.

"What do you think, Rupert? Should I turn her head to the left or to the right?"

"You monster…"

Giles charged him, and began punching him. Hard and furiously. All his pent up hatred was coming out. And all Angelus did was laugh. Somehow Giles found himself holding a stake.

With single-minded determination, he drove it home. Angelus looked down at it and then back up at him. The vampire's form changed, into Freddy Kruger.

"Good aim." He grabbed Giles by his throat. "No one's safe from me."

Giles was tossed onto the bed, and Jenny got on top of him. Her broken neck made her head sit at a strange angle. She pushed her hands onto his throat.

"You never were good enough for me."

"No…this isn't you…it isn't you, Jenny…" Giles gasped.

He used his knees to lift her up, and then threw her backwards off the bed. He felt himself being forced down, and he disappeared into the mattress.

***

Xander and Cordelia saw their friends' bodies lurching and moving wildly. Cordelia was on the verge of full-blown panic, and Xander wasn't handling it much better. He tried to shake them, but they weren't coming awake.

"Wake up! Snap out of it!" He yelled. Cordelia ran over and tried slapping Buffy in the face, but that didn't work either. "Get Giles!"

She ran upstairs.

Cordelia came running back down. "He's doing the same thing."

"I'm going in."

"No you're not."

"I have to."

"There's four of them against one of him, and they're still getting beat. How much better do you think you'll do?"

"I have to do -"

Buffy, Willow, and Oz stopped moving, and they stopped arguing.

"God…are they dead?"

Xander closed his eyes, and bent down to feel Willow's pulse. He smiled in relief. "No."

"Then what the hell is going on in there?"

***

Buffy and Willow landed in a hallway. Actually, they crashed through a window.

"Are you okay?" They both asked at the same time.

"Your friends thought they could save you. Thought they could wake you. But you belong to me now." Freddy's voice said.

Before either of them could respond, Oz came crashing through another window. Followed by Giles.

They all rushed over to one another. Oz was human again.

"Thank God you're okay." Willow said to Oz.

"What are you doing here, Giles?"

"Xander said…it doesn't matter now. How do we capture him?"

They all looked at Oz. "Each of us has some power, some strength. If we work together, and hit him hard enough, we can grab onto him. Once we do that…"

"You won't get the chance. I'm forever." Freddy said, standing at the end of the hallway.

"If you're so sure of yourself, why don't you come and get us?" Buffy asked.

"As you wish." He said, now behind them. Buffy spun around, and he sliced her arm. Willow's arm was cut too. "Two bodies, one nice, juicy soul. Delicious." He said licking his lips.

"Get him!" Giles yelled.

Oz and Giles went to grab him, but he knocked them back.

"Five, Six grab your crucifix." A little girl's voice said, eerily.

Buffy and Willow both pulled their matching crosses off their necks, and held them up to his face. He recoiled, and covered his face with his hands. Buffy kicked his glove off his hand, and Willow caught it and put it on.

"You're not so tough without this."

She moved in to attack him with it. Her hand turned around involuntarily, and the blades were coming at her eyes. Oz tackled her to the ground, and yanked the glove off her hand. It flew back onto Freddy's.

"Wanna try again?"

"He knows we're powerful together. He tried to get to us separately, but we beat him. We saw past his tricks." Buffy told everyone. "And he knows he can't beat us until he wears us down. Until we feel like giving up. So don't."

Freddy grimaced, opened his mouth, and blew. They all flew down the hallway, and through an open door.

***

"Come on, guys. You can beat him." Xander said.

He saw cut marks on Buffy and Willow's arms. He was scared. He couldn't wake them up and couldn't help them. How much longer would they have to wait?

***

Buffy stood…somewhere. She couldn't see a thing. It was misty and there was thick fog. She could barely see in front of her. If what Freddy said was the truth, and it would make sense, she and Willow were sharing a soul, so she couldn't be far away.

That explained a lot, actually. The reason why he couldn't separate them, the reason they had matching cuts, and the reason for their new closeness. Now, they were connected mind, body, and soul.

And Freddy was after them for it.

"Willow! Giles! Oz! Can you hear me?" She yelled into the fog.

She walked forward. Standing in place was not a good idea. She had to find her friends. As she continued, the ground under her started to loosen. And then it completely gave way.

She fell into water. Deep water. Then a hand started pushing her down. As much as she tried, she kept getting pushed farther and started gasping for air.

"What's the matter? Water got you down?" Freddy asked.

Damn him for finding her fear. Flashes of the Master and her death entered her mind. And then his hand jerked away.

"Let her go!" It was Willow. Buffy heard a noise, then Freddy scream, and then Willow called to her. "Buffy, swim up!"

Buffy fought to swim to the water's surface, and she saw Willow reach for her.

"Grab my hand."

She did, and together, they pulled her out of the water. Willow immediately wrapped her arms around her.

"Thanks…how did you…"

"Magick."

"Gotta love it. We're never gonna find Giles and Oz in this."

They stood up, and Willow called out. "He's hiding in here! We gotta get rid of this. On the count of three, think about getting through the fog.

"One,

"Two,"

"Three." Freddy said, reaching out and grabbing Willow, and pulling her into the fog.

What they did was enough, though, because an archway formed, and Giles and Oz came running down the clear pathway.

"He has her." Buffy told them.

Then more of the fog cleared, showing more of a path. "Follow the breadcrumbs to the Witch." Except they weren't breadcrumbs, they were drops of blood.

They looked at one another, and ran down the path.

***

They ended up at a house, and the only thing visible was the door. Buffy opened it, and they were about to go in when something jumped out and tackled Oz. His werewolf form.

"Meet your better half." Freddy told him.

"Go!" Oz yelled to Giles and Buffy, struggling with the wolf.

"No. That's what he wants."

"Find her!"

Giles steered Buffy inside, and the door shut behind them. She looked down at her chest, where a golden cord protruded outward. It was her connection to Willow.

"Shame if that broke." Freddy said in front of them, dangling his razors over it. "Then she's mine."

"No way in hell."

She assumed battle stance, as did Freddy. Her eyes told Giles to go find Willow. He reluctantly followed the cord, leaving Buffy alone with Freddy. She sweep kicked him, but he jumped out of the way.

"Is that all you've got, bitch?"

"You kidding? I'm just getting started."

***

Giles ran into a large room. Willow was in the center, tied to a large, wooden stake that was situated vertically over a boiling pot of water, and a fire. She was gagged.

"Hang on, Willow. I'll cut you down."

She shook her head and mumbled something he couldn't understand. Then, surrounding them were people in conservative, black and white dress. They were Puritans.

"Kill the sinner! Burn the Heretic!" They chanted.

"Religion. The ultimate sin." Freddy's voice echoed through the room.

"Lower her!" The crowd shouted.

Giles tried to reach her, but they forced him back.

***

"You may be forever now," Buffy said to Kruger, "but you know the difference between movies and reality?"

Freddy took a swing at her, and she dodged to the side and kicked him in the groin.

"Once I kill you, you aren't coming back in a sequel."

"You haven't won yet."

He quickly recovered, and opened his mouth. A tongue flew out, and latched itself around Buffy's throat. She started to choke, and tried to pull it off. Seeing the cord that connected her to Willow, she grabbed it, and wrapped it around Freddy's neck.

The tongue unlatched itself, and Buffy let the cord down. She grabbed his head, twisted, and he dropped to the ground.

She knew he wasn't out, but it gave her time to get to Willow. With that in mind, she ran along the cord's path.

***

'Relax. You can get out of this. You're in control.' Willow told herself.

She pictured the stake she was tied to being swung past the pot. Slowly snapping the rope used to lower her. She felt it start to move slowly. She had her eyes closed, but she could tell it was working because there were gasps from the crowd.

The rope was tearing; people were starting to panic. Willow felt herself fall, and the stake stuck vertically into the ground. There were screams, and then…nothing. She opened her eyes, and the only other person in the room, was Giles.

"Little help?" She asked.

He rushed over, and began to untie the ropes. Buffy came running in, and the cord vanished.

"You're okay." Buffy said, and began to help Giles untie.

"Where's Freddy?"

"I distracted him for a minute but -"

"You're finished." His voice called to them.

Just as the ropes fell away, and Willow walked free once more, Freddy dropped from the ceiling, his arms elongated, and landed on top of them. His arms wrapped around the three of them, and they were smothered in red-green fabric.

Freddy was looking directly at Buffy and Willow as he was crushing their bodies.

"Give us a kiss." He flicked his tongued in an up and down motion. "Your soul is mine, Piglets."

Just then, Oz and his werewolf half, came crashing through the wall, struggling. Freddy got distracted, and loosened his grip. The three of them worked together, and pushed him off.

Oz rolled into the pot of boiling water, knocking it over, and pushing his werewolf into the fire underneath. It burned, howling. The pot spilled its water all over Freddy, who cried out in pain, holding his face.

"Grab him!" Buffy yelled. The four of them rushed and tackled him to the ground, holding on as tight as they possibly could. "Get us outta here, Will."

Willow closed her eyes, and…

***

Xander and Cordelia both nearly jumped through the ceiling when their three friends shot awake. They all got up immediately, and started looking around.

"Did you get him?" Xander asked, grabbing a knife he got from the kitchen, off of the table.

"We had him." Oz said.

"Then where is he?" Cordelia asked.

As she asked that, dropping out of thin air and landing at their feet, came Freddy's form. But he wasn't doing anything. He was curled up, and his skin started to melt away, his form disintegrating. Into an angry, slimy, green, clawed demon.

It sprung up, snarling. And it tackled Buffy to the ground. Without thinking, Xander jammed the sharp knife, into the demon's back, piercing its heart. It shrieked, and burst into flames, vanishing.

For a few minutes, no one spoke. Buffy and Willow embraced, finally realizing how close they came to losing each other again. They broke apart, and went up to Xander.

"You saved our lives." Willow told him seriously, and then hugged him.

"Well done." Giles said warmly.

Oz simply patted him on the back.

"That's two I owe you, Xand." Buffy said. She hugged him tightly.

He smiled, but didn't know what to say. He didn't have to. Maybe he wasn't so useless after all.

"We're all alive, great, but one question." Cordelia said, breaking the moment, as she was known to do. They looked at her. "What the hell…was that?"

***

Underground, in the Master's old lair, Angelus sat on the ground, speaking with a cloaked figure.

"We have provided all the help we're willing to give. A minion is dead. I hope the distraction and loss was worth it."

"All the preparations are almost finished. After I collect the last items, all that's left is waiting for the proper time to come. Then you and your minions can come through."

"Our arrival must occur or we will have to wait another thousand years. See that it is not interrupted."

"It won't be."

The figure vanished, and for the first time in his incredibly long existence, Angelus was frightened.

The Bronze. When was the last time they had been here? It was nice to do a semi-normal thing after what they'd been through. Very nice in fact. They were on the dance floor, slowly moving to the music of the Dingoes.

Buffy was leaning against Willow, feeling protected and safe. Her body was still getting used to working again, and her slayerness was getting used to being "with" her, and adjusting. She was doing okay, but she could've done without battling Freddy Kruger. Even though she had been dreaming, she still came out of it exhausted.

Since she and Willow were connected, she felt somewhat tuned to the magickal side of things. She had nowhere near the skill that Willow had, but it was there. And likewise, Willow had some slayer ability still in her. Her reflexes were still sharp, and she was still pretty tough physically.

But they didn't dwell on that. To them they were just two freshman college girls who happened to be in love. Sure they were special in ways other people weren't, but that didn't mean that they didn't want to be normal every once and awhile, and have a good time. Just like they were trying to do now.

"Great song." Buffy said into Willow's neck.

"Oz said the band was trying different stuff."

"It worked."

They were silent for a little bit after that, and went slowly to sit down on one of the couches. Buffy got as close as she could. She needed comfort. No matter how hard she tried, her thoughts always seemed to drift toward the negative end.

"Nice of Giles to give us time off."

"Yeah…more like forced, but…"

"Buffy? What's wrong?"

"I just…I feel like I've missed a lot." Willow gave her a puzzled look. Buffy's mind wasn't sending out clear thoughts. "You. Look at you. Bad ass Wicca, trained by a Goddess, independent, subbed as a slayer…"

"How come I don't like the sound of this?"

"I missed that. I wasn't there for you. You didn't need me to do those things. What good am I?"

"I didn't hear that, but I'll answer anyway, cause I don't want you to have depressed thoughts. I. Need. You. The world needs you. The world needs me too, now, and I'm scared. You think I planned on all that happened?

"I did what I had to do, because I didn't have a choice. But I can't do it alone anymore. I need someone who's been in the business of world saveage, and knows how to deal. Someone who understands what it's like, and can support me."

"Who, Superman?" Buffy teased.

"I don't need him to sweep me off my feet. You've already done that."

'That was pure sap…'

"And I need someone to love me."

"Who might that be?"

"I think you know her."

"She cute?"

"Absolutely." They kissed. "She's you, you know."

"Thanks."

"I help. It's what I do."

"Nobody does it better." They kissed again, and knew they wanted to go.

"You're sure you're okay, now? You're not faking it?"

"You tell me." She let her mind be completely open, and Willow smiled. She was the only one who could relieve Buffy's depression with just a few words of reassurance. "Let's say bye to Oz and go home."

***

Giles, Xander, and Cordelia were trying to figure out what had been keeping Angelus so preoccupied. The magick shop had been ransacked twice in the past week, done after the shop had closed for the night. He was preparing for something, that much they were sure of.

Despite Buffy's attempts, Giles basically told her to take a long overdue rest/vacation from everything. She and Willow had been through a trying ordeal, and they were both emotionally and physically drained. They needed time, and unless it was absolutely necessary, he wouldn't ask, or let them, fight.

It was basically the information gathering stage anyway. The quiet before Angelus brought them their next crisis. While they were trying to piece things together, Wesley was on his own, gathering information from underground sources in town. He had no desire to go back to England, or be anywhere near the Council.

Giles looked over at Xander and Cordelia. They seemed awfully distant, and now that he thought about it, they had been distant for awhile. On the surface they seemed the same, but he could see it in their eyes. With everything that had been going on, he hadn't noticed it. Oz, Buffy, and Willow probably hadn't either.

"Are…are you two all right?" Xander and Cordelia weren't the easiest people to read, particularly because they both hid behind their different personalities. Xander, the jokester, and Cordelia the detached, mean, and untouchable one. He figured the direct approach was the best way.

"Fine." They both said quickly, giving what Giles knew was an automated response.

"You're…sure?"

"Uh huh." The last two words were spoken in a tone that said, 'I don't want to talk about it.'

He saw them share a look, and then look down at the newspapers they were reading.

Somehow he got the feeling that he couldn't help them with this. Not by himself anyway. He'd talk to Buffy and Willow tomorrow. He wanted to see them okay, not distracted. That was something they couldn't afford. It made them more susceptible to attacks. But mainly, he wanted to see them happy. He felt like a father to them, and he'd help any way he could.

***

Hearing a knock on their door, Willow untangled herself from Buffy's embrace, and slumped out of bed. She wrapped a sheet around her body.

"Willow…"

"I have to answer it. Just keep my spot warm." Willow smiled at her. Buffy frowned, and she almost ignored the door. Then the knocks came again. "Patience."

She opened the door. Giles was standing outside. "Giles!" Willow blushed.

"Ah…hello…" He said, turning the same shade as Willow

"Buffy! Giles is here!"

"Hi Giles! How you doing?" Buffy called quickly from inside.

"Um…fine. I…needed to talk to you two about something…" He stuttered.

"Great! Well, we'll just get…meet you at the lounge in the main hall."

"I'll just…go wait…"

"Fifteen minutes?"

"Bye, Giles!" Buffy said, as Willow shut the door.

Willow faced her, and they both started laughing.

***

Later, Buffy and Willow entered the lounge, seeing Giles sitting in a chair over in the corner. They walked over and sat down next to him.

"So what'd you need to talk to us about?" Willow asked.

"Does a demon need to be pummeled?"

"Not yet. It's about Xander and Cordelia actually. Something seems to be troubling them."

The three of them saw Oz spot them, and he made his way over.

"Hey." He said.

"Xander and Cordelia." Buffy said.

He nodded.

"We've been so wrapped up in stuff…and I knew that something was bothering Xander, I just didn't have the time to…" Willow trailed off.

"Cordelia's really good at pretending to cope. I never would've guessed...tutor!"

"Huh?" The three of them asked.

"Tutor. Is on his way over here. I didn't do the assignment."

"Buffy…" The older student was saying.

"Oh…hi…almost done it…I swear."

"I hope so. It's for your benefit."

"Understood. Promise." He walked away, and she saw Giles giving her a look. "Going back to the very important subject of our friends, we were going to talk to Xander anyhow, so…"

"We could split up. Oz go with Buffy and talk to Xander, and I'll talk to Cordelia."

"You want to talk to Cordelia alone?"

"Brave." Oz said.

"I'll go with you, Willow." Giles said. He might not have been able to help them alone, but with Willow it would be easier. He was the parental, backup support, type of person. "They're both at Xander's now, I think."

"Then that's where we're going." Buffy said.

They got up and started to head off campus, walking a few feet behind Giles and Oz.

"He was checking you out." Willow said.

"Somebody's possessive."

"No…"

"Yes you are. And I like it."

"Well, can't really blame him…"

"I'm yours…but remember, public place."

"Buffy!"

She grinned at the look of shock on Willow's face. She was easy to unravel, but it was still fun. They linked arms, and Willow relaxed.

***

As the two of them sat in Xander's basement, they were together and alone at the same time. He and Cordelia sat up against the headboard of his bed, silent. They reasoned that if they didn't acknowledge the situation they both found themselves in, they could pretend there wasn't a problem.

It wasn't about being useful to their friends, or contributing, they knew they could do that. Xander proved that to himself when he shoved a knife through the "Freddy demon's" back a week or so ago. And Cordelia had surprised herself when she was there for Willow during Buffy's absence, and was actually comforting.

No, the problem was with the way their lives were going. They were stuck in a rut. More like rooted in a rut. Xander was jobless, and didn't have the grades to even get into Sunnydale's college. Cordelia was also jobless, but she did have the smarts to further her education, she just couldn't afford it.

Most people would say it's their own fault, and to a point, they'd agree. They wanted to do something with their lives, something productive, they just weren't sure how or what. And that was a minor problem. The biggest ones were denial and lack of self-esteem.

They wanted to be able to open up and deal together, but…they were scared to. Both were afraid to admit they needed help. Especially to each other. They faced one another slowly, debating whether or not to speak. Then their friends came down.

Before they had time to say and anything, Buffy and Oz already started to drag Xander off the bed, and Giles and Willow were doing the same to Cordelia.

"What are you doing?" Cordelia asked, her voice raised.

"Things to do. Hurry. Long day." Willow said.

They got outside, and the two groups, went in opposite directions. Xander glanced over his shoulder.

"We'll meet up with them later. Got things to do first." Buffy said.

***

Buffy and Oz took Xander to the miniature golf course outside of town. He was suspicious, because they knew he was the only one who really enjoyed doing eighteen holes of trying to get a golf ball in a frog's mouth. But he went along with it. One reason was because they were already halfway through the course, and two, because he was winning.

"So, Xand…are you trying to steal the 'Quiet Award' from Oz today or what?" Buffy asked him.

"It's a recognition I'd like to keep." Oz said.

"I knew it."

"Knew what?" She asked.

"That you had another reason for bringing me here."

"No I didn't. Okay, it was partly to figure out what's been going on with you, and to spend quality time with a friend I haven't seen in two months."

"There's nothing going on."

Oz lined up for his shot. "Benefit of minimal talking is learning to read people."

"Do you see where he's going?"

"I can handle it."

"Handle what? Speak to us."

"You can't fix my problems."

"No, but we can get you to want to fix them for yourself. What are they?"

"Self esteem." Oz said, as he hit the ball, and it went over to the other side of the windmill.

"Is he right?"

"If he is?"

"Then I don't understand why. You have no reason to -"

"Oh come on, Buffy. Look at my life."

"You may think it's hard, but you're just out of high school. Things are tough. I know."

"How? You don't know what -" Buffy looked at him wide-eyed. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean…"

"Maybe this was a bad idea."

She lined up to take her shot next. She swung, and she and Oz started to walk towards the hole. "That's it? You're just gonna give up on me?"

"That's what you want, isn't it? Fine. We'll just finish and go -"

"I have low self-esteem okay? I've been fired from every job I've gotten since graduation, I've been hospitalized, my family could care less about me, Cordelia's in the same -"

"Xander…" A light bulb went off in her head, and she smiled. It was so simple.

"Here comes the pity."

"No pity. Just understanding. Cause I know what you need."

"What's that?"

"To open up." Oz said.

"Isn't that what I'm doing?"

"Not to us. Cause as close as we are, we can't help you."

"Cordelia." Oz stated.

"No that would just -"

"Look, you're right. I don't know how hard it is for you. You and I are in two totally different situations. But Cordelia does. Cause she's going through it too."

"What happened to her isn't your fault."

"You love her don't you?"

"Well, yeah." Xander said.

"And she loves you back. You two are the only ones who can...I could tell you all day how worth it you are, how you'll get a job, how you're a great person and you have no reason to doubt that you'll lead a good life, but it wouldn't make a difference.

"You'd think I was saying it because I'm your friend, then you'd smile, maybe even say you'd try, but it wouldn't go anywhere. Cordelia's always been honest with you, and if you two love each other, you can help each other. I know this for a fact."

"How would we do that? We'd just make each other more depressed."

"You'd give each other the kick start to get moving. A reason not to give up." Oz said.

"I don't know."

"How do you feel now?" Buffy asked.

"Miserable. Depressed."

"It can only get better then. What have you got to lose?"

Xander seemed to be thinking about it.

"Let's finish up." Oz said.

***

Walking around the mall, Cordelia, Willow and Giles were shopping. Actually, Cordelia persuaded Giles to give her his credit card. He was a little more than worried at this point. She had about five bags full of stuff, and finally decided to stop because her legs were cramping.

She said she had to use the bathroom, so she made her way there, leaving Giles and Willow to wait for her. That had been ten minutes ago.

"I should go in there." Willow said.

"Well, we did bring her here in order to -"

"Can I help it if she's not the easiest person to talk to?"

"Perhaps you should try now. Before my bill gets any higher."

Willow made a face at him, and went inside.

***

She found Cordelia sitting on the tiled floor, crying. The bags were at her side. She looked up at Willow through tear-filled eyes.

"You don't really want to sit on the floor, do you?"

"Why not? I should get used to it now so it isn't a big shock later."

"Don't say that…"

"These," Cordelia said rifling through the clothes in the bags, "aren't me anymore. I'm a worthless, has-been, waitress."

Willow got down on the floor next to her. "The clothes were never 'you.' You're a person. Clothes don't make you who you are."

"Says who?"

"Ghandi. He didn't wear anything spectacular, wasn't rich either. But he was a great man."

"You know just how to wield that knowledge talent of yours, don't you?"

"Had to prove my point somehow."

"Well, I'm not Ghandi. I'm me, and I have different needs."

"You need to have everything?"

"Not everything…"

"You just think you do."

"I know that sounds selfish, it's just…I've had everything my whole life."

"Must be hard to revert."

"It is."

"Well, what do you have?"

"A couple pairs of disgusting shoes…"

"You know what I mean."

"I don't know. A job, crappy as it is, friends I guess…"

"You guess?"

"I know I do. A "Faith-esque" apartment, can't forget that, a lousy Honda,"

"What about intelligence, looks, acceptance letters from very good colleges,"

"Are we forgetting the fact that I have barely enough money to live off right now?"

"There's ways to get into colleges, and you know that. What about Xander?"

"What about him?"

"You have him too, don't you?"

"Sorta. We're kinda…in the same life place right now."

"So why aren't you talking to him about it? Maybe that's what you need."

"And make him feel worse? I mean we all knew he was going to end up…damn it. I didn't want to say that."

"He convinced himself a long time ago that he was going to be where he is now."

"Well that's just stupid. No wonder he -"

"And he blames himself for you ending up like him."

"He does? It's not his fault."

"Don't you think he needs to hear that?"

"I want to talk to him…but I'm afraid."

"Of what?"

"He went out with me because I was popular and…"

"You think that's why he loves you?

"He loves me?"

"Don't you?"

"Yeah, I do."

"He's with you because you're you. Not because you had money, or school status. He's still with you, and guess what? High school's been over. You need each other right now. That's obvious."

"Then what?"

"Well, whatever you decide to do, at least you'll be doing it together. It's good to have someone who understands and supports you. First-hand knowledge here. Now come on, and get off the floor."

***

They walked out of the bathroom and over to Giles.

"Is everything all right?"

"Yeah." Cordelia said.

"Ready to go?" Willow asked.

"Almost. I just need to return this stuff."

"Oh, Cordelia you don't have to -" He started.

"Thanks, Giles. I mean it. But…I don't need this."

***

Later, at the Bronze, the two couples were dancing. Xander and Cordelia, Buffy and Willow. Oz had to go lock himself in the mausoleum, it being the first night of the change. There was no band playing that night, just a DJ.

"This next song, is by Dave Matthews' Band, called 'Best Of What's Around'."

A few seconds later, the song started.

Xander and Cordelia looked at each other, seeing the things they didn't want to say.

Buffy smiled at Willow, who smiled back, and then they looked over at their friends. Xander leaned in and kissed Cordelia, and they followed suit.

'Buffy…' Willow thought.

'Willow…' Buffy thought.

'Xander…' Cordelia thought.

'Cordelia…' Xander thought.

Xander and Cordelia stopped dancing, and so did Buffy and Willow.

They were all waiting. And it was about to happen. Buffy and Willow held their breath.

(Turns out not where but what you think
That really matters
And hurts not much when you're around)

"I need you to help me." Xander and Cordelia said at the same time.

Buffy and Willow gave themselves a mental high five. They looked over at the door where Giles was standing quietly. They gave him a thumbs up, and waited for the next song to start.

The beach was nice at night. Kind of cold, but it gave the four of them an excuse to wear jackets. Something you didn't get to do very often in Southern California. They had a basket full of food. Well, it used to be.

Buffy sat up against Willow with her eyes closed, and Xander and Cordelia looked at her with an amused look on their faces.

'You're being stared at.'

Buffy opened her eyes and caught her friends' gazes. "What?"

"Nothing…nothing at all." Xander and Cordelia said in rambling defense.

She sat up. "I like Willow warmth. And we had to sit through you two feeding each other grapes, you know." She looked at the empty soda cans around them, and noticed a bottle sticking out of the basket. "Is that champagne, Xander?"

"No. It's ginger ale. I took the label off." Cordelia gave him her best 'you're impossible' look.

Willow had to keep from laughing. It was nice to see them in rare form again. "So, things are better…with you guys?"

"Ooh! Yeah. I'm working at the Bronze now."

"Really? Doing what?"

"Bouncer." Buffy cleared her throat. "Does the Slayer have something she'd like to say?"

"I just…never thought of you as a bouncer before, is all."

"If it's about the lack of muscle, believe me, I'm making him bulk up." Cordelia said.

"Before my maleness gets attacked some more, allow me to explain. Most people refuse to take the job, because…most people die."

"Which leads me to add - why did you take this job?" Willow asked.

"Hey I can handle the run of the mill vamps, and because I was so enthusiastic, they're willing to pay me a nice chunk of change."

"I'm happy for you. Really. Just promise me, because I know how important this is to you, that you'll arm yourself?" Buffy said.

"To the teeth. Promise."

"And I called most of the colleges I applied to. They said I could take the summer session, and they're sending me financial aid things, and I'm learning to save my money, so…" Cordelia said.

"That's great. So which one are you going to go to?" Willow asked. Cordelia looked down at her lap. "I shouldn't have asked that. Being quiet now."

"She's just not sure…yet." Xander said, looking at Cordelia to make sure he was correct. She nodded. "So…Buffy, how are you feeling?"

"Good. Almost a hundred percent even. I can take on anything the Hellmouth throws out."

Just then, they all felt the sand move underneath their blanket. They all jumped off, and watched as oddly colored, red spiked snakes slithered out from the blanket. They made their way to the ocean, quickly.

Xander rushed to one, and stepped on its head, killing it. He picked it up, and the rest allowed the ocean to carry them away.

"Caught one." He said.

"What were they?" Buffy asked.

Cordelia sighed. "Not again."

Buffy faced her, and noticed Willow and Xander fidgeting. "Again?"

***

Giles and Wesley were sitting quietly drinking tea and reading, when Buffy and the others came in. Wesley had learned that Angelus was somewhere underground and that had shocked them, because Angelus didn't seem like someone who would live in filth. They had not gone in search of him yet.

They were waiting for him to show himself. Wandering aimlessly in the sewers looking for him would not have been a very good or smart thing, to do.

"Did you have," Giles started to say when Buffy put the snake on the table, "a good time?"

"Don't hurt him, Buffy." Willow said, coming up behind her.

Wesley was drawn to the snake immediately, and picked it up. "You were actually able to capture one this time. Excellent."

"You can thank me for -" Xander began.

"What's been going on, Giles?" Buffy asked.

"Ah…recently…" He looked up at anyone for help, but they all raised their hands and sat down on the couch. "There have been creatures appearing from time to time…"

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"They haven't been anything terribly life-threatening, and I didn't want to worry you over -"

Buffy's expression softened. "Giles, I know you're looking out for me," She grabbed his hand, "and I appreciate it, really. But I'm not going to break. I'm fully functional, and ready to slay. And if these things have shown up more than once, we need to figure out why."

He smiled at her. "I suppose my parental instincts have been outdoing my watcher instincts lately."

She hugged him. "I'm glad they are. But…I do have a job to do."

"Now that I have a closer look, I believe I recognize this creature." Wesley said.

"And?" Cordelia asked.

Buffy backed into Willow's embrace, and they and everyone else turned to him for an explanation.

"It's a Vyerdin. An ancient, demonic ancestor of today's snake breeds. It hasn't existed on Earth for thousands of years. It poisons -"

"Poison?" Xander and Cordelia panicked.

Xander pulled off his shoe and his sock and checked his foot for punctures.

"Which it releases from its tail. If you only impacted with its head, you should be fine."

"I think I almost had a heart attack."

"Breathe." Cordelia said.

"The next question - what are they doing here after a thousand years?" Willow asked.

"I have no idea." Wesley said.

"I was waiting for the brick wall. Here it is." Buffy said.

"Now, when it comes to demons and stuff, I'm no expert, but it seems like every time we've seen these things, they've come up from under the ground." Cordelia said.

Everyone's brains started working.

"And what's underground?" Buffy asked.

"Sewers?" Xander offered.

"And?"

"Angelus." Willow said.

"Can we go three for three?"

"Damn." Wesley cursed.

"The Hellmouth." Giles said. "It's at its weakest point directly underneath where the school was, so the Vyerdin are breaking through, and if Angelus is residing in the sewers…"

"He's getting ready to open it." Xander said.

Their adrenaline was going; their hearts were beating faster, their blood pumping, anxiety rising…

"So what do we do?" Cordelia asked.

They just looked at one another. What were they going to do?

***

In a restricted wing of the Council's complex, Quentin Travers went to report to the founder of the institution. The boss. No matter how powerful Quentin was, his boss' orders were final. And they weren't always "good" orders.

The "right of passage" test that Slayers had to endure, though most didn't, was started by the founder. Except for the current slayer, of course. As much as people over the years of had objected to it, nothing changed, because the test was not to improve the slayer, it was to kill her. Which is what the founder wanted. Rupert had been right when he said it was barbaric, but Quentin didn't have a choice.

What most watchers and slayers didn't know, was that the very forces that they were trying to combat, started the Council. On the surface, the Council seemed to have good intentions, but it was all a sham. The darker forces used the whole idea of enlisting girls with slaying ability, to keep an eye on the enemy, and evil could fool even the most suspicious of people into thinking it was something it wasn't.

When the time came, when evil was to gain the upper hand once again, it could simply shut down the only organized threat to it. The Council. They trained their slayers and watchers to follow orders to the letter. Drones who would follow orders without question. So when everything was brought to a halt, they would simply disband, and no one would oppose them.

But, occasionally, rebellious types would spring up. Normally, they'd be taken care of quickly, but in the case of Buffy Summers and her Watcher, they had proved more resilient. And now that the Great Sorceress had been discovered, and she and the Slayer had joined forces, things had become complicated.

They had not anticipated a struggle, but it was Hell's time to reclaim Earth, and according to the boss, they wouldn't be stopped.

Quentin entered the large, dark chamber, and stood patiently.

"Travers." A deep voice said in the shadows.

"Yes?"

"My brethren call to me. The time is near."

"I understand."

"I also understand that you let the man, Pryce, leave with materials to aid the light warriors."

"No, of course not."

"Your tongue is lying. If it hadn't been for your meddling, the takeover would have been quick. Now, the Great Sorceress grows stronger, and the Slayer is powerful once again. Penance must be paid." Quentin was silent, as beads of sweat ran down his face.

"Have you nothing to say in your defense? I have watched over this place for thousands of years - at the request of my brothers in the Dark Dimension. Confined here, paving the way for our eventual triumph. It's so very near, and I will be free to roam this plane.

"Thousands will die in the reshaping of this world. Horrors the human eye will be frightened to look upon. Take solace in the fact, that you, will not have to see it."

Before Quentin knew what was happening, red eyes appeared in the darkness, and less than a second later, he was ash on the floor.

***

"I don't," Buffy punched the vampire she was battling in the gut, "have time," she kicked it in the head and it fell on its back, "for idiots," she staked it, "like you."

Willow was magically thrusting a vampire in the air, and with a wave of her hand, threw it into a branch jutting out from a tree. "Is that it?"

"You're showing off."

"Am not. Just using what I'm good at. Never thought I'd be able to be good at doing, that, though. Would it help if I said I was just trying to impress you?"

"It might."

"Okay that was twenty five percent showing off, fifty percent trying to see if I could do it and pushing myself, and twenty five percent impressing you."

Buffy walked over to her, and crossed her arms over her chest. "I only get twenty-five percent?"

"You have all my percents in every other area. Promise."

"Magick is your deal, so I guess I can let you off the hook. What does that mean anyway? Are they talking about fishing hooks, or phone hooks or what?"

"I've always wondered what the heck 'Yabba Dabba Doo' meant." Buffy gave her a strange look and started to laugh. "What?" Willow stuck her tongue out at her. "I like the Flintstones. I know he says it when he's happy. They're three separate words, though. I wanna know what they mean."

"It's a mystery for the ages. Actually, it was the sixties. They were probably all on drugs. Look at Scooby Doo."

"I know what you mean…wait. We got completely sidetracked, didn't we?"

"Uh huh. Side tracking is nice sometimes. But focusing. Must focus."

"Especially because of what Xander and Oz are gonna do. You think they'll be okay?"

"They volunteered, and everybody has to chip in, no matter how much we don't like it. Oz is sensible, and Xander's impulsive. They balance out. I just hope they don't take any risks."

"Giles is supposed to call to tell us what they find out."

"Then let's go play the waiting game."

***

Xander was standing beside the entrance to the Bronze accepting the price of admission from incoming clubgoers. He figured he must've had five hundred dollars in his pockets. Of course, he didn't get to keep any of it, but holding that amount of money was a thrilling experience for him. Plus he got to card people. He'd know everybody in Sunnydale eventually.

He had a zipped up jacket on. Not because it was cold, but for other reasons. One was to hide his lack of muscular build, so he could retain some menacing demeanor, and two, he was hiding vampire protection materials. Mainly, a couple strands of garlic, a large cross, and a few bottles of holywater.

He thought he noticed people smelling the garlic scent, because they were looking at him with bizarre expressions. He glanced over at Oz, who was similarly equipped, standing in the shadows across the street. This had been a bad idea.

Well, not necessarily a bad idea. Just one that probably could have used a little more planning on their part. They were looking for any sign of Angelus. The guy had to come out to eat, and the Bronze was in the center of town. They were hoping to see him, and then follow him to where he was holed up, get out, and then tell everyone.

That was what Xander wasn't too keen on doing. But he had asked, volunteered, so he had to stick with it. Besides, it was simple reconnaissance. See where Angelus was, try and see what he was doing, and get out. Quick, fast, and pain free. Or so he hoped.

There was no sign of him yet apparently, because he saw Oz shake his head.

And then Xander saw him out of the corner of his eye. Angelus was coming out of an alley, wiping what Xander assumed was blood, off his mouth.

"Damn." He said quietly. But there wasn't anything he or Oz could have done.

Then Angelus made his way toward a manhole up the street. He had to go. But he had his job. Why hadn't he factored that in? Then the manager came out of the club.

"I'm getting complaints from people about a smell. Is that garlic?" The man asked.

"Sorry. Superstitious. Tell you what. I'll go home, get rid of it, take a shower, and come back here."

"Make it quick."

"Twenty minutes tops. Just…don't fire me."

"I like you, kid." Xander smiled inwardly. He was on good terms with his boss. That was a first. He was about to catch up with Oz and follow Angelus, when he felt the manager tap him on the shoulder. "The money?"

"Whoops. Unintentional." He handed over the money and started to run.

***

"To quote a great man, 'The waiting game sucks.'" Buffy said, as both she and Willow were sitting on their bed staring at the phone.

"Who said that?"

"Beats me. Had to be great, though. Cause this does suck."

"They're fine. I'm sure they are."

"Can you tell?"

"Just that they're not hurt."

"That's good. Wow. Is there a limit to what you can do?"

"I hope so. Being able to do some of things she taught me -"

"The Goddess?"

"Yeah. It's freaky. Mostly cause I can do stuff without even concentrating that hard anymore. Before the year started I could lift a pencil, and the biggest spell I did was barely making a five second duplicate of you."

"That seems like forever ago."

"So much…a lot…has happened…"

Willow was becoming overwhelmed as she realized the scope of what she had been through. And then realized, that this was what happened when you stood between the world and its destruction. In her hacker/sidekick helper position, she had never fully understood. But Buffy knew. All too well. Just another reason for Willow to respect her.

"But we're still here. My mom, you're parents, Giles, is still here. Everyone's still alive. This is the Buffy statement on slaying - 'If you've survived, didn't lose any friends, and manage to stay enrolled in school, you're doing pretty damn good.'

"For someone new to this, you're really good at it. And I still think you’re the greatest person in the world, still love ya, and you get bonus points for being so wiccany."

"It doesn't bother you that you're sharing your slaying with me is it?"

"You kidding? It's a major help. It used to be just me out there, even though you guys helped some. And then it was Kendra, Faith…now it's you. And I'm glad. Really.

"The only thing that scares me is the track record of people who slay with me, hasn't been so good. Kendra ended up dead, and Faith is in comaland. Which…I won't let happen…"

"That goes for me too, you know. If I'm slaying, I take on as much responsibility to watch your back as you do for me."

"I wouldn't want anyone else to be watching it."

"You better not."

They laughed, trying to break the seriousness of the moment, and Buffy brought her hand to Willow's cheek and quickly kissed her lips.

"We've gotta stop having these heavy conversations. Especially with our friends out there. It's not good for my stress level."

"You know what we need?"

There was a knock at the door, and Buffy got up to answer it, leaving Willow's question hanging in the air. Cordelia was standing there, holding a carton in her hands. She came in immediately.

"I was driving Giles and Wesley nuts…I was driving myself nuts…so I came over here. I have ice cream."

"Kind?" Buffy asked.

"Fudge nut brownie."

"That's what we need." Willow said, answering her own question.

***

"The barrier is weakening. You're progressing well." The cloaked figure said to Angelus in the Master's lair. His ability to connect to the world was becoming stronger.

Around the room, black candles were lit, an eerie, blue flame washing the walls in light. There was a smell of incense in the air, and the Vyerdin were slithering about, looking for escape.

"These things are getting on my nerves."

"Get used to it. When the Mouth is fully opened, a lot of larger 'things', as you put it, will be coming through."

"That's great, really, but while I'm down here lighting candles, Buffy, and Willow, are getting better. Stronger. Not to mention the fact that they're still breathing."

"And whose fault, is that?" Angelus didn't answer. "Your problem is lack of patience. They will die. It's inevitable."

"You haven't faced them. It's easy to talk. She's not the same as she was three years ago." He was careful not to lash out at the figure.

"Which is why there will be reinforcements."

***

"Who's he talking to?" Xander asked in a whisper.

They followed Angelus discreetly and quietly, and were surprised that he hadn't sensed them. But seeing his agitation and distraction now, they could understand why. Needless to say, Xander was shocked when they saw the Master's lair in use again.

"I dunno. You know this place better than I do."

"No idea. We've seen enough."

"Agreed."

"Let's go report."

That's when Angelus looked in their general direction, and they heard the figure speak.

"It seems you have company. Although, I wouldn't -" Angelus was already on his way over.

"Xander, Xander, Xander. Don't you ever learn?"

He and Oz opened their jackets, revealing their hidden defenses.

"Yes." Xander said. He poured holywater over the backing up Angelus, and they took the opportunity to run. "We'll tell Buffy you said hi."

Angelus grabbed his face. The garlic, cross, and holywater combination had burned the side of his face.

"I tried to warn you." The figure said. "Impulsive and impatient. I pushed for your release. More and more, I question whether that was a mistake." It vanished.

***

"I suppose I should have suspected something. Angelus' single focus has always been Buffy's demise. For him to suddenly stop, disappear, was strange." Giles said.

"As you mentioned, your mind was elsewhere." Wesley replied.

"You find that irresponsible."

"I find that caring. I was honest when I said I wanted to see Buffy well when I came here. You and Buffy and her friends have influenced me greatly. I may not understand the depth of your caring for her or any of these kids, but I wouldn't penalize you for it. I envy you, actually."

"The Council doesn't allow for that. You were just following regulations."

"Perhaps I shouldn't have. I feel I've missed opportunities, some more fulfilling type of life."

"Better late than never. You could start now."

"I think I will. I owe you all thanks."

"You've done so much for Buffy and for Willow, and have helped us all tremendously. You don't owe anyone."

The phone started to ring, and Giles picked it up immediately.

"Oz? Are you two all right…good…really?…he went back to…okay then. Thank you…this helps. Get some sleep."

"Safe?"

Giles nodded, hung up, and started to dial the number for Buffy and Willow's dorm.

***

"Great, Giles. Good night." Willow said, and then hung up. "They're both fine."

All three girls took a deep breath.

"So what'd they learn?" Buffy asked.

"Giles didn't say much except that Angelus was in the Master's lair and that he'd talk to us after classes tomorrow."

"The Master's lair? Why there?" Cordelia asked.

"Beats me." Buffy said. But her thoughts betrayed her voice.

Willow hugged Buffy to her. Cordelia looked at them.

"Willow warmth again?"

"It's comforting." Buffy smiled.

But just the thought that the only person, well not really a person, who had killed her, could have something to do with everything that was happening…she shuddered, and Willow held tighter.

more to come

Fiction Index