Buffy laid down in her bed on November 7th. She knows what today is and she knows it's important. But what she's questioning is should she even go. Does she have the right to go? Buffy rolled her eyes a person could go mad from this. She rolls her hand into a fist and sticks it under her chin hoping this will work. Buffy feels the sting for a moment but no… not even that will do it.
Willow came in and saw what her best friend was trying to do. "Buffy, you know that won't work anymore. You already tried."
Buffy frowned as she just put her hand on the bed. "A little optimism never hurt anyone Will."
Willow looked at her best friend trying to get her to see what everyone else already has and why Giles was on the phone last night with some mystical order called the Order of Taraka a powerful cult that will bind Ethan's powers according to him. "It wasn't your fault Buffy, none of it was. This was Ethan and his sick joke. He is going to jail for it for a long time."
Buffy looked at her tears running down her face. "How can you say that… after what I did... after everything I took from you…"
"Because it's true" Willow replied holding her sobbing best friend. "It wasn't your fault, none of it was."
One Week Ago
Buffy stood in Ethan's Halloween shop looking at her black wife beater cutting off at her belly button and black leather pants with a belt with a red and yellow X belt buckle on it. This should make Angel gulp.
Ethan smiled at the costume the Slayer picked… those poor, poor, demons. "I thought you were going to be a princess."
Buffy looked to Xander. "Someone objected."
Xander rolled his eyes. All he said was Angel left with a vampire so he obviously wasn't into the girls of that time except for food. And he's obviously right given how Buffy is getting something new.
Buffy grabbed the two retractable toy blades and paid Ethan.
Buffy fell to her knees on Halloween night as Ethan's spell took hold. She got to her feet as a demon growled and approached her. Buffy looked at it with a smile as four metallic claws came out of her hands two each. She smiled as she drove her claws into the demon's stomach as it fell to the floor dead and all the others ran off.
"Buffy!"
Buffy turned around and saw a soldier and a prostitute running close to her.
Willow looked at her and it's like Buffy doesn't even recognize her. "Buffy do you know who we are?"
Buffy looked at the two coldly. "My name is Laura."
Willow nodded in understanding much like Xander became a soldier she became X-23. "OK, we need your help to stop this madness."
Laura smiled popping her claws out. She's going to enjoy this.
"At the source so we don't hurt too many people." Willow quickly added as they went to her house for cover. Laura frowned but followed the two inside.
It wasn't long before Laura smelled fear and heard a girl with her enhanced senses. She quickly ran out of the house and saved Cordy from a stray dog. Laura walked back into the house and after finding out Cordelia was still herself for some reason Willow went to find Giles and get his help after telling Laura and Xander to protect each other and the house.
Cordy, Xander, and Laura actively patrolled the house. Willow said she'd take care of it and to just stay in doors.
Laura watches as a tall guy with Spiky hair enters and holds her hand and said. "Thank god you're OK its total chaos out there."
Laura growled at him as her claws popped out. "VAMPIRE!"
Laura easily impales the vampire to the wall as his eyes widen and his game face shows.
Cordy took a moment to let that sink in he really was a vampire like Buffy and Willow had tried to warn her about this morning. "No, no, killing him!"
"I know what his kind does, even worse to good people like Jubilee." Laura replied taking one claw out ready to behead him with it.
Cordy shakes her head no. "Angel is a good one like a care bear with fangs."
"You mean like Blade?" Laura asked.
Cordy nodded. "If he's a vampire that kills other vampires, then yeah"
Laura removed her second set of claws as Angel fell to the floor. They turn hearing a break.
They all turn at the sound of glass breaking and commando Xander takes the initiative after hearing the noise. "OK, me and the cat lady upstairs" He points at Angel. "You and Lady Freddy downstairs barricade all the ways in."
Laura and Angel nod as they head to the back door and see it's open. Laura growled and popped her claws smelling someone new in the house. The badly dressed vampire ran in and was swiftly decapitated by her as it crumbled to dust, taking the high school student it was with him.
They hear gunfire upstairs and quickly barricade the backdoors and windows.
An hour in and the barricades was starting to waver. A yellow skinned demon makes it in the back door and promptly sucker punches Angel knocking the vampire down. The yellow demon grabs a wooden chair and breaks a leg making it a quick stake until Laura runs up and slashes him across the chest and a green gunky bloody substance sprays onto her face as she falls to her knees causing the girl to hold her head.
"Please god no!" Laura pleaded trying desperately to fight it.
Angel got up and saw Buffy on her knees. "Buffy what's wrong?"
Laura pushed him away. "Get away from me! Get out! Hurry!"
Angel wasn't backing down. "Buffy, what's wrong."
Laura looked at him with red eyes as a claw popped out of her foot and she kicked at Angel's neck. The vampires head fell off his body and dusted. Laura let out a vicious howl and ran upstairs to the fast heartbeats as Xander's and Cordy's screams sound through the house.
The Present
Buffy pushes away from Willow. "I killed them."
Willow shook her head no vehemently. "Buffy you are my best friend, there is not an evil bone in your entire body. This was an accident; no one knows what the trigger scent is. And it's not like we knew what was going to happen on Halloween."
"Tell that to the families of the people I murdered. Or the ones they lost when a 'gang related PCP deal went bad'." Buffy replied going to her bureau.
Buffy went looking through her clothes she killed sixty five people and god knows how many demons, and to top it off the fun of Halloween...
Buffy looks at her hand and sees the bone claws and a bit of her blood and brain residue on them. She can't even kill herself. Most people got the memories she got the complete package thanks to her slayer hood. She retracted her claws. "I don't think I can make it through today."
Willow hugged her and simply replied hearing her cry as Willow started breaking down in tears. "I don't know if I can either, that's why I need you with me today." They both cry a bit before Willow calms down. "Now come on, Xander will never forgive us if we go to his funeral dressed like this."
Buffy and Willow came down in black dresses, they saw Giles at the door and each girl hugged the watcher as he did them.
Buffy looked at him. "Any sign of Ethan?" She's going to just keep scratching him with her new bone claws until he dies. She doesn't give a damn if he's human or not.
Giles nodded. "The council bound his powers last night." Meaning the assassins found their target hung him upside down and gutted him as Giles ordered for getting two of his kids killed.
Buffy frowned. Xander's funeral today, Cordy's funeral tomorrow and something nice for Angel tonight. Whether it was her driving the body or not, their screams will haunt her for the rest of her life. God she can't do this. "How am I supposed to...?"
Giles hugged her. "In truth I don't think you ever will but me, Willow, Ms. Calendar, even your mother. We're going to help you through this Buffy, no matter what."
Giles led the girls out the door and into his car for the funeral. He's going to miss Xander and Cordelia. He hopes that pilock that used to be his friend died screaming he feared the day his past would catch up to him. But he never would have thought his kids would pay the price.
Author's Notes
I always read Halloween fics and the scooby becomes the greatest thing since sliced bread. I wanted to do one where it practically breaks them.
X-23 is owned by Marvel
