The quintet exchanged looks. The silence stretched out, underscored by the hissing and thrumming of the storm outside.
"Somebody better say something, or I'm gonna lose it," Buffy said.
Giles tapped his fingers on the table. "If we accept Oz's conclusion, then we have hold of the wrong end of the stick. It would mean Xander and Cordelia are the…" He rubbed his forehead. "Source isn't the right word. They are the… catalysts for this phenomenon. That means that the key to stopping it is to… snap them out of it."
"We should probably start with Xander," Buffy said. "Him being conscious and all."
Giles nodded. "True."
"What about the rain?" Matti asked.
Giles took off his glasses. He tapped the earpiece on his chin for a moment while he thought. "There are two possibilities. Either the storm is connected to this situation, or it isn't. If it is, then perhaps dealing with this will affect the rain."
"What if it isn't, or doesn't?" Matti insisted.
Willow leaned forward. "Then we deal. First, we have to help Xander."
"And Cordelia," Giles observed, smiling a very small smile.
Willow sat back and ducked her head. "Yeah."
"Help the people. Plenty of time to deal with the rain if it keeps on." Oz tapped his palms together.
Giles nodded. "I agree with you.
Matti stood up. "Mr. Giles, would you come with me to check on Cordelia? I'd like your input on her condition."
"Certainly." Giles stood and followed her into the living room, but instead of going into the bedroom to check on Cordelia, Matti spun and glared at him.
"What are you doing?" she hissed. "Are you actually thinking of forming your operational plan based on the hunch of a… a teenage werewolf?"
"They can hear you," Giles said.
"No, they can't, not over the noise of the rain, and you're dodging the question."
The Watcher stood toe to toe with her. "Then I would say it's not really a hunch. Oz has a gift for… lateral thinking that I can't ignore."
Mattie spread her arms wide. "I understand that you're fond of them. I even agree with you that they are remarkable for their age, but you can't seriously be allowing them to shape the response to this situation."
Giles looked into her eyes, which was not difficult since Matti was slightly taller than he. "First, if I have learned anything about this group, it is that they are remarkably headstrong. I could tell them that their idea is foolish, if I believed that, which I do not, and it really would have no effect upon them.
"Second, I realize that I quite literally owe you my life, so it pains me to say this, but Oz and Willow, and Xander and Cordelia, are part of Buffy's support system, and I am her Watcher and, as such, am responsible for her. You are not."
Matti glared at the librarian, then dropped her shoulder and pushed past him with enough force to rock him back on his heels.
"Can you hear what they're saying?" Willow whispered.
"No, rain's too loud." Buffy leaned over in her chair and craned her neck. "Can't really see them either, but from the tone, it's safe to say mom and dad are fighting. Whoops, here they come." She hastily sat upright as Matti stalked into the dining room and sat down, her body rigid in the chair. Giles was a few steps behind, polishing his glasses on the front of his oxford shirt.
"Cordelia okay?" Willow asked in the most innocent voice possible.
"Wh-? Yes, quite." Giles sat at one end of the table, Matti at the other.
"Soooooo, next step?" Buffy asked.
"I think Willow is right," Giles said. "We cannot communicate with Cordelia for the moment. Xander is the priority."
"Priority for what?" Matti's voice was chilly.
"Yeah," Willow chimed in. "What do we do?"
"I got an idea. If I'm not out of line." Oz looked from Giles to Matti and back. Giles held out a hand in a 'the floor is yours' gesture. "We gotta get Xander out of his house. I mean, there's the proximity to the ley line-"
"Which might not mean much. My house isn't on the line and that hasn't helped Cordelia," Matti pointed out.
Oz nodded. "Yeah, so maybe once the circuit got completed, that wasn't so important, but the environment might be. He's alone with his mom and, I gotta say, after a couple of hours, she was making me think about the hopelessness of life."
"His mom's a part of this?" Buffy frowned, puzzled.
"Not intentionally, but you know his mom." Both girls nodded and Oz continued. "This is effecting all of us. We talked about it on the way over here today. I think it's making his mom more… his mom."
Willow shuddered. "That is bad."
"So, your plan?" Matti demanded.
"Get him out of the house. Try to make him see some light." Oz sat back. "Simple as that."
"Will that work?" Matti pressed. Giles leaned forward, but before he could speak, Oz replied.
"I don't know, but if this makes people feel worse, maybe making him feel better…" Oz trailed off.
"Then what about Cordelia?" Matti asked.
"The field needs two poles." Willow sounded almost absent-minded. "If you remove one pole the field collapses." She looked around the table. "If you remove one pole, the field collapses. If Xander can break out, maybe that will free Cordelia."
"That's a lot of maybes." Matti crossed her arms over her chest, her jaw set.
"Sometimes maybes are all we have," Buffy said. "Unless you have a better idea?"
Matti stared at the Slayer for a moment, then slowly uncrossed her arms. "I don't."
"Might not work," Oz said. "But it won't be any worse if it doesn't." He stood up. "Can I use your phone?" As the Knight of the Cross nodded her assent, Oz picked up the receiver. He looked around at the others and shrugged.
"Xander," he said. "Oz. Hey, I got the munchies. Wanna make a run to Happy Burger?" He waited, phone held to his ear. "It's okay, I'm buying." Waiting. "Dude, I'll be by in fifteen. Be ready." He hung up the phone.
"He agreed?" Willow asked.
"Not really," Oz conceded. "I decided not to give him a choice." He pulled his keys from the pocket of his jeans. "You guys going?" he said to Buffy and Willow.
"Hey, strength in numbers," Buffy said, pushing back her chair and standing.
"You guys be okay?" Oz asked Giles and Matti.
The Watcher spoked to Oz, but his eyes were on the Knight. "We will be fine. You go."
"So, do we have a plan?" Buffy asked as they shook off water and settled themselves in the van.
"Not really." Oz looked over his shoulder, backing the van toward the street. "Get him in the van and play it by ear."
"That doesn't sound creepy at all." Buffy shifted her weight, trying to find a more comfortable spot.
"Maybe getting him out of the house will be enough," Willow suggested.
"Maybe," Oz acknowledged, carefully braking at a stop sign. They could feel the water pushing at the van's wheels. The grass in the lawns on either side of the street sloped toward the street, bowed by the force of the constant runoff. Grass, twigs, and assorted trash swirled along the current, born toward storm drains that were rapidly backing up. "You know, those extra-large tunnels in the sewers seem pretty useful now. Anyway…" he pulled through the intersection, water geysering away from the van's front wheels, "...I think we just have to play it like Widespread Panic."
"Huh?" Buffy's eyebrows arched.
Oz turned the wheel, unconsciously leaning into the curve as the flood tried to unseat the vehicle. "Jam band. Improvise. A lot."
"Oh." Buffy shook her head. "The name had me worried."
"He's not coming out." Willow peered through the streaked, rippling window toward the front door of the Harris home.
"He couldn't do it the easy way," Buffy said, hoisting herself out of the seat and cranking the handle on the door.
"Maybe I should come with you," Willow suggested.
Buffy shook her head before she stepped out into the downpour. "I'll need all the room on those steps if I have to choke him out and firemen's carry him back here. I kid," she added, noting Willow's horrified look. She slammed the door. She had forgotten to put up her hood, and her hair was immediately plastered to her skull. "Well," she muttered to herself, "good thing we didn't go heavy on the mascara."
She thumped hard on the front door with the side of her fist, the door rattling in the frame. She raised her hand to do it again when it opened, framing Xander. He leaned on a crutch.
"Why don't you just kick it- oh… hi, Buff."
"You ready to go?" she asked, staring up at him, water from the overflowing gutter pouring right down her back.
"Buffy, I don't-"
"Can it," she barked over the rain. "Get your coat, get in the van, we're going for burgers."
He licked his lips. "And if I say I'm not going?"
Her lips compressed and her eyes smoldered. "Xander, the levee has very much broken and I'm starting to feel a lot like Christian Slater in Hard Rain. Are you trying to piss me off? Get your coat, get in the van, we're going for burgers." Xander leaned back, his jaw set. Buffy shifted her weight…
"Good God, why are you standing there with the door open? This storm isn't bad enough, you have to open the door and let it into our house!" Jessica Harris appeared behind her son, her voice climbing in pitch and volume. Xander glanced over his shoulder, then back at Buffy. "Why is the door still open?" his mom yelled. Xander gritted his teeth exhaled heavily through his nose, and leaned to his right. When he straightened up, a coat was in his hand.
"You're going out? Great. You're moping around in here like you lost your only friend. Get outside, get some air! Go! Go!" Jessica waved her hands at her son.
Xander shouldered his way into the jacket, a canvas barn coat already growing dark with water. "Happy?"
"Not really," Buffy snapped. "Let's go." She pointed toward the van and followed him. Willow climbed out of the passenger seat and opened the side door. Xander awkwardly tried to climb in, but his damaged knee hindered his mobility and the cast on his arm hampered his ability to pull himself in. Buffy ended up boosting him into the van as Willow guided him to the front seat. He slid to the far wall of the vehicle, glaring at them.
"That wasn't humiliating," he said.
"So," Oz said as Buffy and Willow settled in, "everybody ready for Happy Burger?"
All the neon blazed at Happy Burger, but the rain made the display look garish and sad. Surprisingly, the van was not the only car in the lot; a Honda Civic a few years old was parked next to the door. Buffy, Oz, and Willow waited in the rain for Xander to climb down awkwardly; he would accept no help. Finally, he fitted the crutch under his arm, and the bedraggle quartet shuffled through the glass doors.
The girl behind the counter had walnut-brown skin and raven-black hair pulled back in a tight ponytail. "Welcome to Happy Burger, the- Hey, Willow," she said, a bright smile splitting her face.
"Hey, Indali," Willow said, her voice brightening. "You're working today?"
"Today and yesterday. Usually I work weekends, but the storm's playing havoc with the schedule, so the manager asked me to cover." She shrugged. "Not like I was doing anything productive at home."
"It looks pretty slow," Willow said, looking around. Four young men, the probable occupants of the Civic, were gathered around a table in one corner.
Indali shook her head. "Compared to yesterday, it's kuh-razy. Those guys, now you… I'm not sure we can keep up."
Xander's crutch scraped across the tile floor. Willow jumped and looked over her shoulder, then turned back to the counter. "Okay I'll have a combo number two with a diet Dr. Pepper."
Indali punched the appropriate buttons. "Gotcha. That'll be-"
"I'm buying." Oz held up his hand. "One ticket."
"Okay." Indali nodded. "Who's next?"
Buffy stepped forward. "I'll have a combo number three and a coke." She leaned forward. "I gotta ask, why don't you just call them Happy Meals?"
Indali's eyes widened in mock fear. "Oh, don't even say that in here." She leaned toward the Slayer and lowered her voice. "Ronald McDonald is very litigious." They giggled. "Next."
Oz nudged Xander and nodded toward the counter. Xander stepped forward. The rubber tip of his crutch squeaked on the floor.
"Hey," Indali said. "You're out of the hospital."
Xander was visibly surprised. "Yeah, just before the storm started."
"I'm glad you're… sorry, I started to say okay, which, obviously-" she waved a hand to indicate the crutch and the cast "-would be hella insensitive." She smiled. "Still, good to see you."
Xander cocked his head. "Do I… know you?"
She shook her head. "No, but I know Willow, and she talks about you a lot. What'll you have?"
He scanned the menu quickly. "Combo four, chocolate shake, small Chicken Crispies."
Indali winked. "Gotcha." Oz stepped to the counter as Xander hobbled to the table Buffy and Willow had selected. A cup with the Happy Burger logo sat in front of each of them.
"Who is that girl?" he asked as he maneuvered his way onto a chair across from them.
"Indali Patel," Willow said.
"I don't remember seeing her at school," Buffy said.
"She takes a couple of dual credit courses at the U, but we're in Advanced Computer Science together and a couple of clubs."
"You're in a club?" Buffy frowned. "I feel like I don't even know you."
"Women In Coding and Computing Alliance," Willow said.
"Ohhhhhh, a nerd club. That…" Buffy stopped, her lips moving as her eyes moved back and forth as though she was reading something in mid-air. "Will, is that a real thing?"
Willow grinned. "Oh yeah, but I will own making up the name myself."
"You talking about WICCA?" Oz said as he sat beside Xander.
"Yup." Willow slurped from her drink. An awkward moment passed. Looks were exchanged; eye contact was made and quickly broken.
Oz spoke. "Hey, food's up. I'll get it".
"I'll go with you." Buffy popped out of her chair. Four bags, already grease-stained, sat on red plastic trays. Xander's milkshake occupied a corner of a tray.
"Thanks," Indali said as they picked up their orders.
"You bet," Oz replied. They took the food back to the table, where Xander and Willow sat, stiff and uncomfortable in a way that seemed impossible for two old friends. "Here you go," Oz said. Food was quickly distributed and began to disappear. Chewing and swallowing eased some of the tension. Silence descended, reinforced by the hammering of the rain on the windows and the almost night-black sky outside.
Xander's cup made a gurgling noise as his straw probed for the last sip of milkshake. Finished, he grimaced as he shifted his leg to the side and clunked his cast up on the table. "I appreciate a free meal as much as the next guy, but I'm not stupid. This isn't just lunch."
Oz leaned back in his chair, slouching down low. "We thought you needed a break from your mom."
Xander stared at him. "True, but does it take four of you to do that?" He looked at Buffy. "Or one of you in particular?"
The Slayer winced. "Fair. Sorry I was kind of a bitca."
Oz scrunched up a little straighter. "Then let's just get to it."
"To what?" Xander's shoulders hunched as he leaned forward.
"I'll do it." Willow swallowed hard and took a deep breath. "Xander, you're messed up-"
"Gee, thanks, Will. Just what a guy wants to hear from his oldest friend.
Willow's lips compressed into a thin line. "But it's not all you. Haven't you noticed anything about this storm?"
"Yeah," Xander said. "It's never gonna end. Who cares?"
"So you've turned it into a very powerful personal metaphor," Oz murmured.
"Y'know Oz, it's not cryptic just because it doesn't make sense."
"Time out." Buffy made a 'T' with her hands. "Xander, don't make me regret apologizing. Better yet, don't push me into apologizing for something else." She stared at him until he looked away. "You're in a bad place, but it's not just a normal funk, and you're not the only one."
Xander laughed bitterly. "Is this the part where you tell me you understand what I'm going through, you'll always be there if I need you, if I just-"
"You jerk!" Willow's voice was harsh and sharp. The four guys in the opposite corner stopped talking and looked at the quarter, then quickly got up and left. Indali stopped wiping down the counter and stared at them, her brow furrowed with concern. Buffy gave a quick head shake and Indali went back to her task, but she kept her eyes on them.
"You're right, I'm your oldest friend. I'm the one who's earned the right to tell you when you're being a… a… jackass, and you are. Being one, I mean." Willow took a deep, shaking breath. "You wanna feel bad for yourself? Okay, here's something you didn't know. Cordelia's in some sort of… juju coma." Xander's shoulders hunched higher and he looked away. His jaw twitched. "You know why?"
Buffy laid a warning hand on WIllow's shoulder. "We were going to play it by ear, remember?"
The teenage witch shook off the touch. "The rain's making me touchy. I'm leaning into it." She leaned forward, bringing her face close to Xander, who continued to avoid her gaze. "Cordelia's parents are dead."
Xander's head whipped around; his mouth dropped open. "What?" He gathered himself. "No way."
"Why would I lie about a thing like that?" Willow's voice rose to a near wail.
"It's true," Buffy said. She took a deep breath and looked down at her hands, which were clenched together so tightly that the knuckles were white. "We found them. It wasn't pretty."
Xander's eyes darted between them. He rubbed his mouth with his good hand. "Did someone hurt her?" He ducked his head and laughed bitterly. "Obvious answer."
"Dude." Oz shook his head.
"What's the point?" Xander's voice was a thick rasp. "That I did even more damage than I thought?"
"You cheated," Oz said. "That's bad, but damage?"
Xander's chest heaved. "It's not… I mean… It's not just what I did." He looked down, his voice muffled. "That night… I can't blame Faith for it. I knew what I was doing. She didn't force me." His breath caught, sounding like a ragged sob. "But.. but I knew what I was doing, and I wanted to do it, and… and… part of me felt I deserved it, and…" He stopped. His head came up, red eyes sweeping past Buffy and Willow until he was looking at the ceiling. "I deserved it because, because of Cordelia, and because I had been an understanding boyfriend, I made it her fault. She was to blame, she was why I did it. She hadn't given me… so that made it okay that I..." He looked at them. "Get it now?" His head dropped again.
A hand slid across the table and clasped his clenched fist. Xander looked up into the Slayer's eyes. "I got it already," she said. "I slept in a box in an alley because I believed I deserved it."
"Buffy…" Willow whispered.
"You can't keep that kind of pain inside yourself. It will eat you alive." Buffy squeezed her friend's hand. Xander sniffed.
"Your move. If you hold onto it, it's because you want to." Oz placed a hand on Xander's shoulder.
"Guys, I didn't know there would be touching," Willow whispered.
"You messed up. You made a mistake." Buffy's voice roughened. "But now you have to make a choice."
Oz squeezed. "When you screw up a part onstage, you either quit or you keep playing. If you quit, that's it. You gotta accept the mistake to keep playing."
"It's not you." Willow leaned forward. "It's whatever's causing the rain. It's in your head, making you believe this, but Xander, I'll never leave you. You're my best friend."
Xander snorted. "Thank you, MIss Daisy."
"I mean it. If I could accept you dating Cordelia, I can deal with this. Come back, Xander." Willow's voice choked. "I need my friend."
His face screwed up, then broke. Tears welled from his eyes, his shoulders shook. Buffy swiped the back of her hand across her nose and grimaced, looking for a napkin. Oz kept his hand on Xander's shoulder, but looked away toward the window.
"Are you guys all right?" They looked up to see Indali standing a few feet away, a wary look on her face and the counter rag in her hand. "Do I need to call someone?"
"No," Buffy said, getting up unsteadily, "we're good. Just, uh, an old story, always gets us."
"Okay." Indali headed back to the register, casting a final glance over her shoulder.
"We good?" Oz asked.
"No," Xander said. "I'm a long way from good, but… it's better." He levered himself upright. "Time to go."
"Agreed." Willow came around the table and gave him a quick hug before they all headed for the door. As Xander and Willow walked ahead arm in arm, Oz touched Buffy on the arm and jerked his head. She hung back next to him.
"Do you feel anything different?" Oz asked.
"About a thousand pounds lighter."
"No, the rain."
"Oh." Buffy looked out the window. "I don't know. I don't think so. Why?"
Oz shrugged. "I feel kinda bad mentioning it. I don't want it to look like we did all this from an ulterior motive." He noticed the Slayer's uplifted eyebrows and shrugged. "Anyway, I'm pretty sure I can hear a difference."
"Where are we?" Xander asked, leaning forward to peer through the rippling window.
"Ms. Hollis's house." Willow looked back over the passenger seat at him. "You know, the girl's gym teacher."
"And why are we here?"
Oz put the van in park. "Because Cordelia's here."
"What.. Is this a good idea?"
"It's okay," Buffy said, reaching for the door handle. She's a Chevrolet du Croc or something, she knows about me, she knows about us, Cordy's here because she apparently walked here the night her parents died."
Xander sat blinking, absorbing the new information. "Does Giles know about this?"
"He's inside." Oz slipped the keys into his pocket. "Car's parked up there."
"Oh," Xander said. "In my defense, it's almost the same color as the rain."
They tramped through the rain. Buffy tried to feel every drop. Was the downpour decreasing, or did she simply want to believe that? They were certainly plenty wet as they ascended the porch steps. Matti opened the door; Buffy, Oz, and Willow stepped across the threshold, but Xander hung back.
"Child," Matti said, fixing him with a stern glare, "you better come inside right now."
Xander obeyed, but in a dazed fashion. He found an open hook on the coat rack, then turned to find everyone else looking at him. "Is there anyone at our school who hasn't entered the Twilight Zone?"
Giles stepped forward and patted him on the upper arm. "Don't worry, you're still very special."
Xander looked at Buffy. "Why did that come off like an insult?"
"How's Cordelia?" Willow asked.
Matti made a beckoning motion with her hand; they all went into the bedroom. The room was quite crowded as they looked upon the silent figure.
Cordelia lay still and stiff. Her hair was a tangled mess spread over the pillow, her clothes molded to her frame. A faint, sour odor wafted from her. Dark circles pooled in her eye sockets, dark smudges that made her face appear even paler. The Slayerettes barely breathed. Buffy looked over at Oz and rolled her eyes to the ceiling. Oz was still for a moment, then nodded a very small nod.
"Let's see how she's doing," Matti said. She stepped forward and took the unconscious girl's wrist in her fingers.
Cordelia's eyes snapped open, wide and staring, two deep black tunnels. Her mouth opened, her jaw stretching until it seemed it would unhinge. The grotesque tableau froze there, pregnant, waiting...
The scream started low, a soft moaning that grew into a howling roar. It blasted forth from a deep place of pain and sorrow. The Scoobies' ears throbbed and pulsed; the shriek rose to an anguished crescendo. Buffy felt as though the skin was being flayed from her face. Cordelia coughed and gagged. The Slayer took an involuntary half-step forward.
"No!" Cordelia screamed, her head snapping toward Buffy. "Don't you come near me! I- My- mom-" Her disheveled hair and tear-stained face made her look like the third act of a Greek tragedy. "Why me?! What did I do? Why are you- You- I- Why did you come here?!" She gagged again and collapsed in wracking, shuddering sobs. Matti Harris leaned forward and touched the girl's shoulder; Cordelia grabbed the front of the teacher's T-shirt and pulled, burying her face in the fabric. Matti lurched, off-balance from the sudden act, but caught herself by a hand on the headboard. Cordelia's wails and cries became muffled.
Giles started toward them, but Matti held up a hand, palm out. She shook her head twice, left to right. Buffy watched as something passed between her Watcher and the Knight of the Cross. Giles turned and motioned toward the door. Confused, the Scoobies followed him into the living room. The Watcher began to put on his jacket.
"Giles," Willow whispered, "we can't just leave."
Giles held up a hand. "We can and we will. There is a time to act and a time to retreat. This is the time to retreat. We have done all we can." He turned to the Slayer. "Buffy, I can give you a ride home. Oz, can you see that Willow and Xander get home?" Oz opened his mouth to offer Buffy a ride as well, but Giles was already out on the porch. The students put on coats, boots, and shoes in silent confusion and followed.
"Hey, is it not raining as hard?" Xander asked. Buffy glanced at Oz; his nod was stronger this time.
"Perhaps," Giles said, "but it's not exactly stopping. Buffy?" He headed toward the Citroen.
The Slayer turned and wrapped Xander in a fierce, quick hug. "See you tomorrow," she said.
"I don't think we'll have school yet," he said.
"Doesn't matter. I'll see you tomorrow." She hugged Willow and… awkwardly high-fived Oz. Giles had already started the car by the time she wrenched open the door. She slicked her hair back, water running off onto her shoulders. Giles put the car in reverse; Buffy waved through the window at her friends, who were climbing into the van.
"Here we are." Giles turned off the engine. Buffy opened the door and was surprised to see her Watcher coming around the front of the car, the steady rain bouncing off his head and shoulders. "I thought I would walk you to the porch," he said.
They hurried through the rain up to the Summers' house. Safely under the gabled roof, he removed his glasses and looked through them, then shook them briskly. They were still spotted with moisture.
"What time is it?" Buffy asked, stifling a yawn.
"About one-thirty p.m., I believe," Giles replied.
"I have lost all track of time," Buffy said.
"One of the effects of the storm," the librarian said, "although it appears that might be ending."
"Yeah, I guess that's good" Buffy squinted out at the rain. "Think the whatevers will be gone?"
Giles lifted his shoulders. "I suppose you'll have to patrol to be certain, but I think there's a very good chance that we will not see them again."
Buffy nodded. "So, we got half the job done."
Giles tilted his head. "What do you mean?"
Buffy looked at him, astonished. "Giles, you saw Cordelia. She's a mess. She's worse than before."
"I don't know about that." Giles leaned against one of the porch posts. The storm, still steady but definitely less intense than a few hours ago, played behind him. "What has happened here is much older than magic. Human feelings can produce a power to shake the world. Oz was right, I believe. Cordelia was profoundly alone when she arrived at Ms. Hollis's house. She is not alone now, and she is angry, which may be unpleasant, but is infinitely preferable to hopelessness. Dylan Thomas was right, rage is better than despair." He stood up straight. "I think you, of all people, can relate to that." He took one step down off the porch and turned back to look at the Slayer.
"Get some sleep. Call me tomorrow. Let me know about the whatevers."
End of "Before the Deluge".
If you liked it, leave a review. The next episode, "The Keys to the Kingdom", will begin dropping in about a week.