"I'm not going to graduation mom." Buffy argues as she and her mother walk down the stairs of the Salvatore mansion.
Joyce sighs and crosses her arms at her daughter, giving her that look that made her want to climb out of her bedroom window like when she was 15 "Buffy...I didn't go to your high school graduation. Because I was dead. So I will be going to this one. Which means you have to go to."
Buffy groans and huffs, how was she 22 and a mother, yet her own mother who had been dead for almost 8 years was now telling her off. What kind of karma was this?!
As she opens up her mouth to find an excuse not to go she frowns as there in the living room blasting Bon Jovi was Stefan and Lexi. Lexi was dancing around the living room while Stefan bobbed his head along to the music.
"What realty is this?" Buffy asks laughing softly just as Damon walks in and switches off the music before turning to Buffy and Joyce "Buffy what didn't you tell me your mom was hot."
Joyce stares at the Salvatore boy before shaking her head "Wishing I was still dead right now."
Lexi chuckles in amusement while Damon's eyes widen, did he just get rejected by yet another Summers women? What was happening in the world?
Stefan smiles slightly before turning to his brother while Buffy walks over to Lexi who tries to get her to dance "Hey. You remember my friend Lexi of course."
Damon clenches his jaw, he had a feeling this reunion was not going to go well "Lexi back from the dead. Goodie."
Suddenly Damon found himself pinned against the wall Lexi's hand around his throat while Buffy chuckles in amusement and moves to sit beside Stefan on the couch where her mother was already sat "What's up, buzz kill?"
"Guys!" Damon groans turning to Joyce, Stefan and Buffy who merely sit there watching "You gonna sit there and let her enact her ghostly revenge?"
"You did kill her." Buffy reminds him.
Joyce tilts her head at her daughter "He did?"
"Yeah. He was kind of a dick when we first met."
"Buffy." Joyce warns scolding her daughter making Stefan chuckle "Oh shut up." Buffy huffs taking the whiskey off him only for her mother to take it off her "Mom—" Buffy's eyes widen as her mother takes a gulp, what was happening.
Joyce smiles at her daughter "Jenna wasn't the first wild child in the family. Who do you think taught her all those tricks."
As Lexi finally releases Damon the vampire groans in annoyance "So if you, Mama Buffster, Ric and Little Gilbert are all flesh-like and real-seeming, that means something went horribly wrong when Bonnie tried to put that veil up, and here you are having dance party USA."
"Actually we were having brunch." Buffy points out gesturing to her and her mother before pointing at Stefan and Lexi "They were having dance party USA."
"Best join us Buffy." Lexi jokes making Buffy rolls her eyes in amusement before frowning "I'm a mom can I have fun?"
"You're a cool mom." Lexi says with a chuckle just making Buffy shake her head in amusement only to frown as her phone buzzes, Jeremy Elena and Ric were all in the graveyard having their own party.
As her face falls Joyce turns to her daughter "Go."
Buffy's eyes widen "Mom—"
Joyce sighs before smiling at her daughter "I want some time with my grand-daughter. So go away. Plus I need to talk to these two." She says glaring at both Stefan and Damon who both gulp in fear, she may be human, but damn Buffy's mom had this look that made it seem like she was looking into your soul.
Buffy winces before jumping off her feet "Good luck boys." And with that Buffy speeds out of the room wishing the boys luck with her mother. Cause that was not going to be pretty.
"I hit kind of a snag." Bonnie says simply as she glares down at Caleb's body, she had had to kill him four times already, he kept demanding to know how to get how of Mystic Falls, something about re-joining his allegiance to The First. The guy was crazy.
"A snag!" Caroline exclaims over the phone "A snag is a bad yearbook picture. You hit a tsunami. Where are you?"
Bonnie sighs trying not to give anything away, she was dead, how was she supposed to explain that to her best friends on their graduation day "Trying to fix it. I'm running into some trouble. I need to wait until the full moon tonight to have enough power to put the veil back up."
"Are you trying to tell me that we might graduation college right smack in the middle of a ghost-filled expression triangle?"
Bonnie frowns at that "What do you mean?"
Caroline sighs through the phone in frustration "There was a massive flood at Whitmore! The high school is letting us use their football field."
Bonnie couldn't help but groan this wasn't exactly ideal, but it's not like they had any other option right now, turning she looks down at her own body, still in shock at the fact that she was dead "Maybe we should just cancel."
"No! We already had to cancel our high school graduation. We are not doing that again. This is our final goodbye before we enter the real world. The last ceremony of our youth. It is our rite of freaking passage! Hell will freeze over before I let anyone cancel our graduation."
Bonnie sighs and clenches her eyes shut for a moment trying to reign in all of her emotions right now, she was a little overwhelmed with everything "Can you not make jokes about hell freezing over? We're not that far off from that."
"Just promise that today is a friend day."
Bonnie sighs before frowning "Fine, I promise. I love you."
Buffy and Elena both stare in disgust as Ric and Jeremy bite into their burgers, why were boys so gross.
As they both moan in enjoyment Buffy snorts "Do you four need a room?" She asks as she bites into her own burger, a little more ladylike...well for her anyway.
Elena chuckles in amusement before shaking her head at the boys "No grease on the other side, huh?"
Buffy arches a brow "Probably a good thing. You two have lost a few pounds." She jokes making Ric roll his eyes "You have no idea how much I miss this and this." He says revealing a bottle of bourbon from behind one of the grave.
Buffy rolls her eyes in amusement as she takes the bottle "I was dead too." She reminds them as she takes a gulp of the bourbon.
Jeremy chuckles in amusement "I take it bourbon came back quickly after Joy was born."
"I was emotionless yet almost cried in joy at the taste. No pun intended" She jokes handing the bottle to Elena who takes another gulp.
Jeremy laughs while Ric shakes his head in amusement before turning to Buffy curiously "Where's your mom?"
Buffy frowns before pointing a finger at him "No!" She warns "You dated her younger sister, and she already slept with my watcher."
Alaric frowns in confusion before laughing and shaking his head as he takes the bottle of bourbon from Elena taking a big gulp.
Jeremy smiles "So where is aunt Joyce?"
"With Joy." She tells them as she takes another bite of her damn good burger "She wanted time with her grand-daughter."
"And to scope out Damon and Stefan." Elena sings making Jeremy snort as he imagined aunt Joyce having words with Stefan and Damon, that was not going to be pretty. Aunt Joyce was great...but she can be kind of scary.
"She's gonna hurt them both." Jeremy says with a laugh making Buffy smile in amusement "Well she did beat up Spike with axe once."
"Wait really?" Elena asks before laughing that was probably the greatest thing she had ever heard, the idea of aunt Joyce battering Spike with an axe was just so awesome.
Buffy chuckles softly before smiling as she watches Ric and Jeremy, this just felt right, it just sucked that she and Elena both knew that this was probably the last moment they were all going to have together. Ric and Jeremy are dead, today was probably the last day they were ever gonna all be together again.
"Hey..." Jeremy whispers turning to Buffy spotting the water begin rushing to her eyes "No. No tears."
Elena sighs and leans her head on Buffy shoulders trying to hold back her own tears, Jeremy smiles sadly as he faces his two sisters, he didn't want to spend their last hours together with both of them crying "If Caroline was right, we only have until tonight. We need a no crying rule."
"Hey." Buffy argues trying to hold back to tears "I was an emotionless bitch for three months crying is a good thing."
"It means she's happy." Elena finishes as she takes Jeremy and Buffy's hands while Buffy takes Ric's all of them holding hands in this little square of theirs.
Buffy takes a shaky breath enjoying this small moment only to take pull back as her phone starts ringing, wiping away the tears from her face she sighs "It's The Grill. Must be Matt."
Answering she sighs and quickly calms down her voice "Hey Matty you went quiet what happened?"
"Hello, Buffy." Buffy's eyes widen as she hears a very familiar voice on the other end of the phone, the voice of one of the first people that she had ever killed "It's your dead friend Connor here."
Buffy clenches her jaw and tries to remain calm as Elena, Jeremy and Ric all stare at her with wide eyes "Hey and here I was hoping you would have you know moved on from the whole neck-snapping thing."
"Let's just say I'm not over it. But me and few hunters are in town. And we want Silas...and we want the cure."
Buffy groans and turns to the others, this wasn't good god knows how many people would die if they didn't give the hunters what they wanted "Ooh well, ya see...I'm kind of busy and don't really have time to go digging for the cure and Silas. Plus you know nails. They cost a lot. So unless you're going to pay for me to get a new manicure—"
"Enough with the jokes Slayer. Buffy you should do as I ask otherwise Grandma and Grandpa Jones in town for the big college graduation along with auntie Sue and Uncle Mark..."
As he continues Alaric turns to Buffy "Keep him talking." He mouths causing Buffy to nod, if she was good at anything, chatting away was definitely one of those things.
Alaric nods at her once more squeezing her shoulder before he speeds off heading in the direction of The Grill while Elena tries to get ahold of Stefan or Damon to let them know what's going on.
"You either give me what I want or they die."
Joyce places little Joy down and smiles as the little girl quickly reaches for the stuffed Pig "Just like your mother." She laughs softly before sighing "Your staring." Turning her head she smiles as she spots Stefan walk into the room nervously.
Joyce chuckles before standing smiling at her grand-daughter once more before turning to Stefan "I don't bite Stefan."
Stefan chuckles "Wouldn't expect you to."
Joyce smiles before turning to the young Salvatore watching him carefully "I watched you and my daughter." She admits "Every now and then. The powers that be would let me check-in." Sighing she walks over to the vampire and frowns "You're a good man Stefan. And I see that you love my daughter and my grand-daughter."
"They are both pretty amazing." He admits smiling at her.
Joyce nods in agreement before clenching her jaw and looking at him seriously, she had watched her daughter struggle between three men for years and she had seen some of the horrors she had been through but there were a few constants "I appreciate you looking out for my daughter. But Buffy...is about to have to do something and it's gonna be the hardest thing in her life to do. She's gonna be broken...she needs to leave Mystic Falls Stefan. And while I know you love my daughter. If you love her... don't make her stay here."
Stefan opens his mouth in confusion, what was that supposed to mean? What was Buffy going to have do and why did it result in her leaving Mystic Falls, what the hell was he missing here.
However, before he could question here he spins around in panic as he hears a loud yell of pain come from downstairs...Damon.
Turning to Joyce he quickly panics "Stay here. If I'm not back in two minutes..." Pausing he hands Joyce his car keys "Take her and run."
Without another word, Stefan speeds downstairs and hiding, his eyes widen as he spots Vaughn now back after the veil had opened holding a gun while Damon was on the floor clutching his arm.
Speeding up behind Vaughn Stefan promptly rips out Vaughn's heart before dropping his body to the ground.
However, before he could say another word Stefan suddenly goes flying across the room going crashing straight into a bookshelf.
Damon's eyes widen as he spots the person who had just launched his brother across the room, this was not good.
Caleb smiles down at the boys "Boys...long time. So wanna tell me where the Slayer. She and I have a little unfinished business."
Stepping forward he moves to grab Damon by the throat however suddenly he screams as an axe digs its way into his back.
And there standing above them making both boys stare with wide eyes was Joyce holding Buffy's scythe "You stay the hell away from them." She warns before driving the stake into Caleb's heart.
Joyce exhales softly before sighing as she turns to look at the scythe in her arms "No wonder Buffy likes this."
"So..." Alaric starts as he walks over to Connor who had just hung up on Buffy, sitting beside him at the bar he smiles at the hunter "...you get off on terrorizing innocent people?"
Connor frowns and turns to face the immortal original hunter "And who might you be?"
Alaric tilts his head in anger as he glares at the hunter who he was about to rip to shreds "I'm the guy responsible for the 22-year-old you just threatened."
Connor couldn't help but scoff "Well that 22 year old snapped my neck with her bare hands."
Alaric couldn't help but chuckle "Yeah she's trained well. I like to think I helped as her sort of second Watcher."
Connor watches Alaric for a moment in interest "Heh." He laughs "That's ironic you must not know a damn thing about fighting if you're trying to intimate a dead guy packing C-4." Pausing he unzips his jacket revealing a suicide bomb currently strapped to his chest.
Alaric merely looks down at him, clearly, he wasn't that smart given he wasn't the only dead guy in the room, plus threatening his bar. Bad move "This is my bar, pal. Nobody's gonna blow it up."
As Connor presses the switch Alaric grabs him and speeds them to the back room just as the explosion goes off.
"I don't think Red's really your color, Bon-Bon." Katherine snarks as she finally finds Bonnie walking through the high school now in her cap and gown.
Bonnie groans in annoyance she was so hoping never to have to see Katherine again "And here I was hoping the ghost of anyone would have killed you already."
Katherine couldn't help but chuckle "Like any ghost would risk angering Marianna by killing me. But since you bring it up...I'm here to collect that immortality you've promised me."
Bonnie sighs, why couldn't someone kill her already and just make her go away, she was irritating the hell out of the witch "Funny you think you're still going to get it. I told you Qetsiyah's the only witch who knows the immortality spell. If she was a no-show you're out of luck."
Katherine clenches her jaw, that was no okay with her, pausing she walks around Bonnie causing the witch to halt in her steps "See? Here's the thing, Bonnie. I can't disagree with you because I have been feeling out of luck lately, but you know who has been getting all of my luck? My beloved doppelganger Elena. My shadow self is living a better life than I am, so if I don't get that immortality, I may just have to get rid of her altogether."
Bonnie tilts her head in anger as she turns to the vampire "Did you just threaten my best friend?" She hisses before stepping into Katherine's personal space "I can crush your skull without even flinching and may I remind you exactly who Elena's sister is. You think you can stop a hybrid and an all-powerful witch?"
"Go ahead." Katherine snarks "Make your move."
Bonnie frowns before turning around her eyes widening as she spots several of her classmates moving around the halls, however as she turns back to Katherine her eyes widen. She was gone.
"Hey, mom told me Caleb was here?" Buffy asks as she runs into the Salvatore house and turns to Stefan.
Stefan sighs as he places down the shovel in his hands, he had just spent the past hour burying Caleb hoping it would slow him down next time he woke up, at least a little.
"Yeah. You're mom's pretty badass though."
Buffy chuckles in amusement "She beat up Spike too once."
Stefan couldn't help but laugh, now that was a sight he would have loved to see.
Joyce chuckles as she walks into the room with little Joyce in her arms, honestly she was so grateful and honored by the fact Buffy had named her daughter Joyce. It was the sweetest thing.
"Where do you think Buffy gets it from?" She jokes making Buffy smile and her eyes widen as she spots her daughter "Hello lovely..." She moves to take her daughter only for Joyce to pull back "Hey. You get a lifetime with my grand-daughter. I get one day."
Buffy's eyes widen before she shakes her head in amusement "Fine." She laughs before handing her mom her phone "I promised Klaus Joy would face time with him."
Joyce groans while this may be the man that was the father of her stunning grand-daughter this was also the man that murdered her little sister "Fine, I need to have words with him anyway." Buffy groans as her mother walks off, she couldn't help but feel for the hybrid, he was in for a really bad 20 minutes.
"She's gonna destroy him." Stefan says with a chuckle making Buffy smile she couldn't help but agree, she really wished him luck with her mother "Oh yeah. Poor Nik...So where's the dummy that got shot?"
"His room."
Buffy nods before speeding upstairs as she approaches his room the blonde slash pink-haired Slayer leans against the doorway of his room "Knock knock."
Damon turns to face the blonde smiling at the sight of his best friend, Buffy chuckles "See you're supposed to say who's there then I make a bad mom joke. See my point."
Damon laughs softly before shaking his head "Whose there?"
Buffy rolls her eyes and pouts "It's ruined now." She says with a laugh before approaching her best friend "Heard you got shot?"
"I'm fine. Your mom is pretty cool though."
Buffy groans "Please don't hit on my mother."
"I make no promises." He jokes before reaching into his back pocket nervously "I'm glad you're here." He admits before nervously he pulls the small box with the cure in it out of his pocket and holds it up towards the blonde, Buffy's eyes widen as there laid in the box was the cure. "Consider it a graduation present."
Buffy sighs and runs a hand through her curly hair before tilting her head as she stares at the cure, after everything they had been through here it was right in front of her, she could take it and be a mom, yes she would still be the Slayer but there would be fewer people after her. But there would never be fewer people after Joy. And if she took that there would be a chance she wouldn't be able to protect her.
"Damon...I meant what I said when I had my emotions off. I don't want it."
"I thought you were drunk. Come on I think it's cherry flavored."
Buffy couldn't help but giggle at his words before shaking her head in amusement "Damon...if I didn't have Joy I would take it in a heartbeat...but...my daughter may be little now but soon her powers are gonna start growing and...I don't wanna not be able to protect her."
Damon frowns before sighing "So what do we do with it? You don't want it Elena doesn't want it."
Buffy pauses for a moment thinking about two people she thought about who deserved it, Stefan and Bonnie's mom "I have an idea. They just need to be asked. But the hunters kind of want it right now. And I know I threatened to slaughter everyone in Mystic Falls but I think they may actually do it."
Damon groans in annoyance, they would deal with the hunters but there was no way in hell that they would be giving it to the hunters, walking over to the pink-haired Slayer he takes her hand placing the cure in her palm wrapping her fingers around it "Give it to who you want Buffy. You gonna a hell of a lot better judgment...hell save it till Joy's 18 then take it."
"What do you think?"
At Damon's question, Buffy frowns and there holding Joy was Jeremy "Wait where's mom?"
Jeremy snorts slightly as he holds his niece in his arms "Yelling at Klaus over facetime. And I think giving him a lecture on sex ed."
Buffy winces at that, Klaus was so gonna kill her later. Shaking her head she moves to take Joy but Jeremy steps back, why was everyone hogging her daughter today!
Jeremy glares at her "One day Buffy, to tell Joy why I am a better uncle then Elijah or Kol. You get her forever...I get today, you know cause I'm dead."
Buffy rolls her eyes "You can't keep using that!"
"Oh, I so can."
Damon rolls his eyes at the family bickering and turns to Jeremy hoping to get Jeremy on his side right "Come on Little Gilbert. I'm sure that thing doesn't have an expiration date. She can take it when Joy all-powerful and throwing us all around like rag dolls."
Jeremy sighs before turning to his sister, he knew no matter what Buffy said she didn't want to be an immortal demon hybrid forever eventually she would want a normal life away from all of this. But it was her life and her decision "Look, Buffy. You're my sister and I love you no matter what you choose."
Damon couldn't help but stare in disbelief "How is it even when your dead your a bane in my existence?"
"Geez she is laying into him." Lexi whispers as she continues to eavesdrop on Joyce who was currently outside yelling at Klaus, Lexi couldn't help but chuckle and she turns to Stefan "Never thought Klaus would be sacred of a human woman."
"She is Buffy's mom."
"And a badass." Lexi laughs before she turns back to her best friend who was still stood standing over Vaughn's body, while he had buried Caleb, Vaughn had information that they needed.
"So the veil's down until tonight." She recaps trying to figure out exactly how this worked "He dies, goes to the other side, and what—comes back all over again? How long does that take?"
Stefan shrugs as he pours himself and Lexi another drink, turning to her the glass before glancing down at the temporarily dead hunter "What, they don't give you a rule book over there?"
Lexi rolls her eyes at her best friend "Haha." She mocks before turning to face her best friend watching him for a moment "So...what's going on with the great Buffy Summers cure debate."
Stefan chuckles softly before sitting down looking up at Lexi "She won't take it. The minute she got pregnant and found out how powerful Joy will be...she won't risk being weak. Not if it means she can't protect Joy."
Pausing Lexi sits down in front of him watching him curiously "Little Joy...about that precious little girl." Pausing Lexi reaches into her back pocket and hands him a photo, Stefan frowns as he takes the photo only for his eyes to widen as there in front of him was a photo of Buffy and himself fast asleep with Joy in the middle of them.
"You guys look like a little family."
Stefan sighs and stands walking over to the fire "She's Buffy and Klaus' daughter. I'm just helping out."
Lexi chuckles softly before watching her best friend curiously "You know I've watched from the other side seen the two of you together. And with Joy. Yes, you're not her father and you never will be. But...that little girl would benefit from another man in her life. Possibly an uncle...or...Step-father."
Stefan lets out a loud laugh, him and Buffy had been apart for almost 3 years and as much as he loved her, maybe their time was over, maybe he had to finally let her go. Glancing down at the photo he couldn't help but smile but this was a fantasy this would never be his life. "She's wanted to leave Mystic Falls for two years. Her mom says she needs to leave and if I love her...I have to let her do what she thinks is best. She has her emotions back she knows exactly how she feels and I have a feeling she's gonna want to leave."
Lexi sighs as she watches him she could see it all over his face even after almost seven years of an on and off relationship he was still as in love with as he was the second he met her.
"What if whatever she feels is for you?"
Stefan takes a shaky breath and looks down as he thinks about exactly what he would do "She's the love of my life. I'd go back to her in a heartbeat."
Lexi smiles as she watches him for a moment before she admits something "I didn't just watch you...I watched her. And I think you have a shot. If you know she's gonna leave Mystic Falls, it doesn't mean you have to give her up. Go with her and Joy, start over. Stefan, you can have everything you've ever wanted, you love Buffy and you love Joy. Damon, not exactly the step-father type. Yeah, Klaus will always be around and always be Joy's dad, but Buffy isn't with him. She chose not to be. And like I said that little girl could use as many great men in her life as possible and I know a pretty great one. You just need to decide, if she leaves...are you gonna fight for her?"
Stefan sighs as he thinks for a moment Buffy's mom had told him to basically let her go, but maybe Lexi was right...if Buffy felt something for him still, he could fight for her.
However, before he could figure out exactly what he was going to do his eyes widen as Vaughn finally wakes up. It looks like he would have to sort out his feelings about Buffy later.
"Come on." Damon argues still trying to make it clear that the hunters didn't need to be given the cure, Silas wasn't a threat anymore so the cure was theirs and they couldn't let the damn hunters take it off them "We don't need the cure for Silas. He's a calcified statue. Ugh."
At Damon's sudden groan of pain Buffy frowns and spins around to face him, something wasn't right here "Dame?"
"I'm fine." Damon says shaking off the blonde's concern but as he always forgot Buffy knew him pretty damn well, walking over to him Buffy grabs him and rips the sleeve off his shirt.
"Dude." Damon says with a groan in annoyance only to wince as Buffy pulls off the ripped sleeve her eyes widening as there was the bullet wound, only it wasn't healed if anything it was getting worse "Werewolf venom." Panic quickly fills her "Jeremy go get mom! Get her to keep Klaus on the phone!"
Jeremy sighs before turning to leave only for Joyce to appear "What's going on?"
"Call Klaus." Buffy tells her panic filling her as she stares at Damon's wound.
Joyce frowns "I can't...Buffy, he hung up because there was a fight. I tried to call him again. He's not answering."
Buffy's eyes widen and she grabs onto her hair panic filling her, this couldn't be happening "No, no, no You are not allowed to die." She yells turning to Damon panic filling her, there was no way in hell she was going to let her best friend die.
As Jeremy explains the situation to Joyce, Joyce turns to Buffy "I'll keep trying."
Buffy nods "Thank you."
Damon sighs and turns to Buffy trying to point out the obvious "Klaus would rather see me die. Plus as your mom just said forces that are probably after little Joyce are fighting with your baby daddy right now a thousand miles away."
Buffy groans in annoyance, she was so not okay with her best friend joking about dying right now "So not the time Damon! You die. I will go to the other side and kick your ass!"
"What about the cure?" Jeremy asks suddenly causing Buffy's eyes to widen it all made sense, if Damon took the cure he wouldn't be affected by the werewolf venom "So you want to take it on your own, or have me shove down your throat?"
Damon arches a brow, there was no way in hell he was going to be human, he unlike Stefan loved being a freaking vampire and there was no way he was going back to being a human "And here I was so moved by your speech to save mankind."
"Mankind owes me a favor." Buffy argues glaring at her idiot of a best friend only to groan as Damon quickly changes the subject "Sounds like Vaughn's awake." And with that, he exits the room taking the cure off Buffy as he heads downstairs.
"Damon I swear I will hurt you!" Buffy yells as she follows Damon downstairs only for her eyes to widen as he tosses Vaughn the cure.
Stefan's eyes widen "What the hell are you doing?"
"Digging up Silas."
"Like hell you are." Buffy huffs only to groan as Damon grabs Vaughn and speeds out of the room "Damon!" She yells before turning to Stefan "We have a problem."