"So, is your, uh, tutor coming by later?"

Xander sighed and dropped his head. "Mom, stop calling him my tutor. It sounds… creepy. He's a teacher. I'm stuck at home until after surgery. Pretty sure he gets paid extra to try and keep me from going totally under."

"You don't have to be snippy." Jessica Harris removed the cigarette from her mouth, sipped from a glass of clear liquid, then replaced the cigarette. "I'd like to know so the place looks nice. I don't want him thinking we're trashy."

"Yeah, why would anyone think that?" Xander muttered. He shifted his weight on the couch, trying to ease the ache in his knee.

"What?" His mother's voice was sharp. She leaned against the doorway into the kitchen.

"I said he's probably coming after school, unless he can't because…" Xander waved his good arm toward the sheets of water cascading down the window.

"So, that's what… three-thirty?"

"Yeah, mom. About three-thirty. I've only been in school for thirteen years now."

"Y'know, you might wanna watch the smart mouth. I'm not exactly living the dream here. Is it wrong that I want to make a good impression?"

Xander turned away from her. "Then you might want to cut down on the menthols and gin," he said under his breath.

"What?"

"Nothing."

Giles looked up as the door to the library slammed open. Willow marched directly to the counter and leaned forward.

"Giles, what do you know about the Fibonacci sequence?"

The Watcher blinked and closed the book in front of him. "I assume that you do not want a definition."

Willow shook her head. "No. Of course not. I know what the sequence is, I know it's found in nature, I know that's why it's called the Golden Ratio. What's the magic significance?" Willow looked at him, eyes wide.

Giles pursed his lips. "Well, I'm not particularly well-versed in the theory of magic. There are Watchers who study the foundations and systems of magic, but for most of us it's more like… like being a mechanic. A good mechanic is there to repair your automobile. It's important for him to know how the parts are assembled and work together. It's nice if he understands the theory and science behind the internal combustion engine, but it's not necessary. Most Watchers, me included, fall into that camp. We can detect magic, we can use it somewhat, but the why and wherefore isn't terribly vital."

Willow nodded. "Okay, your assumption that the hypothetical mechanic is a man is kinda sexist-"

Giles blinked. "What?"

"-but I get your point. Disclaimer noted. Now, what can you tell me?"

"Well, first of all, calling it the Golden Ratio is a bit misleading. While one point six one eight is the formula for most of the sequence, that doesn't hold true for the first numbers."

Willow's brow furrowed. "Explain."

"The early numbers in the sequence don't quite conform to the ratio." Giles pushed up his glasses. "Again, I would stress that this is not my field." Willow nodded and made a 'go on' gesture with her hands. "There are theorists who believe that the 'wobble' in the early numbers is why it is possible to manipulate reality through spells, which, in their opinions, are complex formulae that exploit that inconsistency."

Willow stepped back. "So, magic is math."

Giles held up his hands. "That is one hypothesis." He frowned. "I really should ask why you want to know this."

Willow showed him her most innocent face. "Pure knowledge. I'm knowledge-for-its-own-sake girl."

"Well, again, don't put too much credence in what I've said. I'm far from an expert in theoretical magic."

"That's okay. Thanks. You were a lot of help." Willow hitched up her backpack, waved, and left the library. Giles watched the door swing shut.

"I have no idea what's going on," he murmured.

The number of students in the hallway was sparse, but the buzz was mighty as Buffy fell into step with Oz and Willow. "Spirits have been lifted," she said.

Oz nodded. "An unexpected day off school'll do that."

"I heard that something like half the bus routes are impassable," Willow said. "Is it wrong of me to be excited?"

The Slayer squinted at the ceiling. "I would say… no."

"Good. I was about to feel morally conflicted."

Oz stuffed his hands in his pockets. "But fun options are limited by all this." He jerked his head toward the outside world.

"Yeah," Buffy said. The trio was quiet for a moment. The Slayer broke the silence. "Do you guys think this is really just a storm?"

Willow and Oz exchanged side-eye glances. "Not… not really," Willow said. "Do you?"

"Not even a little." Buffy looked past her friend. "Oz?"

The werewolf rubbed the back of his neck. "This is different."

"Don't overwhelm me with your thoughts," Buffy joked.

"I can't explain it, but I know it. How many fights in the cafeteria? Two girls went at each other with lacrosse sticks in PE-"

Buffy's eyes widened. "How did that happen? The new gym teacher is pretty much Xena Warrior Princess. Hard to believe she wouldn't shut that right down."

"Oh, Ms. Hollis wasn't here today. Lots of teachers weren't here today." Willow shifted her books to a more comfortable carrying position. "Most of my classes were just handouts."

"Lucky you," Buffy groused. "All my teachers were here."

"It's not just the school," Oz said. "People all over town are going crazy. Weird stuff. Assaults, attempted suicide, successful suicide, even homicide."

"How do you know that?" Willow threw him a sharp look.

Oz shrugged. "I have connections with the shadier elements."

Buffy shook her head. "See? Wackness. People killing each other, vampires nowhere to be seen."

"Maybe they can't swim," Willow suggested.

The trio stopped at the door. Water ran down in a corruscating sheet; the sidewalk was a torrent six inches deep. Students splashed back and forth, hunched against the storm, running for cars. As the three friends watched the hectic tableau, a late-model Monte Carlo tried to beat a Ford Taurus to the parking lot exit and failed. The front fenders of the two cars smashed together at an oblique angle. The Monte Carlo skidded away and fetched up against a concrete parking curb. The driver-side doors of both cars flew open and within seconds the two drivers, both female, were in a full-tilt brawl. Cars that couldn't reach the exit began to stack up. The parking lot became a cacophony of horns as the two girls twirled in a fierce pirouette, locked by their grasp of each other's hair.

"Wow," Willow said. "That's… disturbing."

"Deeply," Buffy agreed. They watched in silence as the fight continued for a few more minutes before Principal Snyder and the school resource officer arrived. The water beaded on Snyder's bald head.

"Show's over," Buffy said. "Anybody have big plans?"

"The Bronze is closed," Willow said. "I think I'm just going to work on some projects."

Oz stared out at the storm. "I'm going to see Xander." He shrugged as the girls looked at him. "We haven't touched base since he got home and I'm kind of at loose ends since, as you noted, the Bronze is closed." He scratched his ear. "Seems like something I oughta do."

Buffy nodded. "Good idea. You're a good man, Daniel Osborn. Tell him we said hi."

Oz had barely completed his knock on the Harris front door when it was thrown open so quickly that he took an involuntary step backward.

"Oh." Xander's mom looked vaguely… disappointed? "Can I help you?"

Oz's brow furrowed. "Um, I came to see-"

"Oz! Oz-man! The wizard of Oz!" Xander appeared over his mother's shoulder. He leaned on a crutch and a manic grin split his features. "Mom, this is Oz. Willow's boyfriend."

Xander's mom peeked past him into the pouring rain. "Are you by yourself?"

Oz slid his gaze between mother and son. "Yeah," he drawled slowly.

"Mom, don't make him stand outside in the rain. Let him in." Xander practically hissed the last words.

"Oh, yeah. Forgive me." She rolled her eyes. "Come in. Maybe you can cheer up this one." She jerked a thumb in Xander's direction and vanished down the hallway.

Oz stepped across the threshold, his eyes following Jessica's trail. "Is you mom okay?"

"What? Yeah, she's just disappointed you weren't Mr. Warner."

"Huh?"

"I think she plans on making him my new daddy." Xander shuddered. "Hey, come in and grab a seat. I'm so glad to see you."

"Yeah." Oz settled into a slightly rickety rocking chair. "Hey, that 'wizard of Oz' thing? Don't do that again."

"I know, it sounded stupid when I said. Sorry. I just panicked a little." Xander grimaced as he arranged his leg. "So, you just in the neighborhood?"

Oz shrugged. "Just thought I'd see how you're doing."

"How are Buffy and Willow?"

"They said to say hi, so… hi."

"You drew the short straw, huh?" Xander stared to his right, toward the blank TV screen.

Oz frowned. "What?"

"Somebody had to check on Barbara Gordon."

Oz considered this for a moment. "Well, I would have gone with Edward Elric, but you do you."

Xander's gaze snapped back; its intensity caused Oz to flinch. "I screwed up Oz. I screwed up so bad."

"Hey." Oz spread his hands. "We've all-"

"We've all made mistakes?" Xander snorted. "I've had serious time to think. The size of my screw-up makes Howard the Duck look like a good idea."

Oz frowned. "Colorful-"

"I mean, I showed real talent, Oz. With one action, I damaged two people. I betrayed Cordelia, and that's bad, but at least it's in the ballpark as bad boyfriend crap. I hurt Faith, too."

Oz's eyes narrowed. "Faith?"

"Look, she was always 'the world sucks and everyone is scum', and what did I do? I proved that. I literally provided proof of her hypothesis. I'm not surprised you guys have cut me loose."

Oz was silent for a moment. "Okay," he said, "I have no clue what you're talking about, other than the Howard the Duck thing. You're the bad guy, no doubt, but you're not Satan. Are you?"

"Ha ha. Oz, we're looking at the end of the world, and I managed to make a Slayer leave town. A Slayer is an asset, an asset we could use real soon."

"I don't think you made Faith do anything." Oz looked at Xander's arm and leg. "Far from it. About the other thing, when aren't we facing the end of the world? I can't even use it as a metaphor anymore. You did Cordelia wrong, and you're gonna have to crawl for that, sure, but you're kinda making yourself the center of this Tootsie Pop, and, sorry, but you're not that important."

"Your bedside manner is impeccable."

"No, man, you're acting like this is the final twist, but, c'mon, Buffy sent Angel to hell. She got through it, carried on. Sure, you were weak, but you held Faith's fate in your hands? No go. She had Buffy and her mom. She coulda had Willow… eventually." Oz shrugged. "It would have taken time, but still. Faith had her own choices to make and she made 'em. Then she ran away. You're still here. You're still one of us. What you do with that, it's up to you, but we, and I'll speak for Buffy and Willow, we're not going anywhere."

The rain thundered in the silence. Xander took a deep breath. "Thanks."

"No problem. Hey, wanna watch Cowboy Bebop?"

Matti Hollis tried to look out of the window. She could barely make out the street through the water sluicing from her overwhelmed gutters and the downpour of the storm itself. Her nose wrinkled; she could smell herself. She had not showered today.

She had spent the day rotating between easy chair, sofa, and the door of her guest room. She had eaten a peanut butter sandwich earlier in the day. Her only concession to hygiene was a quick brushing of her teeth. She felt in her bones that the worst thing she could do would be to be absent when Cordelia awakened. If she awakened-

Matti shook her head violently. Lack of sleep and food was making her morbid. Still, the girl was still asleep… Matti corrected herself: unconscious. Cordelia was not asleep, she was unconscious, but why?

The teacher took in a deep breath, held it for a five-count, then exhaled. Time to get help, but from what source? She considered calling Stefan, but dismissed that idea quickly. He was her partner, but this was outside their areas of expertise. He was also extremely straight-line: his solution to the problem would be to shake Cordelia until she woke up.

Matti bit at the cuticle on the middle finger of her right hand. It had sustained the least damage during the long night and day, but she was making up for that now. She worried the scrap of skin with her teeth and came to a conclusion. Her gaze stayed on the open door as she dialed the phone. The ringtone burred three times, then clicked sharply as it was answered.

"Mr. Giles," she said, "this is Matti Hollis. I need your help."