The Cat
Chapter 4
The Cat's Wrath

On Valentine's Day, Cat was looking around school for Charlie, as he said he had a surprise for her. To her dismay, she found him.

"Hi Charlie," she said, pretending not to notice that Charlie had Hope Kendal up against the wall, making out with her.

He looked up.

"Cat-- I can explain."

"Feel free to. By all means, explain.

Hope looked at her, as something grabbed Cat, around the neck, from behind. She flipped it over her head, and took a good look at it. It was black, the color of her jacket, but then it turned the color of the wall, a beige color. The bell rang, and it ran at her, running her into the wall. Students watched at the door, and around the room. It grabbed her around the waist and ran her into the wall a few times before, she broke out of its grasp, and fought back, twice as hard, then when she had it backed against the wall, it jumped out the open window. The principal cleared his throat.

"Miss Harris, come with me."

She followed him to his office and they sat there for a few minutes in silence.

"Don't bother calling my guardian," she said, finally.

"I'm not, I'm just waiting for an explanation of pulling a 'Buffy Summers' move."

"That-- thing-- attacked me from behind."
"I know it's a demon. Now, why are you acting like Buffy?"

"Oh okay. Buffy and I are the same thing, just from two different families."

"Ah, so you're a Slayer?"

"Well, I used to be, but I still have my super powers, as Buffy calls them."

Cat looked at him, surprised.

"I was at the Assension a few years ago. You used to be?"
"In most of my past lives, there were a few that I wasn't, but I was a powerful figure in one or two of the three I wasn't the Slayer."

"Oh okay. This explains a few things. You can go to class now."

"Thank you sir."

She got left his office and went to her locker, and grabbed her cell phone, going into the bathroom, and quickly dialing a number.

"Hello?" came Giles' voice from the other end.

"Giles," whispered Cat.
"Cat?"

"Yea, it's me. I've encountered a demon all ready this morning." "What did it look like?"

"It was fuzzy, and it changed color, like a chameleon and it had red eyes."

"Okay. I'll call the school later when I've found something. What happened to it?"
"It got away, out the window. Giles, we were on the top floor, I don't know how it survived, it went out head first."

"I'll find it. Goodbye."

"Okay, later Giles."

She hung up the phone and went to class. During her last class, about fifteen minutes before the end of French, she was called up to the office. When she entered the office, she picked up the phone.

"Giles?" she asked.

"Yes, it's me. I've found it."

"What is it?"

"It's a Lust demon, named Arieat. He's summoned to the man who's lust overrules his love, with a relation of his worst enemy's lover, or former lover. So, it's a male version of Anya."

Cat laughed, hard. She had to sit down she was laughing so hard.

"A- A- A- Anya? Does she know?"
"She was the one who knew who it was."

"What is she saying?" Cat heard Anya say in the background.

"She's laughing," said Giles. "God, thank you Cat, now she's pouting."

"Hey, you don't have to live with her. I do."

"Okay, well, you best get back to class."

"Okay, I'll see you in about five minutes."

"All right. Goodbye."

She hung up, went back to class, packed up her things and left as the bell rang. She got her books, and went to find Hope. She found her walking with Christy.

"Hey! Cat, we're goin to the Bronze tonight, right?" asked Hope.

Cat stared at her, but said nothing.

"Cat? Are you okay?" asked Christy.

Cat punched Hope twice, giving her a black eye and a broken nose. cat got back in her car, and drove off to pick up Dawn. She pulled up in front of the Magic Box, went in, sat down, did her homework, then burst into tears, around sunset. Everyone looked at her, but Giles shook his head, telling them to leave her alone, for now. She stood up and left the shop. Right when she entered the graveyard, she ran into Spike.

"What wrong, love, not that I care."

"First, don't call me that. And second, it's none of your business."

"Well, I want it to be my business."

"You don't get everything you want."

"True. There are two things I want that I can't have. One is to live, to breath, to not be pale, that all goes under one category."

Cat laughed.

"What's the other?"

"You."

Cat sighed.

"You know what I want? I want Charlie to suffer."

"Why?"

"He cheated on me this morning."

"Oh."

"Then a lust demon attacked me."

Spike looked at something behind her.

"Did he look like that?"

Cat turned, looked at the demon, and turned back to Spike.

"Yup."

She turned and did a round kick, knocking it out.

"I think you got him."

"That was easy."

She tied him up.

"Where did you get the?"

"Found it on the way here."

"How convenient."

Cat shrugged, and looked back up at him.

"I guess so..." She drifted off as Spike leaned over and kissed her. A while later, someone cleared their throat. Cat and Spike pulled away from each other, realizing what had happened. "Hey, Buffy, what's up? Come on."

Cat grabbed Buffy by the arm, and pulled her away from Spike, not noticing the demon had been destroyed.

"What was that?" asked Buffy.

"What was what?" said Cat, trying to be innocent.

"You and Spike."

"Nothing, it was an accident. Don't tell Xander."

"Okay, I won't. Just patrol with me tonight, give me someone to talk to, and we'll call it even."

"Deal."

Early the next morning, Cat walked into the house.

"Where were you?" Xander asked quietly, making her jump.

"With Buffy. I was talking and patrolling with her. Sorry."

"Why didn't you call?"
"Cell phone's upstairs. I'm going to bed."

She went up to her room and got ready for bed. The next afternoon, she found a small box on her porch, addressed to her.

"What the-- oh yeah, they said it would be coming in soon."

She opened the box, and slipped on her class ring, then realized something. She put her things inside the door and drove over to Buffy's house. She knocked on the door and Willow answered it, smiling upon seeing the seventeen year old girl.

"Hey Cat," said Willow.

"Hi, Willow. I need your help."
"What kind of help?"

"With a spell. I can't remember the name of it, but it brings vampires back to life."

"That takes three witches, or one very powerful one."

Willow noticed that Cat had a resolve face that was more resolved than any she could manage.

"I used to be that powerful witch, but I can't do it now. If you say you will, then I'll get the third."

"Okay, I'll help. You were a witch before you came here?"

"Past life."
"Ah. Which witch were you?"

"Morgain Le Fay."

"Wow."

Cat grinned.

"But now, I'm just plain Cat."

Willow smiled.

"Go get your third witch, while I go get the stuff for it."

"Okay."

Cat got into her car and drove downtown. She pulled up in front of an apartment building, and went up the stairs to apartment '129 A'. Cat knocked, and Tara opened the door, and invited Cat in.

"Hey Cat."

"Hi Tara."

"What's going on? Wanna drink? I've got Diet and Mt. Dew."

"Whatever you grab first."

Tara came back from the kitchen holding two Diet Sodas.

"So, what's been happening?"

"I need your help."
"With what?"
"A spell."

"What kind of spell?"

"One to bring a vampire back to life. It can't be done without you."

"Sure, I'll help. Willow's helping too, isn't she?"

Cat nodded.

"But you two don't have to say anything to each other, unless you want. I'm not trying anything except bring someone back to life."

"I heard about the accident, are they okay?"
"Yeah. Dawn's got a fractured arm, and Willow has a concussion, and a broken heart. I'll stay the night sometimes when I'm fighting with Xander, and I'll hear her cry and scream your name, she really misses you. I know she gave up all that evil stuff."

"I wonder how she started that."
"Amy. I don't like that chick. She's bad news. She came to my house the other day, trying to get me on that, and I told her that if she didn't go far, far away and leave us alone, I would personally, slowly and painfully kill her. She got that deer in the headlights look, and ran away."

Tara laughed and Cat's cell phone rang. Tara stood up.
"Answer it, I'll be right back."

Tara went to her bed room and Cat answered her phone.

"Hello?"

"Hey Cat," said Willow from the other end.

"Hey."

"We have to do it tonight, or in a hundred years. You get the third?"
"Yup. Okay. Bye."

She hung it up and Tara came back, carrying a box.

"Here, early birthday present," said Tara.

Cat opened the box and pulled out a white lace-up top, and a dark blue, shimmery skirt. Cat folded it back up, but it back in the box, and hugged Tara.

"Thank you so much! I love it!"

"You're welcome."

"Oh, and before I forget. Willow says we have to it tonight, or in a hundred years. Is that all right with you?"

"Yea, tonight's fine."

"Magic Box? Nine?"

"Great! See you then."

Cat hugged Tara one last time, and went to her car, and went home. At eight forty- five, Cat pulled up in front of the Magic Box, wearing her new outfit.

"Oh shoot!" said Willow.

"What?" asked Cat.

"I forgot something! He can't know about it, while we're doing it."

"Got it covered."

Cat sat down and began to chant. Then they tip- toed to Spike's crypt, to see him, asleep, on the floor. It took all three of then to sit him upright in a chair. They held hands in a circle around him, and chanted. They were three different elements: Willow was earth, Tara was air, and Cat was water. When they were done, they carried him to bed.

"Night guys," said Cat.

"Night Cat," said Tara.

"Night Cat," said Willow.

Tara and Willow left, hand in hand, having worked out their magic problem, and working out the others. Cat kissed Spike on the forehead, and left, walking around town, alone, and thinking, for the rest of the night.