Chapter 2
Buffy and Angel practically ran through the hallways of the new Sunnydale High School. Angel was a little ways behind Buffy and she turned to see if he was still behind her. Which, of course, was when she ran into the new principal.
"Whoa!" Mr. Wood said.
"Ooh, sorry." Buffy said.
"Mr. And Mrs. Summers. I didn't know you two were still about."
"Uh, yeah, we were just looking for.."
"I thought in general it was customary for a person who's graduated to, um, you know, go somewhere else."
"Well, it's a new campus. We're just getting to know it. You know, make sure it's safe for my sister and.. cousin."
"You know, I, um, have to be honest. I actually know a little bit more about you than I let on before."
"Isn't that interesting."
"Oh, it really is."
Buffy turned and looked at Angel with wide eyes. "We, uh.." Buffy turned back to Mr. Wood who continued to talk.
"The school board recommended I spend a little time reading your record. It's, um, quite a page-turner. Kind of a checkered past.."
"Huh. More like a plaid. Kind of a clan tartan of badness, really. You know, but there were factors."
"Lots of factors." Angel said, stepping up beside Buffy and taking her hand.
"Well, it's clear your sister and your cousin both look up to you two, which I think is great." Mr. Wood said.
"No, they're much, much worse than me. Troublemakers. Expulsion is really the only way to go. You know, or you can suspend them for.. three years." Buffy said.
"Well, how 'bout we give them a chance first. Just as long as they keep their grades up, and.." Mr. Wood was cut off by a cell phone ringing.
"Boy, that's loud." Buffy said. She and Angel each pulled theirs out, but it was Buffy's whose was ringing.
"That's a part of the reason we don't allow cell phones in.."
"Excuse me. Yeah. Oh, sorry. Our dog. Uh, dog walker." Buffy said to Principal Wood. Then to the cell phone, "Three dead?"
"Oh my God." Principal Wood said.
"Uh, no, we'll be right there."
"Your dogs are dead?"
"And, Buffy? Isn't this reception amazing? We're in the freakin' basement!" Dawn said a little too loud through the phone.
Buffy slammed the phone shut. "Ok. Sorry about that. I.. We have to.."
"Go." Angel said.
"Yeah. No, of course. And good luck with that.. dog tragedy." Principal Wood called after Buffy and Angel.
They ran to the bathroom Buffy had been in earlier. She was about to go in, but Angel stopped her.
"Buffy, I, uh, I can't go in there." Angel said.
"What? Why?" Buffy asked.
"It's just, uh.." Angel pointed to the sign on the door that said 'Women.'
"Damn Angel, this really isn't the time for manners. It's a restroom! A restroom that will lead us to our son and my sister supposedly. So can we just go?"
Angel allowed Buffy to tug him into the bathroom behind her. They stopped right in front of a gaping hole in the floor. With a shrug, Angel jumped in. Buffy jumped through and Angel caught her.
"Thanks." Buffy said.
"I'm a gentleman." Angel said.
"If that bathroom thing hadn't already proved it. Let's go."
They started roaming the basement halls, which seemed to go on forever. Every now and then, Angel or Buffy would call out for Dawn and Conner. They kept receiving no answers.
"Dawn? Conner?" Buffy called. Still nothing. Buffy pulled out her cell phone and speed dialed Dawn's number. She heard the other phone ring, but no one picked it up. "Dawn? Conner? I'm close by sweetie."
"Too late. But then, you're always too late, aren't you? Sure as hell didn't save me."
Buffy and Angel spun to find the dead Janitor guy, the dead girl, and a dead boy behind them.
"Where are Dawn and Conner?" Angel asked.
"I think they're lost."
"If I'm the one who let you die, why take it out on her? I'm right here. C'mon, what're you after? Fear? Revenge? Tasty brains?" Buffy asked.
"I think I'd like Dawn to be my girlfriend." Dead boy (not to be confused with Angel's nickname from Xander) said.
"Wrong sister. I'm the one that dates and marries dead guys. And, no offense, but he's a hottie. I mean, I'm sure you had a great personality, but.."
"Busy making out with your dead boyfriend while I was ripped to death by a werewolf? Is that why you let me die?" Dead girl said.
"Hey!" Angel said. "It's husband now."
"I was screaming for help when they pulled me down.." Dead boy said.
Buffy cut him off by making a T with her hands and saying, "Hello! Not making myself clear. I don't care how you died. I'm sorry for your loss, but where is my sister and Conner? Dawn! Conner!"
"They're not gonna hear you. This place is like a maze." Dead janitor said.
"This place is ours now. It was built on our graves." Dead girl said.
"All we want is for you to leave so we can rest again."
"Actually, I'm thinking all you want is to get between us and that door. Who's for finding out why?" Buffy said.
Dead boy lunged at Buffy, who pushed him out of the way. Then dead girl jumped on her back, and they fell to the ground. Angel ripped dead girl off of Buffy and helped her up. When she got up, all three dead people are standing in front of the door again, like they had reappeared there supernaturally.
"If at first you don't succeed.." Buffy and Angel leaped over the dead people. "Cheat." The dead people jumped on them again and Buffy and Angel tossed them off together. "Dawnie, Conner, we have to get out.." When she opened the door, much to her and Angel's surprise, it wasn't Dawn and Conner behind the door after all. They were staring into the face of a longer-haired Spike. He looked grim, and not the least bit happy to see them. Buffy and Angel were astonished.
"Spike? Are you real?" Buffy asked.
Spike laughed and looked funny at her. He stopped laughing, and touched his hand tenderly to her face. "Buffy, duck."
Angel growled and Buffy touched his arm. "What? Duck? There's a duck?" From behind, the dead janitor hit her over the head with a pipe.
"Buffy!" Angel cried, going to help her. The janitor guy whacked Angel in the head too.
"No visitors today. Terribly busy." Spike mumbled.
"Told you to get out." Dead boy said as the dead janitor started to wail on Buffy and Angel with the pipe.
Buffy tripped the janitor, making him fall to the floor. She and Angel jumped up and used the door where she had found Spike to hit the dead janitor's head. They went into the room and latched the door behind her.
"He'll probably show up in a sec." Angel said.
"Nobody comes in here. It's just the four of us." Spike said.
"Spike, have you seen Dawn and Conner? They came down here with some kids." Buffy asked.
"Don't you think I'm trying? I'm not fast. I'm not a quick study." Spike yelled. Then, suddenly, he was crying. "I got my board in the water and the chalk all ran. Sure to be caned." Now he started to laugh. "Should've seen that coming."
He moved away from Buffy into a corner, but she followed. His unbuttoned shirt was loose, but he covered his chest with it, crossed his arms, and leaned his back against the wall. She reached for his shirt to see what he was hiding. He looked away. There were numerous deep gashes on the upper left side of his chest, like he had been clawed.
"What did you do?" Buffy asked.
"I tried.. I.. tried to cut it out." Spike said.
Buffy didn't understand what was going on with Spike. He was clearly acting strange, but her cell phone rung before she could figure it out. She turned away from him to answer it. Angel stared at Spike, an idea about what was wrong with him forming in his mind.
"Conner?" Buffy asked into the cell phone.
"Mom, where are you?" Conner asked on the other end.
"I.." Buffy was distracted by Spike's barely audible mumbling. He had crouched down on the floor on his tiptoes. "Look, where are you?"
"I don't know. In a room by the furnace. Near where Dawn fell in. They dragged us in here, and then they disappeared."
"Yeah, they came after me too."
"What do they want?"
"So far, to piss me off."
"Is it working?"
"Oh, I'm damage-bound. I just can't figure them out. Ghosts can't touch you and zombies can't disappear, so I don't know what.."
"Not ghosts." Spike said.
"Who's that? Is that dad?" Conner asked.
"Hold on sweetie." Buffy said.
"You know what they are?" Angel asked.
"Manifest spirits controlled by a talisman, raised to seek vengeance. A 4- year-old could figure it." Spike said.
"Hang tight. I'll find you. These things can hurt you. You can hurt them too. Find a weapon. We'll come for you guys." Buffy said to Conner before she hung up.
"Spike, you gonna help us out?" Angel asked.
"This is my home. I belong here. Always been here. Cheers for stopping by." Spike muttered. He turned to the wall and put his hand on it. "It's in the wall."
"I'll get back to you." Buffy said. She and Angel kicked the door open and walked out into the seemingly deserted corridor. "Guys? Resentful dead guys? This can't be good. Come on, manifest spirits, raised up, controlled by a.. talisman."
"What?" Angel asked.
Buffy pulled out her cell phone and dialed Xander's number. "Xander?" Buffy asked when he picked up.
"Buffy?" Xander asked.
"Yeah."
"Where are you?"
"Angel and I are in the basement looking for Dawn and Conner and a couple of other kids. They fell through a hole in the girls' bathroom. The one by the gym. There's, uh, there's a talisman in there somewhere. It looks like a bunch of small twigs tied together. Can you go find that and break it for me?"
"Sure. Be there in a jiff."
Buffy hung up and she and Angel continued through the basement. After a little while, Buffy heard a scream and then Conner's voice. They ran to it and found the three dead people spirits fighting with Conner, Dawn, and two other students. Conner was trying to ward them away from everyone, but janitor guy threw him against the wall. The dead janitor attacked Dawn.
"You can thank your sister for this." Janitor said.
Buffy came in a kicked the janitor away from Dawn.
"Thanks sis." Dawn said.
"We just need to keep them at bay." Buffy said.
Angel went to Conner and helped him up. They all regrouped and started to fight off the dead people.
"The bag!" Dawn yelled.
Dawn handed Buffy the bag and Angel moved Conner and Dawn away. Buffy moved fluidly, knocking the dead people back and away where Angel and Conner knocked them back into the flying bag slash weapon. Conner noticed a metal pipe lying on the floor and he picked it up.
"Mom." Conner said.
Buffy turned and caught the pipe mid flight. "Do you really want to keep this up?"
"What're you going to do, kill us?" dead janitor guy asked.
Suddenly, they were gone. Buffy lowered the pipe and looked around.
"Mom!" Conner ran up to Buffy and hugged her. She kept her arm around his shoulders.
"Are they gone?" the guy with Dawn asked.
"Yeah. The talisman must have been destroyed." Buffy said.
"How'd you know it was a talisman?" Dawn asked.
"There's always a talisman. The real question is who put it there. C'mon, you guys, let's go find a way upstairs, assuming there is one."
"You really weren't kidding about this place. I guess it hasn't changed."
"I don't know. Seems smaller."
They walked off, trying to find the exit. Buffy and Angel met Kit and Carlos, the two friends of Dawn and Conner's. Eventually they found the stairs and headed out. They stopped at a corner. Buffy turned to Kit and Carlos.
"You guys are gonna be Ok. School is intense, but you'll do all right as long as you're careful. And you might want to think about sticking together." Buffy said.
"Thank you." Kit said. She hugged Buffy.
"Yeah, I mean it. You are the coolest mom ever." Carlos said.
Buffy looked self-conscious and played with her hair. Angel put his arm around her shoulders and brought her closer to his side. Dawn saved Buffy1 from further embarrassment by ushering her friends away.
"Ok. Come on, we still have a few more classes to live through." Dawn said.
Conner hugged Buffy and then Dawn kissed Buffy's cheek and hugged Angel before they walk off. Buffy and Angel watched for a few seconds before Principal Wood approached them.
"Curiouser and curiouser." He said.
"What is?" Buffy asked.
"Carlos Trejo and Kit Holburn, right? Possibly the only two students in this school whose files are as thick as yours was."
"You really did your homework, didn't you?"
"I was looking for one or both of them to actually implode in a fearsome way right before midterms. And now I see that you got 'em socializing and hugging and actually, if I'm not mistaken, headed to class."
"Well, we shared an, uh.."
"Encounter." Angel finished.
"Look, I know you're probably more than happy to get out of this place. But I gotta tell you, Mrs. Summers, I think you belong here." Principal Wood said.
"Hmm, new?" Buffy asked.
"Listen, I know this school's reputation. What, you think I got this job based on seniority? We got a lot of troubled students here, and just enough money to keep this place from caving in."
"Yeah, you might need a little extra there."
"Well, we do have a community outreach program. And the money we could pay you.. wouldn't even fold. But it would just be a couple of days a week."
"Are you asking me to be a counselor?"
"Well, we have a guidance counselor, but I was thinking the kids could use someone, you know, closer to their age who still.."
"I'm in!"
"What, you serious? You-you did hear the part about the money, right?"
"Yeah, I heard. My schedule might be a little funtastic, but, uh, I'll work it out. I'd like to keep an eye on this place."
"Well, that's great. Look at that. It's not even noon, and I've already bullied my first family member into helping out. I'm going to be the best principal ever." The Principal walked away. Buffy looked pleased like maybe things will be working out after all. She turned to Angel and squealed, jumping into his arms.
"Oh my God!" Buffy almost screamed as they started to walk out to Angel's car. "Can you believe that!?"
"Wow. You're only here for a few hours and you wind up with a job." Angel said.
"Way better than Giles' ever was!"
"Yes. Because you're not a stuffy librarian."
"Wait till I tell Willow!"
"She'll be psyched."
"Wait till I tell Gunn! He's going to be so impressed!"
"Yup."
Buffy stopped as they got to the car and turned to Angel. "What's the matter?"
"Cordelia."
"Oh."
"She's been gone all summer. Not a peep."
"I'm sure that she and Gru have just gotten caught up in the magic of New York and being in love. I know I did."
"Yeah, maybe."
"Speaking of love, we have the whole house to ourselves right now. Why aren't we there right now taking care of some unfinished business from a couple of nights ago?"
"I don't know. You're the one who insisted on staying here."
"Mmm." Buffy pulled lightly on Angel's leather duster and he leaned down to kiss her.
"Temptress." Angel said lightly against her lips.
Buffy and Angel practically ran through the hallways of the new Sunnydale High School. Angel was a little ways behind Buffy and she turned to see if he was still behind her. Which, of course, was when she ran into the new principal.
"Whoa!" Mr. Wood said.
"Ooh, sorry." Buffy said.
"Mr. And Mrs. Summers. I didn't know you two were still about."
"Uh, yeah, we were just looking for.."
"I thought in general it was customary for a person who's graduated to, um, you know, go somewhere else."
"Well, it's a new campus. We're just getting to know it. You know, make sure it's safe for my sister and.. cousin."
"You know, I, um, have to be honest. I actually know a little bit more about you than I let on before."
"Isn't that interesting."
"Oh, it really is."
Buffy turned and looked at Angel with wide eyes. "We, uh.." Buffy turned back to Mr. Wood who continued to talk.
"The school board recommended I spend a little time reading your record. It's, um, quite a page-turner. Kind of a checkered past.."
"Huh. More like a plaid. Kind of a clan tartan of badness, really. You know, but there were factors."
"Lots of factors." Angel said, stepping up beside Buffy and taking her hand.
"Well, it's clear your sister and your cousin both look up to you two, which I think is great." Mr. Wood said.
"No, they're much, much worse than me. Troublemakers. Expulsion is really the only way to go. You know, or you can suspend them for.. three years." Buffy said.
"Well, how 'bout we give them a chance first. Just as long as they keep their grades up, and.." Mr. Wood was cut off by a cell phone ringing.
"Boy, that's loud." Buffy said. She and Angel each pulled theirs out, but it was Buffy's whose was ringing.
"That's a part of the reason we don't allow cell phones in.."
"Excuse me. Yeah. Oh, sorry. Our dog. Uh, dog walker." Buffy said to Principal Wood. Then to the cell phone, "Three dead?"
"Oh my God." Principal Wood said.
"Uh, no, we'll be right there."
"Your dogs are dead?"
"And, Buffy? Isn't this reception amazing? We're in the freakin' basement!" Dawn said a little too loud through the phone.
Buffy slammed the phone shut. "Ok. Sorry about that. I.. We have to.."
"Go." Angel said.
"Yeah. No, of course. And good luck with that.. dog tragedy." Principal Wood called after Buffy and Angel.
They ran to the bathroom Buffy had been in earlier. She was about to go in, but Angel stopped her.
"Buffy, I, uh, I can't go in there." Angel said.
"What? Why?" Buffy asked.
"It's just, uh.." Angel pointed to the sign on the door that said 'Women.'
"Damn Angel, this really isn't the time for manners. It's a restroom! A restroom that will lead us to our son and my sister supposedly. So can we just go?"
Angel allowed Buffy to tug him into the bathroom behind her. They stopped right in front of a gaping hole in the floor. With a shrug, Angel jumped in. Buffy jumped through and Angel caught her.
"Thanks." Buffy said.
"I'm a gentleman." Angel said.
"If that bathroom thing hadn't already proved it. Let's go."
They started roaming the basement halls, which seemed to go on forever. Every now and then, Angel or Buffy would call out for Dawn and Conner. They kept receiving no answers.
"Dawn? Conner?" Buffy called. Still nothing. Buffy pulled out her cell phone and speed dialed Dawn's number. She heard the other phone ring, but no one picked it up. "Dawn? Conner? I'm close by sweetie."
"Too late. But then, you're always too late, aren't you? Sure as hell didn't save me."
Buffy and Angel spun to find the dead Janitor guy, the dead girl, and a dead boy behind them.
"Where are Dawn and Conner?" Angel asked.
"I think they're lost."
"If I'm the one who let you die, why take it out on her? I'm right here. C'mon, what're you after? Fear? Revenge? Tasty brains?" Buffy asked.
"I think I'd like Dawn to be my girlfriend." Dead boy (not to be confused with Angel's nickname from Xander) said.
"Wrong sister. I'm the one that dates and marries dead guys. And, no offense, but he's a hottie. I mean, I'm sure you had a great personality, but.."
"Busy making out with your dead boyfriend while I was ripped to death by a werewolf? Is that why you let me die?" Dead girl said.
"Hey!" Angel said. "It's husband now."
"I was screaming for help when they pulled me down.." Dead boy said.
Buffy cut him off by making a T with her hands and saying, "Hello! Not making myself clear. I don't care how you died. I'm sorry for your loss, but where is my sister and Conner? Dawn! Conner!"
"They're not gonna hear you. This place is like a maze." Dead janitor said.
"This place is ours now. It was built on our graves." Dead girl said.
"All we want is for you to leave so we can rest again."
"Actually, I'm thinking all you want is to get between us and that door. Who's for finding out why?" Buffy said.
Dead boy lunged at Buffy, who pushed him out of the way. Then dead girl jumped on her back, and they fell to the ground. Angel ripped dead girl off of Buffy and helped her up. When she got up, all three dead people are standing in front of the door again, like they had reappeared there supernaturally.
"If at first you don't succeed.." Buffy and Angel leaped over the dead people. "Cheat." The dead people jumped on them again and Buffy and Angel tossed them off together. "Dawnie, Conner, we have to get out.." When she opened the door, much to her and Angel's surprise, it wasn't Dawn and Conner behind the door after all. They were staring into the face of a longer-haired Spike. He looked grim, and not the least bit happy to see them. Buffy and Angel were astonished.
"Spike? Are you real?" Buffy asked.
Spike laughed and looked funny at her. He stopped laughing, and touched his hand tenderly to her face. "Buffy, duck."
Angel growled and Buffy touched his arm. "What? Duck? There's a duck?" From behind, the dead janitor hit her over the head with a pipe.
"Buffy!" Angel cried, going to help her. The janitor guy whacked Angel in the head too.
"No visitors today. Terribly busy." Spike mumbled.
"Told you to get out." Dead boy said as the dead janitor started to wail on Buffy and Angel with the pipe.
Buffy tripped the janitor, making him fall to the floor. She and Angel jumped up and used the door where she had found Spike to hit the dead janitor's head. They went into the room and latched the door behind her.
"He'll probably show up in a sec." Angel said.
"Nobody comes in here. It's just the four of us." Spike said.
"Spike, have you seen Dawn and Conner? They came down here with some kids." Buffy asked.
"Don't you think I'm trying? I'm not fast. I'm not a quick study." Spike yelled. Then, suddenly, he was crying. "I got my board in the water and the chalk all ran. Sure to be caned." Now he started to laugh. "Should've seen that coming."
He moved away from Buffy into a corner, but she followed. His unbuttoned shirt was loose, but he covered his chest with it, crossed his arms, and leaned his back against the wall. She reached for his shirt to see what he was hiding. He looked away. There were numerous deep gashes on the upper left side of his chest, like he had been clawed.
"What did you do?" Buffy asked.
"I tried.. I.. tried to cut it out." Spike said.
Buffy didn't understand what was going on with Spike. He was clearly acting strange, but her cell phone rung before she could figure it out. She turned away from him to answer it. Angel stared at Spike, an idea about what was wrong with him forming in his mind.
"Conner?" Buffy asked into the cell phone.
"Mom, where are you?" Conner asked on the other end.
"I.." Buffy was distracted by Spike's barely audible mumbling. He had crouched down on the floor on his tiptoes. "Look, where are you?"
"I don't know. In a room by the furnace. Near where Dawn fell in. They dragged us in here, and then they disappeared."
"Yeah, they came after me too."
"What do they want?"
"So far, to piss me off."
"Is it working?"
"Oh, I'm damage-bound. I just can't figure them out. Ghosts can't touch you and zombies can't disappear, so I don't know what.."
"Not ghosts." Spike said.
"Who's that? Is that dad?" Conner asked.
"Hold on sweetie." Buffy said.
"You know what they are?" Angel asked.
"Manifest spirits controlled by a talisman, raised to seek vengeance. A 4- year-old could figure it." Spike said.
"Hang tight. I'll find you. These things can hurt you. You can hurt them too. Find a weapon. We'll come for you guys." Buffy said to Conner before she hung up.
"Spike, you gonna help us out?" Angel asked.
"This is my home. I belong here. Always been here. Cheers for stopping by." Spike muttered. He turned to the wall and put his hand on it. "It's in the wall."
"I'll get back to you." Buffy said. She and Angel kicked the door open and walked out into the seemingly deserted corridor. "Guys? Resentful dead guys? This can't be good. Come on, manifest spirits, raised up, controlled by a.. talisman."
"What?" Angel asked.
Buffy pulled out her cell phone and dialed Xander's number. "Xander?" Buffy asked when he picked up.
"Buffy?" Xander asked.
"Yeah."
"Where are you?"
"Angel and I are in the basement looking for Dawn and Conner and a couple of other kids. They fell through a hole in the girls' bathroom. The one by the gym. There's, uh, there's a talisman in there somewhere. It looks like a bunch of small twigs tied together. Can you go find that and break it for me?"
"Sure. Be there in a jiff."
Buffy hung up and she and Angel continued through the basement. After a little while, Buffy heard a scream and then Conner's voice. They ran to it and found the three dead people spirits fighting with Conner, Dawn, and two other students. Conner was trying to ward them away from everyone, but janitor guy threw him against the wall. The dead janitor attacked Dawn.
"You can thank your sister for this." Janitor said.
Buffy came in a kicked the janitor away from Dawn.
"Thanks sis." Dawn said.
"We just need to keep them at bay." Buffy said.
Angel went to Conner and helped him up. They all regrouped and started to fight off the dead people.
"The bag!" Dawn yelled.
Dawn handed Buffy the bag and Angel moved Conner and Dawn away. Buffy moved fluidly, knocking the dead people back and away where Angel and Conner knocked them back into the flying bag slash weapon. Conner noticed a metal pipe lying on the floor and he picked it up.
"Mom." Conner said.
Buffy turned and caught the pipe mid flight. "Do you really want to keep this up?"
"What're you going to do, kill us?" dead janitor guy asked.
Suddenly, they were gone. Buffy lowered the pipe and looked around.
"Mom!" Conner ran up to Buffy and hugged her. She kept her arm around his shoulders.
"Are they gone?" the guy with Dawn asked.
"Yeah. The talisman must have been destroyed." Buffy said.
"How'd you know it was a talisman?" Dawn asked.
"There's always a talisman. The real question is who put it there. C'mon, you guys, let's go find a way upstairs, assuming there is one."
"You really weren't kidding about this place. I guess it hasn't changed."
"I don't know. Seems smaller."
They walked off, trying to find the exit. Buffy and Angel met Kit and Carlos, the two friends of Dawn and Conner's. Eventually they found the stairs and headed out. They stopped at a corner. Buffy turned to Kit and Carlos.
"You guys are gonna be Ok. School is intense, but you'll do all right as long as you're careful. And you might want to think about sticking together." Buffy said.
"Thank you." Kit said. She hugged Buffy.
"Yeah, I mean it. You are the coolest mom ever." Carlos said.
Buffy looked self-conscious and played with her hair. Angel put his arm around her shoulders and brought her closer to his side. Dawn saved Buffy1 from further embarrassment by ushering her friends away.
"Ok. Come on, we still have a few more classes to live through." Dawn said.
Conner hugged Buffy and then Dawn kissed Buffy's cheek and hugged Angel before they walk off. Buffy and Angel watched for a few seconds before Principal Wood approached them.
"Curiouser and curiouser." He said.
"What is?" Buffy asked.
"Carlos Trejo and Kit Holburn, right? Possibly the only two students in this school whose files are as thick as yours was."
"You really did your homework, didn't you?"
"I was looking for one or both of them to actually implode in a fearsome way right before midterms. And now I see that you got 'em socializing and hugging and actually, if I'm not mistaken, headed to class."
"Well, we shared an, uh.."
"Encounter." Angel finished.
"Look, I know you're probably more than happy to get out of this place. But I gotta tell you, Mrs. Summers, I think you belong here." Principal Wood said.
"Hmm, new?" Buffy asked.
"Listen, I know this school's reputation. What, you think I got this job based on seniority? We got a lot of troubled students here, and just enough money to keep this place from caving in."
"Yeah, you might need a little extra there."
"Well, we do have a community outreach program. And the money we could pay you.. wouldn't even fold. But it would just be a couple of days a week."
"Are you asking me to be a counselor?"
"Well, we have a guidance counselor, but I was thinking the kids could use someone, you know, closer to their age who still.."
"I'm in!"
"What, you serious? You-you did hear the part about the money, right?"
"Yeah, I heard. My schedule might be a little funtastic, but, uh, I'll work it out. I'd like to keep an eye on this place."
"Well, that's great. Look at that. It's not even noon, and I've already bullied my first family member into helping out. I'm going to be the best principal ever." The Principal walked away. Buffy looked pleased like maybe things will be working out after all. She turned to Angel and squealed, jumping into his arms.
"Oh my God!" Buffy almost screamed as they started to walk out to Angel's car. "Can you believe that!?"
"Wow. You're only here for a few hours and you wind up with a job." Angel said.
"Way better than Giles' ever was!"
"Yes. Because you're not a stuffy librarian."
"Wait till I tell Willow!"
"She'll be psyched."
"Wait till I tell Gunn! He's going to be so impressed!"
"Yup."
Buffy stopped as they got to the car and turned to Angel. "What's the matter?"
"Cordelia."
"Oh."
"She's been gone all summer. Not a peep."
"I'm sure that she and Gru have just gotten caught up in the magic of New York and being in love. I know I did."
"Yeah, maybe."
"Speaking of love, we have the whole house to ourselves right now. Why aren't we there right now taking care of some unfinished business from a couple of nights ago?"
"I don't know. You're the one who insisted on staying here."
"Mmm." Buffy pulled lightly on Angel's leather duster and he leaned down to kiss her.
"Temptress." Angel said lightly against her lips.
