Buffy rushed to her mother who was almost awake. "Why did you let her in?"
"What do you mean? She nearly broke down my door." Then as if for the first time, Joyce saw Buffy's face. "What happened?"
"Nothing, Mom. I got to go… clean up." Buffy hoped that the bruises and cuts would heal by tomorrow. She did not want to explain her actions to everyone. Besides it was just one dream. Buffy went upstairs to change her blood stained clothes, which was too bad because she really liked that top.
Buffy was looking into the mirror and wondering if she should go to Angel's. She knew she should, but she could not face the images anymore. She would try to go there in the morning. Out of the blue, Buffy felt like she was not alone. She turned her head to the window. Angel had come to see her. She looked back at the mirror. He wasn't there. Not that she had expected him to be. Just what every girl needed, a man who would not block her light. She stayed facing the mirror. "What are you doing here?"
"Just came to see if you were ok. What happened?" Angel whispered.
"You don't have to whisper, Mom took about four pills and she is trying to sleep it off."
"What happened?" Angel repeated at a level above a whisper.
"Faith stopped by. We had a nice chat followed by some beating the crap out of each other." Buffy stood and moved towards her bed. Angel came from the window and touched her bruises, trying to assess the damage. Buffy pulled away. She did not know what she was doing anymore. She just knew that she could not handle it.
"Are you alright? Have you spoken to Giles?"
"I don't need to go to Giles about everything. I am a big girl." The look that Angel gave her changed her mind. "I'll talk to him in the morning. Promise." She did not know why this dream stuck with her more than usual. She had many dreams about him, though none lately that led to his death. "Look, I'm tired. I'll talk to you tomorrow."
"Sure. I got to go anyway."
Buffy turned to say I'm sorry, but he was already gone. Wow how she hated when he did that. The simple fact that he did it without even making a sound made her slightly jealous. She turned off the light and hoped for a more restful night sleep.
Buffy walked into the Bronze. Intense music was playing, though there was no band. In fact there wasn't anybody. The only noise was the music. Buffy saw something on the dance floor. Correction, she thought. She saw some bodies. Buffy ran over to them. They had been stabbed multiple times. Their blood seeped together. Willow, Giles, Xander, Oz, and even Wesley were in a small pile. Willow was on top. Her eyes seemed to widen when she saw Buffy, but it was only a trick of the light. They had all died and Buffy knew by whose hand.
Quickly Buffy turned around to find Faith. She had to be here somewhere. Then she stepped out of the shadows. A bloody knife was in her hand. "Hey B. Nice of you to come and see the apocalypse. Though you are a little late. Your friends got here first." Faith's leather pants and top were covered in blood, her friend's blood. Buffy took one step towards Faith, when she stepped on something. She found it hard to look down, even though she knew what it was. Ashes. "He lasted longer than the others, B. He was a real fighter. But the slayer always wins. He got to see them all die. It was meant for you, but it still worked. The look on your face was priceless." As Faith said this she got closer and closer. Buffy could not move. The death was too much for her. "Come on don't just stand there. I came looking for a fight. I still haven't gotten a good one. Not that I'm expecting you to deliver." Faith ran towards Buffy.
Every bock seemed like an out of body experience. She wasn't herself. "Come on B. You're really phoning it in." Faith knocked Buffy to the floor and pounced on her. "I told you I wanted a fight," Faith said as she raised the knife. "I'll see you later," was all she said as the knife plunged down into Buffy's heart.
Buffy woke with a jolt as before. She changed out of sweat-covered clothes, and noticed that it was the exact same time as yesterday's dream. Coincidences like that don't just happen. It was Saturday, so Joyce would not be up for a while. Buffy had two choices either keep her promise, or keep away from the pain.
At about ten o'clock the night before Faith stepped into the mayor's office. He was cleaning his hands as usual. Sometimes she wondered how the skin did not just peal off with all the constant rubbing. "So do you think it's working? The dreams, I mean."
"Of course it is. Do you want some milk?" Faith waved it away and the mayor set it in front of her anyway. "You a little beat up."
"It's nothing." Faith was not actually supposed to go over to Buffy's that night, but she could not wait for the curse to work.
"Anyway, in a couple of days Buffy will be out of her mind and the ascension will occur. We won't have anything to worry about."
Buffy went to Giles's that morning. She did not care if he was up yet. He needed to hear about the new dream. She banged hard on the door. He opened it almost instantly. She barged in without bothering for an invitation. He was almost plowed over. "There was another one."
"What? Another dream?"
"Yes, last night, or this morning. I can't think anymore. Why does this keep happening to me?"
"I'll look into it. You should go home and rest. You look terrible. I'm sure that it won't happen again."
"First of all, thanks a lot. Secondly, I can't rest. I won't dream again. I can't." Buffy plopped down on his couch in an act of defiance.
"No you won't. Now go home." Buffy thought he was acting suspicious, but she decided he was right. It would not happen again.
It did happen again. In fact she had a different dream every night for a week and a half. Every day Buffy avoided her friends more and more. She had however been patrolling alone more. She seemed to relax when she was beating the crap out of the evil beings living around town.