Joyce glanced quickly to the passenger side of her SUV before returning her attention back to the road. She shuffled through a number of things to say in order to break the oppressive silence in the car. She discarded the different ways of asking if her daughter was fine. She already knew the trite answer she would receive to those type of inquiries. She finally decided that the safest thing would be to compliment Buffy's choice of clothes for her first day of school. The mother was happy to see her daughter out of the long sleeves and baggy overalls that had been her daughter's normal wear recently. At least this outfit showed her forearms and the skirt was a smooth and flattering cut. When Joyce offered her glowing opinion on the soft green sweater and long white skirt, Buffy nodded once and thanked her. Unfortunately, the venture did not lead into the conversation that Joyce was hoping to engage. Silence fell in the car again.
Joyce sighed and decided to take the bull by the horns and say exactly what she needed to say.
"Are you sure that you are ready for school?" she asked with concern evident in her tone.
Buffy turned her body away from the passenger door so that she would see her mom's profile easier. She rested against the door pull and took off her sunglasses.
"You giving me the option of not going? I thought school was kinda a whole inevitable evil type thing."
Joyce glanced at Buffy quickly before returning her eyes to the residential street.
"No, you must have an education. I was just wondering... that is that Tony and I were talking and... well, I thought it might be hard for you to return to Sunnydale High."
"Tony?" Buffy repeated with the start of an evil grin. The blond utilized just the right inflection of voice that joined a perfect teenager combination of disdainful teasing and grudging affection. The teen deflected the heavier concern to the idea of her mother's slowly developing relationship with Officer Ricci and away from her own mental stability. She still wasn't interested in sharing her innermost thoughts with her mother; she still wasn't sure about offering her trust to her again.
Joyce noticed the teasing intonation and her foot slipped from the brake as they sat at a stop sign. The SUV lurched and the elder Summers quickly recovered before bumping the car ahead of them. She blushed slightly and tightened her grip on the steering wheel. To be honest with herself, Joyce was not sure if the little error in her driving was the reason for her heated reaction or if it was the thought of her attraction to Antonio. With the increased time she spent with the police detective, the older woman became more excited and scared regarding their blossoming relationship. In order to cover her confusion, Buffy's mother focused on her daughter's issue instead. She was still avoiding putting a concrete term to her developing feelings.
"I just thought that being in such a large school with so many males might be uncomfortable for you. If you feel uncomfortable, we could look into something smaller. Maybe safer? Like Miss Porter's?"
Buffy's eyes got really big. Miss Porter's was an all girl school that required uniforms and mandatory study hours. It would be like jail for well bred snooty girls with Victorian Era rejects as instructors. There was no way she would consider going there even if her parents agreed to pay the private school tuition fee.
"I'm gonna be fine, Mom," Buffy promised forcefully. She even went so far as to place her hand gently on her mother's arm to draw attention to her statement. "Sunnydale High is good. My friends are there. Mr. Giles is there; he offered to help if I need it. Oz is even meeting me this morning. It is all of the good. I promise."
Joyce smiled tightly.
"Okay," she conceded. "But you will tell me if something bothers you, right?"
"Promise," her daughter agreed. Joyce frowned. For some reason, she doubted Buffy would share but at least she was making the effort to speak with her now. That was something in Joyce's opinion. The tightness in her chest loosened just a bit more. Buffy had not woken her with nightmares two days in a row now and she was communicating with something other than sighs, rolled eyes and aggressive words. In Joyce's view, things were improving slowly. She was desperately hoping that returning to school would not cause Buffy to regress.
Joyce angled her vehicle towards the curb by the steps near the school. Controlled chaos filled the area as students roamed freely along the sidewalk, steps and courtyard in front of the Sunnydale High. It seemed like a crush of people and Joyce began to worry all over again.
"Oh look, there's Oz," Buffy stated as she hurried from the SUV. She jumped from the vehicle with a false enthusiasm and a rattling slam of the door. The teen was glad for the escape before her mother pushed her to say something they both might regret.
Her mother watched her safely join her now black haired friend before she signed one more time and pulled back onto the road. She passed a parked school bus that had just turned off its red warning light and offered a short plea to whoever might be listening that she not receive a call at the gallery because her daughter was not mentally prepared for returning to school. She feared the call but expected it. Behind her retreating vehicle, her daughter approached her waiting friend who was leaning casually against the stone wall beside the stairs. He pushed away from the support when he saw the blond approaching.
"Buffy," Oz greeted with a nod.
"Hey, Oz," she returned with a nod of her own.
"You ready for this?"
Buffy offered the musician a tight smile.
"Guess I gotta be," she replied as she started up the stairs. Oz trailed behind her. At the top of the white stone steps, the teen was surprised to be enthusiastically greeted by two of her friend's band mates. Although the forth Dingo, Jordan, had graduated two years ago, Devon, Oz, and Sam were seniors this year. Oz had coaxed them to meet at school early today in order to help Buffy feel more comfortable. Oz knew she was nervous about returning to school and being around a lot of people. He had hoped they could be a make-shift protective barrier. Unconsciously, Buffy stepped back closer to Oz because of the fervor of the Dingos' greetings. Their arms brushed accidentally and Buffy pulled her arm into her body and held it in place with her other arm and hand which stretched protectively across her abdomen. Aware of the movement, Oz shifted his body just a few inches away from his tense companion. The older teen was very aware of maintaining a comfortable distance between himself and Buffy.
From her position beside Sam, Anya frowned and pinched her companion's arm. She dropped her hold on his elbow and stepped closer to the petite blond Slayer. She had noticed the nervous exchange and the closed stance the young blond showed. Anya wanted to show her support of the pained teen in any way that she could. In her typical fashion, she did not hesitate to state her opinion.
"Jeez, you all are way too loud and overwhelming for this early in the morning," she scolded lightly before offering a bright smile to Buffy. "I adore your sweater. I have one at home just like it only in a powder blue. The grass green looks better with your complexion though. I would need to change my hair color to pull off that soft a green. Maybe a light brown or strawberry blond."
"Since I'm new around here, you're gonna show me the ropes, right, Buffy?" Anya prodded as she reached out tentatively to touch the other girl's arm. When Buffy did not flinch away from her overture, Anya slipped her hand possessively around Buffy's elbow in much the same fashion she had held onto Sam just moments ago. Buffy's head fairly spun as she listened to the excited rambling of her companion as she chatted about the difficult clothes decisions she had to make before coming to school today. The assertive brunette headed towards the main school building and Buffy allowed herself to be propelled towards the doors without any protest. The three Dingos followed in the females' wake as they too fell into a comfortable conversation.
When the five students entered the front doors of the school, Buffy cringed at the rush of noise from the crowded halls. Nervously, the teen scanned the familiar hallways with an eye to check for danger and another to chronicle easy escapes. She responded in a noncommittal manner to Anya's request to sit with her at lunch while she slipped along the wall near the lockers. Devon and Sam called goodbyes to the two females before they headed down one of the halls towards the senior lockers. Oz remained behind with Buffy and Anya. He figured that he would get to his locker between another set of classes. Although gifted with a keen intellect, attending class was not always a priority of the young musician. In his mind, he would get there when he got there. For now, he planned to stay with the nervous blond.
"You let me know if you need anything, Buffy," Anya stressed to the quiet Slayer. The brunette stared at the other loud students milling around the hallways and hassling each other about their summer activities. She frowned in disgust at a collection of football players bumping a couple of timid freshmen girls out of their way. "Don't you wish they would all just buzz off?"
Buffy shrugged.
"They need an education as much as we do."
Anya snorted and agreed but then complained that no amount of education could help some of them. Buffy smiled tightly but didn't agree. She excused herself with a quick word that she needed to go to the library. Oz nodded to Anya as he followed the Slayer down the hallway and into the quiet of the library. Once the swinging doors closed behind the musician, he shifted to lean his back against the high counter where Giles normally checked out books. Buffy was already leaning against the counter with her arms stretched across its surface and her forehead resting lightly on the counter top. The teen admitted that the noise and crush of people made it hard for her to breathe. She took a few deep breaths and allowed the quiet of the peaceful room to flow over her. Despite it being a center for many of her Slayer duties, the book-lined room made the teen feel a bit safer.
She stood back up and straightened her shoulders. Buffy reminded herself that she could handle anything that the school and its students could shove in her direction. She repeated the claim a few more times until she felt that she might actually believe it.
"I'm better," she offered softly and Oz gifted her with an encouraging smile and a nod of understanding. Together they turned towards the doors only to be stopped when they suddenly swung open.
"Buffy!" squealed Willow as she shoved the pile of books in her arms towards her companion. Despite his own armful of Giles' books that his red-haired friend had suckered him into carrying, Xander took the additional tomes and staggered towards the counter to deposit them in a cascading pile. They flowed across the counter in a haphazard pile and the top most two slid to the floor with a sharp bang. The binding broke on one and scattered pages loosely on the floor. It lay forgotten and discarded by the delivery boy. Books likewise forgotten, Willow threw herself at Buffy and enveloped her in a tight hug. She babbled a disjointed greeting intermingled with admitting that she had been helping Giles research over the summer. Buffy giggled at her friend's enthusiasm. She hugged her back and told her how great it was to see her.
"So Buffster, long time, no see," Xander exclaimed as he too moved towards his friend to hug her. His large frame loomed into Buffy's personal space and she cringed from the invasion. Seemingly unaware of the girl's unease, Xander enveloped his smaller friend in a tight embrace. He wiggled slightly against her and gushed about how much he missed seeing her. In his enthusiasm, the teen did not realize that Buffy never raised her arms to return the hug. Instead, her whole body stiffened and panic flashed in her eyes when the hug extended beyond what would be considered a quick friendly greeting.
Oz's eyes narrowed as he noticed both Buffy's reaction to the unknown guy's unwelcome affection and the fleeting jealousy and pain that flickered across the other girl's face. Based on previous conversations with Buffy, he took an educated guess on the newcomers' identities. He took a step forward just as Xander dropped the hug and stepped back.
"I like your new haircut," Willow offered with an uncomfortable grin that echoed the strained smile on Buffy's face. "It reminds me of Tinkerbell's hair only without the funny ball thing in the back."
Buffy's smile warmed at the compliment and her hand unconsciously moved to run through the shortened and bleached style.
"Man, we missed you so much this summer," gushed Xander as he moved once more to try to hug Buffy. An unexpected hand on his chest stopped him from moving forward and Buffy took a half a step backwards to be completely out of reach of both her friends. Confused, the teen glanced down at the hand blocking his second chance to hug the Slayer. He frowned as he followed the hand and arm back to a short, black-haired guy dressed casually in a pair of worn jeans and an over-sized dress shirt worn open over a dark t-shirt. Since the new guy was obviously here with Buffy, Xander was instantly suspicious of the unrecognized guy.
"Who are you?" he questioned in annoyance since his second chance to hug Buffy had been thwarted by the shorter male.
"Oz."
"The Great and Powerful?" Willow added with a welcoming smile to Buffy's new cute friend.
"More like the Quiet and Quirky," Buffy supplied with a mildly teasing grin and a poke on her older friend's arm. The senior smirked in response which caused Willow to grin in return. A faint blush spread across the redhead's cheeks. Willow squeaked softly and grabbed Buffy's arm. She dragged her further into the library. When she figured that they would not be overheard, she turned to her best female friend and demanded to know when she had found a boyfriend.
"He's not my boyfriend," Buffy whispered to Willow who kept stealing glances over the blond's shoulder to peek at the new male who was listening to something Xander was saying. Buffy glanced over her own shoulder and smiled softly. "He's just someone, well, special."
A huge grin erupted on Willow's face.
"Like, Angel special or..."
"A world of no on the like Angel, Wills," Buffy stressed with a barely suppressed shudder. "He just gets me and I really need that right now."
"Oh," replied Willow with a pinched expression clouding her earlier grin. She thought it was her job to get her best friend.
"Not that you don't, get me that is," Buffy quickly amended as she grabbed her friend's arm. "You're still my bestest. It's just, you have Xander as your best guy friend and I think Oz might be that for me."
"Does he know about, you know?" Willow asked quietly as she moved her hand in a manner to indicate she meant everything Slayer related.
Buffy nodded and quickly shared the tale of taking Oz to meet Giles. Willow shuddered when the Slayer described the new vampires in town and she carefully covered her hurt feelings over Buffy having dinner with the Dingos and Cordelia instead of seeing her and Xander as soon as she arrived home from LA. The redhead was impressed that Oz helped research but she silently hoped he wasn't going to step on her toes when it came to research. She liked being the go-to gal for helping with the books; she didn't want the new guy taking her place.
"And best of all, he has my Watcher's approval," Buffy expressed at the end of her tale.
"Your Watcher?" Willow replied in confusion.
Buffy frowned at her best friend's response.
"Yeah, my Watcher. You know, stiff British guy named Giles who spends way too much time reading dusty tomes and not enough time updating his wardrobe. My Watcher."
Willow stared at Buffy in amazement.
"Giles isn't a watcher anymore," she revealed.
Buffy just stared in incomprehension.
"Didn't Giles tell you that the Council fired him?" Willow uttered in shock.
"Huh?" responded the Slayer with disbelief. In her mind, there was no way Giles could be fired.
"You didn't know..." responded Willow as her voice raised and increased in speed as she became more excited at sharing the horrid news. "The Council fired Giles because you died."
"But I got better," Buffy replied even though she hadn't gotten it when Oz said it previously. Willow did not seem to recognize the comment either so Buffy felt less self-conscious. "How could they fire him. Giles is like the tweedy king of all things weird and wiggy. He's like Tweed-man or the Grey Watcher or something. You can't get any more Watchery than Giles unless you actually wore a tweed diaper. They can't have fired him."
Willow wasn't able to refute Buffy's interpretation of her now discharged Watcher because the man himself entered the library. Although startled to discover a collection of students already present in the library, Giles still smiled a welcome.
"Yo! G-man," greeted Xander as he grinned at his favorite adult male role model.
"Well, yes, nice to see you Xander; never call me that again," the librarian replied before turning his attention solely to his Slayer.
"Are you feeling better?" he inquired.
Buffy nodded.
"A bit. Any luck on that thing I asked for?"
Now it was Giles' turn to nod as he confirmed that Ms. Calender thought that she had found a spell that would do exactly what Buffy needed. A relieved grin lit Buffy's face which in turn drew a return smile from the British man. The moment of comfort passed though as Buffy remembered her newest concern. She scowled at the older man. She crossed her arms in a copy of one of her mother's favored scolding positions.
"Is it true you got fired?" she demanded.
A wave of heat flushed Rupert's face as he shamefully nodded. He was still livid with the council for their callous handling of Buffy's supposed death. The anger and the embarrassment warred in his gut and mind. A fleeting flash of fear colored the Slayer's eyes before she quickly concealed it.
"Does that mean they will be sending me a new Watcher?" Buffy asked apprehensively. The Slayer wasn't sure she could handle another change in her life.
Giles shook his head.
"Not right away," the librarian offered in support. A touch of vindictive spite entered his expression. "I haven't exactly told the Council that you are still alive."
Willow gasped. Buffy frowned in momentary confusion. Xander actually giggled. As a newcomer who didn't know the normally rule following British man well, Oz remained typically quiet and observant. All their attention remained focused on the now flustered librarian.
"Giles was a bad boy. No tea and biscuits for you," the ever goofy Xander teased.
"But if they fired you, why wouldn't you tell them right away so they can give you back your job?" Buffy asked. She continued with a slew of new questions. Each new one was offered in ever increasing speed and stressed tone. "Are we in trouble? Can the Council send you away? What if they want me to go somewhere else? What if the new Watcher won't let me stay with my mom? Will I have to quit school? Will they make me go to England?"
Giles resisted the urge to reach for his Slayer and offer her a hug. She looked so concerned that he feared she was going to panic like she did in his house. The older man attempted a soft smile and a nod of encouragement. It did little to relax the blond who began to move around as she worked herself into a more agitated state. More questions flew from her mouth. Each one was more creative in its horror inducing speculations. Not having seen Buffy act in such a manner, Willow and Xander gaped at their friend as she paced and began to shake her hands. Her unfocused energy made them leery of being near the Slayer. It was Oz who stepped into the void. He deftly moved into the direct path of the agitated teen but did not touch her. Buffy startled slightly when she almost bumped into her new friend. She gasped and took a half a step back to be outside of his personal space.
"Take a deep breath and hold it," the musician whispered with a calm command in his quiet voice.
Buffy took the breath and held it.
"Don't let it go until it burns too much to hold any longer," Oz added as he maintained eye contact with the upset blond. After witnessing Buffy's last panic attack, Oz had done some research and found a couple of suggestions to help stem the over-riding emotions. He hoped this one would help.
While Buffy stared into Oz's eyes and refused her body's desire to breath, Rupert moved closer to the pair. He waited for the teen to finally expel her trapped air before speaking to her. Oz took a deep breath and Buffy mirrored his action. For more than a minute, they synchronized their respirations. She then took a final deep breath and exhaled it before breaking eye contact with the older teen. The Slayer turned her head to meet the concerned gaze of the ex-Watcher. Giles could see the near panic edging slowly back from her consciousness as Buffy took yet another deep breath.
"You are not going anywhere, Buffy," Rupert assured the teen. He reached out and lightly touched her upper arm. "No matter what, you will not be alone. I am not going anywhere."
The librarian glanced over his shoulder towards Xander and Willow. He nodded his head in the direction of her classmates. "We are all going to stay with you. Nothing will change. Even if the Council does ultimately send you another Watcher, we will all still be here to help you."
Buffy paused for a moment and considered Giles' words. After another fortifying breath, she asked when he would be contacting the Council about her continued existance. Removing his hand from its place on her arm, Rupert explained that he wanted to give her time to acclimate to school and to test her abilities. He wondered if the death, resuscitation, and subsequent calling of a new Slayer had affected her strength and abilities. The conservative gentleman did not want to involve the Watcher's Council if Buffy's Slayer abilities were affected adversely.
"Tests on the first day of school are so unfair," Buffy whined. Xander agreed only to be elbowed in the ribs by Willow.
"You can take a couple days, Buffy. There is no rush," Giles assured the Slayer.
Although she sighed, Buffy shook her head negatively.
"Nah, I'm ready," she replied. "I'll see you after school."
"Quite right," Giles confirmed as the late bell rang. Giles glanced at the loud-speaker in momentary confusion before realizing that the intrusive sound meant the four students were already late for their first class. He immediately waved them from the library with a flustered admonishment to hurry. Oz fell into place beside Buffy as they exited the room. The Slayer and her musician friend followed Willow who was dragging Xander down the hall and lamenting being late for class on the first day of school. Buffy giggled at her antics. Oz raised his eyebrow in question. The pretty blond smiled softly.
"I didn't realize how much I missed Willow," she whispered.
Oz nodded. "She seems miss-able," he replied in a complimenting fashion. "Too bad she has poor taste in guys."
"Xander?" Buffy replied softly as she watched Willow still dragging said classmate towards their English classroom. Oz nodded again.
"He's normally a pretty good guy," Buffy defended.
"Possessive," the senior countered as he considered the recent conversation he shared with the other male. The younger boy had made it quite clear that he regarded the small musician as an interloper and that he would be watched to make sure he didn't hurt Buffy. It was a sentiment that the older boy could appreciate. He too felt it important to protect friends. In Oz's estimation though, the younger teen needed to be more aware of his own actions instead of worrying about Buffy's other companions. It had been obvious to the senior that Xander had made Buffy uncomfortable when he touched her and yet he seemed not only oblivious to the glaring fact but also overly inclined to press the chance to touch her repeatedly. Although he said nothing more, the older teen decided that he would in turn be watching the younger male. It would be an even exchange. He figured that he could do his bit to help Buffy in his own fashion. In his estimation, the blond had all the right moves for protecting herself physically. She just needed a little extra help in protecting her emotional state now.
With a promise to meet her for lunch, Oz watched Buffy scoot into her English classroom. He could hear the teacher mildly scolding the blond on her tardiness as the door closed. Oz smirked. He figured he might as well skip first period thereby avoiding a similar accusation. Instead of heading to Senior Civics, he headed towards the audio-visual room. It had a couch and was tucked enough out-of-the-way that no one would notice him hiding out until second period. On the way, the senior noticed some kind of fuss down the hallway near the athletic wing. The football coach, school nurse and the principal were congregated near the stairwell along with a couple underclassmen. He used the noise to slip unnoticed into the activities and arts hallway and into his planned hideout to catch a bit of a nap until Calculus.
"Anyanka," called a slightly annoyed voice from the opposite side of the mirror. The energetic teen paused from washing her hands at the bathroom sink and lifted her eyes to the reflective surface. Instead of her own attractive features and dark hair, a bearded, lightly blue tinged demon met her gaze. Once the demon realized he had the girl's attention, he addressed her once more in a tone very similar to the exasperated voice of an annoyed parent. "Anyanka, you granted a wish."
"Just a little one, D'Hoffryn," the disguised demon replied with respect and a hint of pleading in her voice. "A freshman found her boyfriend kissing another girl under the stairway when she arrived at school today. He acted like it was his right to treat her in such a manner because he earned a starting position on the football team. All I did was ensure that he would not feel entitled to cheat ever again."
"You ensured that his leg was shattered in a fall down the steps," countered D'Hoffryn.
Anya shrugged. She felt the jerk deserved what he got and more. The lying cheater would not be in a position to stroke his overinflated ego at the expense of his girlfriend any time soon. With the recovery and rehabilitation needed for the injury, he would be lucky to be playing football again before he graduated.
"Anyanka," growled the reigning ruler of vengeance demons. "I allowed you to come to Sunnydale for one purpose and one purpose only."
"I could not allow the opportunity to escape," the unrepentant girl replied with confidence. "I have been wielding the power of the wish for over a thousand years. When I see a woman slighted by the fickle wandering eye of her loved one, I can't help but give them the vengeance they deserve."
"My dear Anyanka, I know that you have been a shining example of the raw power and subtle cruelty that is the wish. It is why I chose you for this so very important task."
The pretty brunette preened under the praise from the powerful demon who offered the previously bitter human her beloved demonic position.
"I caution you to be careful though, child. You are attempting to secure a wish from a being touched by a True Power. While it is true that the surge of vengeance balanced released if you should maneuver a wish would be unparalleled in the history of Arashmahaar, I do not want you to become a target of the Power or her Daughter. You must ensure that the wish does no harm to the Daughter as a result. I don't want to lose you, Anyanka. You would be difficult to replace."
Anya bowed her head in deference and promised to keep her head.
D'Hoffryn raised his clawed hand as if to wipe free the magic holding the window open between his home realm and Earth. He paused and smiled as much as his dour visage allowed.
"Oh, and good job on keeping your cover when attacked by the Aurelian vampires. The frying pan... inspired. We all enjoyed replaying the shocked expression on your would-be attacker's face when you shifted visage and then struck him in the face. Quite entertaining."
Anya smirked with pride. She bowed once more to the ruler of Arashmahaar as the mirror shifted back to reflecting her perky image. Her smirk slowly changed to a joyful grin. It was almost lunch time and another chance to try to nail down a vengeance wish from Buffy Summers. A thrill of excitement tickled up Anyanka's spine. She truly loved her job.