There's moments in your life that make you, that set the course of who you're gonna be. Sometimes they're little, subtle moments. Sometimes… they're not. I'll show you what I mean.

Becoming
Part 1

Angel stalked through the trees, hidden in the night's vale as the moonlight shown on Buffy and Libby fighting a couple of his minions. He smiled at his girls. Buff landing her perfect kicks and Libb sending them flying with the confidence he never broke. Angel smiled as they easily defeated the lesser vampires, Buff staking one and Libby keeping the other on the ground.

"I want you to get a message to Angel for us," ordered Buffy. "Tell him we're done waiting. We're taking the fight to him. You got that? Need me to write it down for ya?"

The vampire lunged back up, but Libb was right there to stop him. Angel moved closer at watching her slowly, powerfully squeeze her hand as though his neck were beneath it. The vampire clawed at his neck, trying to relieve the pressure, but she was crushing him. Angel snarled as her hand closed into a fist and his minion's head burst from his shoulders, the rest of his body turning to dust. It was glorious. She was glorious. Angel knew he would never break her spirit and the darkened lust in his eyes was almost glad he was unable to submit her will to him. He would have a challenge. It was far more fun.

"We'll tell him ourselves," Libby decided.

She turned as Buff lifted the boy back to his feet, groaning and rubbing the bump on his head. "You know you don't have to patrol with us."

He looked to the Slayer and replied, "I had that guy under control until he resorted to fisticuffs. What is that? Five vampires in three nights?"

"Yup, but no Angel."

He leered in the shadows as Libb glanced around the cemetery. She's looking for me, he thought. You can feel me watching you… Can't you, Beautiful?

"Are you really that anxious to come up against him?"

"I want it over with it. To make him pay for what he did to Libby."

"I hear that."

They turned to the Protector and caught her gaze. They smiled, and Angel smiled with them. The girls hooked arms and brought their little knight with them as they spoke of finals.

"Oh yeah! Finals! Why didn't you let me die?"

"Just look on the bright side," said Buff. "It'll all be over soon."

Libbs took one last glance behind them, searching. Angel remained in the shadows. It wasn't time for them to meet again. But he kept his eyes on her, on both his girls. Because what the Slayer said was true.

"Yes, my love. It will."

And he disappeared back into the dead of night.

"Tell Angel, I'm gonna kill him." Xander said as he held up his reenactment fish sticks. "No, wait. I'm gonna kill you! Die! Die! Die!" He brought up another fish stick as he broke off the top of the vampire one. "Aaargh! Mother?"

"Is that it?" Cordy asked as they all watched, confounded to say the least.

"That's it," replied Xander with a smile. "Scene."

"That's exactly how it happened," said Buffy.

"I thought it was riveting." Oz chimed in as Willow smiled on his lap. "I was a little unclear about some of the themes."

"The theme is Angel's too much of a coward to take me on face to face. Especially with Libby getting so strong, he knows he doesn't stand a chance."

"And the other theme was "Buy American" but it got buried."

Libby smiled at Xander's comment and caught Gage gazing at her. He had decided to abandon his swim mates for lunch and sat with them (for the third time that week), in between Cordelia and herself. It was strange, how easily he fit in with the group and how comfortable she felt with him there.

"Do you think you're ready to fight Angel?"

"I wish people would stop asking me that," Buffy answered Willow. "Yes, I'm ready. I'm also willing and able. It's the one test I might actually pass."

"Don't say that! You're gonna pass everything. I will get you through this if I have to sweat blood."

Libby sharply inhaled at the imagery Willow just accidently put in her head. For a moment, she was bleeding on the mansion floor.

"Do you think you're likely to?" Xander asked. "Cause I'd like to be elsewhere."

Libby clenched her fists under the table as she stared at her barely touched food. She was alone and broken, left on the cold floor as her blood dried over the untreated wounds.

"It was only metaphor blood," Willow assured.

"I think you'd sweat cute blood." Willow hummed at Oz's sweet comment and held his hand.

"Libby?" Gage softly tried to get her attention.

Her arms began to shake as her half empty water bottle began to crush itself. Buffy turned to her, and then Willow, and soon they all stared. It wasn't just the water bottle. It was Buffy's too, and their plates. One item after the next was being crushed as Libby got lost inside her memories.

"Libby?" Buffy gently called to her and took her fists in her hands. "Libby, it's ok. You're ok."

Libby sighed, uncurling her fingers and releasing a heavy sigh. She looked into her sister's concerned eyes and asked, "What? I – um – what were we talking about?"

"Nothing, just me passing finals. It doesn't matter. Are you ok?"

"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine. I just – uh – I… had a thing."

Buffy reached up and smoothed her curls. "I'm here for you, ok? For everything. My hand is always here to squeeze. Yeah?"

Libby blinked at the sight of their trays. It was almost completely smooshed. At least she didn't make it messy. She held Buffy's hand back and said, "Thanks."

Seeing Willow give her the guiltiest puppy eyes ever, Libby added, "I get to piggyback on this studying for finals, right?"

"Yes, oh, yes!" Willow exclaimed, eyes shining from tears of her wanting to do everything in her power to help too. "Sixth period after my computer class, we'll rock on to chemistry?"

"Ready to rock," replied Buffy

"And roll." Libby added.

"Willow, you – um – you really got the teaching bug," Cordelia decided to re-lighten the mood of the table. "Taking over computer class, tutoring…"

"I love it. I really do."

"I think it's great to do that before you go out and fail in the real world. That way you're not falling back on something. You're falling… well, forward."

Xander smirked and said, "And almost 65% of that was actual compliment. Is that a personal best?"

"Jeez Xander, what're you gonna teach when you fail in life? Advanced loser-being?"

"I will teach… ze language of love!"

"Don't touch me! You have fish hands!" Cordelia laughed and halfheartedly shoved Xander off as he cutely tried brush her hair and put an arm around her shoulder.

"Come! Let me touch!" he continued in an almost Dracula accent.

"Stop it!"

They continued to laugh as the rest watched the show, but Principal Snyder wasn't having it. "That's enough of that!" Xander and Cordy stopped and turned away from each other, and Snyder, who looked over at Willow and Oz, added, "And you… Are we having a chair shortage?"

"I didn't read anything about…" Willow began, but then realized what he meant and scooted over to the chair that barely fit at the table. "Oh, I get it."

"These public displays of affection are not acceptable in my school. This isn't an orgy. It's a classroom."

"Yeah, where they teach lunch."

He glared at Buffy and remarked, "Just give me a reason to kick you out, Summers. Just give me a reason." He was about to walk away when he noticed Gage sitting next to Libby. "And Petronzi, I hope this new group of yours is merely a phase. Wouldn't want to get caught up with the likes of these two."

Libby's eyes shot open as the water suddenly erupted from the bottle. Snyder took a step back but said nothing and continued on his way after one more stink eye. They remained silent for a moment, until Cordelia said, "How about because you're a tiny, impotent Nazi with a bug up his butt the size of an emu?"

"Sums it up," replied Buffy.

"Perfectly." Libby added.

"Doesn't it though?"

They laughed and it felt natural again. "You wanna come by my house tonight and study too?" Willow asked.

"Maybe. We do have to patrol."

"Again? Do you really expect him to turn up tonight?"

"No, I don't expect him to. But that's usually when he does."

"Especially when he's not trying to catch Buffy off guard. He knows he can't as long as she has me," responded Libby. "It's me he's trying to surprise."

Drusilla descended the stairs to meet her lover waiting in his wheelchair on the stone floor below. Without looking up from the newspaper, Spike asked, "Nice walk, pet?"

"I met an old man. Didn't like him. He got stuck in my teeth." She licked her fingers at the memory as the shadows danced about her mind to the moon's song that played inside her head. "But then the moon started whispering to me… all sorts of dreadful things."

Angelus walked up behind Spike to ask her, "What did it say?"

"Oh, look who's awake!" Spike sarcastically said, only to get a smack on the head by the older vampire.

"What did the moon tell you?" Angelus walked around Drusilla, his voice raking over her pale skin. "Did you have a vision? Is something coming?"

"Oh yeah," she purred as her voice lowered to a whisper. "Something terrible. Pss, pss, pss, pss, pss, pss."

"Where?"

"At the museum. A tomb… with a surprise inside."

Angelus brought a hand up to the side of her face as he stared mesmerized. "You can see all that in your head?"

"No, you ninny. She read it in the morning paper." Spike mockingly corrected as he handed it to his arrogant grandsire.

Angelus grabbed it from him and read the headline as Dru looked at it over his shoulder. "Oh my."

"That's what's been whispering to me. Shh!" Drusilla put a finger to her lips as the unseen air began to weigh her down.

"Oh, yeah. Don't worry, though. Soon it'll stop. Soon it'll scream."

Dru tried to smile, but the invisible pressure around her was becoming too much. It crushed her between its jaws, trying to devour her whole, and she fell to the ground. Spike called out to her as he wheeled closer and Angelus knelt over her. She couldn't see them. They were fading in the moonlight, voices swallowed by the void. Dru reached out to claw at them, but all she felt were the white flames falling like the dying stars in the sky and suddenly all she could taste was ash.

Her body trembled as she whimpered in fear, all alone in the bright dark, when she saw something step out of the veil and crawled backwards as fast as she could until her back was pressed to the stone. The Protector strode through the crystal flames, whirling the dust of the fallen around them like a cyclone, and came to loom over her. Dru bared her teeth at the sight of a smile more gleeful and crueler than her own.

"The moon may whisper to you as you dance in the dark, but I am light. Stars and suns in galaxies only I know." Libby turned her head to glance at Angelus and Spike, crushing their hearts beneath her hands as Drusilla shrieked in pain. "I will bring it all down, cleanse it in my fire, and leave you to scream in the ashes."

"Dru!" Spike yelled as Angelus shook her out of her vision.

She frantically looked about and crawled across the ground for any signs of the Protector. "Where is she?" Drusilla whined. "I can feel her!"

"Who, love?" Spike asked as he tried to anchor her.

"There's no one here," said Angelus. "What did you see?"

Drusilla stopped and turned to both of them, stretching out a shaking hand. "We didn't snuff it out. She still burns with power." Her eyes widened at her dark little boys as she whispered, "She knows. She'll seek to stop us once and for all."

"The Protector." Spike glowered.

Angelus smiled wickedly and snarled, "Not if we stop her first."

Buffy worked on the equation, but nothing about it was lining up. She slammed her pencil down and grumbled, "Waah! This doesn't make any sense!"

"Sure, it does. See…" Willow said as she went over Buffy's attempt and discovered that her friend was right. "Oh, no, this doesn't make sense."

"It's senseless!"

"It is, but at least you know that, so you're learning."

"Yay me! It doesn't matter anyway. I mean when in the real world am I ever gonna need chemistry or history or the… English language."

Libby glanced up from her desk and replied, "A lot. At least with the last one."

Buffy stuck her tongue out as Willow said, "Ok, I see your problem."

"I'm a moron?"

"Will you stop that? You're not stupid." Willow's voice rose with her newfound and natural teaching authority. "You've just had a lot on your mind. You can learn this easily, but if you're just gonna give up, then don't waste my time."

Buffy was taken aback for a moment and then smiled. "Wow, you really are a good teacher."

"Ok, look at this," Willow brought them back on track. "A covalent bond, which means these two atoms are linked by –"

Libby looked up from her own study material as Buffy's pencil fell in the crevasse of the desk and file cabinet. Her eyes were wide, knowing what was hidden and forgotten in the darkened space, and felt her heart drop into her stomach.

"Oh! Hold that thought." Buffy leaned down and grabbed the pencil. "Ok, I'm learn girl."

Libby rigidly leaned back in her chair, thick hair falling on the sides of her face as though it could shield her from the discovery. She bent her feet into an arch so severe that her knees hit the underside of the desk and crossed her arms over her ribs. Neither Willow nor Buffy noticed.

"Déjà vu."

"Really?" Willow asked.

"Yeah. I have this perfect memory of the pencil and…" Buffy let go and it rolled back down the side of the desk. She reached down and this time, pulled the yellow floppy disc up to the surface with the pencil. "Oh hey, you dropped this."

"It's not mine," answered Willow as she examined it. "It might be something of Miss Calendar's."

As Willow inserted it into the computer, Buffy said, "This feels kinda morbid."

"I've gone through most of her files already."

"Does that make it less morbid or you really morbid?"

Willow scoffed at her friend's comment and replied, "I had to. To teach her class."

"Relax, Will. I was making with the funny." Buffy glanced at Libby and suddenly grew concerned. "Libby, you ok? Is something wrong?"

When Libby didn't answer, she got up from her seat and crouched next to her sister to see all the bars of the chair were twisting in on themselves. "You're ok. I'm right here," Buffy tried to soothe. "What do you need?"

"Buffy…" Willow's voice gasped from the computer.

"Willow, something's wrong." Buffy said worriedly. "Her body temp's up and she's not responding to me and –"

"I think I know why."

The Slayer turned to her and demanded, "What's going on?"

Willow took a deep breath before softly saying, "It's the restoration spell. That's what's on the disc. Miss Calendar figured it out."

"Restoration?" Buffy breathed as she held onto Libby's hands. "Restoration… Oh my god…"

Libby's eyes darted over to her now and recoiled from her touch to throw all of her materials into her bag. "It's time," she whimpered.

"For what?"

"The finale."

"What are you saying?" Giles asked as he stared at Buffy.

She handed the printed sheet to her Watcher and replied, "The curse. This is it."

"Looks like Miss Calendar was trying to replicate the original curse," explained Willow as Giles took the paper. "To restore Angel's soul again."

"She said it couldn't be done."

"Well, she tried anyway," Buffy softly replied. "It looks like it might've worked."

"So he killed her before she could tell anyone about it." Xander angrily piped up from the table. "What a prince, huh?"

Cordelia took a breath from her seat next to him and asked, "This is good, right? I mean, we can curse him again."

Libby pulled her legs into her chest and clasped her hands together so she wouldn't start telekinetically messing up the library. Instead she slowly rocked her heels on the top step and tried to avoid everyone's gaze.

"Well, erm, yes, this…certainly points the way," replied Giles, eyes continuously flitting to Libby as he spoke. "But the ritual itself requires a greater knowledge of the black arts than I-I can claim."

Willow stepped forward and nervously offered, "Well, I've been going through her files and researching the black arts for fun – or educational fun – and I may be able to work this."

"Willow, channeling such potent magics through yourself, it could open a door you may not be able to close."

"I don't want you putting yourself in any danger, Will." Buffy said as she paced by the library doors.

"And I don't want danger. Big "no" to danger, but I may be the best person to do this."

"Hi!" Xander called out as he got up from the table and walked over to the stairs. "For those of you who've just tuned in, everyone here is a crazy person! So this spell might restore Angel's humanity?" Xander briefly looked at Libby, burying her face in her knees as her curly hair fell into her eyes, and yelled, "Well, here's an interesting angle: Who the hell cares?"

"I care," Buffy answered, voice meek compared to his.

"Is that right?" Xander seethed.

Giles put himself between Xander and Buffy, still glancing at Libby with great concern, and said, "Let's not lose our perspective here, Xander."

"I'm Perspective Guy. Angel's a killer. A monster."

"It's not that simple," Buffy said, still pacing as her thoughts spun out of control.

"What?" Xander started to yell again. "All is forgiven? After everything he's done! I can't believe you!"

"Xander has a point," defended Cordelia as she got up to stand with him. "I mean, look at Libby. Look at what a mere conversation about him has reduced her to. If I didn't know any better, I'd say she's tearing her own insides apart, so she won't do it to the stuff around her."

Libby perked up her head at hearing Cordy go to bat for her and suddenly felt herself relax. She brushed her hair from her face and eased her legs back down to a lower step as everyone watched her with so much pity and grief in their eyes that Libby wished she could telekinetically remove it. All except for Xander. There was no pity in his eyes. Only the desire for revenge.

"Which is exactly my point," he declared. "Angel needs to die!"

"Curing Angel seems to have been Jenny's last wish," Giles debated, sorrow dripping from his words. "As a means to punish Angel for what he's done. Force him to feel the guilt and regret of what he did. Force him to live with the pain."

"You know who's already living with the pain? Libby! And your vote is to let Angel get away with it?"

"Don't you dare!" Giles shouted as he angrily lunged for Xander.

Willow tried to come between them, but it was Buffy who pushed them apart as she screamed, "Stop it! Stop it!"

Libby straightened and caught Buffy's eyes. They were torn, lost, pained beyond measure. She loved her Protector, her sister, her best friend. She would do anything to do right by her, only in this… she had no idea what was right. Libby sighed, relaxing her shoulders again, and Buffy walked over to her. She climbed the stairs and sat with Libby.

"What should I do?" She cried, pleading for insight.

"Should? I can't tell you that," whispered Libby.

"Yes, you can. No matter what it is. You can tell me."

Libby shook her head. "It's your call."

"Libby, you're the one he… hurt the most." Buffy said, her voice stronger now. "Your say in this is the only one that matters."

"He's your vampire, Buffy. It'll always be your call."

The Slayer blinked back tears and rubbed her forehead. "It's on me. All of it," cried Buffy as the all-consuming pain for the ones she loved poured out of her. "What happened to Angel wasn't his fault, it –"

"Yeah, but what happened to Libby is." Everyone stared at Xander's infuriated growl as he glared at Buffy. "Torture, poison, rape. For weeks! Making Miss Calendar's slow death seem like mercy. And it's not his fault? You don't know what to do?" His glare darkened as he lowered his voice even more to say, "Paint it any way you want. But the way I see it is that you want to forget all about Libby's traumatic suffering and Miss Calendar's murder so you can get your boyfriend back."

Buffy's white-hot tears spilled down her cheeks. No one said a word, though Willow's own glare spoke volumes. Libby stared at Xander, a ghost of a smile on her lips, but she said nothing. Instead, she took Buffy's trembling hand and walked down the stairs with her. They left the library and the school without a word between them.

They walked for hours. Silent. Across every cemetery plot in Sunnyvale until the sun went down. Every thought was considered in their minds: from the most selfish to the most vengeful to the most sacrificing. But none were shared. Not until they turned onto Buffy's street.

"I can't tell you what you should do because I want to kill him," Libby said quietly, staring straight ahead. "What he did to me… it feels like it's gonna haunt me forever, Buffy." She pulled at her baggy long sleeves as she felt her sister's eyes staring at her. "Sometimes, out of nowhere, it's like I'm sent back. I'm trapped and bleeding and scared… Other times, when I'm asleep, I relive it over and over again trying to escape but no matter what I do… I can't."

Libby took a deep breath and shared, "I'm honestly terrified that no amount of therapy is going to help because right now… the only thing that gets me through is that I'm going to kill him." They stopped in front of Buffy's house as she finished, "So I can't tell you what you should do. Only what I'm feeling."

Buffy nodded as she wiped away tears before they fell from her eyes again. "You know what I'm feeling?" At Libby's anxious shake of her head, Buffy said, "That I'd do anything for you."

"But you want him back, Buffy," Libby whispered. "I know you do."

"What I want doesn't matter," Buffy's voice broke as she hugged her sister. "What you need is more important."

"So we need a plan."

Buffy walked through the park and heard rustling in the trees. She frowned, unable to sense Libby, which made sense as they parted ways to change and gather their things before meeting back at the library to come up with a plan. So who was stalking her?

The Slayer readied herself as the second snuck up behind her. Buffy was able to stop her fist from pounding into Kendra's face and sighed, "You know, polite people call before they jump out of the bushes and attack you."

"Just wanted to test your reflexes."

"How about testing my face-punching? 'Cause I think you'll find it's improved."

Kendra smirked and replied, "I was on my way to your house, saw you walkin, couldn't help meself."

Buffy smiled and replied, "Which begs the question, and don't think that I'm not glad to see you, but why are you here." Kendra opened her mouth to answer, but Buffy did it for her. "Wait, no, let me guess. Your Watcher informed you that a very dark power is about to rise in Sunnydale."

"That's about it."

"Great. And I have a feeling who knows exactly what this dark power is."

Angelus and Drusilla walked up to where Spike sat, staring at the tomb they just stole. Unimpressed, he spat, "It's a big rock. I can't wait to tell my friends. They don't have a rock this big."

"Spike, boy, you never did learn your history."

"Let's have a lesson, then."

Angelus stepped forward, eyes scanning over the carvings on the stone as he said, "Acathla the demon came forth to swallow the world. He was killed by a virtuous knight who pierced the demon's heart before he could draw breath and perform the act. Acathla turned to stone, as demons sometimes do, and was buried where neither man nor demon would want to look." He touched the cold tomb, feeling the power inside, before turning away and finished, "Unless of course they're puttin' up low-rent housing. Boys."

The vampires pried open the door to reveal the demon. After it fell to the ground, Dru brought her hands up to her temples and cooed, "He fills my head! I can't hear anything else."

"Let me guess," Spike sarcastically mused. "Someone pulls out the sword…"

"Someone worthy," confirmed Angel.

"The demon wakes up and wackiness ensues."

Drusilla stared at the demon and echoed, "He will swallow the world."

"And every creature living on this planet will go to Hell…" Angelus turned to face his sired and evilly grinned. "My friends… We're about to make history… end."

Libby sat quietly in the passenger seat as Giles drove them back to the library. He kept looking over at her, searching for the right words to ask her how she was doing, but came up with either pitying or patronizing comments.

Taking a breath, Giles said, "I hope you know that when I was arguing with Xander, to restore Angel's soul, I wasn't trying to-to… I-I would never minimize…" Giles sighed, gripping the steering wheel, and decided to let his instincts guide him. "I want Angel to suffer for what he did you to. For killing Jenny. For all the pain he's caused. And he can't suffer if he's dead. But if he has his soul then, perhaps he-he could. All I want is retribution for you, Libby. You and… Jenny."

Libby glanced over at him and softly said, "I know."

"Good, good, because I would loathe to cause you any more pain."

She slightly smiled at her Watcher and replied, "That's why I love you."

Giles glanced at her then, astonishment filling his eyes, and he stuttered, "Well, I-I – erm – I'm rather quite, uh, fond of y– erm–"

"Giles."

He was caught in her gaze again, bright with slight impatience, and smiled at the young Protector he saw as a daughter. "I love you too, sweetheart."

"I've been on the phone with the museum," Giles informed as he walked back out into the library. "The artifact Libby spoke of is missing and the curator has been murdered. Vampires."

"You're sure this was the tomb of Alfalfa?" Buffy asked.

"Acathla," corrected Giles. "And, yes, the information provided by Kendra's Watcher paired with Libby's knowledge seems conclusive."

"Ok, somebody explain the whole, "he will suck the world into Hell" thing," asked Willow nervously as she walked up to the table everyone was gathered around. "Because that's the part I'm not loving."

Giles put his glasses back on and responded, "Well, this demon universe exists in a dimension separate from our own. With one breath, Acathla will create a vortex, a kind of – erm – whirlpool that will pull everything on Earth into that dimension… where any non-demon life will suffer horrible and eternal torment."

"The literal sucked into Hell," said Libby.

"Neat," Buffy tried and failed to lighten the mood, so she turned to Willow and said, "Willow, I need you to try the curse."

"I tend to side with your friend on this one," Kendra interjected. "Angel should be eliminated."

"Oh, I'll fight him. I'll kill him just so my sister can sleep at night," Buffy replied strongly. "But if I don't get there in time or if I lose, then Willow might be our only hope."

Willow's eyes boggled as she panicked, "I don't wanna be our only hope. I crumble under pressure. Let's have another hope."

"We have," Kendra reassured as she pulled a sword from her duffle. "Blessed by the knight who first slew the demon. If all else fails, this might stop it… I tink."

Giles walked over and ogled, "Ooh, may I?" He took it from her in gratitude and examined it. "Well, let's hope all else doesn't fail. How close are you to figuring out the ritual of the curse?"

"I need about a day. And…" Willow walked over to glance at the printed information. "An orb of Thesulah, whatever that is."

"A spirit vault for rituals of the undead," Giles answered as he handed the sword back to Kendra. "I've got one. I've been using it as a paperweight."

Libby almost found herself giggling when Giles went to fetch it as Willow told her and Buffy, "This means I can't help you study for tomorrow's final."

"Ah, I'll wing it. And Libby's already prepped. Of course if we go to Hell by then, I won't have to take 'em." Buffy eyes darkened as an even worse thought came to mind. "Or I'll be taking them forever."

"Angel must also perform a ritual before he can remove the sword and awaken Acathla," Giles said as he handed the orb to Willow.

"It won't work," Libby spoke up, bringing all eyes to her. "Angel's ritual. He'll get all, but one part right, which will force him to come after us for answers."

Buffy sat down next to her and asked, "By us you mean…"

"In the show, it was Giles, but after everything… it might be me."

"It won't be you," Giles swore.

Libby tried to smile as she continued, "Tomorrow, he's gonna send a message to draw Buffy away from us and then send his minions to attack everyone in the library. All to kidnap me or Giles, or maybe both of us now. And it works."

"In the show, maybe. But it won't now," Buffy exclaimed. "What do we need to do?"

"Convince Angel that his plan is working while we muck it up here."

"How are we to… "muck it up," as you say?" Kendra inquired with an eyebrow raised.

Libby looked at all of them and said, "For starters, I think we should start off with a different ritual. One they'd expect even less than restoration."

Spike paced alone in a room cloaked in shadow. All he could think of was the vision Drusilla had, about the Protector raining destruction down upon them, how it reduced his Drusilla to a quivering ball of fear on the ground. She recovered well enough, with Angel's promises of blood and death, but Spike knew better. He could feel it – the agonizing tug on his dead heart when the Protector was tearing it from his chest – and knew it wasn't over. They made a deal, he and the Protector, and proving to her that it still stands – that he was still of use to her – that was the only way to save himself and his beloved from the vision.

"Spike?" He heard Dru call out to him. He quickly sat back down right before she peeked inside and said, "Spike, my sweet, the fun's about to begin."

Spike followed her out and parked on the opposite side of the isle. Two of the lackeys dragged a human between them, hands bound behind him, sniffling in fear like an animal. Angelus emerged from the shadows and recited, "I will drink. The blood will wash in me, over me, and I will be cleansed. I will be worthy to free Acathla. Bear witness… as I ascend…" Angelus' face changed into its vampiric form and he growled, "As I become."

He lifted the man to his feet and ripped into his neck with a roar, staining his hand with the blood as the body fell. "Everything that I am… everything that I have done… has led me here." Angelus stepped closer to the sword as he stared at the demon trapped in stone. "I have strayed. I have been lost. But Acathla redeems me. With this act... we will be free."

Angelus grabbed hold of the hilt and the sword shone out with a blinding power, but no matter how hard the soulless vampire pulled, he could not free the sword. Suddenly, all the power refocused itself and propelled outward, knocking Angelus into the ground and disappearing back into the stone.

"Someone wasn't worthy," Spike sing-songed with a grin.

"Dammit!" Angelus shouted.

Drusilla whined, the whispers swirling inside her head as she shook her hands and wailed, "This is so…disappointing!"

"There must be something I missed. The incantations, the blood! I don't know!"

Spike had to cover his mouth to keep from laughing aloud as Dru asked, "What are we going to do?"

"What we always do in a time of trouble," answered Angelus. "Turn to the one that got away. We'll have our Armageddon, I swear!" He picked up a vase and smashed it against the wall.

"And what makes you think you'll be able to kidnap her again?" Spike challenged. "Something tells me the third time won't be the charm."

"Don't worry, Spike," Angelus snarled. "I'll have that covered."

Buffy kept glancing over at Libby as they took their final. She seemed to be doing well. No telekinetic episodes, just flipping through the test and bubbling in her answers. Libby didn't take her eyes off it once. Not until the shrouded vampire entered the room. The Protector's eyes instantly shot up as it made its way to Buffy's desk.

"Tonight, sundown, at the graveyard." She said, getting little to no reaction from the Slayer. "You will come to him. You will come to him or more will die!" The vampire removed her shroud, forcing the teacher back, as she declared, "Tonight! His hour is at hand!"

She caught fire and everyone started screaming, running for the door. Xander and Cordelia backed away in shock as Willow sprang up, but Libby and Buffy remained seated as they watched her burn. It took seconds for her to explode into dust.

It was then that the Protector got up and handed her final to the teacher. She took it absently, terrified and at a loss for what just happened, and Libby never met her eyes. It didn't matter. She looked to her Slayer and nodded.

They left the classroom together, with Willow, Xander, and Cordelia following, and headed to the library. Where Giles and Kendra were waiting with everything set up. As the gang was calming down, Buffy and Libby spoke with Giles on the second floor.

"She said more would die. It's all starting. I have to go!"

"Then I should go wit you."

"No, that's not the plan," Buffy told Kendra as she walked back down the stairs. "You need to be here when the rest of the vampires attack. Protect Libby and Giles as they do the spell." She looked to her red headed friend and asked, "How long do you need?"

"Half an hour, once we're all set up."

Buffy nodded and turned to Libby. "You sure about all this?"

"If you meet Angel, hold him off from joining in on the attack here, then he should be convinced that his plan is working."

"And if the spell succeeds, you'll…" Giles stated from above as he tossed a book down to Xander. "You'll know."

"Ok, good. So we're all clear on the plan?" Buffy asked.

"Yeah, we got it," answered Xander. "Be careful."

"I will."

"Here!" Kendra called out to meet her and handed her a unique stake. "In case the spell does not succeed… this is my lucky stake. I've killed many vampires with it. I call it, Mr Pointy."

Buffy frowned as she asked, "You named your stake?

"Yes," replied Kendra, a bit embarrassed.

"Remind me to get you a stuffed animal," Buffy smiled at her and took the stake. "Thanks."

"Watch your back."

"As long as you watch Libby's."

Kendra nodded and promised, "Of course."

Buffy glanced back one more time to see Libby staring back at her. They smiled and parted ways.

Buffy walked into the cemetery, right around where Libby first arrived, and saw Angel come out of the shadows. Good start, she thought.

"Hello, lover," he greeted. "I wasn't sure you'd come."

"After your immolation-o-gram? Come on, I had to show." She cocked her head to the side and goaded him, "Shouldn't you be out destroying the world right now? Pulling a sword out of Al Franken or whatever his name is?"

"There's time enough. I wanted to say goodbye first. You are the one of the two things in this dimension I will miss."

The Slayer narrowed her eyes on the vampire, knowing he meant her Protector as well, and hissed, "This is a beautiful moment we're having. Can we please fight?"

"I didn't come here to fight."

"No?" Buffy asked, not believing a word.

"Gosh, I was hoping we could get back together. Since it didn't work out with me and your sister. What d'you think? Do we have a shot?" Angel sneered and said, "All right. We'll fight."

The library table was covered with the bones of a raven and agate, fluorite, and tiger eye stones spread out among three candles inside a circle of sand. In the center of it all, was a Triskelion drawn in Libby's blood. She sat in front of it, back to the railing where Xander watched closely, stake in hand, and tried to slow her breathing. Willow and Cordelia walked around her in opposite directions, burning sage, while Giles was ready with the incantation. Kendra watched from the library doors, ready for whatever busted through.

"What is this supposed to do again?" Gage whispered as he walked up to Xander, after checking the back entrance. Again.

Xander kept his eyes on Libby and answered, "Enhance her powers."

"Bíodh a hintinn soiléir agus léiríonn a spiorad a cuspóir," Giles began, and Libby closed her eyes as she faced her palms upward in meditation. "Lig dá croí buille láidir agus beidh sí dírithe. Lig dá cumhacht éirí as agus eascraíonn as."

"So, it's a ritual for Protectors? To make them stronger?" Gage tried to understand, his voice so low is was barely audible to even Xander.

"No, it's not for Protectors," Xander answered in the same tone. "It's some ancient ritual the Druids used to get in touch with their powers through nature, making them stronger, or something. According to Giles it was the best he could find to amp Libby up, 'cause unfortunately, there really isn't anything on Protectors."

"Is é a corp an soitheach, is í a bunúsach an t-arm."

Libby breathed in the smoke as Willow and Cordelia echoed Giles. "Let her mind be clear and her spirit reflect her purpose. Let her heart beat strong and her will be focused.

Let her power swell and emanate from within. Her body is the vessel, her essence is the weapon."

"Is é a corp an soitheach, is í a bunúsach an t-arm." Giles repeated.

"Her body is the vessel; her essence is the weapon."

Libby could feel her natural power build inside of her. It was filling her up from the inside and with every word she could feel it become ready to flow out of her freely and powerfully. This was going to work. It had to.

Giles, Willow, and Cordelia finished the incantation for the second time when Xander suddenly shouted out from the balcony. A vampire held him down over the railing as though trying to snap him in half. Gage went to tackling him, but another vampire quickly put him into a headlock from behind. They both struggled to keep from getting bitten as three more burst through the front and attacked Kendra.

"Get out! Go!" Giles ordered the girls.

Willow and Cordy ran for the office door, but another vampire came crashing through. The Watcher grabbed an axe from the weapons closet and swung it at the demon, giving the girls opportunity to run up the stairs to escape through the back.

Libby remained on the table, legs crossed and arms up. She could hear them shouting as they fought back, the roar of the vampires' hunger, but she didn't move. The ritual wasn't complete. More meditation was required as the words sunk in to command her power.

"No!" Giles yelled as the vampire lunged for Libby. He swung the axe with the truest aim and cut his head clean off. Libby heard the explosion of dust as Giles panted to her, "Libby, you must go! There's no more time!"

She heard the bookcase begin to crash and Willow's scream. Libby's eyes shot open and her arm reached back, catching it before it fell on Willow and knocking it the other way so it crushed the vampire who meant to harm her. Xander and Gage jumped out of the way and before the vampire could try to free itself, Xander staked it through the open shelf. Which still left one vampire above to fight.

It fought with Gage, getting as many blows at it gave, until it grabbed his fist and twisted Gage's arm so severely and that it threw him into another bookcase. The impact forced out a painful shout, fracturing his wrist and dislocating his shoulder. Xander ran up to stop the vampire from finishing Gage off but got in the monster's claws.

Libby held out her arms to shield from all the other vampires from entering the library. Two more were trying to break in through the back, one more from the office, and three more from the front. She held them back as they clawed and pounded against the invisible force. Then Xander screamed. Libby's focus immediately went to him and thrust her hand at the vampire, turning him to dust.

This weakened her hold on the one being held in the office. It bolted out and Giles met it with full force. Libby tried to gain her control back, but her energy was depleting while the vampires weren't. It was supposed to be one wave, one powerful wave of her telekinetic energy to kill all vampires in their immediate radius and knock the rest of them out. Now she was holding on to the extra power with all she had to save her friends.

Kendra continued to fight off her three vampires; staking one and then another. Giles' axe was grabbed by his vampire and in one jolt, the metal handle slammed into his face and knocked him out cold.

"Giles!" Libby screamed as blood began to pour from his broken nose.

Kendra slew her last vampire and threw the one who attacked Giles through the window. She turned to the Protector and called, "There's too many! I can't take them all meself! Can you do this?"

Libby kept her extended hands steady as the last five vampires were doing everything to push their way in. But that wasn't all of them. There were more to come.

Buffy punched Angel in the face a few more times before he grabbed her wrists and tossed her backwards like she was a corpse full of rotted blood.

"Jeez, is it just me or is your heart not in this? Maybe I'll just go home, destroy the world –"

Buffy pulled out the stake gifted to her by Kendra and said, "I think Mr. Pointy will have something to say about that." Angel leered at her, which fanned the fires of her rage. "Come on, let's finish this. You and me!"

"You never learn, do you?" Angel laughed. "This wasn't about you. This was never about you."

"What?" Buffy hissed as she brought the stake down on his chest, ripping his shirt as he jumped back. "You mean the ambush on the library? So you can take Libby again?"

Angel blocked her attacks and replied in a growl, "Our sweet, Libby. She does know all, doesn't she?" He sneered and struck her down, circling her as he said, "Unless it actually concerns her."

"What did you do?" Buffy whispered in horror.

"You remember that I'm the biggest, baddest vampire in history, right? What do you think that means when it comes to lackeys? Does Libby know how many I have? How many I can send?" Angelus snickered as Buffy's hand began to shake. "I scare the vampires way more than you and your broken Protector, Buff. So I sent them all. Waves of five or six at a time, but they'll get her. Bring her back to me. And kill all your friends as they do."

Buffy dashed for the road, sprinting as fast as she could to get back to the library.

There was a dozen at each entrance now and Libby was having a harder time at keeping them out. Kendra fought the last vampire on their side of the shield and dusted him, as Willow did her best to tend to Giles on the floor.

"Now would be a great time to do that energy wave thing!" Cordelia shrieked as the vampires kept lunging at the entrances.

"The ritual wasn't finished!" Willow explained as the fear of impending death snuck into her voice. "She didn't have enough time to –"

Libby screamed and instinctively held her head as shrill whispers pierced her mind. In that moment, all the vampires bolted inside and surrounded them. They snapped their fangs in vicious laughter as the gang tried to fight back, but it was no use. Drusilla strode in, eyes fixed on the Protector, and clawed at the air.

"Do you hear the moon?" Drusilla hissed. "It doesn't like your light."

Kendra leapt out from the throng of demons and punched Drusilla, breaking the hold she had over Libby. Gage and Xander went to catch her before she fell, as Willow tried to shield Giles from the vampires waiting for the command to attack. They all watched as Kendra fought the infamously insane vampire, surprised at her fighting skills. Dru was lithe and clever, and all it took was one move to stop Kendra.

She grabbed the Slayer's neck and held her gaze. "Look at me, dearie." Drusilla brought her painted talon's up to focus Kendra's eyes, leading them to her own. "Be… in my eyes. Be in me."

Kendra was lost, drowning in Drusilla's darkness. The vampiress smiled as she made them sway and brought her hand up to slash her nails against the Slayer's throat.

"No!" Libby shrieked as she plunged her hand outward and sent Drusilla flying through the library doors.

All the other vampires went to descend upon them, but Libby swung her arms out and around to hurl them back against the walls. Kendra slipped to the floor, her mind still in a painful haze, her strength waning from Drusilla's psychic control.

The vampiress grappled her way back onto her heeled feet, snarling at the Protector. They stared at each other in fury. Dru narrowed her eyes and ordered, "Bring me my, dolly."

Libby conjured all remnants of the spell still left inside of her and forced out every ounce of power she had with a battle cry that held all her fear, pain, and anger. The telekinetic wave was so powerful that it sent everyone back hard enough to knock them out. Drusilla shielded herself with the door as best she could, but the vampires in the library were destroyed from the inside out – all combusting one by one, covering the floor in dust. Light exploded all over the school and the sparks illuminated Libby as they sprinkled around her. Dru screamed at the sight, as the wave pressed down on her, but there was nothing she could do. The Protector forced it out as far as she could and felt it subdue every vampire that surrounded the school.

It would have to be enough. Libby lost control as her power fleeted away and she collapsed on the table, blood dripping from her nose and ears. Everyone around her was unconscious… save for Drusilla.

She clawed her way across the floor and grabbed at the doors to help lift herself up. It felt as though the ocean had pulled her down into its depths – drowned her mind and crushed her bones. Dru only had strength enough to walk, so she made her way to the Protector. Weakened or not, she would drag the dolly back to the mansion.

As she neared the table, Giles hoisted himself up and blocked her path. They leered at each other, beaten and weak and no less angry. Giles took a breath and demanded, "You're not taking her. I won't allow it."

"Such a mean, old daddy. Keeping me from my dolly," Drusilla whined. "A girl needs her dolly."

"You and I both know neither of us has the strength for another fight."

Drusilla growled, but Giles took a step forward and said, "Unless you want to die tonight? I'm sure we have just enough fight left to kill each other, but then you don't get the Protector." At Drusilla's curious and confused blink, he continued, "Take me instead and leave the girl be."

Drusilla leaned her head back and laughed as her vampiric face emerged and struck her sharpened nails at his throat.

Buffy burst into the school and ran down the hall to the library. She barely noticed all the vampires fleeing in the other direction to escape into the night. Her feet flew across the floor until she flung the library doors open. Kendra was on the ground by the counter and her friends lined the balcony wall curved around the table. Libby was slumped over on top, not moving. Buffy could see the rest of them breathing – thankfully – but not her Protector. She hurried over and carefully held Libby's face in her hands. She wasn't cold and the bleeding had stopped. Libby was alive. The Slayer let out a relieved sigh as the terrified tears fell. She lifted the Protector into her arms and cradled her.

If only for a moment.

"Freeze!"

Buffy's head spun around and all she could see was the gun pointed directly at her.

Bottom line is, even if you see 'em comin' you're not ready for the big moments. No one asks for their life to change, not really. But it does. So what are we? Helpless? Puppets? No. The big moments are gonna come, you can't help that. It's what you do afterwards that counts. That's when you find out who you are.