Chapter 53: Beauty and the Beasts
Buffy and Faith are patrolling together. The park is quiet, and they enjoy a rare moment of bonding.
"You ever catch kids doing the horizontal two-step out here?" Faith asks.
Buffy shakes her head, "Naw. There's a smooch spot near the woods. That's where folks go."
"Yeah? Bet you and Scott been out there kicking the old gearshift." Faith says.
Buffy shakes her head, "Hardly. We've only been out a few times."
"But you like him, right? When you think about him you get that good, down low tickle?" Faith asks.
Buffy blushes, "Well, yeah. I - How low?"
Faith grins, "You tell me."
Buffy shakes her head, "How 'bout - not? But he is funny and nice and -"
Faith nods, "-quite a muffin."
Buffy smiles, "Blueberry. With that munchable, crumbly top. But my most favorite thing? So far, he doesn't seem to be some sort of hell beast."
"All men are beasts, Buffy." Faith says.
"Geez. I was sort of hoping not to sound that cynical until at least forty." Buffy says.
Faith shakes her head, "Not cynical. Realistic. Every guy – from "Manimal" right on down to "Mr. I Loved the English Patient" – has a beast in him. And I don't care how sensitive they act - they're still just in it for the chase…"
The next day in the quad Buffy, Willow and Oz walk toward school,.
"I don't think that's true. That every guy is in it for the chase." Willow says worried.
Buffy nods, "I know, it's awfully-"
"Buffy! Wait up!" Scott says as he runs to catch up with her, leaving his buddy, Pete, and Pete's girlfriend, Debbie, behind. "Hey. That's what I stopped you for, basically. Hey."
"Okay. Hey." Buffy says pleased.
Pete and Debbie also come over - but at a less infatuated pace.
Oz nods to Debbie - he knows her. "Howdy Debbie."
"Hi, Oz. Hey, you're not doing Jazz band this year?" Debbie asks.
Oz shakes his head, "Can't take the pressure. It's not the music that's hard, it's the marching."
"We have a marching Jazz band?" Buffy asks.
Oz nods, "Yeah. But - you know - good jazz is improvisational. So we'd be marching off in all directions. Running into floats and stuff. Scary."
"He's just being Oz." Willow says.
Oz nods, "Pretty much full time."
Buffy notices that Debbie is holding a small bouquet of wild flowers. "Those are pretty."
Debbie beams happily. "Thanks. Pete brought them for me."
"It's… well, you know. I'm sure Scott does that kind of stuff for you too, Buffy." Pete says embarrassed.
"Oh. We're not up to flowers." Scott says anxious, "Are we? Up to flowers? Did I miss flowers?"
Buffy shakes her head, "No. We're pre-posie. Definitely." She looks at her watch. "I'd better go. Lucky me, I get to see Mr. Platt today."
Debbie makes a face. Yuck. "Platt? The school counselor?"
Buffy sighs, "Yeah - I need to convince him I'm "Little Miss Stable" so I can stay in school. Not that I actually have to. Snyder can't do much but still it's better to make him happy than give him an excuse to kick me out."
Scott nods, "Stable. Okay. Topics to avoid. The little men that live in your teeth…. Your compulsion to paint circus clowns…."
"But if Goddess keeps telling me to kill – it just seems snotty not to, you know?" Buffy asks.
Scott frowns, "Goddess?"
Buffy smiles, "Alternative religion."
Scott nods, "Ah. Anyways you'll do great."
"Platt creeps me out. I would totally quit going, but I'm flunking senior bio and my teacher says I have "success issues."" Debbie says.
Oz nods, "Senior bio? I sort of aced that final."
"And how did you do that? Oh, right - you showed up." Willow says teasing.
"You want my notes - they're yours." Oz says.
Debbie smiles, "Thanks. That'd be great."
"See you." Buffy says as she gives Scott a quick kiss on the lips before parting.
"Yeah. Good." Scott says.
Buffy, Willow and Oz enter the school and move down the hall.
"Okay. You. Scott. School kiss." Willow says.
Buffy shakes her head, "Not a deal. We've kissed before."
"But in the dark. Alone. A school kiss is a whole 'nother deal. It's statement-y. it says - hey, peers - we're smooching!" Willow says.
"Do you think it was too much?" Buffy says anxious.
Oz shakes his head, "I thought it was right. It said "nice seeing you" - not - "take me now." Not that I have anything against a "take me now" kiss, mind you. But it's not very school."
Willow nods, "Totally. That kind of kiss in school is all about showing off. The "haves" rubbing it in the faces of the "have-nots.""
Willow stops at her locker. Oz lingers with her as Buffy, preoccupied, moves on down the hall.
"So I'm good. Yeah. I think….." Buffy says as she moves on to the counselor's office leaving her friends behind.
Buffy enters the counselor's office. The office sports standard school shrink décor - "Your Brain on Drugs" posters, etc. But there are also a few surprising touches of whimsy.
Mr. Platt, faces away from Buffy in a high back chair. "The two o'clock. Payson Halliwell or do you prefer Buffy."
Buffy smiles, "Buffy is more a nickname nowadays. My legal guardians signed the paperwork last year to allow me to change my name to Payson. But if you want you can call me Buffy I don't mind. My friends and family still call me Buffy. I know this is really more just a formality to keep Principal Snyder happy. School Board overruled him saying he couldn't keep me out. But I'll cooperate, look at ink blots, but I don't want to talk about my childhood or my life or…anything, actually. And I really don't want to be friends."
Mr. Platt turns slowly around. As he talks, he takes a last drag, stubs out the cigratte, hides the ashtray in a drawer from which he pulls a can of air freshener and sprays, puts it back and shuts the drawer. "You already have friends - I hope. A friend is a good thing. Likes you, agrees with you, tells you what you want to hear. What you do need is a trained, not-too-crazy professional who will always give you his honest opinion. Which I offer you. Have a seat."
Buffy nods and sits down. "Not too crazy. Those are your credentials?"
Mr. Platt points to certificates on the wall, "Those are my credentials. Look, Buffy. Any person - grown up, shrink, pope, any person who claims to be totally sane is either lying or not very bright. Everybody has problems. Everyone has demons. Right?"
Buffy can't help herself. She's starting to like this guy. "Gotta say I'm with you on that one."
"Excellent. So, the hope I bring you is that demons can be fought. People can change. You can change. It's all about finding your strength. Believing in yourself. Now. Your turn. Let's start with why you ran away." Mr. Platt says.
Buffy sighs, "It's a long story."
"Bore me." Mr. Platt says.
"I'm telling you - I'm so over it. I feel good. I'm moving on. I'm even dating someone new." Buffy says.
Mr. Platt nods, "All nice things. But still - you're bringing me in at the end of the movie."
Buffy sighs. She's not getting out of this. "I was seeing this guy. It ended badly. I kind of flipped."
Mr. Platt nods, "Tell me more about this guy. The bad-ending guy."
"He was the first person- I loved him. But then…" Buffy says.
Mr. Platt nods, "He changed."
"Yes." Buffy says.
"He got mean." Mr. Platt says.
Buffy nods, "Yes."
"But you didn't stop loving him." Mr. Platt says. "You know - lots of people lose themselves in love. It's no shame. They write songs about it. The hitch is - you can't stay lost. Sooner or later, you have to get back to yourself."
Buffy nods, "I'd like to think I have. But for the sake of argument if you can't?"
"If you can't - love becomes your master. And you're just it's dog." Mr. Platt says.
Later Buffy enters the library. She stops when she sees the grave expressions of Giles, Xander, Cordelia, Willow and Oz.
"I'm afraid to ask." Buffy says.
Cordelia nods, "Oz ate someone last night."
"He did not!" Willow says.
"Oz does not eat people. It's more, werewolf play. You know - I bat you around a little bit. Like a cat toy. I have harmless wolf fun. Is it Oz' fault that, you know, side effect, people get cut to ribbons and maybe then he takes a little nibble and I'm not helping am I?" Xander says.
"Oz may have gotten out of his cage last night –" Giles says.
Oz cuts him off - his tone grim. "Or there just happened to be another werewolf roaming the woods."
Giles nods, "Perhaps. Or perhaps it was something else entirely. Let's not overreact-"
"Good in theory. Not very helpful for the potential nibbler." Oz says.
Giles nods, "That's why we all have to work to find out what happened."
"I'll patrol the woods." Buffy says. "You guys try to get into the morgue."
Willow nods, "Right, we can see if it's a werewolf kill or not. But what about Oz?"
Giles nods, "Why don't we have Faith or Piper come watch over him?"
"You're having a Slayer or a Charmed One watch me? Good thing we're not over-reacting." Oz says freaking out. He heads for the library doors.
Willow gets up to follow, "Oz."
Oz stops. He turns back. "Okay. You know that thing where you bail in the middle of an upsetting conversation? I need to do that. Kind of dramatic. But sometimes it's a necessary guy thing."
He starts out again - but Willow moves to stop him again. "And I want you to. Do the guy thing - but…" She looks at the clock. It's half past five.
Oz follows her gaze - gets it. Has to fight all his instincts to bolt. Supremely frustrated - he walks to the cage, closes the door.
Willow moves to him - feeling for him. "Oz…."
Oz can't even look at her. "Get away from the cage."
"What?" Willow asks.
"It's going to happen soon. Get away from me." Oz says.
Willow, devastated, backs off.
Later in the woods Buffy and Prue walk along.
"So Oz may have gotten out?" Prue asks.
Buffy nods, "Possibly. It's why Faith isn't with me tonight. She's watching him. And why Piper is there for backup. She can freeze Oz if he gets past Faith."
Something crashes through the bushes near them.
Buffy sprints in the direction of the noise, Prue is following behind her. She stops, trying to get her bearings.
Whoosh! Silhouetted against the full moon, the man/beast creature races by Buffy and knocks her to the ground. She leaps back up - stake raised - ready for battle.
And she stops - frozen - at what she sees.
Prue runs up to Buffy her eyes go wide as she sees what Buffy has spotted… Angel.
Angel is feral. His mouth stained with dried blood. Eyes full of animal rage.
"How? You killed him." Prue says.
"I know." Buffy says.
Angel barrels into Buffy, knocking her down. Hard.
Buffy fights to get back on her feet. "Prue where is he?"
"I don't see him," Prue says.
The sound of Angel's snarling approach through the bushes seems to surround them. He comes at Buffy again. But this time she's ready - meets his oncoming velocity with a head butt.
Buffy gets in a few good licks but Angel is still brutally strong - she's having trouble making any real gains.
Finally, Buffy manages to get to her feet. She races ahead - disappearing into the dark shadows of the forest, followed closely by Prue.
Angel stops dead. His instincts working overtime.
WHOOSH!
Buffy swings from a tree branch and drives right into Angel - knocking the wind out of him as he slams to the ground. Now she straddles him and clocks him with a brutal uppercut. He's out.
Prue comes back and looks around. She and Buffy see a number of small eviscerated animal carcasses littering the ground near by.
Buffy looks at Prue, "Help me get him back to the mansion."
Prue frowns, "Buffy."
"Please." Buffy says. "Just till we figure out why he's back."
Prue sighs and nods, "I guess that means you don't want me to telling anyone he's back."
Buffy shakes her head, "No, Prue. Please?"
"I'll do it, but only because I'm curious to know why he's back also." Prue says.
Later at the mansion Buffy, working in a panicked rush, dumps over a trunk spilling a bunch of Drusilla's dolls and other personal items spill. At the bottom of the trunk are some long lengths of chain and some wrist shackles.
Prue is telekinetically holding Angel in place. "He's struggling Buffy. I'm not sure how long I can hold him."
Buffy threads a length of chain through one of the ornamental wall mounts bolted to the wall in the main room of the mansion. She then slaps a shackle closed around Angel's wrist. She then binds his other wrist.
Buffy stares at Angel.
Angel tugs at his restraints, gives no sign that he's aware of Buffy or Prue. Much less aware of who they are.
Buffy starts to get up - notices the black scorch marks on the floor. "Prue what do you make of this." She moves to them - runs a finger through the dark soot, puzzled…
Prue walks over to Buffy and looks at the scorch marks. "They make an outline of a human being. This could be where he returned. This is the same spot isn't it where…"
Buffy nods, "Where I killed him. The exact spot."
Later Buffy flames into the library after having dropped Prue off at the manor.
Faith is listening to music on a Walkman. She dances in front of Oz' cage.
Buffy looks to Piper, "Been quiet?"
Piper nods, "Yeah. Taking over?"
Buffy nods. "Yeah go on home."
Piper nods and heads out.
Buffy glances at Oz, who is locked up - in wolf mode. Post Angel, Buffy finds the sight of him heavily unsettling.
Buffy moves to Faith - who is bopping away from her. Buffy gently taps her shoulder. Faith spins and smashes Buffy in the face. Hard.
Buffy stumbles back. "Oww -!"
Faith sees what she's done. Rips the headphones off. "Buffy! Are you okay!? What are you doing here?" She notices Piper is gone. "Where's your cousin?"
"Bleeding internally. But I'll live." Buffy says. "I sent Piper on home."
"God, I'm sorry… I didn't hear you." Faith says.
"I figured. Ow - again." Buffy says. "I came to give you the rest of the night off also."
"Get out of jail free, huh? How come?" Faith asks.
Buffy shrugs, "Can't sleep. Figured I'd cram for my French test."
Faith grabs her stuff. Tosses Buffy the key to Oz' cage. "Cool. I was going nuts in here. I bet I can still get in a few good stakings before sunrise."
"Knock yourself out. But not literally." Buffy says.
"Later." Faith says and then she's gone.
Buffy watches after her for a moment - then turns and goes to the library card file. She pulls a file drawer out and carries it back to the table…
The next morning Giles enters the library and moves to the cage - sees Oz, back to his human self, safe and sound and curled in a little nekkid ball. Giles unlocks the cage.
Giles turns and is surprised to find Buffy asleep at the table. She's surrounded by books on stuff like reincarnation and alternate dimensions. Giles picks up one of the books - examines it more closely.
Sensing him, Buffy wakes. "Hey…." She realizes that it's Giles. She stands abruptly - starts to close the books. "Hey! Can you believe Faith and these nutty books?"
Giles is not buying it. Reads a few book titles aloud. "Exploring Demon Dimensions. The Mystery of Acathala…"
"I know! And she still listens to heavy metal. Freaky deaky." Buffy says.
Giles shakes his head, "Buffy."
Buffy drops the act as she sits back down. She knows she's busted. "What if I told you…. I had a dream about Angel. And it brought up some questions."
Giles nods, "I'd say it was to be expected. But it must have been quite a dream. I didn't think you knew what these cards were for."
"Yeah. I dreamt that he came back." Buffy says.
Giles sits down next to her, "Of course. After Jenny was killed - I had dreams that she was still alive. That I saved her."
"But this dream was vivid. Really vivid. I mean, three-dimensional, surround sound, the hills are alive-" Buffy says. Giles' face registers concern. "You get my point."
Giles nods, "Do you believe it was a prophecy?"
"No. I don't know. It just made me wonder. I mean - is there a chance, even? Could it happen?" Buffy says.
Giles considers. Just the prospect makes him uncomfortable. "There's no record of someone returning from a demon dimension once the "gate" has closed. I can't imagine how it would happen or why."
"Okay. But let's pretend - wacky world - he somehow ended up here in San Francisco again. I mean, what would he be like?" Buffy asks.
Giles shakes his head, "I can't really say. What little is known about the dimension accessed via Acathala suggest a world of brutal torment. And time in demon worlds moves quite different that here -"
Buffy nods, "Yeah. I remember… So, - Angel would have been there for, like, close to a hundred years?"
Giles nods, "Yes."
Buffy sighs, "Of torture."
Giles nods, "Only a person with tremendous will and character could survive that and retain any semblance of self."
Buffy reels from this news. "He'd be a monster. A lost cause."
Giles shrugs, "Maybe… Maybe not. In my experience, there are two kinds of monsters. The first type can be redeemed. And, more importantly, they want to be redeemed…"
"And the second type?" Buffy asks.
Giles nods, "The second - is void of humanity. It can not respond to reason. Or love."
Buffy takes this in, freaked, when Willow enters with a bakery bag in hand. She sees Buffy, who is still tripping from the conversation with Giles.
"I thought Faith and Piper were on duty." Willow says.
Buffy nods, "Change of plans."
Willow opens the bag - holds it out. It's full of donuts. "Glazed or cake? It's fun to watch them make them, you know. They have this spritzy thing that plops the batter right-"
"You couldn't sleep either?" Buffy asks.
Willow nods, "I've been sitting in Mr. Donut since the TV did that snowy thing. But, how come you're wakey-girl? I mean, this time it's not your boyfriend who may be a cold-blooded-"
Willow's startled by Oz, who steps from the cage, buttoning his shirt. "-jelly donut." She holds the bag out to Oz. Smiles too big.
"Everything okay?" Oz asks.
Buffy nods, "Yeah - what happened with the inspection of the body?"
"Anybody? They're yummy delicious." Willow says.
"Come on, Will. Was it a werewolf…" Buffy says. "Was it a vampire?"
"It wasn't conclusive. I-" Willow says.
Buffy interrupts, intense. "How could you not conclude? I mean, what did it look like? Was he bit?"
"Let her finish, Buffy." Giles says cutting Buffy off.
"It's just…. Sorry." Buffy says.
Willow glances at Oz - worried. "I should know more after tonight. I'm doing hair and fiber tests."
"You know how to do those?" Oz asks.
"Not - I…like to sound technical when I'm scared. But I figure - wolf hair, hair found on the body. See if they match. It's a test." Willow says.
"So we're scared now. It's official." Oz says.
"What? Oh - no - I didn't mean it that way-" Willow says.
"No. I'd say scared is pretty much called for. It's cool." Oz says.
Buffy thinks about Angel. Knowing as well as the others that it's not cool. Not at all.
Later Buffy moves through the crowded cafeteria with her lunch tray, trying to find a table. She sees Scott sitting with Debbie and Pete. He waves her over. Buffy pastes on a smile and joins them.
"Can't back you on this lunch. Nutritional demerits." Scott says.
Buffy glances at her tray. She has three different kinds of Jello - and nothing else. "My stomach doesn't want hard food. There's fruit stuff in there."
"Those are marshmallows." Scott says.
"Oh….." Buffy says. "I'm kinda out of it today. Didn't sleep well."
"Just don't tell Mr. Platt you've got insomnia. He'll make you start a "dream journal."" Debbie says.
"What's that - like a Barbie thing? "Dear Dream Journal, why hasn't Ken come around since he got that earring…?"" Pete says.
"I never did it. He's a quack." Debbie says.
"I sort of thought he was cool." Buffy says.
Debbie blinks, "Really? I guess he can be funny and stuff. It's just - I don't like the things he says sometimes."
Buffy nods, "Yeah. He definitely marches to the beat of his own drummer. In fact - I think he makes his own drums."
"My mom says therapy can be completely helpful-" Scott says.
"Your Mom has the wattage of a Zippo lighter, Scott." Pete says.
Debbie tries to stifle a laugh.
Scott takes Pete's barbs in stride. He puts a protective hand on Buffy's leg. "I hope you realize I don't actually know these people. I just thought you'd like me better if I had friends - so I hired them." He moves closer to Buffy - shutting out Pete and Debbie and getting kind of boyfriend-y. Buffy smiles - but it's clear she's uncomfortable. "So - I wanted to tell you that you look great today. But now I want to raise that to amazing because you didn't sleep well." He makes smitten eyes at her.
Buffy knows she should be making them back - but she's too spun. "God. That's incredibly -" She pulls away from him. Starts to get up from the table. "-sweet…. And I wish I didn't have to… But I just remembered… that I do… I'll see you." She smiles sort of wanly at the table and takes off - leaving them all at a loss.
Later at the Mansion Buffy flames in. She finds Angel shaking as if he is freezing and huddled in a corner - his restraints still firmly in place. He turns his gaze on her, watches her intently, silently… She moves a little closer - instinctively, he moves back.
"Angel? Can you - ?" Buffy asks.
Angel just looks at her. She tries again - reaches tentatively out and touches him. And Angel snarls like a wounded dog - as if he's been touched by acid. Shackled hands fly out to defend himself. And his eyes burn into Buffy. Angry - unrecognizing.
Buffy falls away from him. Startled, mortified, she takes off.
Later back at school Buffy moves purposefully down the hallway towards the counselor's office. The door is open a crack. Buffy looks in. Sees that Mr. Platt is there. He's smoking, turned away from her in his chair - the way he was the first time she came to see him.
Buffy starts to pace - anxious. "Two o'clock, Buffy right. Don't turn around and don't say anything. Just listen. That's your thing, right? Something's going on… I mean, the whole entire story will probably convince you I'm like, loony bin material. But I can't tell anybody - not Willow, not Giles, not Piper or Phoebe, nobody… I could tell Prue though since she knows but I don't know how long before… They'd all just freak out on me or maybe do something… And I'm… I need help. I need to talk to someone. I'm so scared. I - this guy, he…"
Buffy stops her confession when she sees that the cigarette in Platt's hand is all ash - burned down to his fingers. "… he's come back…" She comes around the chair to see that Platt has been horribly murdered. Ripped to shreds. The work of a terrible beast.
Later in the library Piper and Phoebe sit with a shaken Buffy. Willow and Faith stand near Buffy as Prue and Giles pace.
"This creature is especially brutal. I think the charming phrase the coroner used when describing Mr. Platt was "pureed." But he did confirm that Platt had been dead just a few hours when Buffy found him." Giles says.
Faith nods, "Which means the guy was killed during the day."
Prue nods, "Which leaves out vampires or Oz.:
Buffy's reaction to this is tempered. She's seen Platt.
Willow can't hide her joy. She punches a fist in the air. "Yes!" Everybody looks at her. She slowly lowers her hand. "Sorry. I got a little… I mean, it's horrible. Horrible."
Buffy nods, "It's okay, Will. We're all glad Oz is off the hook."
"Indeed. But shouldn't he be here by now? The sun sets at half past five." Giles says concerned. "Anyways our task now is to determine what sort of killer we're dealing with-" Oz enters. Unnoticed by the others, he overhears Giles next comment. "Clearly we're looking for a depraved, sadistic animal."
Oz steps forward. Grim. "Present." He glances at Willow. "Hey. I may be a cold blooded jelly donut - but my timing's impeccable."
Willow can't contain herself. Runs to him, excited. "But you're not! It's a "kill in the day" monster! One-hundred percent for sure."
Oz takes this in. Nodding. "Okay."
Prue nods, "We can confirm it Oz. Your in the clear. Mr. Platt the school counselor was found by Buffy mauled to death."
Oz is filled with relief as he and Willow hug.
Giles gives them a moment before getting back on task. "I wish we had time to celebrate properly. Unfortunately, it's imperative that we find out who or what is doing this. Now. We have two victims. Jeff Walken, and now Platt. Perhaps they have something in common-"
"Missing internal organs?" Faith asks.
Piper shakes her head as she looks to Buffy. She and Phoebe are not paying much attention to the conversation as they try and comfort Buffy.
"Besides that." Giles says.
Oz' wheels are turning. "Debbie." All eyes turn to him. "Victim #1. Jeff? He was in Jazz band with us. They used to horse around."
"They were screwing?" Faith asks.
Phoebe rolls her eyes.
"I don't think so. But he hid her music comp book once." Oz says.
Buffy nods, "Good enough. And we know Debbie knew Mr. Platt. She was seeing him and way vocal about not having the love for the guy."
"Add this and stir. I ran into her just now - sporting a nasty black eye." Oz says.
"Okay. Pretend Debbie wanted Platt dead. Maybe he fought back." Willow says.
Buffy shakes her head, "No, he was dead in an instant. Didn't even lose his cigarette." That's it. Buffy stands. "Could be - boyfriend Pete's the one doling out the punishment."
Now everybody mobilizes.
"We have to find them both immediately." Giles says.
Oz nods, "Deb was in the hall a minute ago."
Giles nods, "We should split up."
Prue nods, "Buffy and I will go. Faith you and Piper. Phoebe goes with Willow. "
Giles nods, "I'll go with Faith and Piper."
Oz, stands - chimes in with the same urgency as the others. "I'll - lock myself in the cage."
Moments later Debbie is standing in front of the mirror in the girls bathroom with her make-up bag. She's trying to mask the bright purple bruises around her eye.
Buffy and Prue enter the room and observe Debbie for a moment.
"It's tricky covering a fresh shiner like that. You know what works?" Buffy says.
Debbie, startled, looks up from the mirror. Answers warily. "What?"
"Don't get hit." Buffy says. Debbie's heard enough. Starts to gather her things. But Buffy moves closer - her tone kind but determined. "What's going on, Debbie? I'd bet the farm you know."
Debbie shakes her head, "You're wrong. I don't know anything."
Prue shakes her head, "I think Buffy and I would disagree."
Buffy nods, "I'd say - you want to play "I have a secret" - fine. But people are dying."
Debbie, trapped, stammers, "It's - it's not his fault. I mean, he's not himself when he gets like this…"
Buffy and Prue exchange looks.
"You mean Pete." Buffy says.
Debbie nods, "It's me. I make him crazy. He just does what he does because he loves me too much -"
Prue shakes her head, "So it is him?"
Buffy gets it - fixes Debbie with a hard look. "Pete's… not like other guys, is he Debbie?"
It dawns on Debbie what she just did - that she gave Pete up. She panics, starts for the door. "I - I've got to go."
Buffy blocks her. "You have to talk to us. We can't help you until you do."
"I didn't ask for your help." Debbie says.
Prue nods, "Well, when are you going to? I mean - if Pete kills you - it'll be pretty much too late."
"Debbie. We're running out of time." Buffy says as Debbie is frightened despite herself. "Where can we find him, Debbie?"
"I - I don't know." Debbie says obviously freaking.
Prue shakes her head, "You're lying."
Debbie tries to mask her fear with bravado. "What if I am. What are you going to do about it?"
"Wrong question." Prue says.
Frustrated now, Buffy takes Debbie and turns her toward the mirror. Makes Debbie look at her bruised and swollen face.
"Look at yourself. Why are you protecting him?" Buffy says as Debbie looks away. Doesn't answer. "Anybody who really loved you couldn't do this to you."
"He's going to change. He promised -" Debbie says.
Buffy sighs, "Maybe. At best 50/50. Lame odds when you're betting your life."
Debbie looks at them - confused, wavering. "Would they take him someplace?"
"Probably." Prue says.
"Be away from Pete? I can't -" Debbie says.
Buffy nods, "Of course you can. And we'll both help you. Believe me - we understand. But you have to choose. It's got to be you over him."
That part where Debbie was wavering? It's over. Her eyes go cold. She's shutting down. "I could never do that to him. I'm his everything."
"Great. While you guys enjoy your grim fairy-tale, two people are dead. Who's gonna be next?" Buffy says loosing patience.
Debbie looks at herself in the mirror, hugging herself and rocking, talking to no one in particular. "He does love me. He does love me…"
Buffy shakes her head, "We'd better go - we have to find Pete."
Prue nods, "Your right."
Buffy takes Debbie gently by the arm - starts to lead her to the door.
Debbie continues to mutter, "He does love me. He does love me…"
Buffy sighs, "I think we broke her."
Prue shakes her head, "I think she was broken before this."
Buffy, Prue and Debbie move down the hall when they hear Pete's unearthly cry coming from the library. Faith, Giles, Piper, Willow and Phoebe run in from opposite directions - alarmed at the sound.
"What the hell -?" Faith asks.
"It sounded like it came from the Library," Phoebe says.
Buffy, Willow, Prue, Piper, Phoebe, Faith, Giles and Debbie enter to see werewolf Oz and monster Pete engaged in serious battle.
Oz has a howling Pete by the arm, but now Pete uses the position to flip oz over on his back.
For a brief moment everyone stands and take the spectacle in, agape. Then Buffy spies the TRANQUILIZER GUN on the table. Grabs it. She aims at Pete… Her finger goes to the trigger… She finds her shot…
"Pete! Watch out!" Debbie says.
As Buffy shoots Debbie grabs the gun, yanking it to one side. The shot goes wild and hits Giles.
"Right. Bloody priceless." Giles says.
Phoebe and Piper move to Giles to check on him.
Buffy shoves Debbie away - and she slips out of sight, forgotten by all. Giles falls into a book stand, which topples right near Oz. Startled, Oz blows past them and out the library doors.
Now Buffy slams an off-guard Pete with a couple of serious blows. Pete backs her off by toppling a bookcase in her path - then disappears into the stacks.
Forgotten in all the confusion - Debbie also bails.
"Prue and I'll take Pete." Buffy tosses Faith the tranquilizer gun as she leaves.
Faith snatches it - heads for the hall with Willow and Piper on her heels. "I got the wolf."
Phoebe nods, "I'll watch Giles."
Monster Pete runs through a hall with Buffy and Prue not far behind. With a burst of determination, he sprints a good distance ahead of them - rounds a corner and loses them for a moment -
Buffy and Prue round the corner and come to a stop - surprised. Pete's nowhere to be seen.
Prue notices blood high on the wall by the window. "Outside."
Buffy follows Prue's gaze and nods as she grabs Prue's hand and flames them outside. They look around and see the garden shed. And, behind a grimy window, something seems to be moving inside.
Buffy and Prue enters cautiously. Debbie's body lies lifeless in the corner.
"Oh my Goddess." Buffy says as she rushes to Debbie - takes her pulse. Nothing.
"Buffy behind you!" Prue says.
Pete has moved behind Buffy. He grabs her with vicious force - hurls her into a wall.
Buffy falls hard on the ground. Doesn't have time to recover before Pete is on her again, slamming her with brutal punch after brutal punch.
"All the same! You're all the same!" Pete says.
Prue telekinetically throws Pete. "Stay off my cousin."
Buffy, reeling from another hit, tries to get to her feet - sees a shadow rise against the wall of the shed. She turns - fists up, ready again to fight.
But it's Angel in the doorway - in vampface. He still has the long length of chain strung from one shackled wrist to the other. He powers toward her, yielding the chain like a weapon. Buffy flinches - confused - is he coming for her? But he flashes past her and lashes Pete with the chain, sending him reeling.
Prue makes her way over to Buffy, "Are you okay?"
Buffy simply nods as she watches, stunned, as Pete slashes viciously at Angel with his claws. In response, Angel wails on Pete with the chain - one mighty blow after another - trying to knock the fight out of him.
Finally - Pete manages to get a hand on Angel's face - cutting him and jabbing for his eyes. Angel falls back.
Now Pete lunges, razor claws bared, for an unprepared Buffy. Just as Prue is about to use her power on Pete, Angel throws the chain around Pete's neck and yanks it tight – snapping Pete's neck.
Angel extracts the chains and retreats. Pete falls, limp, to the ground. A beat and his labored breathing stops. Angel returns to Buffy and Prue.
Neither Prue nor Buffy are sure what to do - whether they should be on the defensive or not.
But before they can make up their mind, he morphs back to his human face and speaks his first human word - desperate and hopeful… "Buffy? Prue?"
They lock eyes. It's him. Buffy sees the kindness returned there. The familiarity. She nods.
And with her affirmation - Angel falls to his knees at Buffy's feet. Despite the chains and shackles, he wraps his arms around Buffy's waist. Begins to cry as he feels the first comfort he's know in a hundred years. "Buffy…"
Buffy is overwhelmed. Fighting her own tears. This can't be happening.
Prue sighs, "Once he's better. You will have to tell them. I will keep the secret for now. They will be afraid at first of course. Afraid that he will be evil again."
"I know. Thank you, Prue." Buffy says.
The next dayXander, Cordelia and Buffy are walking toward class. Oz and Willow also walk with the group but are "paired," holding hands and obviously recovering nicely from their wolfy trauma.
"It's all over school. What happened with Debbie and Pete… Except for the "Pete was a monster" part." Willow says.
Oz nods, "Yeah. A freshman told me that Pete had eight iced café mochas and lost it."
"It's better than the estrogen theory. I heard he took all his mother's birth control pills." Buffy says.
"He didn't? Pete was a monster?" Cordelia asks. "Where have I been?"
"In your special place, Cor. And that's why I adore you." Xander says.
"So what's the true story? What happened?" Cordelia asks.
Willow nods, "Well, we found Pete's lab diaries and stuff. Mr. Science was pulling a Jeckel/Hyde deal. He was afraid Debbie would leave him - so he mixed this potion to get super macho."
"Thing was, after a while, he didn't need a potion to turn into the bad guy. He got there on his own." Buffy says.
"So it was like a real killing? He wasn't under the influence of anything?" Cordelia asks.
Buffy shakes her head, "Just himself." Everyone takes this in. Then Buffy spies Scott across the way. "I'd better…" She moves off toward him.
Buffy and Scott sit by the fountain together. Scott's in a shocky place. "I don't even know what to say that won't sound stupid or obvious."
"I've been friends with both of them since before we started school…" Scott says.
Buffy nods, "If there's anything I can do –"
"Thanks. I'll be fine - or…" Scott says. "It's just… You never really know what's going on inside somebody - do you? You think if you care about them - you know. But you never really do."
Later at the mansion Angel is sleeping fitfully on the ground. Haunted by animal dreams. A century of suffering.
Buffy is huddled in the opposite corner, just watching him… "I will find out why you returned. And then we'll see what comes next. I'd like to think we might get back together. I will always love you but I don't know if I'm still in love with you."