EPISODE THREE – WITCH

In every generation there is a Chosen One. She alone will stand against the vampires, the demons and the forces of darkness. She is the Slayer.

"This is madness! What can you have been thinking? You are the Slayer! Lives depend upon you!" Giles paced anxiously in front of Buffy. "I make allowances for your youth, but I expect a certain amount of responsibility, and instead of which you enslave yourself to this, this..." He stopped pacing and looked at her. "Cult?"

"You don't like the color?" Buffy quipped.

I d..." Giles sighed. He didn't want to admit how adorable Buffy looked, standing in front of him in that ridiculous cheerleading outfit. He gave her as exasperated sigh instead and began stacking some books onto a cart. "Do you ignore everything I say as a, as a rule?"

"No, I believe that's your trick."

Giles pushed the cart up to the counter, and Buffy skipped lightly in front of him and posed with the pompoms. Giles forced himself to look away from her.

"I told you, I'm trying out for the cheerleading squad!"

"You have a sacred birthright, Buffy." He said, "You were chosen to destroy vampires, not to... wave pompoms at people. And as the Watcher I forbid it." He moved away from her, before it became too hard for him to do.

"And you'll be stopping me how?"

Giles sighed, sat on the edge of the table, and crossed his arms. "Well, I... By appealing to your common sense, if such a creature exists."

Buffy sighed too. "I will still have time to fight the forces of evil, okay? I just wanna have a life, I wanna do something normal. Something safe."

And how could he argue against that? Everyone wanted to feel safe, and the life of a Slayer was always fraught with danger. So how was he supposed to tell her no? Even under normal circumstances, it would have been difficult. Considering his unorthodox and unexplainable feelings for the Slayer, it was impossible.

*****

He should have known better.

Only a couple of hours later, Buffy was back in the library again, this time with Willow and Xander. Her "something safe" had already proved to be the exact opposite. During tryouts, one of the cheerleaders' hands had burst into flame.

Currently, Xander and Willow were leaning against the table as Buffy paced much as Giles had done earlier that day.

"I've been slaying vampires for more than a year now, and I have seen some pretty cringeworthy things, but... nobody's hands ever got toasted before."

Giles stepped out of the cage and moved towards them. "I imagine not."

"So, this isn't a vampire problem."

"No."

She turned completely to face him. "But it is funky, right? Not of the norm?"

"Quite. Spontaneous human combustion is, is rare, and, and scientifically unexplainable, but there have been cases for hundreds of years. Usually all that's left is a pile of ashes."

"That's all that would have been left if it hadn't been for Buffy." Willow pointed out.

"So, we have no idea what caused this." Xander summed up. "That's a comfort."

"But that's the thrill of living on the Hellmouth!" He sat on the edge of the table again and his voice became excited. "There's a veritable cornucopia of, of fiends and devils and, and ghouls to engage." He realized everyone was staring at him, and looked huffy. "Pardon me for finding the glass half full."

"Any common denominators in cases of spontaneous combustion?" Buffy asked.

"Uh, rage. In most cases the person who combusted was, was terribly angry or, or upset."

"So maybe Amber's got this power to make herself be on fire." Xander said. "It's like the human torch, only… it hurts."

"I need to get the skinny on Amber. Find out if she's had any colourful episodes before." Buffy started to the door.

"That means hacking illegally into the school's computer system. At last, something I can do!" Willow jumped up, thrilled. She and Xander stood to stand in front of Buffy as Giles watched, frowning slightly.

"I'll ask around about her." Xander offered.

Buffy was frowning too. "You guys don't have to get involved."

They looked baffled, as if this had never occurred to them.

"What d'ya mean? We're a team! Aren't we a team?"

"Yeah! You're the Slayer, and we're, like, the Slayerettes!"

She bit her lip, uncertain. "I just don't like putting you guys in danger."

"Oh, ha, I laugh in the face of danger." Xander paused, and admitted, "Then I hide until it goes away."

She thought for a moment, then said, "Okay, just walk softly, at least until we know a little more. I mean, what if Amber isn't causing these problems herself?"

"Well, then we have to determine who or what did, and, uh, deal with it accordingly."

******

The next day, after practice, Buffy and Amy, a cheerleader friend of Willow's that she had gotten to know, walked down the hall together. Amy was upset over messing up in practice, but although Buffy tried to comfort her, she knew she was distracted. Giles had been acting so strange. She hadn't known him very long, so it was possible he always acted like that. But this morning, when she had shown him her cheerleader outfit, he had shied away as if he was a vampire and she was holding a vat of holy water. Did the outfit really repulse her Watcher that much? How worried was he that she would be unable to perform her Slayer duties and cheer at the same time?

"That's my mom!"

Buffy looked where Amy was pointing. They had come to a stop in front of a display case, and in it were several flags and cheerleading trophies. One was the image of a young woman. Buffy leaned in closer to read the inscription.

"No! Catherine Madison. Get down with your bad self!"

Amy looked wistful. "Her nickname was 'Catherine the Great'. She took that team and made them tri-county champions. Y'know, no one's ever done that before, or since. She and my dad were Homecoming King and Queen. They got married right after graduation."

Buffy smiled sappily. "That's kinda romantic."

Amy scoffed. "Well, he was a big loser. Never made any money. Ran off with Miss Trailer Trash when I was twelve."

"Okay, that part's less romantic. My folks split up, too."

"Drag, huh? Uh, he left my mom with nothing. She put herself through cosmetology school. Bought me everything I ever wanted." Amy smiled and shook her head. "And never once gained a single pound.

Knowing the Amy had once had a problem with her weight, Buffy walked around to face the other girl. "Uh, she sounds really great, Amy, but, um... it doesn't mean that you need to lock step as far as this cheerleading thing."

"She was the best!" Amy protested, "And I can't get my body to move like hers! I choked in there so bad!

"No, Amy, you did fine."

Amy frowned, "I'm gonna get changed."

"Wait! No..."

Amy left as Willow walked up. "Hey, Amy! Is she okay?"

"No, she's, she's wiggin' about her mom, big cheer queen back when."

Willow nodded. "Yeah, her mom's kinda..."

"Nazi like?"

"Heil." The other girl agreed, "If she gains an ounce she padlocks the fridge and won't eat anything but broth."

"So, mommy dearest is really... Mommy Dearest?"

"There's a bitter streak. But Amy's nice. We used to hang in Junior High. When her mom would go on a broth kick, Amy'd come over to my house and we'd stuff ourselves with brownies!"

They began to walk down the hall. "Hey, any word on Amber?"

"Nothing thrilling." Willow admitted, "Average student. Got detention once, for smoking. Regular smoking... with a cigarette, not, like, being smoky."

"Hmmm"

"All pretty normal."

"So we just have to wait and we'll see what happens. Maybe nothing will."

******

Giles was in the library when he felt the vision coming. Even as he felt his vision of the room fading around him, he spun to a window, as if he could see where Buffy was and why she was in danger this time. Then everything went black, and the picture came clear in his mind.

The Driving teacher, Mr. Pole, was standing in front of one of the test cars with Cordelia. Currently, Buffy was no where to be seen, but that didn't stop his eyes from searching for her.

"Nice of you to join us, Cordelia." Mr. Pole was saying, "We didn't keep you waiting or anything, did we? It's your turn to drive." He looked at the other students. "Okay, people, let's buckle up."

Cordelia, looking dazed, moved slowly around the car. "I don't wanna drive today,

Mr. Pole."

The teacher scowled. "You've flunked Driver's Ed. twice already. Show me some moves, or you'll be taking the bus to college."

They get in the car, and Giles finally spotted Buffy, standing to the side of a school bus, watching with confused eyes.

The engine on the car started. There was a long pause, and finally it was put into drive. The car was thrown backwards, crashed into some signs, stopped, and then jerked forward.

Mr. Pole: Slow down. Slow, slow, turn right! Turn right!

Cordelia had obviously lost control. The car was racing along the course, knocking down cones. Giles spotted Buffy starting to run. The car crashed through a fence, and then some bushes, and into the street before finally coming to a halt. Another car managed to avoid them. Even as everyone –including Cordelia – crawled from the car, Buffy ran faster.

Now Cordelia was wandering, still obviously dazed, in the middle of the street. A delivery van is careening towards her, but it doesn't slow or stop.

Cordelia spotted the can and screamed, even as Buffy leapt over the Driver's Ed car and grabbed Cordelia, rolling out of the way. The van clipped the car instead, pulling off the door.

Giles found his heartbeat slowly returning to normal as he saw the two girls were unharmed.

"Oh, my God, I, I can't see anything!" Cordelia screamed.

"It's, it's okay, it's..." Buffy looked down at Cordelia. "Oh God!"

"What's happening? I can't see anything!"

Her eyes have gone completely white, the irises gone.

Giles felt himself coming to. When he finally saw the library around him, he started to arrange his thoughts. Buffy, Xander and Willow would be in any moment to demand to know what was going on. He intended to be able to answer them.

** **

"Witchcraft. Blinding your enemy to disorient and disable them is… its classic!"

Xander, Willow and Buffy were sitting at the table. Xander groaned to himself.

"First vampires, now witches. No wonder you can still afford a house in Sunnydale."

"Why should someone want to harm Cordelia?" Giles asked them.

"Maybe because they met her?" Willow suggested and then flushed. "Did I say that?"

"And setting Amber ablaze?"

"Yeah, those guys don't hang..."

"They're both cheerleaders." Buffy realized.

Giles frowned at her. Could she think of nothing else? "Someone doesn't like cheerleading."

"Or likes it too much."

"Amy!" Willow cried.

"Amy." Buffy agreed.

Xander raised an eyebrow. "So, you guys are leaning towards Amy?"

Buffy explained. "She's desperate to get on that team, and I've got this feeling she'd do just about anything to make her mom's dream come true."

Giles was still frowning. "Uh, let me make sure I have this right. This witch is casting horrible and disfiguring spells so that she can become a cheerleader?"

Buffy sighed. "I think you're underestimating the amount of pressure a parent can lay on you. If you're not a picture perfect carbon copy they tend to wig."

Giles' confused expression only deepened as he looked over at Buffy. She sounded wistful. Did that have anything to do with why she hadn't wanted to accept her job as Slayer?

"Cheerleading was kind of her mom's last hurrah." Willow added.

"Look, we still have to stop Amy. We should grab her and..." Xander trailed off when Giles interrupted him.

"I think we should be sure she's the witch before we arouse her suspicions. She's, she's capable of some fairly unpleasant things."

Buffy stood. "Okay, alright, so, you're in high school, you are desperate to make the team and please your mom, so you turn to witchcraft. What's the first thing you're gonna do?"

"Check out the books on witchcraft!"

Willow and Buffy hurried to the computer. Xander flushed.

"Uh, no! No, that would be the last thing you would do! You don't wanna leave a paper trail. Forget that!"

"It'll just take a minute."

Xander moved to stand behind them, looking a little desperate.

"We don't have a minute! Cheerleaders are in danger. Buffy's in danger. You were the first alternate; you are on the team now that Cordelia's out. You could be next. We gotta get you to a safe house." Giles' face went dark as Xander grabbed Buffy's arm and started to pull her away.

"Xander..." Willow warned.

Xander released Buffy. "Yeah."

Willow breathed out, then looked at the screen and exchanged an amused glance with Buffy. "'Witches: Historic Roots to Modern Practice.' Checked out by Alexander Harris." She read.

Grinning, Buffy read, "'The Pagan Rites', checked out by Alexander..."

"Alright, alright, it's not what you think."

"You like to look at the semi-nude engravings?"

"Oh, well, uh, I-I guess it is what you think."

"Have you all quite finished?" Giles demanded. "We have to find a conclusive test. There may be something in here..." He was flipping through a book in front of him. "Yes, this should do it. You'll need some of her hair, a little quicksilver and some aqua Fortis."

"Well, that's just mercury and nitric acid." Willow supplied, "You can get that in the science lab."

Giles read from the book. "'Heat ingredients and apply to witch, and if a spell has been cast in the previous 48 hours, witch's skin turns blue.' Hmm." He shut the book. "Oh, and you'll need some Eye of Newt."

*****

The next morning, after a conclusive test that proved Amy was a witch, Buffy woke up feeling chipper. When her alarm went off, she smashed it to get it to be silent, then frowned at the pieces.

"Ooops."

She dressed in her cheerleading outfit and flounced downstairs to where her mom was making juice. She entered the room singing.

"Macho, macho, man! I want to be a macho man. Macho... Oh, hey, juice!" She snatched the glass and drank. "Mm... Quality juice. Not from concentrate!"

Joyce raised her eyebrows. "You're in a good mood."

"I am!" Buffy chirped, "I'm on the squad, which is great, 'cause I feel like cheering and leading others to cheer." She spotted the second glass. "Ooo, hey, juice!"

She drank.

Joyce spoke hesitantly, bringing up their fight of the day before. "Listen, honey, about yesterday, I really..."

"Mm!" Buffy waved her hand dismissively. "That is totally yester. Besides, it's not like you were wrong, y'know. I did get kicked outta school. I'm just wacky that way!"

Joyce sighed. "Still, I just want you to know that, despite the problems you've had, I really..."

Buffy interrupted. "Mom, you just don't get it. And, believe me, you don't want it. Y'know, there are just some things about being a Vampire Slayer that the older generation..."

"A what?"

Inside, Buffy froze in terror. What was she doing? Why was she being so silly? And why was she just blurting out whatever came into her head? She didn't seem to be able to stop herself, but luckily Outside-Buffy seemed too hyper to explain.

"It's a... long story."

"Buffy, are you feeling well?"

"What? Oh, I'm, I'm fine, y'know? What, like, I can't be in a good mood? Is it, like, a new house rule? Fine, y'know? It's just fine, fine, fine, 'cause..." She began to sing, bobbing her head and leaving the kitchen. "I'm a macho, macho man! I want to be a macho man! Macho, macho man! I want to be a macho man!"

*****

During cheerleading practice, things got worse.

"Five, Six, Seven, Eight!" The girl next to Buffy chanted.

The cheerleaders went into their routine and Buffy danced happily, shouting, "Turn up the music!"

The volume went up obediently, and they continued. Then Buffy stamped down hard on the girl's foot.

"Ow! Get it together Buffy! We have a game in less than four hours!"

Xander and Willow came in, and Outside-Buffy was unable to hide her enthusiasm. "Willow! Xander! My buds are here! I love my buds! Hi!" She noticed everyone staring. "Oh…"

She got into the line with the others, and the routine continued.

Xander turned to Willow. "Is it me, or is Buffy a bit looped?"

Willow looked concerned. "We better get her outta here."

"Yeah, before she..."

Buffy, supposed to grab the girl next to her and help her spin, threw her too hard, straight into the gym wall.

"Hurts someone." Xander concluded uselessly.

"Did I do that?" Buffy asked, running to see if the girl was okay.

The girl stood and shoved Buffy. "You are so out of here!"

Willow and Xander came running up and grabbed Buffy's arms.

"It's not her fault!"

"She's on medication."

Buffy frowned. "What?"

"Well, obviously not enough. Who's our next alternate?" Amy was suddenly behind the girl. "Oh. Amy, you just made cheerleader."

Buffy protested. "No, no, no. You don't want her, she's a wi..."

Xander slapped his hand over Buffy's mouth and finished for her. "A wise choice indeed!"

Xander and Willow pulled Buffy out of the gym and into the hall, supporting most of her weight between them.

"She's a witchy!" Buffy muttered.

"Buffy..."

"I just got kicked off the team, didn't I?"

Xander reassured her. "I don't think it was your fault."

Buffy grinned and leaned her head on Xander's shoulder. "Hmm, I know you don't, that's 'cause you're my friend. You're my Xander-shaped friend! Do you have any idea why I love you so, Xander?"

Willow spoke up. "We gotta to get her to a..."

Xander frowned and looked eagerly down at Buffy. "Let her speak!"

"I'll tell you! You're not like other boys at all."

"Well..."

"You are totally, and completely one of the girls!" She turned to Willow. "I'm that comfy with him."

Willow grinned.

"That's great." Xander muttered, and they continued down the hall.

"Any other guy who'd give me a bracelet, they'd... wanna date me, and be like a..." Buffy closed her eyes against a wave of nausea. "Oh! I, I don't feel so good."

"Buffy?"

Buffy collapsed.

*****

Giles had never been so terrified. Buffy was leaning back in a chair, as Willow supported her head and held a cloth to the girl's forehead.

"We've gotta get her to a hospital!" Willow said, almost as worried as he was.

"They can't help her. This is a bloodstone vengeance spell." His voice was slightly choked. He took Buffy's pulse with trembling fingers. "Hits the body hard like a, a quart of alcohol, and then it e-eradicates the, uh, immune system."

"A vengeance spell, like she's trying to get even with Buffy?" Xander asked.

"'Cause she knows I know she's a witch." Buffy agreed, her voice weak and slightly slurred.

"The others she just wanted out of the running. You she intends to, um..."

"Kill?"

Giles closed his eyes and nodded against the pain in his heart.

"How much time do we have?" Willow asked.

Looking down into Buffy's face, Giles stammered, "Oh, uh, I'm sure, uh..."

Buffy interrupted him. "Truth. Please."

"Couple of hours... Three at most."

"Well, how do we reverse the spell?" Xander demanded.

Giles stood from the table. "Well I, I've been researching that, and, uh, we can reverse all the spells if, um..." He took off his glasses and rubbed at the bridge of his nose, "...we can just lay our hands on, on Amy's spell book."

"And if we can't get a hold of it?"

"Well, the other way is to cut the witch's head off." Giles put his glasses back on.

Xander's hand shot into the air. "Show of hands!"

Buffy protested from her chair. "It's not Amy's fault. She only became a witch to survive her mother."

Xander rolled his eyes. "Look, I don't care why, I just care that you go on breathing."

Ignoring that comment, Buffy turned to Giles, "where would she be casting these spells?"

"Oh, she needs a, a sacred space. A-a-a pentagram, um, large pot."

"Her home. Okay. Help me up."

Giles was the first to move, but he stopped himself so quickly that none of the others realized. As Willow and Xander helped Buffy up, Giles wondered where this sudden overwhelming wave of protectiveness had come from. Buffy was the Slayer. Since when had she needed to be protected, especially by her Watcher?

"We'll just go to her house and we'll get her book." Buffy murmured, straightening from the chair.

"Okay, we'll go with you."

"Uh, no! You guys stay here and keep an eye on Amy."

Giles, deciding the hell with it, let the protectiveness take over and took Buffy gently from Xander and Willow. "And keep her away from the science lab." He added, "We'll need it to cast our counter-spells."

Giles led Buffy carefully out into the hall, through the school and towards the parking lot. A strong, instinctive part of him wanted to pick her up and carry her. But judging by the way she was acting, she would not appreciate it. Even though she was weak and trembling, she took each step determinedly, struggling to keep up with Giles despite his slow pace. Giles took the opportunity – as they walked to the car, and then drove in silence – to study her face and try and figure out why he was having these unexplainable feelings towards the Slayer. She was so far from what he had imagined she would be. Practically the opposite. He had not known her that long, and yet he felt like he had known her his entire life. What was it about Buffy Anne Summers that fascinated him so much?

Giles started in surprise when he realized he had pulled up to Amy's house. Taking Buffy's arm to help her out of the car and up the walk, they went together to the front door. Now that he had been startled out of his thoughts, his concern for Buffy grew. She looked exhausted, and slightly drugged, as if she wasn't all there.

A tall woman with red-ish brown hair and gentle, frightened eyes opened the door.

"Who are you? Wha, um, uh, is there something wrong?"

Assuming this was the girl's mother, Giles spoke. "Mrs. Madison, we need to talk to you about your daughter."

"I'm not allow... You'll have to come back later."

She tried to close the door, but Giles pushed past her and intro the house, anger boiling under a calm facade.

"Excuse me!"

"What?!"

Giles helped Buffy carefully into the living room, his eyes gentle on her face. "You alright?" As he sat Buffy on the couch, he snapped at the woman, "Your daughter is meddling with something very dangerous, are you aware of that?"

"Uh, I don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh, I think you know only too well."

"You've got to go. She's gonna be home soon and you..."

Giles interrupted her, his anger unleashing as he motioned towards Buffy, who seemed to be getting weaker by the moment. "This girl is very sick. Now you will shut up and you will listen to me! Your daughter has access to some very powerful Magicks, and somehow your obsession with cheerleading has made..."

Amy's mother interrupted him this time, her voice high with incredulity. "I don't care about cheerleading! It's not my fault she's doing stuff."

Giles almost snarled at her. "As her mother you should assume some responsibility for her actions."

She laughed, the sound on the edge of hysteria. "Well, you know, these kids today! I..." She seemed to calm down slightly and said, in a rush, "She's out of her mind. Ever since dad, her dad... left I can't control her."

Giles saw Buffy slowly standing out of the corner of his eye, but he was frowning at Amy's mother.

"You're afraid of her?"

"Amy?"

The woman looked at Buffy and paled slightly, looking guilty and relieved at the same time. Giles turned his frown to Buffy, confused.

"Are you Amy?"

Giles' eyes shot back to the woman. "I don't understand."

"She switched! She switched your bodies, didn't she?"

The woman looked away.

"Good Lord!" Finally, Giles understood, and his eyes widened in shock. This, he hadn't expected.

"She wanted to relive her glory days." Buffy murmured, her voice soft with sympathy

Amy met Buffy's eyes evenly. "She said I was wasting my youth. So she took it."

Buffy and Giles exchanged a glance, and Giles moved wordlessly to help her back onto the couch, sitting carefully beside her, as close as he dared. After a moment, Amy sat down as well and continued speaking.

"I didn't know anything about her powers. I mean, when dad was here they would fight and yell and he would... call her a witch and... I mean, I would, just thought he meant... Oh, God, when he left I wanted to go with him. But she wouldn't even let me call. She went crazy, I mean, she'd lock herself upstairs for days, and she was always coming down on me, telling me I didn't deserve to have it so easy, and that I didn't know... how hard it was to be her, and... I guess she showed me, huh?"

Buffy, although she was getting even weaker, reached over and took Amy's hand. "Amy, it's gonna be okay."

Seeming to gain confidence from Buffy's words, the girl added, "A few months ago, I woke up in h... her bed! I didn't know

where I was, and... then I looked in the mirror..."

"She locked herself upstairs?" Giles asked.

"Yes."

"Where?"

Giles stood and motioned for Buffy to stay. She searched his expression for a wordless moment, then nodded and sank onto the cushions of the couch, closing her eyes. For a moment, Giles hesitated. Then he spun away from the slowly dying girl, and moved through the house towards the stairs he had seen when they entered. He took the stairs up as far as they went: all the way to the attic, ignoring Amy's protests.

"Don't! If she finds out I've been here she'll kill me!"

Still ignoring her, Giles entered the room and looked around. There was a large cauldron in the center, with a rack of hanging dolls beside it. As he moved around the cauldron, he spotted two dolls bound together: the body switching spell. He lifted them in his hand, and exhaled.

"My God! I believe we can reverse your mother's spell. Well, all of them, in fact."

Forgetting her fear, Amy's eyes widened. "You could? Really, you could?"

"We need to find her books. There'd be specific volumes she'd need for this kind of casting."

Once more, his eyes shot around the room, searching. They landed, finally, on the trunk in the corner, and he moved to it without a second's hesitation, knocking the items on top to the floor with a careless wave of his hand.

"Collect those dolls, and, uh, any other personal effects..." He instructed Amy, and then gasped as a black cat leapt out of the trunk he had begun to open. "Ah! Nice kitty..." When his heartbeat was back under control, he opened the trunk further and pulled out a book. "Let's see what you were guarding. Ah, yes! This is it."

As Giles and Amy walked back down the stairs, Giles was terrified to see that Buffy had grown even weaker. As they hurried towards her, she mustered the energy to open her eyes and mutter, "Did we find?"

"We found." Giles assured her, "Come on."

He helped Buffy up from the couch, and she swayed dangerously, tried to take a step. Her knees buckled.

"We're going to the school." Giles said, "And you're coming with us."

Not waiting for the girl to argue, Giles lifted Buffy into his arms, and strode from the house.

********

Later, in the science classroom, Buffy was laid out against one of the long tables, as Giles and Amy started the spell on a counter closer to the doors. Amy was attempting to cut a frog, a squeamish look on her face.

"Right! Here we go!" Giles enthused, trying desperately to hide his terror. Buffy was getting weaker and weaker, and nothing was working. Even the feeling of carrying in her arms had not made him feel any better about the situation. Nothing would, other then Buffy being completely well. He began to recite as he stirred the potion.

"The center is dark. Centrum est obscurus. The darkness breathes. Tenebrae respiratis. The listener hears. Hear me!"

"Oh, it's... it's working!" Amy gasped.

Giles picked up the book next to him and began to read.

"Unlock the gate. Let the darkness shine. Cover us with holy fear."

Unnoticed by Giles, Amy staggered back and covered her face.

"Show me..."

The lights went out.

Uncaring, Giles lifted his arms and continued to chant, feeling slightly ridiculous.

"Corsheth and Gilail! The gate is closed! Receive the dark! Release the unworthy! Take of mine energy and be sated!"

Without hesitation, he plunged his hands into the mixture.

Suddenly, the door started shuddering as someone yanked on it from the other side. Giles pulled his hands out, and he and Amy turned towards the door.

"Be sated! Release the unworthy!" Giles cried.

Buffy's eyelids are fluttering now, and her head is lolling against the sweater Giles had used as a makeshift pillow.

"Release!" Giles cried.

An axe stuck through the door, as Amy's mother in Amy's body began to chop through the door.

"Release"

Buffy has stopped moving. As Amy's mother makes a hole in the door, she reached through and opens the door, walking straight across the room towards Buffy, axe raised.

Giles' mind was screaming no! He was certain he was about to see his Slayer killed. Out loud, he yelled, "RELEEEEASE!"

Amy's mother, Catherine, lifted the axe high above her head, but freezes when a bright flash of light fills the room. Suddenly Amy again, she looks around confused, automatically lowering the axe. Buffy stirs, and then sits up, her strength returned. Giles looked over at her and breathed a sigh of relief. His heart felt tight in his chest. Buffy was okay.

"Buffy?" Amy is confused.

"Amy?" Buffy asked cautiously, seeing the axe in the girl's hand.

Before either could say anything else, Catherine lunged at Buffy from the side, from where she had been standing near Giles. Once more, Buffy lies still, and a wave of hot fury plunged through Giles. He stepped forward, his hand pointing towards Catherine, the words halted by his overwhelming anger. This woman had hurt Buffy. She had tried to kill her.

"You... you..."

Catherine growled at him like a feral animal and looked at him. A force of magic smacked into him, throwing him back, and then throwing a table against him. and looks at him. Giles felt himself blacking out, going unconscious.

No... Buffy...

Even as he struggled to remain conscious, he felt the familiar dizzy feeling and felt a wave of relief. He would still be able to watch over her. The image unfolded behind his closed eyes.

Amy was standing across from Catherine.

"You! You little brat!" Catherine hissed.

Amy hesitantly lifted the axe. "Mom! Please!"

Carelessly, Catherine stuck out her hand, and the axe flew into her hand.

"How dare you raise your hand to your mother? I gave you birth. I gave up my life so you could drag that worthless carcass around and call it living?" She slammed the axe into a table. "You've never been anything but trouble. I'm going to put you where you can't make trouble again!"

Buffy suddenly jumped to her feet from behind Catherine. "Guess what?"

Catherine turned.

"I feel better!"

Giles made a mental note to tell Buffy "more hitting, less talking". Right after he told her never ever to scare him like that again.

As if listening to Giles' thoughts, Buffy punched Catherine hard enough to send the woman flying through the air. Catherine landed on a table, rolled, and knocked over a shelf full of bottles. Then pulled herself to her feet, unscathed.

"That body was mine! Mine!"

"Oh, grow up!"

Catherine growled again, and shot her arm out in front of her, towards Buffy. Buffy flew backwards much as Catherine had, crashing into the wall. Buffy crumpled, but was on her feet again before Giles could worry, twisting her head slightly to shake off the pain.

Catherine began to chant.

"I shall look upon my enemy!"

Her eyes turned pitch black.

"I shall look upon her and the dark place will have her soul!"

Thinking quickly, Buffy's eyes flashed around the room. She spotted a pole holding up a mirror above her.

"Corsheth, take her!"

Without warning, Buffy executed a perfect standing hook kick, effectively knocking the pole out from under the

mirror and letting it flop down. Catherine's spell spun from her hands, smacked into the mirror, and bounced back wards her. The magic crackled powerfully around her, and the woman let out a scream. Then the magic vanished, and so did Catherine.

For Giles, the scene went black.

When he opened his eyes, Buffy's concerned face was the first thing he saw, leaning over him with her hand stretched out to help him up. He smiled up at her and took her hand.

"Well, that was, um, interesting." He said, unable to think of anything else to say.

"You guys okay?"

"I'm fine!" Amy assured her.

"I assume the, uh, all the spells are reversed. It was my first casting, so..." Giles breathed out. "I may have got it wrong."

Buffy shook her head and her smile gentled. "You saved my life! You were a god!"

Giles flushed slightly, and Amy said,

"Well, I didn't think you'd pull it off."

Without warning, Xander burst in and wrapped his arms around Amy.

"I got her! I got her! Cut her head off!"

Buffy struggled not to laugh. "Xander, what are you doing?"

"Saving you?"

"Get your hands off of her."

"But she's evil."

"It wasn't exactly her." Giles explained.

"I was my mom." Amy added.

"Oh!" As if that explained it all, Xander released her and stepped back.

Then Willow came through the door, wielding a bat.

"Where is she?"

Xander grinned. "Uh, hey Willow! It's cool!"

"It is?"

"Yeah, I took care of it."

Giles and Buffy exchanged an amused glance, and they all left the room together.

A/N: Please Review!!!

I hope you enjoyed!

ALSO, I decided that I would read and review on every story (If I know the category that is) of any person who reviews my stories. Warning, though: I will be completely honest : )