A Buffy The Vampire Slayer/Dawson's Creek Crossover
Episode Three - "Make Me Bad"
*FADE TO: The next morning, Joey, Dawson, Xander, and Pacey all waiting in the Leery front yard for Jen.*
"She knew we were going to try filming at noon, didn't she?" Joey asked no-one in particular.
"I told her myself... maybe she overslept." Xander offered.
"Thats some oversleeping... I can hardly make it to noon myself." Pacey joked.
"Let's go over there and get her." Dawson ordered, the voice of reason.
*CUT TO: Jen's front door. Dawson and the gang walk up and Dawson knocks on the door.*
Mrs. Ryan answered the door, "Yes, may I help you children?"
"Hello, Mrs. Ryan... we're looking for Jen... she's supposed to go out and help us with filming today. Is she here?"
Grams' eyes narrowed as she replied, "I'm afraid Jen is no longer here. A family emergency on her father's side has prompted her to leave town, indefinitely. I'm sure she's sorry for being unable to tell you about this... but she was in too much of a hurry to go." She had a somewhat cold look in her eyes, "Now if you'll run along, I'm busy." She closed the door quietly in their faces.
*CUT TO: Different perspective on the four. From the Ryan's door facing back towards the Leery's.*
"That was... weird." Pacey said quietly.
"Why would Jen just leave without saying anything?" Joey questioned.
"Maybe somebody in her family died... you don't really stop to think much during something like that." Dawson offered.
The only one of them who had nothing to say was Xander. He stood there, staring dumbly at the Ryan's door, with enough concentration to burn holes through it. He sighed almost imperceptably, and turned around to walk away.
"Where are you going, Xander?" Pacey yelled at him.
He kept walking while he yelled back his reply, "This, well, officially screws the movie, y'know... so I think I'm just going to go home."
"We can rewrite... or refilm... we'll work something out, Xander." Dawson called out.
Xander started shutting them out. He was in no mood to work on anything at that moment. Right before he stopped listening to them completely, he heard one last comment, "You still aren't getting me to play the lead, Dawson!" It was Joey, and it made him laugh.
*Dawson's Creek/Buffy The Vampire Slayer combined credits*
*FADE TO: Joey, Dawson, and Pacey watching Xander walk away.*
"Look, D... go home and... brainstorm or something... work your magic and find a way to salvage this project..." He looked at Joey, "Josephine, you go with him... and *I* will try to raise young Alexander's spirits." They all nodded and headed off.
*CUT TO: Pacey catching up to Xander.*
"Yo, X... hold up."
"Did you want something, Pacey?"
"To help drag you out of that hole you're sinking into."
"Look, Pace... I'm not exactly in the mood to go galavanting across town... hell, I'm so down I'm using long words like 'galavanting'... I don't even know what that means."
"And thats exactly my point, man... sure, you're depressed because Jen up and left... I know you cared a lot about her... but she wouldn't want you to lock yourself in your room and rot away. She'd want you to go out and stay alive, I know it."
Xander sighed, "What do you have in mind, Pace... I'll let you know if I'll outright reject it."
"Well I was thinking, maybe we could head out to Providence or Boston... hit a strip club with some fake IDs..." He saw the look of distaste on Xander's face, "Or not... we could still head for Boston or Providence... just drive around and see if something strikes us as interesting."
Xander looked up from the ground, "Yeah, yeah, I guess that'd be good... just as long as I find something to get my mind off of... things."
"I still say we should hit the strip club... I know this one girl named Candy... she could make anybody forget about anybody... hell, she could make Joey forget about Dawson..." Pacey said, smiling a little, but knowing that wasn't a good comment to make. He remained silent on the way to his truck.
*CUT TO: Joey and Dawson, going over the script in Dawson's bedroom. He's sitting at his computer, and is holding a pen & paper. They're tossing back and forth ideas.*
"Hey... we could have Xander... er, Saint become the vampire killer!" Joey offered.
"No, no... thats too improbable." Dawson reasoned.
Joey looked at him crookedly, "What, and a girl falling in love with something she's supposed to kill is?"
"Point taken... if there's no way I can convince you to take up the lead, we could simulate Jen's death and make you the new one... but if there's no way, then I guess thats what we'll have to go with."
"No, there is no way to convince me, Dawson... I don't want to play another fake leading lady." She said, meaning behind her words as she stared at Dawson pointedly. He paid no attention to it, as his brain was working on a way to make a connection for the movie.
"We could make it an avenging thing... He falls for her, she dies, and he's out to make up for all his wrongs or something."
"Sounds nice." She said, smiling fakely. Dawson flew to work on his rewrite, and Joey watch him intently. She sighed, and pulled together her strength, before asking tentatively, "Hey Dawson?"
"Yeah, Jo?" He replied, not turning away from his computer.
"Can I ask you something? Something important?" This got him to turn away from the computer for a moment. He saw the seriousness on her face, as well as her nervousness.
"What is it, Joey?" He was concerned.
"Its nothing dire, Dawson... don't give me the 'Oh my god' look... I just wanted to... well, I wanted to ask..." She grumbled at herself, "I wanted to know if maybe, you wanted to do something tonight... y'know, just you and me... nobody else."
Dawson's face fluttered several emotions one after the other. It made it impossible for her to read his reaction. He paused only a moment, but to Joey that moment lasted forever, "Sure, Jo... I'd love to." He smiled. He second guessed himself, "This is in a 'more than friends' kinda way, right?" Joey nodded, smiling a little, "Good... cause I've sort of been wanting to ask you out for a while now... I just didn't know how to proceed."
*CUT TO: The Icehouse. Xander sitting at the bar eating lunch. Xander is openly moping. Pacey is returning from the bathroom.*
Bessie caught Pacey on his way back to his seat and asked him a question, "Whats up with tall, dark, and brooding over there?"
Pacey frowned a little, "Well... we found out this morning that Jen got shipped off somewhere again... and they were just starting up a sort-of relationship, and he's kinda broken up about it."
Bessie frowned as well, "Where are Dawson and Joey? I thought they'd at least be trying to help cheer him up."
Pacey shook his head, "They're back at the Leery's trying to salvage our movie script... as per *my* orders... he needs cheering up, but he doesn't need us all fawning over him blowing the issue out of proportion."
Bessie looked sideways at him, glancing back at the moping Xander again, "Well, I'm not sure I agree with that..."
"We're just gonna drive out to Boston or Providence in a bit and cruise around, so he can do something other than sit in his room and think about missing Jen."
"That sounds okay... but a single drive isn't going to help the boy forget all his worries... its gonna take something a *lot* bigger than that." Bessie warned, "Will you at least tell him I hope he feels better? He needs to know people care about him more than anything else." Pacey nodded reluctantly and returned to his seat.
*FADE TO: Joey getting ready at the Potter house. Bessie is clanking around in the kitchen.*
Joey whistled a nameless tune as she searched through her wardrobe for some good clothes. She came out of her room bearing clothes on hangers. She propositioned Bessie, "Which would you pick, Bessie? The jeans and purple tank-top Dawson has seen me in a hundred times, or this navy blue dress I've only worn once before?"
Bessie crossed her arms and impatiently looked at her sister, "You've been home for fourty-five minutes, and you have yet to mention the fact that Jen is gone. At one time you disliked her so much you were plotting ways to kill her, all because she had Dawson's eye... whatever happened to that?"
"That was a long time ago, Bess... and besides, lately she's had her hands full with Xander."
"Ahh, my second point presents itself. I assume you would call that Xander boy your friend... and yet in a time when he probably needs you and his other friends the most, you're off to go on a date with your best friend... while *he* is on a roadtrip with *Pacey* to Boston... or Providence... or wherever it was they said they were going."
"What crawled up your butt, Bessie? Sure, Xander is hurting... but there isn't all that much I can do for him is there? I can't just plop down and make-out with him for a few hours to make him forget Jen... thats totally uncalled for. *I*, on the other hand, finally have a date with Dawson... and I am *not* going to let it slip away from me just because a friend of mine is down." She huffed and stormed back into her room to get dressed.
*CUT TO: Pacey and Xander on an indescript highway. The radio is playing, and Xander is staring off out the window... into the dimming night sky.*
Pacey felt the need to break the silence, and clear up something that was on his mind, "Did you love her?"
Xander's head snapped around, "What?"
"Jen... did you love her?"
Xander tried not to be angry, 'What right does he have to ask me that? He's your friend.' "I don't know... I suppose on some level I loved her, only like a friend... but was I *in* love with her, no I don't think so. But I sure as hell liked her... a *lot*... and I know, given time, I could have turned into more." He sighed heavily.
"At least now you know, huh? I kind of envy you... there isn't anybody out there right now that I care about that much. I mean sure, you were only 'in like'... but thats something, y'know?" Pacey sighed too. Pacey tried to lighten the conversation, "Hey, a couple of bachelors like us gotta stick together... we oughta star..."
Xander interrupted him with a hand as the word "killing" caught his attention on the radio, he turned up the volume, "This latest killing matches the technique of the previous six. The previous victim, found in Boston, was the sixth in a string of similar murders stretching across the country, until now. Capeside Police Chief John Witter declined any comment further than this, 'Whoever is responsible for these gruesome killings *will* be brought to justice.'"
Pacey slammed on the brakes and brought the truck to a halt. He looked at Xander with severe alarm, as they continued to listen. Xander was afraid to hear a description of the victim, "The victim was a teenage girl, approximately 15 or 16 years old... hold on, I'm being handed more information..." Xander felt like screaming, "The victim has now been identified as one Abigail Morgan, the daughter of a well-known resident of Capeside... Unfortunately that is all the information we have at the moment, but subsequent information will be released as it comes in."
They both felt a little guilty about their sighs of relief, Xander the mostso. He didn't even know Abby, at least not past her snobbish exterior. Xander ran a hand nervously through his hair, and his eyes were wide as saucers.
"What should we do?" Pacey asked softly.
"The only thing we can do." Xander replied, just as softly. Pacey expected him to non-chalantly say something like 'Keep going' or something equivalent to 'Run away.' Xander reached into his pocket and pulled out his silver cross, "Turn this thing around and go manage the damage control."
Pacey suppressed his smile, knowing full well what would go down if they encounted the culprit. He didn't take a second longer to shift into reverse, spin the truck around, and head full-tilt, for the little town of Capeside.
*CUT TO: Joey and Dawson eating a homecooked dinner in the Leery kitchen. Mitch and Gale are not present.*
"I never knew you could cook, Dawson." Joey commented, smiling.
"I'm a man of many talents." He said, smirking. He used his fork to roll up some spaghetti and ate it.
Joey rolled her eyes, "If you were Pacey, I'd almost take that as perverted. If you were Xander..." She started gazing off, semi-dreamily.
Dawson's smirk faded, and his serious face returned, "Earth to Joey..."
"What was I saying?"
He shook his head, "You've got me..." He was finished with his spaghetti, as was she, "What do you say we retire upstairs for our own personal movie night?" He smiled again, offering his arm.
She looped it and returned the smile, "I'd love to." They trotted upstairs arm in arm.
*CUT TO: Xander throwing things into a bag. Crosses, stakes, holy water vails. Anything he knew would be of help.*
"We don't know how many we're dealing with... I think it'll be a good idea if you stay in the truck, they can't get to you unless they're invited... and you aren't actually stupid enough to invite them in, are you?"
"Are you crazy? I can't leave you out there by yourself!" Pacey called to him from inside the bathroom.
"Which of us has trained to protect himself and has an intricate knowledge of just how to deal with them?"
"You have a point... but I can't help but feel, well, helpless... I don't want to just leave you out there." He called out again.
"I've got a phosphorus bomb here... if I'm getting overwhelmed, I'll tag them and you can come in and knock down everybody that glows."
"And if you get some on yourself?"
"Run me down too, it doesn't matter." Xander zipped up the bag and was ready to go, "What the heck are you doin' in there?"
"Just getting prepared." He called, as he started coming out of the bathroom. Xander exited the room and...
*CUT TO: Joey and Dawson sitting on Dawson's bed. They're snuggled up, only half-watching the movie on the TV. They're both stealing glances at each other every so often. Finally Joey breaks the silence.*
"Dawson, is there something wrong?" She asked, very worried.
Dawson was quiet for a moment, "No, Joey... nothing is really wrong, its just..."
"This is uncomfortable for you?"
"No! Well... yeah, but not the way you think."
"And since when do you know what I think?" She replied indignantly.
Dawson smiled a little at her stubborness, "Since forever, Jo. Its uncomfortable for me right now because... well, because I really want to... kiss you right now, and I don't know if I should or not."
Joey's eye's brightened, and she sat up at the same time Dawson did. They looked at each other intently, pensive about who should make the first move. Finally, Dawson started closing the gap between them, getting closer and closer to touching her lips.
They could feel each other's breath on their faces, and as their lips were about to touch, a loud, 'JOEY! DAWSON!,' came bursting through the window. They both recognized the voice, as it was Xander.
Dawson was shocked when Joey turned away from him to rush to the window. He slowly followed her. Joey poked her head out the window and yelled, "What is it, Xander?" Her voice was annoyed, and that brought some relief to Dawson.
"There's been another one of those... weird murders... we've got serious trouble."
Joey frowned, "That's horrible, Xander... but I'm sort of busy... couldn't this wait?"
"No, Jo... you guys should get out here... Pacey and I think we should stick together, it'll be safer." Xander called up from the bottom of the ladder.
Joey climbed out on the small roof outside Dawson's window and over to the edge, "And since when do I consider being with you and Pacey safe?" She smiled a little, but saw the look of seriousness on Xander's face. She frowned again, frustrated with the turn of events, and called down, "Fine, fine... if it'll make you feel better." She looked at Dawson apologetically, and started crawling down the ladder.
Dawson was still inside his room, and slowly exited onto the roof. He was reluctant to go down with Xander, as his night with Joey was ruined. He was about to reach the edge when someone caught him from behind. He tried to turn around to see who it was, but they clenched his arm behind him, and placed a cold, clammy hand over his mouth.
"Come on, Dawson!" Xander yelled. Several, heavy, footsteps made their way towards the edge of the roof, and it sounded as if they were dragging something, "Come on, your TV isn't THAT important... get a leg up."
"Well if it isn't the Boy Wonder. Still have your sense of humor, I see." A dark voice called from above.
Xander squinted to see who it was, "...Angel?"
*Commercial break*
*FADE TO: Previous scene by Dawson's roof.*
"Well if it isn't the Boy Wonder. Still have your sense of humor, I see." The dark voice called from the ledge above.
Xander squinted to see who it was, "Angel?"
"Not exactly." He tightened his hold on Dawson, who tried to struggle free, "I'll make you a deal... if you can correctly guess who I *really* am, I'll let this guy live... guess wrong, and he'll die."
"Angelus." Xander said flatly. His face had become stern and cold.
"Very good! I'd clap, but as you can see I've got my hands full at the moment." He smiled a broad, toothy grin. It sent a shiver up Xander's spine. Angelus looked at Dawson's neck longingly, "Speaking off... I'm mighty parched, so I think I'll just feast on him anyway." Angelus paused only a moment, bringing out his vampire visage, before sinking his fangs into Dawson's neck, draining the life from him.
Joey screamed, "DAWSON!" She made a run for the ladder, but Xander grabbed her waste and dragged her back.
"There isn't anything you can do for him!" He said regretfully.
Angelus finished feeding, and with a blood-curdling laugh, sent Dawson's limp body over the edge of the roof to the ground. He landed with a sickening thud, and Xander backed himself and Joey up.
Angelus wore his wide, and now bloody, grin as he stepped forward and simply dropped down off the roof, showing his unnatural agility. He stalked towards them with a purpose.
Xander pushed Joey back towards Pacey and the truck, yelling at her, "Joey, get out of here!"
*CUT TO: Another angle on the same scene. Joey stayed nearby, despite Xander's orders.*
"I have *so* been looking forward to breaking you, boy." Angelus cackled.
"Well, if you haven't noticed... this 'boy' is all-grown up now." Xander said, his usual comical demeanor dropping away, to reveal a hard and cold one.
Angelus mocked him, "Boy, man... doesn't really matter. Either way, you're going to end up dead." He swung at Xander roughly, obviously underestimating Xander's training. Xander dodged it easily, but just as quickly, Angelus followed up with another, more precise punch. It staggered him, but he remained on his feet.
"That the best you've got, Dead Boy?" Angelus growled and sent a flurry of punches Xander's way. He blocked and parrey them all, launching a few of his own into Angelus' face and chest. The vampire staggered backwards, and Xander felt the need to throw in another comment, "This *boy* is just as fast as you, huh? Looks like Angelus might just have met his match."
Angelus made no reply, simply launched another flurry of punches his way, throwing in several kicks which evaded Xander's defense. Xander recovered quickly and pulled a sweep kick, which Angelus leapt over.
He was grinning again, "This is so much fun."
"About as much fun as a root canal... what the hell are you doing here, anyway?" Xander said in between punches and kicks.
Angelus laughed again, "I can't believe you haven't figured it out yet." He roundhoused and sent Xander flying, "The only way to break that damned Gypsy spell was for me to acheive one moment of true happiness." He smiled, "And you can attest to just how happy that Buffy Summers can make someone."
Xander's eyes narrowed as he got back up to his feet, "What did you do to her?"
Angelus laughed at his reaction, "Nothing, actually... she was so hung up on you after you left, that I wasn't even in the picture anymore. Damn you." He growled, punching Xander straight in the face, sending him back down. "But in the end, it was my old pall XANDER that helped me attain my freedom."
"Yeah right... like I'd go out of my way to make a freak like YOU happy."
"Ahh, I just love your witty banter. It obviously wasn't conscious... but c'mon... as long as you were around, I knew there was always a threat of you taking Buffy away. You might have thought she saw nothing you ever did for her, but she did... she saw it all. If you had been around much longer, you would have cracked her, my boy." Angelus got caught up in a moment of anger.
Xander took the opportunity to kick Angelus in the stomach, then kneeing him in the face. He sent the vampire to the ground, and he readied a stake.
*CUT TO: Another perspective. Xander prepared to stake his enemy.*
Xander started to drive the stake at Angelus' heart, but the vampire landed a kick to his forehead before he could do it. The stake went flying. Xander fell over near a tree. He suddenly remembered Joey was nearby, but looking around he couldn't see her.
Angelus dusted himself off, "God I can't believe how slow you are. My one moment of true happiness, the one that set my demon free..." He stepped closer to Xander, who was out of breath, and lifted him off the ground. "...was the day you left, wonder boy."
He spun around to deliver a kick, but Xander caught it, leaving Angelus on one leg. Xander quickly glanced down and smiled, "Glad to know I could help, Dead Boy." He locked his arm around Angelus' knee and dropped back to the ground, pulling Angelus forward and driving him headfirst into the tree behind them.
He took the opportunity to call out to Joey, as he got to his feet and looked around again. He got no response. He was about to run towards Pacey's truck, when Angelus grabbed his ankle, tripping him to the ground.
"Its not that easy, boy." He picked Xander up by his neck and smiled, "You might have a bagfull of tricks, there, but none of them can keep me down. I'm going to enjoy hearing your neck snap and watching you die."
"Not so fast, fang-face." Pacey said as he stepped out from behind the tree. He bore a cross and a super-soaker. Angelus turned around to see who was bothering him, and got a face full of holy water. He dropped Xander and clutched his face in agony.
Pacey grabbed Xander's arm and half-dragged him towards the truck. Angelus wasn't down for too long, and started giving them chase. Pacey reached into his pocket and threw a small orb at the ground in front of Angelus. It exploded in a flash of white light, and Angelus stopped in his tracks.
*CUT TO: Interior of the truck. Joey is inside and the door flies open.*
Pacey threw Xander in next to Joey and started the truck. Joey had a dazed and distant look on her face, and Xander just looked like hell. Pacey kept his attention on driving, and glanced back in the rearview mirror.
He glanced at Xander, and quietly commented, "Next time, remember to take the bag *with* you."
*CUT TO: The Witter house. Xander is laid out on the couch, while Pacey and Joey dressed his wounds.*
Joey's voice was shaky as she asked, "What the hell was that?"
Pacey shook his head, "Come on, Joey. I know you're smarter than that."
"A vampire? But how? They aren't real."
"Tell that to Xander here... cause he just went toe-to-toe with one." Pacey said, motioning towards Xander.
Joey gasped as she was putting a bandage on one of the cuts on Xander's face, "Oh my god! Dawson... is he?"
"I'm afraid so." Xander coughed out, "He the draining didn't get him, the fall probably did."
The topic went untouched from there on. Pacey went into the kitchen to throw together some food for them, and as he came back out with a plate he asked, "So who is this Angelus guy anyway? I remember you telling me about Angel... but that was no nice-guy vampire."
"Its complicated..." Xander started.
"Complicated schomplicated... does it look like we've got anything else lined up right now?" Pacey said, handing him a sandwich.
"Alright... Angel, a long time ago he got turned into a vampire. Duh. Well one time, he fed on the girl from a circle of gypsies. The gypsies felt a great rage for what he had done, so they sought to put a curse on him that would make him pay for the rest of his immortal life. They used magic to restore his soul. With his soul back, he felt immense sorrow and guilt for everything he'd done."
He ate some of his sandwich and continued, "With all that sorrow and guilt, he felt the need to pay back those he had done wrong. So for a over a hundred years, he's been helping out the good side of the spectrum." He saw how confused they were, "Fine, to make this incredibly long story a tiny bit shorter... the condition to break the spell was for him to experience one moment of perfect happiness. If he did, his soul would be sent back to hell, and his demon form, Angelus, would return."
Pacey shook his head, "Being bogged down with all that regret and guilt, you'd think he'd never have gotten his moment... what was it?"
"Well, according to sunshine himself, my leaving Sunnydale, and leaving the door open for him and Buffy."
"Him and Buffy?" Joey asked, still confused.
"Yes, him and Buffy... star-crossed lovers and all that crap. When I left, I gave him his one moment of perfect happiness. Only problem was, before I left, things with me and Buffy got a little heated. My departure left her less than open to new relationships. So Angel was on the outs again."
"Some guys never get a break." Pacey joked quietly.
"So what do we have to do to kill this guy? "
"Killing this guy requires the strength of the Slayer... which I am decidedly lacking in. I barely held him off and survived. Our only hope is to hold him out somewhere... where he isn't invited and cant get in."
Pacey frowned, "He's got an awful lot of time to kill, more than us in any measure... how are we going to outlast him?"
Joey stood up, "If he couldn't get to you, he'd probably go after everybody he could get his hands on... including our families."
*CUT TO: The front door. It opens and Chief Witter came walking in.*
He saw the three of them sitting on their couch, first aid supplies spread all over the place. His anger rose, but was dispersed by his overwhelming frustration. Pacey shot up, apologies spilling out of his mouth like water down a stream.
"Just quit talking, Pacey... I don't care if you have your friends over here right now..." He stalked into the kitchen, looking for some food, "God, things are falling apart in this town..." He cursed to himself.
Pacey dashed over, grabbing a sandwich off the plate on the couch, and cautiously handed it to his father, "Uh, here dad, I already have a sandwich made. What's falling apart?"
His father looked at the sandwich strangely, but accepted it and wolfed it down, "You get around... you probably know about those strange murders. Well Abby Morgan's body disappeared from the morgue this evening. Not a trace or clue of who might have taken it, either."
"Oh my god." Joey whispered hoarsely. Out of the blue, Xander put his arms around her and comforted her. As painful as it was, he wanted to do what he could to console her on her loss.
*CUT TO: An indescript house. All the lights are off, only the light of the half moon lit the room.*
The front door burst through, and a figure came through to flip on the lights. Angelus snarl greeted the light, as his eyes narrowed a bit. He scanned the place, and growled, "I hate rich bitches."
"Watch what you say in the rich bitch's presence." The slightly whiney voice yelled.
"Shut up, Abby... as your sire, I don't give a flying..." He toned down his anger so his human face would return soon, "As your sire, I respond to none of your commands. You, on the other hand, are at my beck and call. Bring in the others."
She begrudgingly went back outside and brought with her five other vampires. They tentatively walked through the broken doorway, half-expecting to be repelled by a barrier. Abby rolled her eyes, "You're invited, you morons. Just get in there already!"
Abby reported back in front of Angelus, and he shook his head, "I just don't understand why the strangest people get to keep their personalities when they turn... and its usually the dorks and freaks... why can't I ever have another William The Bloody in my brood?"
"Because this DORK, as you call me, has connections all over the city... I'll have us hooked up with blood and human to feed on before daybreak."
"I'm not staying here any longer than I have to... I just want Xander's blood on my hands."
"God... what is it with us evil types and our compulsive need for revenge?" Abby said, rolling her eyes.
Angelus closed the distance between them in an instant, grabbing her by the neck and lifting her up, "You, my dear, are far from evil. You're just malicious, vindictive, and incredibly vicious. I admire those characteristics in most people... but with you, they're just annoying." He threw her down on the couch, "And you should be glad I don't just snap your neck."
*CUT BACK TO: The Witter House.*
After Chief Witter had gone up to bed, the three of them had resumed their earlier talk.
"Who would steal Abby's body? Is there some sort of ritual they need it for?" Joey said, completely clueless.
Xander shook his head, "Chances are, Abby walked out of that morgue under her own power."
"But how?" She paused, "Oh my god, she's a vampire now too?"
"As in life, she is in death." Pacey joked, but his voice was not humorful. "So we can't just wait here for them... they'll tear up the town waiting us out." He continued.
"We can't go out there after them... that'd be like suicide, wouldn't it?" Joey said sheepishly.
"But its our only choice." Xander said confidently.
"Are you crazy?" Joey cried.
Xander grinned lop-sidedly despite himself, "Look who you're talkin' to here, Jo. The way I see it, we can either sit here and let them tear up the town... or we can go out and probably get killed."
"Two equally faulted choices." Pacey commented gravely.
"Either way, it looks like Capeside is going to hell, literally... which makes the obvious choice..."
Joey interrupted him, "To go down fighting."
Xander nodded sadly, "Aye. Tis better to go down in flames, then crouched in a corner with the rats."
"Hey... watch who you're calling a rat." Joey reprimanded.
"Yeah... the girl is obviously not a rat... she's a wombat." Pacey dodged a swat.
"Pacey, this is a serious issue." Joey reprimanded again.
"Jo... we're going off to die... its not like being humorous is going to effect it at all."
*CUT TO: The Ruins. Pacey, Joey, and Xander are all standing there, dressed fashionably and bearing weapons.*
"Whats the good of being at the Ruins? Aren't we supposed to being trying to find them?" Joey complained. She held her holy water-filled Super Soaker close to her, and the satchel on her shoulder held a healthy supply of stakes.
"If I know Angel... and I do... he'll have had us watched. As soon as we left, we were followed. Once they found out where we were going, the scout reports to him and..."
"I arrive like clockwork." Angelus said with amusement. He was flanked by six other vampires, and one who was standing right behind him, "You suprise me, Harris. I figured you'd hide out in that house for a few days, and let me tear the town up a little. Either you've got some guts, or you're incredibly stupid."
"My money is on the latter." Abby said, coming around from behind Angelus. She looked them up and down, "I mean, look at that. Mixing leather with khaki? Thats like a cardinal sin."
"Abby?"
"Yes, Angie?" She said affectionately.
"First, shut up... and second, never call me Angie unless you want to wind up dust." Angelus said evenly.
"We just figured... 'Hey, if you're gonna go down, why not go down lookin' good?'" Pacey said coolly.
"Spoken like a true moron." Abby scolded.
"Abby." Angelus said warningly. She backed up, and Angelus regained his focus, "So have you gotten some guts, Harris? I sure would like another one-on-one with you. The first was so much fun."
Xander kept his cool, "Maybe I can't beat you, Angelus... but at least I know I can take a piece of you down with me."
"We'll give you three guesses what piece." Joey said venomously, spitting in Angelus' face.
Angelus grimace, but kept his even voice, "Fiesty wench... I think I'll enjoy having her before I kill her slowly."
Joey scowled disgustedly, "I'd sooner french Abby over there, barky."
*CUT TO: Perspective behind the vampires.*
He motioned to his vampires, "I want Harris and the girl alive..." He looked at Pacey, "Do whatever you want with him." He said, looking meagerly at Pacey.
"Hey!" Pacey yelled.
"Guys... I'd suggest getting back to the car..." Xander almost ordered.
"And leave you out here?" Joey asked incredulously.
"No way, man." Pacey replied. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small clearish-white orb, which he threw at the ground in front of the advancing vampires. It exploded in a bright flash, frightening them.
Xander raised his crossbow up and planted an arrow into the heart of one of the vampires, dusting it efficiently. The remaining vampires swarmed around them, Pacey and Joey kept them at bay with crosses, while Xander reloaded his crossbow.
Angelus slapped the crossbow out of his hand and picked him up by the neck, dragging him away from his friends. Joey and Pacey both screamed, but the vampires surrounding them wouldn't let them go after him.
Pacey remembered what Xander had taught him about dealing with vamps. He called to Joey, "Jo, follow my lead." He immediately dropped to the ground and spun around, sweeping the feet out from under a pair of the vampires. Joey nodded and tripped yet another one, landing him on top of the others.
Pacey quickly reached into his pocket for another flash bomb, and threw it. The vampire on top barely rolled off the top of the pile before it made contact and exploded. The two unlucky vampires who didn't escape writhed around in agony as they burned down to ashes.
The fire had sent the other vampires scattering, and allowed the two of them to go after Angelus and Xander.
*CUT TO: Angelus holding Xander up by his throat, watching and enjoying as the life slowly faded from him as he was strangled.*
"Now THIS is what I call quality entertainment." Angelus joked dryly.
Joey and Pacey came running in from between a pair of decayed pillars, screaming at the top of their lungs. They were about to ram Angelus from behind, when Abby came sliding in between. Her vampire face was on, and she hissed menacingly.
This caused them to slide to a halt just in front of her. She smiled, bearing her fangs, "I have been wanting to get rid of you two geeks for a long time... and guess what? Now I can!"
She took a step forward, but a slight whooshing noise stopped her in her tracks. She looked down to see a long wooden shaft protruding from her chest, around where her heart would be. She looked at the two people in front of her, who bore no weapons, and gasped, "Whats this?" Moments later she dusted into the slight breeze.
*CUT TO: The entrance gate to the Ruins. Standing there are Buffy, Willow, Giles, and a short young man with flaming orange hair(Oz).*
Buffy had a hint of a smile on her face as she spoke, "Looks like a killer party here... mind if we crash?"
*CUT TO Credits.*
I'd love to hear what you think... and why not go check out http://northernstar.8m.com/acos/ Its the page I put together about this particular series. I'd love to hear what you think of that too.