Chapter 21: Becoming Pt. 1

Buffy and Paige battle two vamps, as one came at Buffy she threw him. Paige sparred with the second vampire.

"Come on. Ooh, nice try," Buffy said as she easily parried a blow from her vampire.

"Now that was just sloppy. If you're not even gonna try, then ..." said Paige as she hammered hers, pulling out a stake. She smiled as she held out her hand. "Stake!" she called out as it orbed straight into the vampire's chest dusting him.

The second vamp stopped, worried as Paige turned towards him. "We want you to give Angel a message for us," said Buffy. "Tell him we're done waiting. We're taking the fight to him. You got that? Do you want me to write it down?"

Fury crossed the vampire's face as he lunged at Buffy who staked his sorry ass and he dusted.

"All right, we'll tell him ourselves," said Buffy.

Paige turned and went over to Xander as she helped him up. "You okay, sweetie?"

"I'm good, don't worry about me ..." said Xander.

"You know, you don't have to patrol with us," said Buffy.

"Hey, I had that guy under control until he resorted to fisticuffs," said Xander as he shook his head. "What is that: five vampires in three nights?"

"But no Angel," Paige said as she glanced at her sister.

Xander nodded. "You two really that anxious to come up against him?"

"Not sure about Paige, but I just want it over with," said Buffy.

Paige sighed and had to nod in agreement as Xander said, "I hear that."

"We better get back. Buffy and I haven't even started studying for finals," said Paige as she took Xander and Buffy's hands.

"Oh, yeah, finals. Why didn't you two let me die?" Xander said as he cringed at the thought of taking finals.

"Look on the bright side," said Buffy as Paige orbed them out. "It'll all be over soon."

The next day in the cafeteria Xander is using a pair of fishsticks to recap last night's fight. "You can't sneak up on me! Tell Angel we're gonna kill him—no—wait—we're gonna kill you! Die! Die! ARRGGHH! Mother!"

"Is that it?" asked Dawn with a roll of the eyes. She had heard the whole thing from Buffy and Paige after they got home. Still Xander's story was amusing.

Xander nodded. "That's it. Scene."

"Yeah," said Paige, "that's just exactly how it happened."

"I thought it was riveting," said Oz. "I was a little unclear about some of the themes."

"The theme is, Angel's too much of a coward to take me and Paige on face to face," said Buffy.

"The other theme was Buy American," Xander said, "but it got kind of buried."

Willow looked to the sisters. "Are you two sure you're ready to fight Angel?"

"Can everybody stop asking us that?" asked Buffy. "Yeah I'm ready. Also willing, also able. It's the one test I might actually pass."

Dawn placed a reassuring hand on Buffy who relaxed. "Don't say that," she said. "You're gonna pass everything. Willow and I are gonna get you and Paige through this semester if we have to sweat blood."

"Do you think you're likely to?" Xander asked. "'Cause I'd like to be elsewhere."

Willow smiled. "It was only metaphor blood."

"I think you'd sweat cute blood," said Oz as he looked at his girlfriend.

Willow nodded as she looked at Buffy and Paige. "Sixth period, after Dawn's and my computer class, we'll rock on Chemistry."

"I'm ready to rock," said Buffy. "You're the best, Will. Dawnie. Thanks."

"Thanks," added Paige.

Xander smiled at Paige as he reached for Paige, but she shrank back. "Don't touch me! You have fish hands!" said Paige.

Xander moved his hands toward her face. "Come, let me caress you ..."

Paige laughed, batting away his hands. "Stop it!"

Principal Snyder cleared his throat as everyone looked up at him. "That's enough of that." He looked at Willow. "And you. Are we having a chair shortage?"

"I haven't read anything about—Oh! I get it," said Willow as she jumped off Oz's lap and sat in her own chair.

"These public displays of affection are not acceptable in my school," said Snyder. "This isn't an orgy, people. It's a classroom."

"Yeah, where they teach lunch ..." said Buffy.

"Do you have something to say?" asked Snyder as he glared at Buffy.

"This is a cafeteria," said Buffy. "I'm pretty sure."

"Always with the wisecracks. One day you and your sister here are gonna go too far," said Snyder as he glared at the elder Summers sisters.

"Or we could go with the classroom theory ..." said Paige.

Snyder glared at Buffy and Paige. "Just give me a reason to kick you two out, Summers. Just give me a reason." He turned and stalked off.

"How about, 'cause you're a tiny impotent Nazi with a bug up his butt the size of an emu?" said Dawn.

Buffy laughed as she turned and looked at her baby sister. "Sums it up."

"Don't you think?" said Dawn as she smiled.

"Now 'lunch' I could actually teach," said Xander.

"I can see that," said Oz as he took on a tone of authority. "'Baloney. It's not a toy. Let's put it on the bread—The rye bread! Careful!' Lunch teacher."

"Should I come by tonight, so we can do some cramming?" asked Willow.

"Maybe. . . Paige and I do have to patrol," said Buffy.

"Again?" Dawn asked. "Do you really expect Angel to turn up tonight?"

Buffy shook her head. "No, I don't expect him to. And that's when he usually does."

Later in the computer classroom Buffy taps her pencil on her chem book. "Waaahhh. This doesn't make sense!"

"Well, sure it does, see ..." said Willow as she looked at Buffy's work. "Oh, no, that doesn't make any sense."

Dawn looked over from where she sat next to Paige and shook her head. "Your right that don't make sense."

Buffy nodded. "It's senseless."

Willow smiled. "It is. But at least you know that! So you're learning."

"Yay me," said Buffy. Oh well. It doesn't matter. I mean, in the real world when am I ever gonna need to use chemistry, math, history or the English language?"

"Oh, I see your problem," said Dawn as she looked over Buffy's work.

"I'm a moron?" asked Buffy.

Paige shook her head. "Buffy, will you stop that? You're not stupid."

Willow nodded in agreement. "You've just had a lot on your mind. You can do all of this real easily but if you're just gonna give up then don't waste my time."

"Wow," said Buffy. "You really are a good teacher."

Willow smiled. "Good pep talk?"

"I think we all got the pep," said Paige.

Willow smiled. "Okay. Look at this. It's a covalent bond—which means these two atoms are linked by this one electron. You know, basic linkage. Hydrogen, Nitrogen, Chlorine ..."

Buffy placed her pencil on her book and it rolled off and fell to the floor between the desk and the cabinet. "Oh. Hold it." She reached in and grabbed the pencil—her fingers almost brushing a computer disk—but just missing it. She pulled the pencil out and straightened up. "Okay. I'm learn girl."

"Well, you see –" said Willow.

"Whoah," said Buffy. "Deja vu."

"Really?" asked Dawn.

Buffy nodded. "The thing with the pencil—I have a perfect memory of being exactly like—" She bent down again with the pencil and this time noticed the disk. "—hey." She reached in and grabbed the disk and held it up. "I think one of you dropped this."

"It's not mine," said Willow.

"It's not mine, either," said Dawn. "It might be something of Matusa Janna's." She, Paige and Buffy looked at each other as the remembered their aunt. "Willow pop it in."

Willow popped the disk into the computer as Dawn and Paige moved behind her and Buffy. Then the ritual text to restore Angel's soul came on the screen.

"What does that say, restoration?" asked Buffy.

"It's one of her spells, I think," said Willow. "You know, she wasn't a practicing witch, but she did dabble in—'"

"We know, Will," Dawn interrupted. "She was our aunt remember?"

Willow looked up at Dawn and then nodded. She had forgotten that Jenny had been the Summers sisters aunt. They stare at the screen, reading the ritual text and their eyes go steadily wider. "Oh boy. Oh boy. Oh boy."

Later in the library Xander, Cordelia and Giles are facing Dawn, Paige, Buffy and Willow. Buffy held a few sheets of printout in her hand.

"What are you saying?" asked Giles.

"The curse. This is it," Buffy said as she held up the sheaf of paper. Giles stepped forward and took them, examining them.

"It looks like Matusa Janna was trying to replicate the original curse," said Dawn. "To restore Angel's soul again."

Giles shook his head. "Both she and your mother said it couldn't be done."

"Well, Matusa Janna tried anyway. And it looks like it might have worked," said Paige.

Xander shook his head. "So he killed her. Before she could tell anyone about it. What a prince."

"Well, this is good, right?" asked Cordelia. "I mean, we can curse him again."

Giles shook his head. "It's not that simple. This points he way, but the ritual itself requires a rather more advanced knowledge of the black arts than I can claim."

"I can do it," said Dawn. "Mom has been teaching us gypsy magic."

"And I could help ... I've been going through Ms. Calendar's files with Dawn and reading up and ... I've been sort of checking out the black arts. Just for fun—or, educational fun. Dawn and I might be able to work this."

"Dawn, Willow, performing this kind of ritual, channeling such potent majicks through yourselves—it will open a door you may not be able to close," said Giles.

"Dawn, Will, I don't want you two putting yourselves in danger," said Buffy.

"Neither do I," Paige agreed.

"And we don't want danger," said Dawn. "But we might be the best people to do this. You two can't do it because you will be needing him to distract him."

"HI!" Xander said. "For those of you who have just tuned in, everyone here is a crazy person. This spell might restore Angel's humanity? Well, here's an interesting angle: Who cares?"

Buffy turned and glared at Xander. "I care."

"Is that right?" asked Xander.

"Xander, let's not lose perspective here –" said Giles.

"I'm perspective guy! Angel is a killer," said Xander.

Paige sighed. "Xander, I love you. But it's not that simple.

"What, come back home, all is forgiven?" said Xander. "I can't believe you people!"

"Curing Angel was apparently Jenny's last wish –" said Giles.

Xander nodded as he said angrily. "Yeah, well, Jenny's dead."

Giles moved forward like he might actually strike Xander. "Don't you speak of her in that insolent –"

"Can't you see what I'm saying –" Xander said.

"All right, stop it!" said Buffy.

"Xander," said Paige to herself and her sisters. "We have every right to be even more angry than you are. She was our matusa, our aunt, and he killed her. But if we can restore his soul. That means we won't have to fight him and possibly die in the attempt. Is that what you want? Do you want to grieve for me at my funeral?"

"What do you want to do?" asked Willow when Xander didn't say anything.

"I don't know ... What happened to Angel wasn't his fault ..." said Buffy.

"What happened to Ms. Calendar is," Xander said. "You can paint this however you want. Way I see it you want to forget all about Ms Calendar, your aunt's murder so you can have your boyfriend back."

Buffy just turned and left the room, too distraught to deal. Paige glared at Xander, and then strode after her sister.

"Wow. Even I know that was insensitive," said Cordelia.

"Am I wrong?" asked Xander.

That night Buffy is on the phone with Willow. Paige is loading their bag with weapons and crosses from their dresser. "Yeah, we'll do a couple of sweeps, then you can come on by … Yeah, Xander was pretty much being a ... Willow. Where'd you learn that word? My god. You kiss your mother with that mouth? … I don't know. I don't know what I want. Okay. We'll see you in a while." She hung up as Paige picked up the bag and they stepped out into the hall and headed downstairs, passing Joyce.

"Patrol?" Joyce asked as she looked at her daughters.

"Yeah," said Buffy. "It'll be a quick one tonight. Willow is coming over to study with us and Dawn for finals."

"Okay," said Joyce. "Be careful."

"We will," said Paige.

Later Buffy and Paige walked along past a row of tall hedges. Suddenly Buffy stopped as her enhanced Slayer hearing picked something up.

"What?" Paige asked as she looked around.

Suddenly someone burst out from between the hedges right behind them as they spun to face their attacker, Kendra

"You know, polite people call before they jump out of the bushes and attack you," said Buffy.

Kendra smiled. "Just wanted to test your reflexes."

"Would you like to test my face-punching?" Buffy asked. "'Cause I think you'll find it's improved."

"I was on my way to your house," said Kendra. "Saw you two walking. Couldn't help myself."

"Which begs the question and don't think we're not glad to see you but why are you here?" asked Paige. "Wait. Let me guess. Your Watcher has informed you that a very dark power is about to rise in Sunnydale."

Kendra nodded. "That's about it."

"Great. Did he give you any idea of what this dark power is?" said Buffy with a sigh.

Later at the Sunnydale library Giles emerged from his office, joining Buffy, Dawn, Paige, Kendra and Willow. "I've just been on the phone with the museum. The artifact in question is missing. And the curator has been murdered. Vampires."

"And we're sure this thing was the Tomb of Alfalfa?" asked Buffy.

"Acathla," said Giles. "And yes, the information Kendra's Watcher has provided seems conclusive."

"Okay, can somebody explain the whole 'he will suck the world into Hell' thing? That's the part I'm not loving," said Willow.

"The demon universe exists in a dimension separate from our own," Giles said. "With one breath Acathla will create a vortex, a kind of whirlpool that will pull everything on Earth into that dimension, where any non-demon life will suffer horrible, eternal torment."

"So that would be the literal kind of sucking into Hell," said Dawn. "Neat."

Kendra looked to Buffy and Paige as she asked them the next question. "You think Angelus and the others are responsible for the theft of the tomb?"

"I'd bet folding money on it," said Paige.

"I can't believe you dated him," Kendra said as she looked at Buffy, who in turn glared at her. "I mean, he's got to be stopped."

"We don't know where they are," said Willow. "They moved after Giles torched their house."

"You did? Good for you," said Kendra as she beamed at Giles.

"It was nothing, really," said Giles.

"Dawn, Willow ... I think you two should try to do the curse. Bring Angel back," said Buffy.

"I tend to side with your friend Xander on this one. Angel should be eliminated," said Kendra.

"Paige and I'll fight him. If we have to, we'll kill him," said Buffy. But if we lose, or we don't find him in time ... Dawn and Willow might be our only hope."

"I don't want to be only hope. I crumble under pressure. Let's have another hope," said Willow.

"We have," Kendra said as she pulled a sword from her bag. "Blessed by the knight who first slew the Demon. If all else fails, this might stop it. I think."

"Let's hope all else doesn't fail," said Giles as he looked toward Willow and Dawn. "How close are you two to figuring out the ritual for the curse?"

"We need a day, maybe. And we need an Orb of Thesulah," said Dawn.

"What is that anyway?" asked Willow.

"Spirit vault for the Rituals of the Undead," said Dawn.

"I've got one," said Giles and then added a bit sheepish. "I've been using it as a paperweight."

"This means Dawn I can't help you two study for tomorrow's finals," said Willow as she looked toward the elder Summers sisters.

"We'll wing it," said Paige.

"Of course, if we go to Hell by then we won't have to take them," said Buffy. "Or maybe we'll be taking them forever ..."

"Well, Angel has a ritual of his own to perform before he can remove the sword and awake Acathla. With any luck, that may take some time as well," said Giles.

The next morning sunlight brightly raked the classroom. The students are all taking their English final exam, scribbling in their bluebooks. The room is silent as the teacher sat at his desk, reading.

A woman walked into the classroom, a shawl wrapped around her head, her clothes dark and shabby. "Tonight. Sundown. In the graveyards."

"Excuse me ..." said the Teacher as he rose.

Paige and Buffy looked up at the woman.

"You will both come to him," the woman said as she pulled off her shawl, revealing her vampire visage, and moved toward Paige and Buffy, deliberately stepping into the sunlight as she began to smoke. "You both will come to him or more will die! Tonight!" Flames engulf her as kids scream and quickly scramble to get away. "His hour is at hand!"

And then she's gone as she dusted.

Hours later just before sunset in the library Willow and Dawn are deep in a pile of books.

"She said more would die. Paige and I have to go," said Buffy.

"And I should go with you two," said Kendra.

Buffy shook her head. "We need you here. Just in case. We'll be all right. As long as Angel's fighting us he's not doing this end of the world ritual and that's good. And with any luck ... Willow? Dawn? What do you two think?"

"I'm not sure. I just want to cross check –" said Willow.

"Willow," said Dawn. "I think we've ran out of time to cross check anymore."

"Dawn's right," Paige added. "If this is gonna work we need it to work now."

"We need maybe half an hour once we're set up," said Dawn.

Giles nodded. "Which means you two just have to hold Angel off. Don't let him close on you. If the curse succeeds, you'll know."

"What if he shows up with an army?" asked Xander.

"We'll orb away," said Paige.

"A Slayer never runs aw–Good plan," said Kendra as they all looked at her.

"We'd better go," said Buffy as she took Paige's hand.

"Please be careful," said Xander as he kissed Paige.

"I will," said Paige as Kendra handed Buffy a stake.

"Here. In case the curse does not succeed ..." said Kendra. "This is my lucky stake. I have killed many vampires with it. I call it Mister Pointy."

"You named your stake?" asked Dawn.

"Yes," said Kendra embarrassed.

"Remind me to get you a stuffed animal," said Buffy as she put the stake in jacket. "Thanks."

"Watch your backs," said Kendra as Paige orbed herself and Buffy out.

At the cemetery Buffy and Paige orb in.

"Hello, lover," said Angel as the sisters turned to face him. He stood some twenty feet away, grinning nonchalantly as the three of them began circling each other, slowly. "I wasn't sure you'd both come."

"After your immolation-o-gram?" said Buffy. "Come on, we had to show. But shouldn't you be destroying the world right about now? Pulling the sword out of Al Franken, or whatever he's called?"

Angel smiled. "There's time enough. I wanted to say goodbye first. You, Buffy, are the one thing in this dimension I will miss."

"This is a beautiful moment we're having here. Can we just fight, please?" said Buffy.

"I didn't come here to fight!" Angel said, hurt.

"No?" Paige said, skeptically.

"Gosh, I was hoping Buffy and I could get back together!" Angel said as he looked at Buffy. "What do you think, do we have a shot?" Buffy just glared at him. "All right, we'll fight." He lunged at the sisters.

At the library Willow and Dawn sat on the table the orb between them. In one hand Giles held a volume and in the other hand he is waving a burning sage bush.

Xander stood up on the balcony, watching while Kendra guarded the door.

"Quod perditum est, invenietur," Giles said.

"Not dead, nor not of the living," said Dawn and Willow "Spirits of the interregnum, I call. Let him know the pain of humanity, gods—reach your wizened hands to me, give me the soul of—

Two vamps burst in behind Xander as he turned to fight them. "Look out!" Xander called.

Kendra turned as two more burst in behind her.

Xander whipped out a stake and made for the first two vamps who are moving down toward the ritual.

Kendra punched the third vamp, sending him into the wall as the fourth passed her.

The second and fourth vamp converge in the middle of the room as Dawn and Willow made for the stacks. Giles faced the vamps and they handily knock him down and out.

The first vamp grabbed Xander's wrist, bending it, breaking it.

Kendra sparred with the third vamp, knocking him out and going for the fourth vamp, who stood over Giles.

The second vamp leaped onto the table, over the railing and slammed into a bookcase, knocking it over on Dawn and Willow. They fell very hard, instantly unconscious.

Xander threw the first vampire into the second one.

Just then Drusilla wafted in, eyes alight.

Kendra threw the fourth vamp through the window to Giles' office as the third vamp hit her from behind.

At the graveyard Paige, Buffy and Angel are still going at it. "Is it me, or is your heart not in this?" Angel asked as he threw the sisters back. "Maybe I'll just go home. Destroy the world ... sulk ..."

Buffy and Paige pulled out their stakes. "I think Mister Pointy is gonna have something to say about that," said Buffy as Angel hesitated. "Come on. Let's finish it. You and us."

Angel started to laugh. "You two never learn, do you? Little miss egos. 'You two and me.' This wasn't about either you. This was never about either you."

Paige and Buffy's expression drains with realization as Buffy took Paige's hand and they orbed out.

At the library the first vampire knocked Xander unconscious, then he turned and looked down at Kendra fighting off the other vamps. She's getting tired.

"Enough," said Drusilla as the vamps back off of Kendra. Kendra turned to face her as she dropped her shawl, looking dreamily into the heavens.

Kendra lunged and Drusilla evaded, slashing at her with her fingernails. Drawing blood. She and Dru spar. Finally Dru saw an opening and grabbed her throat and pushed her against the wall. She struggled, pulling at the arm as Drusilla's eyes bore into her, hypnotizing her.

"Look at me, Dearie. Be in my eyes. Be in me," said Drusilla as the will to fight goes out of Kendra. She took a step back letting Kendra go. She paused for but a moment and then slashed her fingers across Kendra's throat.

Kendra's eyes widen as she grabbed her throat and blood welled out between her fingers and then she dropped.

"Night night," said Drusilla. "Let's get what we came for, dears."

Two of the vamps bent down and lifted Giles up as they dragged him out of the room.

Moments later Buffy and Paige orb in spotting Kendra lying on the ground, Buffy went to her, cradling her on her lap as she tried to stop the bleeding as Kendra died right in front of her.

Paige looked around searching, looking for both her boyfriend and her sister.

Behind them three cops pointed their guns at the sisters. "Freeze!"

Buffy and Paige whipped their heads around to see them.

Author's Note: Translation

Quod perditum est, invenietur. - What was lost, shall be found.