See part one for notes, disclaimers, and explanations.

Part Three

Buffy decided to leave the anti-stain spell in place, so Oz bailed on them. He simply couldn't stand to be around Buffy and the noise she was emitting. The girls didn't mind, because it left them free to spend the afternoon getting ready for the prom. By nightfall, both girls looked absolutely perfect.

Buffy looked at the mirror in satisfaction. "Thanks, Will. For everything."

"Angel doesn't know what he's missing," Willow said sadly.

Buffy looked depressed for a moment, but brightened up when she looked at the mirror again. "His loss," she said with stubborn good cheer. And with that, she grabbed her bag of weapons and took off for the prom. She had some hellhounds to Slay.

As she approached the school, she realized that she wouldn't actually have to go looking for the hellhounds. Oz was right; the buzzing noise she was giving off proved irresistible to the demon dogs, despite Tucker's training. The dogs had no interest in any tuxedo-clad teenagers... at least not while that noise persisted.

At first Buffy was happy that she wouldn't have to go looking for the hellhounds, but she soon became uneasy. Seven, no eight, hellhounds were surrounding her, and appeared to be working in concert. She was holding her own, but it was impossible to attack with the pack continually harassing her. Buffy vaguely remembered a National Geographic special on wild dogs that she had once seen, and she started to become afraid. She was more than a match for individual hellhounds, but an entire pack might be too much for her. To hell with the prom; she would be lucky to get through this evening alive.

Well, she needed to do something before they wore her down. She could go on the offensive... if she was willing to leave her flank unprotected. She would get hurt, perhaps badly, but she would certainly hurt them too. Any hounds that escaped would be injured, and Giles should be able to finish them off. Alternately, she could run, trusting the hounds to follow her. This seemed like a riskier plan, because she wouldn't be able to fight at all while she was fleeing. If they hamstrung her, then they would overwhelm her before she could even raise her sword. She would be dead without inflicting any damage on the hellhounds at all, and her classmates would all become demon puppy chow. On the other hand, she might be able to find a more defensible position–one far away from the prom. She might even be able to kill them all and still make it to the dance... Buffy shook away that last errant thought, and tried to come to a decision. Giles had been training her in tactics for years; it was time to make him proud.

If you think Buffy should throw all caution to the wind and attack the hellhounds, go to part four.

If you think Buffy should run like hell, go to part five.