Word count: 7690
Warnings: Gun Violence and Murder.
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I sighed as walked down the empty halls of school silently I knew Buffy was feeling a little fragile right now so Willow took her to the bronze for a night of dancing whilst I patrolled.
"I'm not afraid to use it. I swear! If I can't be with you..." I frown at the sudden voice as I walk around the corner only to see a boy pointing a gun at his girlfriend.
"Hey!" I shout as he continues to point the gun his hands getting shakier "Oh, my God!" The girl turns and starts walking away as I start running at the boy, hoping to get to him before he shoots.
"DON'T WALK AWAY FROM ME, BITCH!" He screams at the girl who looks back at him in shock, I grab his arm, raise it and brings it down over my shoulder making him drop the gun.
I elbow him hard in the gut knocking the breath out of him I get a handful of his shirt and knock him to the floor, bending down I pick the boy up by the collar "What happened?" He asks looking at me and the girl.
"What happened?! You just went O.J. on your girlfriend!" I shout as the boy who looks at me in shock and shakes his head quickly "This is nuts! I... I don't know why I got so mad".
"Because you're a jerk?" I offer with raised eyebrows at the boy as he looks around lost "He's not. We weren't even fighting a few minutes ago" The girl tells me as I look at the boy suspiciously "We weren't, I, I swear to God!".
I sighed and threw my hands up in confusion "If you weren't fighting, then why'd you have a gun?" I ask him as I look around for the gun he had dropped.
The boy looks just as confused as we were "I don't, I don't know. I don't even know where I got it" my eyebrows scrunched together as I continued to look around for the gun "Well...crap" I mutter as the boy and girl huddle together looking terrified.
"So we have a couple who are supposedly in love fighting but not really and a disappearing gun," Buffy asks me as I tell her about what I saw last night.
"It makes no sense" I mutter as we walk through the school entrance when Principal Snyder slams his office door open and looks at the two of us.
"My office now" he calls to us as we look at each other and follow him into his office "I'm sure you know why I asked you here," Snyder says as he passes us and walks to his desk as we sit in the chairs in front of him.
"To thank me?" I guess as Snyder gives me a look "That's right, I wanna thank you. What would Sunnydale High do without you around to incite mayhem, chaos, and disorder?" he sneers making me both frown.
"I don't incite! I stopped that boy from killing his girlfriend, ask him. Ask them both!" I tell him with a serious look, we were always getting into trouble when saving people.
Snyder just smirked at me "People can be coerced, Summers. I'm no stranger to conspiracy. I saw JFK. I'm a truth seeker. I've got a missing gun and two confused kids on my hands. Pieces of the puzzle. And I'm gonna look at all the pieces carefully and rationally, and I'm gonna keep looking until I know exactly how this is all your fault".
I was about to respond when his secretary buzzes him on his office intercom "Mr. Snyder, Billy Crandal chained himself to the snack machine again" Snyder sighed and looked at the intercom in disdain "Pathetic little no-life vegan" he muttered as he stood and walked around his desk.
Buffy and I stood to go also but Snyder stands in front of us "Not so fast, I'm not done with you two yet. You stink of lies" He tells us and points back to the chairs.
I look at him and exhales angrily as I sit back down on the chair as he leaves and closes the door behind him "How is this fair?" I ask Buffy who just shrugs as I growl crossing my arms.
Buffy and I sit in silence until a dull thud sounded behind us, Buffy gets up and bends down and pick up a book that had fallen "What is it?" I ask looking over the back of the chair "Yearbook" she mutters as she looks at the cover before putting it back "This is going to be a long ass day" I sigh leaning my head back on the chair.
Sitting with Willow in the library I jump when Buffy and Xander burst through the doors "Xander, what happened? Did Cordelia win another round in the broom closet?".
I let out a loud laugh at Willow's unusually witty joke as Xander just glares at the redhead "You're just a big bucket of funny, Will" Xander walks over to Giles, who is kneeling and going through some books on a shelf.
"I'll have you know I was just accosted by some kind of, um, locker monster" Giles looks up quickly with his eyebrows raised "Loch Ness Monster?".
Buffy smiles and shakes her head "Locker monster is what he said. But it wasn't really a monster. It was, like, this big arm that came out of the locker, but then we opened it again, it was gone. Nothing".
"This was right after Mr. Miller starts doing some freaky channeling thing in class," Buffy tells us as Giles looks over us almost excited as he stands up "Ooh! Sounds like paranormal phenomena".
Willow bounces and smiles "A ghost? Cool!" Xander just looks at her seriously "Oh, no, no. No. No cool. This was no wimpy chain rattler. This was 'I'm dead as hell, and I'm not gonna take it anymore.'"
Giles looks over to us and sits on the arm of a chair "Well, despite the Xander speak, that's a fairly accurate definition of a poltergeist" Xander looks over to Giles shocked "I defined something?Accurately?" he closes a book on the table "Guess I'm done with the book learning".
Buffy sighs as Xander sits down at the table with us "So we have some bad boo on our hands?" Giles nods at Buffy "Yes" Willow glances over to Giles confused "Well, why is it here? Does it just wanna scare people?".
Giles walks over to the head of the table "Unfortunately, he doesn't know exactly what he wants. That's, that's the trouble. See, uh, many times the spirit is plagued by all manner of worldly troubles. Being dead, it has no way to, uh, to make its peace. So it, it lashes out, growing ever more confused, ever more angry".
I grimace as I sit back in my chair with a loud sigh "So it's a normal teenager, only dead" I say rolling my eyes "Well, what can we do? Is there any way to stop it?" Willow asks as we all look over to Giles expectedly.
Giles sits on the table "Uh, the only tried and true way is to work out what unresolved issues keep it here, and-and-and, um, resolve them" he tells us like it was simple, Buffy huffs "Fabulous. Now we're Dr. Laura for the deceased".
I gave a small smirk but couldn't help but wonder what spirit was dangerous enough to try and get a boy to shoot his girlfriend "Only if we can find out who this spirit is" he considers for a minute before looking back over to us softly "Or was".
The next morning Giles summons us to the library where he told us about the situation he encountered last night where the George the janitor shot and killed Ms. Frank but knew nothing about it after Giles tackled him to the ground, it was like he had amnesia about the whole thing.
"It was just as with the... the couple you encountered the other night Nikki, the...the janitor remembered everything. He, he knew he'd killed this poor woman, but he had no idea why. Well, they-they had no intimate relationship" Giles told us as he walks out of his office with a few books and heads into the main area.
"What about the gun? Did you find it?" I ask as I followed Giles around the library "No, no. The police, everybody, we-we-we-we searched high and low. I think it's very clear what's happening here" Giles tells us as he goes into the cage.
Xander sighs heavily "Fill me in then, 'cause I've read the book, seen the movie, and I'm still fuzzy about what's going on" The rest of us nodded along with Xander's request.
Giles looks out of the cage to us "It's Jenny" he tells us as he continues to put his books away "What?" I ask as my heart thumps against my chest where the guilt of not saving Jenny still resided.
"You think she's the ghost?" Xander questions Giles who moves away from the books and looks at us again "Well, don't you see? Well, she-she-she died here under tragic circumstances, a-a-and now she's trapped" I looked at Buffy who had the same look of shock.
Willow gives Giles a look of pity "But what about the gun? I mean, Angel didn't shoot Ms. Calendar" Giles shakes his head dismissively "The gun is insignificant. It's the violence of the thing that matters" he tells us as he goes back into his office.
"I don't know. These fights these couples keep having, it's sort of... specific" Buffy drawls out like she doesn't want to upset Giles over Jenny "She's right. It's a pattern that doesn't fit with the way Jenny died" I say knowing Giles heard me.
"Yes, well, I, uh, I appreciate your thoughts on the matter, I, in fact, I... well, I encourage you to, to always, uh, challenge me, uh, when you feel it's appropriate. You should never be cowed by authority" He says as he starts back in, but comes back his face full of denial.
"Except, of course, in this instance, when I am clearly right and you are clearly wrong," he tells us before going back into his office, it was obvious that it had nothing to do with Jenny but Giles was clinging on to any hope he could be close to her again.
I looked at Buffy, Willow & Xander and motioned at the doors they nodded and followed me out of the library, walking to the computer science classroom we all walk in still thinking about the spirit and Giles "This is freaky. I don't ever remember ever seeing Giles be this weird" Willow says as she sits in the chair behind Jenny's old desk.
"I know. He's usually Investigate-Things-From-Every-Boring-Angle Guy. Now he's I-Cling-Onto-My-One-Lame-Idea Guy. What gives?" Xander asks looking at us before stopping on Buffy who crosses her arms looking uncomfortable.
"He misses her. He can't think. Just a little more fallout from my love life" She says looking down avoiding our eyes. "Okay, but this ghost stuff is something else. Let me do a crosscheck on other shootings at the school" Willow negotiates.
"Yeah, we need some alternate ghost theories. What do we know?" I ask Willow leaning on the desk as her eyes roam the computer screen in front of her "Dog spit is cleaner than human" Xander offers making me looks up at him slowly "Besides that?".
Willow gasps obviously finding something "Oh, boy, we know plenty" I move from the desk and lean over her shoulder as she scrolls through a newspaper article on her laptop. The title reads "Sunnydale High Jock Kills Lover, Self".
"It says a student murdered a teacher on the night of the Sadie Hawkins Dance. The rumor was they were having an affair, and she tried to break it off. After he killed her, he went into the music room and shot himself" Willow reads to us.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we have a ghost. It is one of those two, right?" Xander questions making me nod "It all fits: the gun, the Sadie Hawkins Dance," I say my thoughts aloud "Which is tonight" Buffy interjects looking more serious than before.
"How come we've never heard about this murder-suicide thing before? When did it happen?" Xander asks looking confused but Buffy just exhales like all the puzzle pieces have come together "1955".
Willow and Xander both look up at her surprised "How did you know?" Willow asked Buffy who just runs out of the door "Uhh?" Xander looks me but I shrug as Buffy enters the room with a book open in her hands.
"Okay, here's the new strangeness. I dreamt about this woman, Grace Newman, the other day" Buffy said pointing to the picture of the deceased teacher before turning to a different page "Her and this guy".
Willow looks in the book and nods quickly "Jim Stanley? He's the one. He did it" Xander exhales and looks at Buffy expectantly "Your dreams are getting wicked accurate, Buff. You wouldn't happen to see me coming across some big cash? Or possibly knowing the love of a woman? In a full body sense?".
Buffy ignores him and walks around the desk with a sigh "He couldn't make her love him, so he killed her" She turns away from us "Sicko" Willow looks at the book again "He looks so normal on this picture. He was smart, too. He made the honor roll".
Buffy scoffs frowning "Smart?" I look at Willow and sigh "He killed a person and killed himself. Those are pretty much two of the dumbest things you could do" I told her I remembered how I felt when I thought I had killed Ted.
"I know, but... Well, don't you feel kind of bad for them?" Willow asked with a grimace on her face "Sure I feel lousy. For her. He's a murderer and he should pay for it" Buffy tells us her jaw set.
"With his life?" Willow asked sadly looking at each of us "No, he should be doing sixty years in a prison, breaking rocks and making special friends with Roscoe the Weightlifter" Buffy growls angrily.
"Yikes. The quality of mercy is not Buffy" Xander mutters looking away when Buffy turns to glare at him "Whose ghost do you think we're dealing with? His or hers?" I ask as I look at the book again.
"Well, considering how violent it is, I'm gonna say his" Buffy replies crossing her arms "That tracks" Xander affirms as Willow sits back behind the desk "Well, I've been browsing on some of Ms. Calendar's pagan sites. Maybe I can find a way to communicate with them and... we can find out what he wants".
Buffy frowns at Willow and exhales heavily "Who cares what he wants? We need to shut him down before some other innocent guy goes and kills some poor nice girl and then blows his brains out all over the music room wall".
Willow looked at Buffy silently whose gaze was on the floor but her jaw was wound tight "Okay!" We all look to Xander who smiles and rubs his hands together "Who's hungry?"
Sitting next to Xander in the cafeteria I stare open mouthed as he shovels in his 3rd hot dog "Wow watch your fingers" I tell him sarcastically as he turns to me and laughs so I can see his mouthful of food.
Grimacing I turned to Buffy and Willow who were also looking at Xander in disgust "Why do I always have to sit next to the human disposal unit?" I question as they both continue to watch Xander with grossed out expressions.
"You've got the strongest stomach," Willow tells me as put a hand to her mouth in revolution "Yay me and my strong like qualities" I mutter as Cordelia puts her tray on the table and sits down with a huff "Bad day?" I ask as she rolls her eyes obviously annoyed by something.
"I hope you guys aren't going to the Sadie Hawkins Dance tonight, 'cause I'm organizing a boycott. Do you realize that the girls have to ask the guys? And pay and everything? I mean, whose genius idea was that?" Cordelia rambled looking irritated.
Xander smirks at her as he swallows the food in his mouth "Obviously, some hairy-legged feminist" I grinned at Xander's answer "Really! Well, we need to nip this thing in the bud. I mean, otherwise, things are going to get really scary".
Suddenly a terrified scream rips through the cafeteria we all turn quickly to see a boy pulls his hot dog away from his mouth only to see he has a snake protruding from his lips.
I look down at my plate of spaghetti and see snakes all over it as well, we all quickly get up, except for Cordelia, who is too busy screaming when she finally looks at the table again a snake lunges at her and bites her on the cheek.
Grabbing the snake she throws it off of her and runs, turning I see a girl from my English class stood frozen in fear as snake begins to wrap around her neck, grabbing it I tear it away from her and throw it over the table.
"Let's go" Buffy shouts to us as Xander finds Cordy and helps her out of the cafeteria just as Snyder begins to evacuate the school, looking oddly calm for a man who just found his cafeteria full of adders.
Sitting next to Cordy and Xander in the ambulance I watch as more police storm into the building as the pest controllers start gathering up the snakes, students are still fleeing the building and running around like it was the end of the world.
"Perfect. I'm gonna be scarred and swollen. Why didn't they just kill me?" Cordelia mutters dramatically as a paramedic dresses her snakebite, I let out a short laugh before my eyes find Principal Synder who is whispering to the Police Chief.
Snyder's eyes met mine when the Chief walks off, our eyes never leave the others until Snyder walked off leaving me with the feeling that he was up to no good but on the Hellmouth that wasn't unusual.
Sitting on the window sill I watch as my mom walks down the path to her car only to look up as she put her bag and briefcase into the back seat of her car, she's going to the gallery and more than likely pulling an all-nighter there like she had been doing a lot of lately.
"She's gone," I tell Buffy as I waved to our mom out of my window as she get's into her car, turning I jumped onto my bed where Buffy sat, Xander's in my wicker chair, Cordelia is leaning against the bed and Willow is standing.
"Right remember the plan to contact the spirit and talk to it? Scrap that plan. Buffy, you were right. The time for touchy-feely communication is passed. I've done some homework and found the only solution is the final solution" Willow tells us.
"Nuke the school?" Xander muses to himself then smiles widely "I like that" we all turn to Xander and give him a look "Not quite. Exorcism" Willow declared getting a gasp from Cordelia "Are you crazy? I saw that movie! Even the priest died".
"What's the deal?" Buffy questioned as Willow lays down a map of the school building, and we all lean in to look "Okay, see here the balcony? That's where the original teacher died back in 1955 and that teacher last night. That's the hot spot where all the bad mojo is coming from. We need to create a Mangus-tripod".
"A what?" Cordelia asks making Willow sigh and points to the map "One person chants here on the hot spot. And the others chant in other places around the school forming a triangle. It's supposed to bind the bad spirit and keep it from doing any more harm".
Buffy took the map "Well, I'll take the hot spot. If there's trouble, that's where it'll be" I looked at my sister troubled "This ghost, this James guy, is fixating on you, Buffy. The dreams, the yearbook... You sure you can handle it?".
Buffy looks at me and lets out a small sigh "Well, I'm hoping he'll show. I truly am" I nod and see the look on her face, she wants this fight "wait so more stuff like today in the cafeteria might happen?" Cordelia piped up as she held her bad cheek.
We all looked at Willow who nodded slowly "Well then I don't want to be on my own, I could get hurt again" Cordelia moaned out childishly, when no one else answered Xander sighed but nodded "Ok I'll go with you" Cordelia looked at me then back to Xander "You're no Slayer but I guess you'll do".
The five of us made our way into the school armed with flashlights "Okay, we all have our places. We do the chant and light the candle at midnight exactly. Any questions?" Buffy asked as we all walked down the hall ready to get this ghost.
"Yeah, what if this mangled triangle thingy doesn't work?" Cordelia asks from by my side "Oh! I almost forgot. I made us all scapulas." Willow told us completely ignoring Cordelia's question as she hands the scapulas out.
Xander put his hand out waiting for Willow "Okay, so we can flip the ghost over when it turns a nice golden brown?" I let out a laugh at Xander joke as Willow gives me my scapula.
"Scapula, not spatula. Um, you wear it around your neck for protection" Willow informs us as I look at the chunky necklace in my hand before shrugging and putting it around my neck, pulling a face when it passes my nose.
"You expect me to wear this? It smells like grandpa breath" Cordelia groans as Willow turns to her with an apologetic look "Sorry, I didn't have a lot of time. I had to use sulfur. Stinky, but effective".
"Okay, let's do this" Buffy declares as we all continue into the student lounge "No problem. This will be a piece of cake. Right?" Cordelia says sounding a lot less certain than Buffy did.
Suddenly I hear a creaking and then a crashing noise, I jump and look in that direction and see that the doors at the end of the hall have slammed shut on their own, one by one the other doors at the ends of the two intersecting halls slam shut.
"Because that wasn't creepy at all" I mutter as we point our flashlights around the hall wondering if this was a bad idea "totally" Buffy agreed as we looked at the doors that led us to our respective points where we need to be to do this exorcism.
"Let's do this," I say as we all look at each other nervously before we all walked away from each other, walking down the halls that led to the library all I could think about was Buffy "God I hope this works".
3 vampires are sat in the deserted mansion that Angelus has acquired for them, Drusilla sifts through the dirt in one of the large planters, Spike is in his wheelchair and Angelus is on the bench behind Drusilla.
"Maybe I'll sleep underground. Dig myself a little burrow" Drusilla says aloud dreamily as she continues to dig her nails into the dirt "What about your pretty dress, sweet? It'll get all dirty" Spike mutters as he sits in the shadows with this hand keeping his head propped up.
Drusilla smiled crazily as she thought about Spike's question "Then I'll sleep naked. Like the animals do" Angelus smirked from behind her "You know, I'm suddenly liking this plan".
Drusilla lies down on the ground in front of the planter "Fortunately, nobody cares what you like, mate" Spike hisses at Angelus his jaw tightening as he watched the other vampire as he slides off of the bench and crouches, looking at Drusilla.
"Oh, yeah? Let's ask Dru" Angelus taunts looking at the women he had sired as she begins to laugh as she has a vision "There's a gate!" She says as she rolls onto her back, laughing "It's opening!" she whispers getting to her knees.
Angelus crawls closer to Drusilla "Incoming! I love when she does this" he tells Spike with a smirk but Spike continues to look at Drusilla "What gate, pet? What do you see?".
Drusilla bounces gleefully "It's black" she hums still bouncing "It wants her," she tells the other vampires with a hum "Wants who?" Angelus murmurs to Drusilla as he rubs his face against her making Spike's eyes close in frustration.
"The Slayer. It's time, Angel" Drusilla tells Angelus as she stands up her eyes never leaving Spike's almost like she herself is taunting him even though her words are not directed at him "She's ready for you now" Drusilla begins to dance slowly "She's dancing. Dancing with death".
Spike gives out a harsh sigh "Big deal. He won't do anything. Our man Angel here likes to talk but he's not much for action. All hat and no cattle" Spike grins as she thinks he's got one up on his grand sire.
Angelus looks at Spike knowingly and grabs Dru's waist as she continues to dance sensually "I don't know about that" he says as he turns her into his arms.
"I think this whole Slayer thing has run its course I'm ready to focus my energy elsewhere" Angelus aloud as he thinks deeply about his next move "plus we've always got that plan of yours for the other Slayer and honestly It's the smartest thing you've ever said" Angelus laughed spitefully.
Spike's eyes drop to the floor when he doesn't see Drusilla fighting against Angelus' advances she wants him "Really?" he mutters with nothing else to say.
"Oh, yeah! And what, with you being Special Needs Boy, I figure I should stick close to home" Angelus taunts again as he walks his fingers up Dru's thigh and waist "You and Dru can always use another pair of hands".
Drusilla coos with delight and Angelus chuckles maniacally as Spike looks at the two of them angrily "Powers they're strong" Drusilla gasps out as she has another vision, Angelus and Spike look on as she stares into space.
"the other Slayer her powers" Drusilla cries out as she begins to sway "but she's lost she..." Drusilla stops and her eyes meet Angelus' "What is it pet?" Spike asks seeing her eyes glinting with madness as continues to stare at Angelus who looks on eagerly "You take her for your own".
Willow and I split from the others and start to walk along the halls, Willow slows down to look down the other hall before continuing with me, suddenly Willow let's out a scream and I spin around waiting to see some ghost but it's only Giles who screams also.
"God, Willow, Nikki what are you doing here? You're not supposed to be inside" he tells us rubbing his temples as I continue to laugh "You scream like a girl" I grin making both Willow and Giles look at me.
"Us? What about you?" Willow questions crossing her arms as Giles takes off his glasses "I'm, uh, I'm, I'm trying to, uh..." he puts his glasses back on as he looks at us "I think I-I may be close to, uh, contacting Jenny".
Willow and I give him an understanding look after I finally calm myself down, Giles starts to go back into the library but turns back to us his face contorted as he sniffs the air "What's that smell?".
Willow smiles and holds up scapula "It's our scapulas," she tells him as I nod with a grimace as I catch a whiff of the scapula around my neck, Giles nods and looks closely at them "Ah, right, of course. Did you use sulfur?" he asks Willow who nods proudly "Yeah".
"That's clever. Uh, well, uh, run along then. Th-there may be some, uh, paranormal ph-phenomena if I contact her. Y-y-you don't want to be in the line of fire" Giles tells us as he goes back into the library and the door swings shut behind him.
"Okay. Night" Willow says as she turns to me when I sigh "Deep, deep denial in that man" Willow nods in agreement as we turn and continue to walk down the hall to our point of the triangle.
"Here," I say giving Willow the black candle and lean on the metal railing on the stairs as Willow climbs up to the landing on the stairs from the student lounge, she looks around nervously.
"Come on Will," I say and Willow sets her candle down on the floor when the floor below her suddenly starts to swirl, and a green demonic hand reaches up and grabs her, pulling her down.
"Damn" I shout as Willow starts to scream "Nikki help me" I drop my flashlight and grab her arms as the green arm tries to pull her down into the dark hole "I got you" I tell her struggling to keep her from being pulled in but not even my Slayer strength was enough.
"Giles!" I shout over my shoulder as Willow continues to scream and cry "GILES!" I shout again "WILLOW! NIKKI!" I sigh in relief as Giles shouts back.
"WHERE ARE YOU?!" Giles calls out as he comes running into the lounge area "PLEASE! HELP! HELP ME!" Willow cries as Giles scrambles up the stairs to our aid "HELP! HELP! HELP! HELP!" Willow shrieks as she begins to sink further into the floor.
Giles grabs one of her arms and starts to pull with me, Willow screams again as the pit continues to try to suck her in "Let her go!" I grunt at the demon.
We manage to slowly lift Willow out together until Giles falls to the side and loses his grip on Willow, I quickly put my arms around her and pull with the help of my powers when she suddenly snaps into me sending us both go rolling down the stairs.
Giles gets up and to make sure that the pit is gone then sees us at the bottom of the stairs and races down to help us "Are you all right?" he asks looking worried as he picks Willow up as she sobbed.
"Giles, Jenny could never be this mean" She cries out as she leans into my shoulder her pale face looking whiter than before, Giles glances up at the landing and looks back to me "It's, it's not her, is it?" he asks looking upset.
Shaking my head I let out a sad sigh "I'm so sorry. I know what this meant to you" I say putting my hand on his as he gives me a fatherly smile. The town clock begins to strike midnight "Oh, God. Oh" Willow calls out as she scrambles back up to the landing to light the candle.
"Careful up here!" Giles yells as we both follow Willow up the stairs ready to defend ourselves if we had to, Willow struggles with her lighter and Giles crouches down taking it from her and lights the candle.
"I shall confront and expel all evil" Willow and I say together as we link hands looking at the black candle "Out of marrow and bone...Out of house and home... never to come here again".
Getting up I walk down the stair holding my hand out to Giles and Willow for them to wait, seeing nothing I looked around as I heard a faint buzzing that was steadily getting louder.
My eyes widened when at the far end of the hall I started to see a dark swarm of wasps coming towards us "Oh, my God!" Giles whispers grabbing Willow as we all break out into a run.
As we round a corner Buffy and Cordelia join them from another hall "You all right?" Giles asks over his shoulder as we continue to run down the halls, Xander comes running out of the cafeteria and keeps pace.
We reach the far end of the hall where the doors are jammed shut "Get back!" Buffy shouts as we both kick the doors open shattering the glass, immediately running out.
"Check it" Xander calls making us all turn back and look at the school "I'd say school's out for good" he jokes as we all stare in amazement the wasps have arranged themselves in a wall around the school so that nothing can get in or out.
Looking at the others I moved back "Come on" I called to them as I made my way down the street to my house, this obviously wasn't over yet and we couldn't just leave the school covered in wasps and infected with murderous ghosts.
When we got to the house we told Giles about the spirits and the research we had done on them "The good news is none of you girls were shot. Well, we've established, based on all the parallels and-and-and Buffy's visions, that it's James' spirit".
I nod and rub my eyes in frustration "So what do we do, Giles? About James" Willow asks as she holds onto her cup of tea that Giles had made her whilst I sip on my coffee.
"Well, he's obviously reliving the night of the Sadie Hawkins Dance when he killed Ms. Newman. It-it's-it's common enough for a spirit to do this, to... recreate a, a tragedy" Giles informed us.
"Hey. If Sunnydale High School shuts down forever, do we automatically graduate?" Cordelia asks as she munches a cracker, Xander gives Cordelia a look but ignores her as he turns to Giles "But why? What does he want?" Giles opens his mouth to talk but Xander interrupts him and points to Cordelia "Actually, that's an interesting point".
"He's, he's trying to... resolve whatever issues are keeping him in limbo. W-w-what exactly those are, I'm not..." Giles starts but gets interrupted by Buffy this time "He wants forgiveness" she mumbles looking annoyed and upset.
"Yes, I imagine he does," Giles says and stands up walking to Buffy "But when James possesses people, they act out exactly what happened that night. So he's experiencing a form of purgatory instead. I mean, he's, he's doomed to, to kill his Ms. Newman over and over and over again, and... forgiveness is impossible".
"Good. He doesn't deserve it" Buffy tells us as she keeps her arms crossed as Giles frowns "To forgive is an act of compassion, Buffy. It's, it's not done because people deserve it. It's done because they need it".
Buffy shakes her head slowly "No. James destroyed the one person he loved the most in a moment of blind passion. And that's not something you forgive. No matter why he did what he did. And no matter if he knows now that it was wrong and selfish and stupid, it is just something he's gonna have to live with".
My eyes meet hers when she looks over to me and I knew, this had nothing to do with James but this had everything to do with Angel "He can't live with it, Buff. He's dead" I say seriously as Buffy looks at us all for a moment, then stalks off into the kitchen.
I try to catch her arm but she moves and sniffs quietly before closing the door behind her "Okay. Over identify much?" Cordelia mutters at she still munches her cracker.
I looked over to Cordelia who didn't even know how right she was even when she was being her snarky self "So what do we do next? Do we go in again?" Willow questions Giles as she stands up from her chair.
"Well, not now. No, the, uh... the spirit is too angry, too, too powerful. No, we have to work out exactly how and, and if this thing can be defeated" Giles tells us and I nod taking a deep breath before standing up and making my way into the kitchen "Hey, Buffy, are you..."
I frown when Buffy was nowhere in sight but my eyes see something and I walk over to the counter picking up the flyer that lay on it, my eyes widened when I read the flyer "Class of '55 Sadie Hawkins".
"Oh damn it Buffy!" I growl as I shake the flyer in my hand "Giles!" I call and turn when he walks up behind me "She went back" I say showing him the flyer his eyes meet mine and we both run out of the house with the others following us blindly.
Standing in front of the school we watch as the wasps continue to swarm the building "ok let me try..." I say and flick my arm up but my telekinesis only moved a few wasps "Damn it move!" I shouted as I tried again but still nothing, lifting my arm up Giles grabbed it and shook his head.
"So what now? Not even a mega-vat of Raid's gonna do the trick here" Xander asked as we stood looking at the building where my sister had basically walked to her death "I don't get it. Is she trying to be a big loner hero or something?" Cordelia asked confused.
Giles shook his head as he looked down at Cordelia "No. I believe she's under the spirit's thrall. He's, he's calling her" Cordelia's face screwed up in confusion "But why?".
"James needs her to re-enact everything that happened on the night that he, he killed Ms. Newman. He wants to change things, make, make a happy ending" Giles explained to us making Willow panic "But it can't ever happen! It always ends the same, which means Buffy just went in there to get shot, Giles".
"But the school's deserted. There's no way for James to play his part. There's, there's no man inside for him to possess" I tell them hoping there was no one inside the building.
"So Buffy should be safe until we find a way to get her out?" Xander asks turning to me making me bit my lip "In theory, yeah".
Inside the school Buffy walks idly through the halls she stops by the trophy case and turns around, Angelus walks in behind her "Fun fact about wasps they have no taste for the undead. Not that a sting would do me any damage, it's just... tonight's special, I wanted to look my best for you".
"You're the only one. The only person I can talk to" Buffy sniffs softly with her back still to the vampire "Gosh, Buff. That's really pathetic" Angelus taunts as Buffy turns to face him "You can't make me disappear just because you say it's over!".
Angelus sighs as he approaches her "Actually...I can. In fact..." Suddenly Angelus' tone changes to a more upset and tearful one "I just want you to be able to have some kind of normal life. We can never have that, don't you see?"
"I don't give a damn about a normal life! I'm going crazy not seeing you. I think about you every minute" Buffy shouts tearfully as Angelus raises his hand to her cheek gently.
.1955. Grace puts her hand on James' cheek as he looks down sadly "I know. But it's over. It has to be!" She tells him as turns around and starts to leave, James looks up again and starts to chase after her.
Buffy chases after Angelus "Come back here! We're not finished!" She shouts at him angrily as she grabs him by the arm and turns him around to face her "You don't care anymore, is that it?".
Angelus starts to sob "It doesn't matter, it doesn't matter what I feel," he tells Buffy sadly "Then tell me you don't love me!" she shouts at her ex-lover shaking him as the spirits possess them.
.1955. "Say it!" James screams distraught as Grace looks at him woefully "Is that what you need to hear? Will that help? I don't"
"I don't. Now let me go" Angelus cries as he tries to go but Buffy won't give up "No. A person doesn't just wake up and stop loving somebody!" she angrily cries as her grip tightens on him.
.1955. Grace looks at James as he takes a step back, raises a revolver, pulls the hammer back and aims it at her.
Angelus looks at the gun and then at Buffy frightened "Love is forever. I'm not afraid to use it, I swear! If I can't be with you.." She tells him the gun shaking in her hand "Oh, my God!" Angelus mutters turning around and starts running out of the hall toward the balcony.
.1955. Grace begins to run from the hall as James stands behind her gun still in his shaking hand "DON'T WALK AWAY FROM ME..."
"...BITCH!" Buffy screams as Angelus runs out of the hall, She runs after him. Angelus barges through the door out onto the balcony. "Stop it!" Buffy tells Angelus as she comes out the door with the gub still pointed at him "Stop it! Don't make me!"
Angelus stops next to the balcony railing his back to Buffy breathing heavily with fear "All right. Just..." he starts as he turns to face her.
.1955. Grace turns around to face James "You know you don't want to do this. Let's both... just calm down. Now give me the gun" Grace says gently as she holds out her hand.
James shakes his head with tears flowing down his cheeks "Don't. Don't do that, damn it!"
Buffy looks at Angelus angrily as she shakes the gun at him "Don't talk to me like I'm some stupid..." The gun goes off and Angelus flinches from the wound and has his hand clutched to his chest he pulls it away and sees the blood.
He looks up at Buffy but she stares back in open-mouthed shock at what she just did as Angelus looks at her "James".
.1955. Grace goes into shock from the bullet wound and begins to fall backward she tumbles over the balcony railing down to the base of the stairs below, James walks over to the railing and sees Grace below lying dead with her eyes closed he slowly goes back into the hall.
Buffy walks to the record player at the back of the room she turns it on and begins playing the record that was inside it.
My love must be a kind of blind love
She looks over into a mirror, and James looks back at her her eyes are full of tears as she looks at him. He looks down at the gun in his hand.
I can't see anyone but you
Buffy continues to look into the mirror as she holds the gun in her hand she raises it slowly, but a hand takes it and pushes it back down. She turns quickly and finds herself face to face with Angelus "Grace!" she shouts in shock as she looks at Angelus' living form.
"Don't do this" Angelus tells her gently as he holds on to the gun "But-but I killed you" Buffy whispers tearfully as she looks down "It was an accident. It wasn't your fault" Angelus tells her softly as she starts to cry "Oh, it is my fault. How could I...".
Angelus puts his fingers to Buffy's mouth "Shhh. I'm the one who should be sorry, James. You thought I stopped loving you. But I never did. I loved you with my last breath" Buffy lets out a few sobs but Angelus puts his hand on her cheek "Shhh... No more tears".
.1955. Grace and James kiss happily as they finally got to play out they're happy ending and things had changed now
Angelus and Buffy kiss as they hold each other tightly as they continue kissing for a long time, Above them in the ceiling a bright light appears, and the spirits of Grace and James leave this world for the next but as quickly as it appeared the light is gone.
Buffy and Angelus gently break off their kiss and open their eyes "Angel" Buffy mutters when she sees the softness in his eyes but suddenly he growls, pushes her away and runs from the room, leaving Buffy there in shock.
Finally, the wasps dispersed from the school and we all ran in going straight for the library hoping to find Buffy alive after the gunshot we had heard, pushing open the doors I sigh with relief seeing my sister alive, highly upset but alive.
"Buffy!" I say as I pull her into my arms "I'm sorry" she whispers as she holds me tightly a few tears of hers hit my skin. "Buffy why don't you go rest in my office and we'll go... go check everything" Buffy nod and walk into Giles' office.
I follow her and let her lean into me as we sit in the small office, there were not questions I didn't need to ask I knew by the look on her face "Are you feeling any better?" Giles asks Buffy when they finish looking around the school.
"James picked me. I guess... I guess I was the one he could relate to, he was so sad" Buffy says aloud as Giles sits on the other side of her on the couch we were sitting on.
"Well... they can both rest now," Giles tells us softly as we look at him quietly "I still... A part of me just doesn't understand why she would forgive him" Buffy mutters as I play with her hand "Does it matter?" I ask her as she sighs heavily "No. I guess not".