TITLE: BUFFY'S TURN 20\?
AUTHOR: RICK
E-MAIL: amulet@my-dejanews.com
SUMMARY: Things could not be worse. Buffy thinks Xander kidnapped and hurt her mother. Xander thinks Buffy has joined with Angel and those who want he and Oz dead. Xander and Oz have decided to stop waiting for things to happen. They are going to do a little "happening" themselves.
Chapter: 20-Who Are You?
Xander talks to Buffy. "Buffy, thanks for going in there like that I know if I had to go alone I probably would have had to kill him."
"And you didn't want to do that because you...needed him?"
"Well, that and I know you would rather have him alive."
"Xander, who does he have to protect?"
"Darla."
Buffy lets out with a little sarcastic laugh. "I should have known. Xander, are you in love with Darla?"
"No, Buffy, I'm not."
Willow, Tara and Dawn finally wake up. Willow goes up front with Oz. Tara and Dawn stay in the back. Buffy explains the situation. Dawn hugs Xander.
"I knew it wasn't you, Xander, I knew it."
"Thank you Dawn. I'm taking you guys somewhere safe. Stay there until this is all over one way or another."
He looks at Buffy. "Xander, you better get your eyes off me. If you think I'm letting you out of my sight again you're crazy!"
"Buffy, you never get it do you?"
"Look, Xander, they have my mother and my watcher. And, I know you don't want to hear this part, but they're trying to kill the man I love. The man who has loved me from the beginning, taken care of me from the beginning..."
"That's enough, Buffy!"
"Do you get the message, Xander?"
Dawn, Tara and Buffy wait for his answer.
"We'll talk about it later."
Willow tries to talk to Oz. "Oz, first I thought you were evil then I thought you were dead."
"And?"
"Oz, I love you."
"Yea, well we've been through this before, remember?"
"I wasn't the one who left, Oz! Don't get self righteous with me."
"You know why I left Willow, It was because I did love you. I'm not the one with the problem."
"That's very harsh Oz."
"How long did you wait for me, Will? Did you at least change the sheets first or did you have Tara right on top of me?"
Willow can't believe this is her mild mannered wolf of few words.
"Oz, I never heard you talk like this before. What has gotten in to you?"
"I was going to stay away, Will, but fate or whatever, put us back together. If we get out of this alive I want you to grow up. Tell one of us to go away!"
All Willow can do is cry. She goes to the back. Buffy holds her in her arms as she sobs. Tara is angry. She goes up to Oz.
"What did you do to her, Oz?"
"Tara, I have nothing against you but I'm not going to answer to you either, not when it comes to Willow."
"Bullshit, you've been nasty to me from the day you got back. I didn't steal Willow from you, Oz. You ran out on her remember."
"Why don't you mind your own business, Tara!"
"Willow is my business, Oz."
They ride in silence for a few minutes. Both of them know the other is not the enemy but with Willow sort of stringing them both along the nerves tend to get a little strained especially with all this crap going on. Oz speaks first.
"I'm sorry, Tara. All I asked Willow to do was choose. But, I didn't do it very nicely I guess."
Tara backs off the argument also. "It is very stressful, isn't it? I mean the whole people trying to kill you thing doesn't help either."
"Willow told me you knew Xander and I had nothing to do with Joyce or Giles from the beginning?"
"Well, I've sort of gotten to know you and Xander. No way either one of you would be in on that."
"Thank you, Tara. I always thought you had a real good feel for this thing. What do you think is going on?"
"It's not hard to figure out, Oz. You guys got to be too good and you stick together. And we're all loyal to each other. In their world that is dangerous."
"At first they didn't seem to want the slayer or you guys."
"Someone else must be in on it. Somebody of the daemon persuasion."
After another few minutes of silence Oz speaks up again.
"We both know the way Willow is. I should not have confronted her like that. I'll apologize."
Tara is a little embarrassed to say this but she does. "Actually, Oz, I'm sort of glad you did."
Oz reaches to fondle Tara's face as they exchange a small laugh.
They reach the warehouse where the clone of Giles is tied up. Buffy has to see it for her own eyes. She looks at Willow.
"Gees, Will, how stupid can we get?"
"I don't know, Buffy, it's kind of close. I mean...really, how many times do we really look at Giles, anyway. He's just..."
Buffy has to laugh. "Well, Will, in the real world a lot of women think Giles is hot!"
"Buffy?"
"No, no, no, bad visual image."
"Yes very bad!"
Xander goes up to the clone. "Do you realize you're not a real person?"
"I'm Rupert Giles. I..."
"Look, do you know anything about Joyce?"
"Joyce Summers, yes she is the mother Of Buffy Summers the Slayer, my charge."
Oz tries. "Giles, have you seen Joyce Summers recently?"
"Yes, we were in a meeting together a few days ago."
Everybody looks at each other. Xander picks up on it.
"Where, Giles? Ah...could you take us there?"
"Yes, I can go there."
Xander starts laughing. Buffy questions him.
"Xander, let the rest of us in on it. I fail to see too much humor in this."
"For all their technology and expertise and nastiness hey slip up on the simplest things."
"Well, at least they screw up sometimes."
They have a meeting. Oz and Xander want to do this alone. Willow is very pissed off.
"We work together as a team, Oz, remember?"
Buffy adds. "Yea guys. That's a big mistake I made, remember?"
"Are you prepared to take down a human being, Buffy?"
"We went over this, Xander. If that human being has kidnapped and hurt my mother and wants to kill my friends and the man I love...yes."
Dawn adds. "Me too!"
Xander stares at Buffy. The slayer gets his drift without him having to say anything.
"Dawn, you're not going. It isn't even open for debate." The Slayer looks at Tara. She is the logical choice to stay with the teenager. The Witch speaks up.
"Listen, Dawn, we can co-ordinate everything from here. We'll get the computer stuff from the Van. We can track Buffy from here."
Dawn looks around. She can tell she is not going to win this one. Tears come to her eyes. She walks away. Buffy looks at Xander. The boy goes to her.
Dawn allows Xander to walk with her but she can't control her tears. She collapses in Xander's arms.
After she composes herself she talks to Xander.
"Xander, I know I'm just a kid..."
He interrupts her. "Dawn you're not much younger than I was when I started in this business."
"My feelings are just as real as Buffy's you know?"
Xander gently holds her chin with his hand. "I never said your feelings weren't real, Dawn."
"They think it's cute. Dawnie has a crush on Xander, ah, isn't it cute. Well, I don't feel so cute. I don't want you to die Xander. I hurt inside just like Buffy does."
Xander sighs..."Dawn, I'm going to tell you something I've never told anyone. But, you have to promise me you'll just keep it between us."
Dawn sniffs back her tears. "I promise Xander."
Xander turns from her a little embarrassed to say this.
"Dawn, I don't look at you as a little girl. I'm very attracted to you, how could I not be? And in a few years our ages wouldn't even matter. But..."
Dawn interrupts him. "But you can't help it. You're madly in love with Buffy and you can't even seriously think of another woman, blah, blah, blah."
"I'm sorry, Dawn."
Dawn takes the initiative. She hugs Xander.
"Xander, just please don't die!"
They go back to the meeting. Dawn looks at Buffy. "You don't even know how lucky you are big sister. Dawn goes to the van. Buffy looks at Xander.
"What did you say to her?"
"None of your business."
Buffy is annoyed, mostly at herself, because she is jealous of Dawn's hold on the man she loves. But she shakes it off.
"Okay, Xander, so we get my mother and Giles, if they're at this place the clone takes us."
Willow adds sadly. "If they're still alive."
Buffy prepares not to think about this. "Then what?"
"What Oz and I figure is that if all this major stuff is happening this death contract for us must go pretty high up."
Oz adds. "Like Mr. Girard and Mr. Spencer high."
"And they are?"
"Spencer is the head guy and Girard is the head muscle."
Oz brings up Tara's point. "Tara figures that there must be another player, also. Somebody of the daemon persuasion. I agree with her."
"Yea, that would cover the new interest in Buffy and the rest. I figure the only advantage we have is that we are together. They all play off on each other and sell each other out all the time. We can trust each other."
Willow brings up something. "I wonder if Spike knows anything?"
Buffy adds something to that. "And, has anyone seen Cordelia lately?"
Tara adds. "Do we figure she was in with Angel?"
All eyes go to Xander. "In my heart I say no but I honestly have no idea."
Buffy has to question him. "In your heart? What does that mean?"
"All it means, Buffy, is that I don't feel she would betray us but the way things are going who knows. Would you have thought Angel would go with these guys?"
Buffy thinks for a second. "In a way, yeah. I hate to bring this up in public but it really freaked him out when he found out about me and you."
Willow adds. "He couldn't even hide it. He really had it in for you, Xander."
Tara puts her two-sense in. "He was very jealous of you. The look in his eyes whenever your name came up was sort of scary."
Oz moves the conversation along. "Okay, so our unknowns are Spike and Cordelia. Anybody else is fair game."
Buffy doesn't like Oz's terminology. "Fair game, isn't that a bit harsh, Oz?"
Oz looks to Xander. Buffy catches it. "Xander, don't give me that speech again."
"Okay, I won't slayer but then you just go along with the program."
Willow intervenes before this gets too far. "Look you two, keep your personal spats for the bedroom. Right now we have a serious thing going on here."
"Yes ma'am."
AUTHOR: RICK
E-MAIL: amulet@my-dejanews.com
SUMMARY: Things could not be worse. Buffy thinks Xander kidnapped and hurt her mother. Xander thinks Buffy has joined with Angel and those who want he and Oz dead. Xander and Oz have decided to stop waiting for things to happen. They are going to do a little "happening" themselves.
Chapter: 20-Who Are You?
Xander talks to Buffy. "Buffy, thanks for going in there like that I know if I had to go alone I probably would have had to kill him."
"And you didn't want to do that because you...needed him?"
"Well, that and I know you would rather have him alive."
"Xander, who does he have to protect?"
"Darla."
Buffy lets out with a little sarcastic laugh. "I should have known. Xander, are you in love with Darla?"
"No, Buffy, I'm not."
Willow, Tara and Dawn finally wake up. Willow goes up front with Oz. Tara and Dawn stay in the back. Buffy explains the situation. Dawn hugs Xander.
"I knew it wasn't you, Xander, I knew it."
"Thank you Dawn. I'm taking you guys somewhere safe. Stay there until this is all over one way or another."
He looks at Buffy. "Xander, you better get your eyes off me. If you think I'm letting you out of my sight again you're crazy!"
"Buffy, you never get it do you?"
"Look, Xander, they have my mother and my watcher. And, I know you don't want to hear this part, but they're trying to kill the man I love. The man who has loved me from the beginning, taken care of me from the beginning..."
"That's enough, Buffy!"
"Do you get the message, Xander?"
Dawn, Tara and Buffy wait for his answer.
"We'll talk about it later."
Willow tries to talk to Oz. "Oz, first I thought you were evil then I thought you were dead."
"And?"
"Oz, I love you."
"Yea, well we've been through this before, remember?"
"I wasn't the one who left, Oz! Don't get self righteous with me."
"You know why I left Willow, It was because I did love you. I'm not the one with the problem."
"That's very harsh Oz."
"How long did you wait for me, Will? Did you at least change the sheets first or did you have Tara right on top of me?"
Willow can't believe this is her mild mannered wolf of few words.
"Oz, I never heard you talk like this before. What has gotten in to you?"
"I was going to stay away, Will, but fate or whatever, put us back together. If we get out of this alive I want you to grow up. Tell one of us to go away!"
All Willow can do is cry. She goes to the back. Buffy holds her in her arms as she sobs. Tara is angry. She goes up to Oz.
"What did you do to her, Oz?"
"Tara, I have nothing against you but I'm not going to answer to you either, not when it comes to Willow."
"Bullshit, you've been nasty to me from the day you got back. I didn't steal Willow from you, Oz. You ran out on her remember."
"Why don't you mind your own business, Tara!"
"Willow is my business, Oz."
They ride in silence for a few minutes. Both of them know the other is not the enemy but with Willow sort of stringing them both along the nerves tend to get a little strained especially with all this crap going on. Oz speaks first.
"I'm sorry, Tara. All I asked Willow to do was choose. But, I didn't do it very nicely I guess."
Tara backs off the argument also. "It is very stressful, isn't it? I mean the whole people trying to kill you thing doesn't help either."
"Willow told me you knew Xander and I had nothing to do with Joyce or Giles from the beginning?"
"Well, I've sort of gotten to know you and Xander. No way either one of you would be in on that."
"Thank you, Tara. I always thought you had a real good feel for this thing. What do you think is going on?"
"It's not hard to figure out, Oz. You guys got to be too good and you stick together. And we're all loyal to each other. In their world that is dangerous."
"At first they didn't seem to want the slayer or you guys."
"Someone else must be in on it. Somebody of the daemon persuasion."
After another few minutes of silence Oz speaks up again.
"We both know the way Willow is. I should not have confronted her like that. I'll apologize."
Tara is a little embarrassed to say this but she does. "Actually, Oz, I'm sort of glad you did."
Oz reaches to fondle Tara's face as they exchange a small laugh.
They reach the warehouse where the clone of Giles is tied up. Buffy has to see it for her own eyes. She looks at Willow.
"Gees, Will, how stupid can we get?"
"I don't know, Buffy, it's kind of close. I mean...really, how many times do we really look at Giles, anyway. He's just..."
Buffy has to laugh. "Well, Will, in the real world a lot of women think Giles is hot!"
"Buffy?"
"No, no, no, bad visual image."
"Yes very bad!"
Xander goes up to the clone. "Do you realize you're not a real person?"
"I'm Rupert Giles. I..."
"Look, do you know anything about Joyce?"
"Joyce Summers, yes she is the mother Of Buffy Summers the Slayer, my charge."
Oz tries. "Giles, have you seen Joyce Summers recently?"
"Yes, we were in a meeting together a few days ago."
Everybody looks at each other. Xander picks up on it.
"Where, Giles? Ah...could you take us there?"
"Yes, I can go there."
Xander starts laughing. Buffy questions him.
"Xander, let the rest of us in on it. I fail to see too much humor in this."
"For all their technology and expertise and nastiness hey slip up on the simplest things."
"Well, at least they screw up sometimes."
They have a meeting. Oz and Xander want to do this alone. Willow is very pissed off.
"We work together as a team, Oz, remember?"
Buffy adds. "Yea guys. That's a big mistake I made, remember?"
"Are you prepared to take down a human being, Buffy?"
"We went over this, Xander. If that human being has kidnapped and hurt my mother and wants to kill my friends and the man I love...yes."
Dawn adds. "Me too!"
Xander stares at Buffy. The slayer gets his drift without him having to say anything.
"Dawn, you're not going. It isn't even open for debate." The Slayer looks at Tara. She is the logical choice to stay with the teenager. The Witch speaks up.
"Listen, Dawn, we can co-ordinate everything from here. We'll get the computer stuff from the Van. We can track Buffy from here."
Dawn looks around. She can tell she is not going to win this one. Tears come to her eyes. She walks away. Buffy looks at Xander. The boy goes to her.
Dawn allows Xander to walk with her but she can't control her tears. She collapses in Xander's arms.
After she composes herself she talks to Xander.
"Xander, I know I'm just a kid..."
He interrupts her. "Dawn you're not much younger than I was when I started in this business."
"My feelings are just as real as Buffy's you know?"
Xander gently holds her chin with his hand. "I never said your feelings weren't real, Dawn."
"They think it's cute. Dawnie has a crush on Xander, ah, isn't it cute. Well, I don't feel so cute. I don't want you to die Xander. I hurt inside just like Buffy does."
Xander sighs..."Dawn, I'm going to tell you something I've never told anyone. But, you have to promise me you'll just keep it between us."
Dawn sniffs back her tears. "I promise Xander."
Xander turns from her a little embarrassed to say this.
"Dawn, I don't look at you as a little girl. I'm very attracted to you, how could I not be? And in a few years our ages wouldn't even matter. But..."
Dawn interrupts him. "But you can't help it. You're madly in love with Buffy and you can't even seriously think of another woman, blah, blah, blah."
"I'm sorry, Dawn."
Dawn takes the initiative. She hugs Xander.
"Xander, just please don't die!"
They go back to the meeting. Dawn looks at Buffy. "You don't even know how lucky you are big sister. Dawn goes to the van. Buffy looks at Xander.
"What did you say to her?"
"None of your business."
Buffy is annoyed, mostly at herself, because she is jealous of Dawn's hold on the man she loves. But she shakes it off.
"Okay, Xander, so we get my mother and Giles, if they're at this place the clone takes us."
Willow adds sadly. "If they're still alive."
Buffy prepares not to think about this. "Then what?"
"What Oz and I figure is that if all this major stuff is happening this death contract for us must go pretty high up."
Oz adds. "Like Mr. Girard and Mr. Spencer high."
"And they are?"
"Spencer is the head guy and Girard is the head muscle."
Oz brings up Tara's point. "Tara figures that there must be another player, also. Somebody of the daemon persuasion. I agree with her."
"Yea, that would cover the new interest in Buffy and the rest. I figure the only advantage we have is that we are together. They all play off on each other and sell each other out all the time. We can trust each other."
Willow brings up something. "I wonder if Spike knows anything?"
Buffy adds something to that. "And, has anyone seen Cordelia lately?"
Tara adds. "Do we figure she was in with Angel?"
All eyes go to Xander. "In my heart I say no but I honestly have no idea."
Buffy has to question him. "In your heart? What does that mean?"
"All it means, Buffy, is that I don't feel she would betray us but the way things are going who knows. Would you have thought Angel would go with these guys?"
Buffy thinks for a second. "In a way, yeah. I hate to bring this up in public but it really freaked him out when he found out about me and you."
Willow adds. "He couldn't even hide it. He really had it in for you, Xander."
Tara puts her two-sense in. "He was very jealous of you. The look in his eyes whenever your name came up was sort of scary."
Oz moves the conversation along. "Okay, so our unknowns are Spike and Cordelia. Anybody else is fair game."
Buffy doesn't like Oz's terminology. "Fair game, isn't that a bit harsh, Oz?"
Oz looks to Xander. Buffy catches it. "Xander, don't give me that speech again."
"Okay, I won't slayer but then you just go along with the program."
Willow intervenes before this gets too far. "Look you two, keep your personal spats for the bedroom. Right now we have a serious thing going on here."
"Yes ma'am."
