The 12th Holder- Now Ms. Summers.?

When we last left our Scoobies, Juliet and Giles were trying to re-join the work force, Spike was feeling less monster, more "mediator," and Xander was caught being a stalker. Hey! Juliet can take a hint from Sarah MacLachlan and write a song about it!

Spike and Anya were squished against the wall in the room beside the admissions office at Sunnydale University. He sat with his head leaning on the wall and sighed while she frantically searched a magic book. "Are you sure you know what you're doing?" "Yes! Well.I've never done a vengeance spell on a woman before. This is kinda new to me." "And I always thought you were a vengeance demon." Anya uttered a "mmph!" and kept looking.

"Ms. Summers!" Buffy stood up in the waiting room outside the admissions office. After begging and pleading, she had gotten her much desired interview. So, straightening her frilly, yet conservative lavender blouse, she inhaled and entered the office. "Hello, uh, thank you for having me." "We're glad you're so eager to come back to UC: Sunnydale." "I really want to continue my education."

"Are you ready yet?"

"Almost there! Do you have a match?"

"Why?" "Spike! Do you have one or not?" "Alright, alright, here." He passed her his lighter, a steel piece with a shamrock on it. "I hope this is lucky!"

"So, Ms. Summers.. Are you crazy?" "Excuse me?" "You're better off in a community college. Why the hell do you want to re-enroll here? You left us. We shouldn't take you back." "But.I want to learn." "Listen Summers, go home. Go flip burgers, or start your own daycare. Bother someone else. Meeting adjourned." The committee left the room and Buffy sat in her uncomfortable plastic chair, a tear running down her face.

"Well?" "I think it worked.I'm not sure though." "You're not sure!" "Let's look, okay?" Anya and Spike pushed each other out of the way to look through a tiny hole in the wall. They found exactly what they were looking for: Buffy, miserably crying. "Alright. Your part is done. What about Xander?" "Feeling wretched. They left this morning." "Good. We're even now."

Groaning, Buffy went downstairs wearing, not her preppy conservative clothes, but sweatpants and a tank top. What she really needed now, was someone to talk to. Namely, Giles, Juliet, Willow, Xander, Anya, Dawn, or hell, even Spike. "Hey Dawn," she moaned when she walked into the kitchen and found her sister at the bar, "Any good news?" "No. Did the interview go well?" "Don't ask. Where's everybody? I could've sworn Jules and Giles would have had sex about now. They're like clockwork." "Yeah.about that." "Oh no. What?" "Buffy.I kinda sent them away," Xander said from the doorway with Willow behind him rubbing his shoulders, "He told me if he ever caught me kissing Juliet or anything like that, he'd take her back to England with him." "But, you didn't kiss her again, did you?" "He caught me looking at her through her window.I was on a ladder.it was night.not a good thing, really. Buffy slumped into a chair, "I can't believe this. First, the admissions people go berserk. By the way, I should enroll in a nice community college and keep flipping Double Meat burgers, and now Giles is gone again! I can't take this!" "Buff, I'm sorry." "I know you are, Xander." Dawn, Buffy, Xander, and Willow gathered each other into their arms and cried.