Need I repeat the disclaimer, rating, etc.? You've obviously read the other chapters and know all that stuff already. If you haven't and you just chose a random story and a random chapter, well, I'm pleased it was my random story and this random chapter. Okay, mindless babbling done.
Except…
This story's rating has been changed to PG-13. Don't ask, I won't tell.
Author's Notes: Okay, the lack of feedback is now a less severe lack of feedback, but a lack all the same. You people write 22 chapters of fanfic. Would it kill you to write two sentences of review? It would really make my day…
***
Sunnydale, California 1954
"Cassie!" Buffy screamed, running for the direction from which the scream had come. She finally approached a small crowd of demons and vampires. Miss Ford, Willow, and Angel stood on the edge, desperately trying to process the situation. Buffy pushed through the crowd, staking the occasional vampire as she went along. She had to get to Cassie. She had to.
When she finally got a clear line of vision, she saw two vampires holding Cassie by the arms while another held her legs. A fourth approached menacingly.
"Help" Cassie screamed. "Buffy, help me!"
"On it." Buffy ran for Cassie, staking the fourth vampire as she passed. An all-out fight erupted, and Buffy lost sight of Cassie in the shuffle. She hoped she was doing okay. But something didn't feel right.
Buffy fought to get to Cassie, knocking several vampires out of the way. "Cassie!" she yelled. "Cassie!" This wasn't right. Cassie definitely would have answered if she was able.
"Cassie!" Buffy screamed hysterically. "CASSIE!!!"
"Buffy?" came a faint reply.
"Cassie? Where are you? Hold on!" Buffy yelled, fighting her way through the vampires, demons, and other assorted fiends. "I'm coming, Cassie! Just hang on!"
There she was! But she was lying on the ground. Her eyes were open, staring, and her neck was craned at an impossible angle. "Cassie!" Buffy cried, her breath catching in a strangled sob. "Cassie!"
From behind Buffy came a chuckle. "Well, well, well."
Buffy spun around, her fist out. The vampire was knocked backwards by the blow, but she still stood. "Nice aim," she grinned evilly at Buffy. Buffy recalled the phrase as being the first words Cassie ever spoke to her. "But unfortunately for you, your timing is horrible." Buffy lashed out toward the vampire, who took a step back.
"You killed her!" she screamed.
The vampire's grin became wider. "What did you think I was going to do, invite her to the sock hop?"
Buffy let out a sob as the vampire walked around Cassie's body, surveying her work. "The original plan was to sire her friends, have a grand old time torturing her, turn her, and send her after the Watcher." She stopped and looked at Buffy. "I had to go with this, unfortunately."
"Don't say 'her'," Buffy growled. "'She' had a name. It was Cassie."
"Hmmm, rhymes with 'sassy'," the vampire said. "Bet you'll miss that about her."
Buffy's anger exploded. She kicked the vampire in the stomach, harder than she could ever remember kicking a vampire before. The vampire fell to the ground. Buffy got her stake ready. The vampire grinned. "Go ahead, stake me. I don't care."
Buffy paused for a split second, looked at her stake, then hurled it into the woods. She hauled the vampire to her feet.
"I am going to make this death as long and painful for you as I possibly can," Buffy snarled, just before she hit the vampire to the ground again.
***
Sunnydale, California 1999
"Can—you—reach—it—now?" Giles asked with difficulty.
"Almost," Cordelia said, reaching as far as she could for the window. "Why do we keep a werewolf in this cage if it's so easy to break out of?"
"Easy?!" Giles demanded, his shoulders shaking with Cordelia's weight. "Easy?!"
Cordelia fell off his shoulders and the two of them tumbled to the ground. "Look what you did!" she screeched. "Now I'm gonna bruise!"
"You're sitting on my windpipe," Giles rasped.
"Who cares about your dumb old air supply?" Cordelia asked. "I am going to BRUISE!!!" She got up anyway. "Now what?"
"If at first you don't succeed—"
"Get the crossbow."
Giles frowned. "That wasn't exactly what I was going to say—"
Cordelia made a wild dive for the crossbow. "Watch out!" A vampire tumbled in through the window Cordelia had managed to open a bit, except he had opened it a lot more. Cordelia shot him. Of course, she missed. She wasn't used to handling weapons.
Giles reached out of nowhere with a stake and killed the thing.
"Phew," Cordelia sighed. Then she informed him, "No way am I going up there again. We'll have to find another way out."
"There is no other way out."
Cordelia heaved a great shuddering sigh. "Whenever you're ready," she told him, and Giles prepared his shoulders for another five minutes of Gucci heels embedded in them.
***
Sunnydale California 1954
Angel, Miss Ford, and Willow were desperate. They were doing little to thin out the battle themselves; they needed the Slayers.
Suddenly, the demons and vampires thinned out.. Angel, Willow, and Miss Ford craned their necks to see what was happening. And see they did.
Buffy stood at the other side of the crowd holding Cassie's body in her arms. She struggled with the dead weight as she walked toward them with tears pouring down her face. She collapsed a few feet in front of them, lacking the strength to go on. Willow and Angel stood in shock, then moved to the ground beside Buffy. Angel kissed her cheek gently and brushed the hair from her face, and Willow scooped her best friend into a hug. But Miss Ford just stood, staring at Cassie's body.
"Miss Ford?" Buffy said, slowly standing. "Miss Ford, I-I'm s-sorry. I c-couldn't make it in t-time…it's m-my f-fault…"
Miss Ford's blank look didn't go away.
"I…" Buffy paused. "I'll miss her. I already do."
Miss Ford looked at Buffy. Her face crumpled and she brought her hand up to her mouth. "Oh God," she gasped. "She's really gone." She broke down crying. "My Cassie is dead!" Buffy pulled the slightly older woman into a hug and they both fell to the ground, sobbing.
"Buffy," Willow said softly, "we have to go."
"I can't," Buffy wept. "I have to stay for her."
"We can't," Angel explained. "The only way we can get back is if we leave before the day is over. If we don't we're stuck here forever."
"It's five of midnight," Willow said quietly. "We have to do it now."
"One minute," Buffy said. She leaned over and hugged Miss Ford again. "Miss Ford, promise me you'll take care of yourself." Miss Ford nodded.
"I will miss Cassie my entire life," she continued. "And I will miss you, too. I'm sorry I couldn't save—"
Miss Ford looked Buffy in the eyes. Both women's eyes were wet and red from crying, and Buffy's mascara was running down her face.
"It was not your fault," Miss Ford said firmly. "It was inevitable. Cassie would not want you to feel guilty. Please, I'll be fine. Go home with your friends. I can assure you, Cassie will be happy if you do."
Buffy nodded slowly, then hugged the woman one last time. She moved to get up, but then decided she had one thing left to do. Leaning over, she brushed the hair from Cassie's face and hugged the corpse. She stood up and walked over to Willow and Angel. Angel held her hand tightly. Buffy cast one final look after Miss Ford, and watched as she cradled Cassie's head in her hands, then kissed her cold forehead. Buffy's heart broke.
Willow lit the candle she had carried with her to the battle and arranged the sacred objects in a circle. Then she grabbed Buffy's hand and chanted,
Undo that which has been altered,
Times untrue to order
And clarify the line that once formed
A blurry and indistinct border.
Restore to us our normal time
And, we pray to thee,
Release the wandering traveler,
And again let us roam free.
Buffy felt a rush of wind and held more tightly to Willow and Angel's hands. She couldn't lose them too. Never.
****************************************************************************************************
Okay, we're in the final stretch of this story. Sorry it's so sad. I don't know if my writing conveyed the sadness well enough, but just the idea of what happened is about to make me cry! Don't let me cry for nothing (guilt trip!) Please send feedback.
*mistymidnight*
