The whole group was present in the living room. The coffin had been placed against the wall, but with some space in between it. It was open with the body laid in it. Rona and Vi stood at each side of the door and everybody was armed. Willow stood ready with a couple of magic books. Moonlight shown through the window, reflecting on the coffin and lightening Xander's face. It was the only light together with some candles that made up the light source as one of the girls accidentally broke the lamp.
"You know, I wouldn't mind if you guys would close that coffin," Xander said.
"We need to be fully prepared," Giles explained.
"Yeah, but he's looking funny at me. Like I'm wearing something of his." The girls looked at him. "Well, maybe he's still angry at me for me going to waste his favorite shirt and-."
Faith who was sitting at his left side stood up. She looked around warily, her eyes scanning the room. "I feel something."
Everybody looked around. "I didn't feel anything," Buffy said and she looked at Vi and Rona who both shook their heads. Kennedy gave Faith a nasty look as she squeezed Willow's hand.
***
Faith shrugged. "Well, I thought I felt something."
Buffy flashed a smile and nodded. Faith sat back and turned her eyes to Xander who's clearly nervous.
Minutes go by. The expensive Swiss clock ticked its seconds away, very slowly. Nothing happened.
Dawn suddenly perked up. "I think heard something. Did any of you hear something?"
Buffy, Faith, Kennedy and Willow shook their heads. "I think I heard something too," Robin said.
"You're sure?" Faith asked.
"No, I'm not."
"I didn't hear anything," Vi said. "Me neither," Rona followed.
Silence.
"C'mon guys, there must be something, right? There's only 15 minutes left."
"We have to wait, Dawn," Giles said.
The next two minutes crept by, until they all heard something scratching against the window. Faith and Buffy rushed up and looked outside.
"You see something?" Dawn asked, her voice a tremble.
"Nothing," Faith said, "Was probably the tree ticking against the window."
"You sure?" Willow asked.
"The Slayers outside would have seen something for sure and warned us if not."
Willow nodded. They were quiet again. The only sound was the clock again, until Willow didn't hold it anymore as she spoke. "This is killing me." They all looked at her. "Nothing and it's almost time."
"Thirteen minutes and 40 seconds to be precisely," Giles said, earning him a nasty look from everybody.
Xander suddenly stood up. His eye looked sternly over the group and his face determined. "I can't stand it any longer. I'm leaving." Faith rushed over and quickly grabbed his arm as he walked
away. "Faith, let me go." She slid her hand in one of her pockets and pulled out a handcuff. Xander struggled and fell to the ground. "Faith, no!"
Faith ignored him and pulled him to the bookcase and tied him to a long iron cylinder. "You're not leaving, unless we know you're safe."
"Do you need to tie me up?"
"That or I knock you out. You choose." Xander scowled at her, but remained quiet. Faith nodded at Kennedy and Dawn and they nodded back.
"What? You three planned this?" the young man asked.
"Don't be angry with them," Giles said, "It's for your own safety."
"Well, thanks. Whatever was gonna get me killed, at least it's without the blood chilling chase. Thanks. Makes me feel so much better."
"Xander, be a sweet puppy and shut up. When they come, I'll snap it in a sec." Xander only scowled at the Dark Slayer. "Until then you stay cuffed." Xander jerked at his chain. "Don't sweat it, hunk. It's stainless steel."
"We are all on the same ride here, Xander. As the Slayerfleet's flag ship worthy we deal with the mission. Without any internal troubles. Like Gene Roddenberry wished it," Andrew lectured him.
"You're not going to die without Willow at your side. That is what you want, isn't it?" Kennedy asked.
"Thanks for reminding me."
"God, you're so stubborn. Xander, you saved Willow. Now she wants to be there for you." She paused. "I haven't forgotten _why_ you have lost your eye. We both wanna help you."
"Yeah for Xander and his gay girls," he muttered. He looked down as if he had given in.
Willow smiled at Kennedy who held her and the Wicca stood up. She walked over to Giles and handed him a flagon. "We must do something, Giles. I can't stand it any longer."
Giles looked at the flagon and raised an eyebrow. "What's this?"
"It's a Triple Time poison. We can stop whatever brings it back in time. I only have to pour it over the coffin and after a couple of minutes it'll protect it-"
Giles frowned. "Or bring it back. I don't think that it's wise to use it, Willow."
"Maybe it is," Dawn said raising attention to her. "Maybe this whole time-loop is the cause of this and we have to break the cycle."
"Like a self-fulfilling prophecy?" Wood asked. "Could well be the case."
"Isn't it then smart not to make such a poison at all?" Kennedy asked.
"We don't know if it's self-fulfilling, sweetie. We don't know anything, except for that horrible coffin over there. We need to be prepared."
"Looked pretty much self-fulfilling to me," Faith crowled, "Look at how you all behave. Nobody can fuck with our heads more than us. Believe me, I know."
"So we cut Xander's hand off and put him in the coffin and sent him back in time!? Is that what you're saying!?" Willow shouted.
"Relax, Red. Relax."
"Will . . ." Xander said softly, "It's okay. I'll stay."
"You would like to kill him yourself, is that it!?"
"Willow!"
Willow looked at Buffy and then back to Faith. Her slightly red eyes faded away. "I-I'm sorry. That was uncalled for."
Faith's hurt eyes move back from the ground to face Willow's. "It's not . . . I do care, Willow." The group fell quiet again.
Tick
Dawn grabbed at her nose.
Tock
Giles fiddled with his glasses.
Tick
Buffy played with her hair.
Tock
Faith shuffled on the couch.
Tick
Kennedy sniffled softly.
Tock
Willow looked at Kennedy.
Tick
Kennedy looked back.
Tock
Faith looked at the clock.
Tick
Tock
Tick Tock Tick Tock Tick Tock
Giles' cell-phone rang and everybody jerked up. After a few seconds he managed to press the phone button.
"Yes? Angel . . . Nothing strange has occurred until this moment. No? . . . Yes, thank you." They all looked at him with high expectations which quickly changed as he spoke. "He hasn't required any valuable knowledge. He'll continue working on it."
Tick
Xander studied his cuffs.
Tock
Andrew stared at Faith.
Tick
Faith looked back.
Tock
Andrew looked to the ground.
Tick
Faith flashed a wry smile.
Tock
Tick Tock Tick Tock Tick Tock
A shout outside shook them out of the awkward silence.
"Oh, God! It's beginning!" Willow shouted as she rushed up.
"Calm down, Red. Kennedy, Robin, and me are gonna have a look."
"I'm coming with you," Willow said stubbornly.
"You better stay here, sweetie. Protect him."
Giles put the flagon on the table next to the coffin. "I'll go with
them, Willow," he said with a reassuring smile. Willow pouted, but
nodded. "It's 11.50 and 43 seconds now. The rest will stay here as
well. We only have to stall for time."
*****
Outside
An older woman was walking with her dog. The dog suddenly barked.
"What is it, Pippy?" She looked around and saw another dog. The dog growled. "Pippy, shut up."
She lost her grip on the lease and the dog took off. "Pippy!" the woman shouted and ran after him. She saw Pippy taking a turn around the corner and she followed in pursuit, but tripped and shouted as she fell.
*****
Nelly was a sweet, shy, sixteen year old Slayer from North Dakota. Her little kitten, Molly, had been warmly welcomed by the group when they'd both arrived. But Molly was an adventurous cat with a mind of her own, who liked to discover things.
