Chapter 9

Buffy walked into the kitchen seeing her mothers reassuring face look up from a magazine.

"Buffy."

"Hi Mom."

"Are you all right, honey?"

"A little worse for wear but I am alright."

"Dinner's in the microwave."

Buffy walked to the microwave when the blender came on by itself. The garbage disposal started running.

"Uh, not again," Buffy said.

"Buffy, what is going on?"

The microwave started running and growing bright inside until the door burst open spitting out food.

"That's it," she said, "Now I've had it."

The next instant a knife floated off the table and careened towards Joyce's head.

"Mom!" she yelled, "Duck!"

Buffy grabbed her Mom and pulled her to the floor. The knife hit and went into the wall. Other knifes immediately started to fly across the room hitting everywhere. The lights blinked on and off. The kitchen cabinets slammed open and closed.

Buffy stood back up and shouted, "Wow, is this the best you can do?"

"Buffy?"

"Mom, I can explain everything later."

"You're not scaring anyone," Buffy said into the empty kitchen.

Everything in the kitchen quickly stopped.

"Mom, are you alright?" Buffy said looking down.

"Yes," she said rising up, "What was that?"

"Warlock or demon I think," she said puzzled, "I'm not sure which."

"Oh, of course."

"Mom, why don't you go to bed?" she said, "I'll clean up the kitchen before I go upstairs."

"You sure you're alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine."

"Okay, good night honey." she said giving her a kiss on the cheek.

"Nite Mom," she said as she left the kitchen.

After Buffy successfully cleared away the food that exploded and put everything back she heard a knock at the door.

"Angel," she said after opening the door.

"Can I come in?" he said, "I need to talk to you."

"What happened?" she said as he walked in.

"You are probably not going to believe this but when I went back to the mansion I was waiting there already."

"You what?"

"I met myself."

"Yourself?"

"Yes but no," he said confused.

"No?"

"No because it wasn't me Buffy," he said pausing, "It was Angelus."

"How?" Buffy said with a look of anger and fear.

"I don't know Buffy," he said shaking his head, "I don't know."

Buffy turned into the living room and sat on the couch looking straight ahead.

"Buffy," he said imploringly.

"My Mom and I were attacked in the kitchen earlier."

"What happened?" he asked sitting beside her, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," she said turning her head to Angel, "My Mom went to bed."

"Did you get the book back to Giles okay?"

"Yeah," she replied, "Helps to have another Slayer around even though she's a ghost."

"I saw him at the Master's lair."

"Angel, why would you go back there?"

"He goaded me to come."

"Joshua confronted Willow, Xander, Oz and Cordeila in front of the school along with Spike and Drusilla."

"Drusilla?"

"Yeah," she said, "Did you see her too?"

"Yeah," Angel said, "She was kind of in the lair too."

"But I know they left town."

"Me too."

"None of this is making any sense," Buffy said, "Giles has been thinking something else is trying to break us and now he thinks that whoever it is now working with Joshua. Spike and Dru acted like they were helping him."

"Spike definitely answers to no one but himself let alone a warlock."

"It's like this thing knows us inside and out."

Everyone was continuing to read in the library when Giles stepped back out from his office.

"Have we any luck finding anything yet?"

"No," Willow said, "I've even looked through the almanacs."

"This is getting us nowhere," Xander said, "What are we supposed to do?"

"Keep looking?" Oz said.

"Like that's going to help us now," Cordeila said.

"There is some kind of pattern to everything that has gone on."

"Pattern?" Oz said.

"Everyone that we've have encountered have been people known to us."

"Not very nice ones," Cordeila said.

"Yeah, like when you said you saw Ethan Rayne," Willow said.

"Yes. Buffy saw Darla in the gymnasium and you all saw the Master," Giles said.

"But both of them are dead," Xander said.

"We know that Xander," Cordeila said.

"It's like in someway we are being tormented or punished," Giles spoke.

In front of Oz a large volume combusted into flames spreading shreds of burnt pages across the table.

Giles ran back into office and came out with a pitcher of water handing it to Oz. Oz quickly poured it over the book. It was a shaking site.

"Okay, was that some kind of message?"

Everyone turned to look at Cordeila.

In Amy Madison's room she was practicing her witchcraft. She had prepared the necessary ingredients needed for spells involving seeing the future and predicting portents. As soon as she added the final component and lit the plate a stream of smoke started to rise, she began to chant the words when something suddenly took a hold of her. In her mind she felt an immediate sense of fear and danger like she was experiencing the calm before the storm. She awoke out of a trance shaking away any feelings of disorientation. She looked back down at the plate to see everything singed.

"I swear the entire kitchen went berserk all at once, Buffy said to everyone sitting around her at lunch time.

"Is your Mom okay?" Willow said.

"Yes," she said, "I ducked her before a knife hit her."

"Oh, that's nothing compared to last night," Cordeila said sarcastically, "Whole library almost burnt down."

"It was just one book that got burned," Willow answered.

"How?" Buffy asked concerned.

"Combusted," Oz replied.

Michael was sitting next to Oz listening to everyone with a sinking feeling.

God, what is going on?, he thought.

"Michael, are you alright?" Buffy asked.

"Yes, I'm fine," he said.

"You just seem a little preoccupied," she said, "I know this might sound freaky to you."

"No, I don't mind," he said with a smile, "It comes with the territory of being you."

Jenny Calendar walked towards the gold plaque headstone that had her name. She imagined Giles must've of paid for the whole thing. She had expected the surprise reactions from everyone. It was cool to be back even if it was for a short time.

"Jennifer Calendar."

She turned to the sound of the voice and saw Ethan Rayne. He had looked and read her name.

"Who are you?"

"Ethan Rayne," he said, "Or at least his appearance."

"A demon?"

"You could put it that way," he replied, "I came here to warn you to stay clear of Joshua Miller. I have big plans for him and everyone else."

"I don't threaten that easily now."

"Naturally, of course."

"What are you planning to do?"

"Oh I have a lot in store for the Slayer and her friends, old Ripper and ah yes... Angel."

"Angel?" she said slightly apprehensive.

"It's sad you had to pay the price with your own life."

"Angelus left once his soul was restored."

"Right, you found the Ritual of Restoration and Buffy found the saved disc that had the spell on it."

"Yes," she said. "Angel is back now."

"Well it's no matter because he won't be around for long."

"What are you going to do?"

"You'll see soon." he said walking away behind a mausoleum, "It's going to be one hell of a party."

"So you say you felt something last night?" Giles asked Amy in his office.

"Yes," she said, "It was pretty strong."

"And all you know is you sensed some sort of dread."

"It was something very dangerous. Extremely powerful. I had never felt anything like it before."

Buffy walked in as Giles and Amy were walking out of the office.

"Giles, we seriously need to talk."

"Thank you, Amy," she said to her walking away.

"What's up?"

"Amy felt a bad premonition last night."

"Like something is coming?"

"I'm afraid so."

"Well I think it might've already started," she said, "Angel saw Angelus last night."

"He what?" Giles exclaimed.

"Angel met with himself in person," she said, "And it all happened in the Master's lair."

"The Master's lair?" he replied, "That place has been deserted ever since you destroyed him."

"I know."

She slammed her books on the table and said, "I can't stand the fact that we don't who or what this thing is and we don't how to stop it."

"I know, Buffy. It has been very hard on all of us."

Giles started to think to how he saw Ethan in the library. An illusion. Everything has been illusions, he thought.

"Giles?" Buffy asked seeing him stare away, "What is going on?"

"What?" Giles said turning back, "Oh nothing."

Xander jumped inside and said, "You guys gotta check out the pool."

"What's wrong?"

"The whole pool looks like an ice skating rink."

"It's been frozen over?" Giles inquired.

"Yes."

Buffy and Giles gave each other knowing looks.

"I'll go check this out."

Michael walked down the hallway until he became startled to the same man with the cold blue eyes standing right in front of him.

"Miss me?"

He guided Michael by the arm onto the next classroom door and took him inside. Inside the room the shades had been drawn that didn't leave much sunlight coming through.

"Buffy was attacked again last night."

"Was she really?" he said leaning against a desk.

"Are you responsible?"

"Ah, could be."

"You know I am sick and tired of playing your games," he said growing angry, "So why don't you tell me what you want?"

Buffy and Xander opened the door to the pool area and saw a white sheet of ice covering the whole length.

"So do we have our evil neighborhood warlock to thank for this?" Xander asked, "They were just about to have gym class when everyone quickly left."

Buffy tapped on the corner of the pool and started to walk on it.

"Buffy, I wouldn't do that."

"You are going to steal the book for me."

"You're insane," Michael said, "The book's dangerous."

"Precisely."

Michael looked at him realizing what was on his mind.

"You're working with the warlock?" he replied, "You don't want the book for yourself you want it for him."

Buffy was slowly walking towards the middle of the pool when the ice below cracked and broke beneath her feet. She plunged into the ice cold water reaching her way back to the surface. As she did the ice reformed above her h sealing her underwater. She started to hit the surface.

"You can just forget it!" Michael said, "I'm leaving!"

When Michael couldn't turn the knob he turned around and observed Angelus sitting in the desk chair with his legs propped up on the table.

"Leaving so soon?" he said, "Awwwww."

Buffy swam and pound some more on the ice at the side of the pool. Xander came over to Buffy pounding from above seeing her trying to hold her breath.

"I am not doing anything for you," Michael said, "None of them deserve what I've already done to them. What does Buffy really mean to you?"

"What does she mean to you?"

"What do you mean?"

"You can save her and all you have to do is steal back the grimiore from them."

"You've done something to her, haven't you?"

"It all depends on you, Michael," he said, "So what's it gonna be?"

Xander had grabbed an ax from the wall violently hitting the ice making small dents in the ice.

Angelus looked at him awaiting Michael's answer.

"Alright!" Michael replied, "I'll do it. Just give me enough time."

"Great," Angelus said, "That's all I'm asking."

At that moment Buffy broke a small chunk as Xander hit with the ax until Buffy jumped up letting out a long breath. Xander quickly pulled her out seeing her pale face and blonde hair soaked.

"You okay?" Xander said moving her towards the bleachers.

"Yeah," she said coughing with exasperated breath.

Buffy raised her head up confused to see the pool was all water again.