Chapter 46

Buffy asked her mother if she could have a few friends over while Joyce and Dawn were at the movies. Joyce agreed so long as it wasn't too many. Just Xander, Willow, Jessie, and Buffy's new friend Tara. Buffy did not mention that Tara would be conducting a seance. Willow had done some additional research on the killings from 1955. Buffy wasn't sure how exactly Willow could hack into the police department computers but didn't ask questions. James suppossedly shot his girlfriend Grace, then himself. Willow doubted the official story, because the gun was found in Grace's hand, not James. But James was black, Grace was white. The cops in 1955 just ssumed that a black man murdered a white girl, rather than a white girl murdered a black man. Tara believed this might be the cause of the ghost's rage. James was murdered, yet everyone blamed him and mourned his killer. That would probably make almost anyone angry, even in death. Jessie and Xander seemed excited, all the local ghost stories they'd heard as children now seemed to be coming true. They informed Buffy that there were a number of local stories. Buffy made a mental note to ask about these stories later. Tara began the seance, imploring the ghosts to appear, for they sought their knowledge. Buffy was skeptical, but she soon saw them, Grace and James. The two ghosts seemed to be together, which seemed odd given that one of them might have murdered the other.

Buffy: Hi. Are you two, dead?

James: Yeah. Nice to meet you.

Buffy: You too. Can we help you move on?

Grace: Not sure we want to. We're actually not sure what lies beyond this.

Buffy: So you guys are still together. Didn't you kill him?

James: No!

Grace: Actually, I talked him into this, I even stole my father's gun.

Buffy: So this was a suicide pact?

Grace: It seemed like the only way we could be together.

James: I don't recommend that, for any of you. But it worked, we're together.

Grace: I wish they hadn't blamed him. The whole thing was my idea.

Buffy: Is that why you're angry? Why you told us to get out? Because I'm pretty sure Mom would rather move than fight with ghosts for the house.

James: We were worried about you, and your sister.

Buffy: Are me and Dawn in danger?

Grace: Yeah. We don't know all the details, but we can sense something. Danger is coming for you and her. If you choose to stay here we won't bother you, we'll try to stay out of your way, but we don't recommend you stay. We couldn't warn you directly until this girl helped bridge the gap. I don't know what's coming, but trust me when I say you don't want to
find out.