Title: Principal Wood And The Manifest Spirits Of Sunnydale High

Author: mispel

E-mail: mispel@email.com

Rating: PG

Summary: How the 'zombies' came to haunt the school and Spike and Wood's involvement in their appearance. Ch 6: On the first day of school Buffy can't let go. The First visits Spike in the form of Angelus.

Spoilers: season 7

Disclaimer: I own none of it. Joss, ME and Fox own all

Feedback: Any comments would be welcome.

A/N: Scenes that are not in the fic happened as they did on the show. The timeline is a tiny bit different.

Principal Wood And The Manifest Spirits Of Sunnydale High

Chapter 6

Wood opened his eyes. He only vaguely remembered the fall. The back of his head felt heavy and numb until he touched it. Then it hurt.

"Good going, Principal Wood, get killed by zombies on the first day of school, good job," Wood berated himself as he got up from the basement floor with difficulty. Really, he felt grateful he was still alive.

Noticing that the basement wasn't as dark now, he figured that the lights must have kicked in. It was morning and the school would be starting in a few hours. Remembering the talisman, Wood looked all around him, hoping that it had made it down there with him. But he already suspected it hadn't. Wood groaned as he went in search of the exit again.

As she waited for Dawn to come down the stairs, Buffy thought about her first days of school. Rushing to get ready, choosing the right outfit for herself for the first time. Mom giving her the lunch she would take to school, telling her not to eat just the snack. How nervous her stomach used to be so she wouldn't be able to eat her cereal making Mom lecture her about the importance of a good breakfast. The way her feet didn't used to reach the floor when she sat at the kitchen table and she kicked them in her nervousness and impatience. All the little speeches her Mom gave her to be good and pay attention to the teacher and ... Buffy wished she could remember better. Instead, all those times blended together: when her Mom still picked out her clothes, when her Dad walked her to school, when her Mom drove her to school, when Dad held her hand and took her to her classroom for the first time and she didn't want to let go. The time she spilled orange juice on her new skirt and she cried. The eagerness to make friends right away.

Those small desks had seemed so big then. It had all been so enormous and frightening. And there was no Hellmouth, just kids and teachers.

She closed her eyes and pictured her Mom. Ready for work, she would yell for Dawn to hurry up or they would be late.

Buffy yelled for Dawn to hurry up.

Watching for any spirits or humans in the hallway, Wood got through the basement door. The spirits seemed to have lost interest in him since he lost the talisman as he didn't see any on his way. There was pale morning light filling the hallway. As Wood went toward his office, he heard footsteps and tensed. It was one of the assistant principals arriving to work.

"Principal Wood!" She exclaimed, surprised by his appearance. "I hardly recognized you. This is so unlike you. What happened?"

Taking in his disheveled and dirty clothes, she looked at him with a mixture of concern and disapproval.

"Ah, I fell. I was at the construction area, I fell."

"What were you...?" She started to ask but Wood cut her off.

"Excuse me, I have to go and change."

Wood practically ran to his office for the change of clothes. He knew he wouldn't get two feet without attracting attention and having to explain why he wasn't his usual dapper self.

Once in his office, Wood tried to get his bearings. It was all a blur. He had finished the incantation, he was almost completely sure of that. He tried to remember where he was when he fell through the floor. A bathroom. But his head was swimming and he couldn't figure out which one.

Sitting slumped against the wall, Spike tried not to react when it appeared. That was best.

"Why do you want to drag yourself around with that thing?" Angelus asked strolling through the room.

The voice grated on Spike's nerves.

"What good did it ever do anyone?"

"You're not him," Spike said as a reminder to himself more than anything. It didn't help. Angel was so irritating, and Spike couldn't squelch the hope that things were different now that his tormentors were getting physical. He felt a little of his old self wake up inside him.

New plan. Spike stood up. Time to see if the new rules went both ways. Spike stalked over to him and swung his fist. It went through the air and sent him off balance a little. Spike staggered back to his place, defeated as Angel's derisive chuckle rang in his ears.

"You don't know what it's all about, Spikey."

But Spike thought he was starting to figure it out, adding things up in his head. That ritual he had seen and... Then Angelus turned his back and it was her. Her hair was falling down her back and swinging to one side when she faced him.

"You like me better now?"

Spike turned away.

"Oh, no. It hurts. It hurts, doesn't it?" She said with fake, exaggerated sympathy.

His eyes were wide as he stared at the wall. She leaned over, close behind him. He thought he felt her breath on his neck. But he knew it couldn't be.

"Not her," he mumbled as another reminder not to believe, or maybe a plea.

"I don't have to be her. I just show you a snapshot and you turn into jelly."

"I'm alone. I'm alone."

She laughed and the sound bounced off the walls like hail on glass.

"You're never alone. Not ever. I'm always with you. I'll never leave you. And if you're good, I'll tell you a little secret."

She straightened.

"Maybe later," she said flippantly.

She blew him a kiss and left.

Spike crawled over to a wall and cradled his hand. There was a bubbling in the back of his brain, like a dark vapor rising, boiling up. He started to beat the side of his head against the wall.

Wood took the time to greet the students as he was expected to. Most of his bruises were hidden by his clothes. He worried about his neck but the collar hid most of the damage. All that he had to do now was destroy the talisman. Once he got his hands on it. He hoped it was in one of the restrooms he hadn't checked and that someone hadn't taken it. And that the spirits wouldn't kill him now that he didn't have the talisman's protection.

The last of the stragglers were going inside now and Wood was about to go back to look for the talisman when he saw her. Buffy Summers escorted her sister into the school. Wood noticed how small she was, even shorter than her younger sister. But she was a slayer - he found it hard to believe. Everything he knew everything he had read about in that unprepossessing, blonde package. He introduced himself and pretended to mistake her for Dawn's mother. Mainly so that she wouldn't realize he already knew who she was, and partly just to mess with her.

Sure, the principal was a feast for the eyes. She pictured principal/sister conferences in her future. Except Buffy wanted to grab Dawn and take her back home. Especially after what Xander told them about the strange guy hanging around the school. Dawn didn't need an education - she could just look things up on the internet. As Buffy thought about all the things that could be in there waiting for Dawn, all her warnings sounded weak and silly. She had sent her off with a toothpuck to go fight vampires and god knows what else. Why didn't Dawn look properly terrified? She was more concerned that Buffy was cramping her style. When had she become the uncool parental figure?

When Dawn finally went inside, Buffy just couldn't make herself leave like any normal person. She just couldn't shake the feeling that she was supposed to be there. She went inside. If this crazy place was standing again then she had to be there and hover and loiter and maybe get arrested for trespassing.

To be continued