a/n: This chapter still needs to be re-edited by me, so forgive any mistakes you might find (like vampires entering without invitation) and I'll get around to rectifying them ASAP.
Chapter 68
The Curse
A white light overwhelmed the sword that was stuck into Acathla's chest and a crackle of electricity sounded throughout the bare dining room. Snix reeled back with a loud booming sound and hit the ground hard. She twitched, an electric current running through her body. She gasped and lifted her head, confused by the silence that followed. The statue still stood there, unaffected, with the sword tucked in between it's ancient stone.
"Someone wasn't worthy," Spike singsonged, sitting in his wheelchair behind Drusilla at the archway entrance.
Snix's face contorted with rage as she brushed herself off and stood, glaring at the statue.
"Did I miss something? The ritual..." she raised her eyes to the ceiling, racking her brain, "I did it all. The incantation, the blood sacrifice... Dammit!"
She kicked the statue in frustration, her pointed black boots not making a dent.
"What are we going to do now?" Drusilla sulked.
Snix huffed and put her hands on her hips, her chest heaving. "We'll turn to an old friend," she said, like an angry promise, "I swear to God, I'm gonna get my apocalypse."
xxx
Buffy had both elbows on her desk, staring at her final Spanish exam, making bitemarks in her yellow pencil. She could just barely translate the questions Mr. Schuester had given the class, and was struggling to assemble an answer to them. How was she supposed to give her all to her final exams when she was dealing with Snix? She could just barely figure out how to deal with Snix. The choices were between killing her and stalling her until Shelby finishes her spell, if she ever finishes her spell.
But how could she wait any longer to stop Snix after so many had already died in her wake? Brittany hadn't shown up to school that day, not that anyone expected her to, after Snix's minions murdered her father. It's was probably smarter of Buffy to kill Snix before she does anymore damage, because even if they manage to restore Santana's soul, nothing would ever be the same between them and Santana would never forgive herself for what she's done.
Still, the thought of killing Santana, even after everything that's happened, was enough to make Buffy vomit with anxiety.
Buffy stared at a list of irregular verbs, her brow knitted tight, when the classroom door opened and what looked like an old woman wrapped in bulky clothes walked in. The whole class silently raised their heads at the strange figure wrapped up in a thick overcoat, a shawl wrapped around her head to obscure her face from their vision. Will, whose feet had been propped up on his desk, quickly took them down and looked up at the woman who was slowly wandering in.
"Tonight," said the woman, "Sundown. In the graveyards."
"Excuse me-" said Will.
The woman turned to Buffy, though no-one could be sure where her eyes were directed. "You will come to her."
The woman moved forward and pulled the shawl off of her head to reveal her face wrinkled and raised, fangs protruding from her mouth and her eyes glowing yellow. Buffy's classmates shrieked and jumped away from their desks, rushing away to the back of the classroom. The sunlight that raked in through the windows fell over the vampire woman, making her pale skin smoke. Buffy sat straight up in her desk, not letting her eyes leave the flaming vamp.
"You will come to her or more will die. Tonight!"
A girl at the back of the classroom screamed as the vampire went up in flames, crying, "Her hour is at hand!" before the flames engulfed her face and body, and she quickly burst into dust, her clothes crumpling to the ground.
Buffy didn't need any more deliberation. She knew what she had to do.
xxx
"She said more would die. I have to go."
"I should go with you," said Sunshine, standing beside her in bright red, thickly framed glasses and a ponytail.
The two slayers and Will talked in his office, with Mike, Tina, Rachel and Quinn, after all of them had witnessed the self-sacrifice of one of Snix's minions.
"No, I need you here," said Buffy, "Just in case. Besides, if Snix is fighting me, it means she's not doing this end of the world ritual. Quinn? Any luck?"
Quinn shuffled. "Jesse and Shelby are going to meet us in the choir room. We just need to cross check-"
"No time. If you're gonna do this, you have to do it now. I can't stall Snix any longer. I won't."
Quinn sighed. "We need maybe a half hour after we get set up. If you could just hold back for-"
"You know I can't," Buffy said sternly, "It's too much. If I find her, I have to kill her. Unless you think you can do this, and do it fast."
Quinn nodded, thinking of all the people that had died because they thought stalling Santana was a good idea.
"Buffy..." Mike frowned, "Be careful."
Buffy gave him a single nod. "I will."
xxx
Buffy stood in the dark cemetery, her eyes peeled through the moonlight. More than anything, she hated waiting.
"Hello, lover."
Buffy turned to see Snix standing before her, a familiar playful smirk on her face, though there was something nasty about it, like the sneer of someone who'd just been gossiping about you.
"I wasn't sure you'd come," she said as she started circling Buffy.
"Well, after such an elaborate invitation, I had to show. But, shouldn't you be destroying the world right about now?"
"There's time for later. I had to say goodbye first. You're the one thing in this universe I think I'm gonna miss."
Buffy grimaced. "Well, that's beautiful. Can we fight now?"
"I didn't come here to fight," Snix frowned with mock sadness.
"No?"
"No, I was hoping we could get back together. What do you think? You want to give it a shot?"
Buffy pursed her lips, glaring at the vampire.
"Fine. Let's fight."
xxx
Jesse had put Beth to sleep in her crib before they all drew the curtains in the den and lit candles, all of them sitting in a circle except for Mike, who burned sage and swung it around the room, filling it would dim, grey-green smoke. Shelby had painted a symbol on her forehead and was staring at the orb in front of her, rested on the carpet.
"Quod perditum est, invenietur," Quinn chanted in Latin, her eyes closed as she sat cross-legged in the circle, one of her hands held by Shelby, the other by Rachel.
"Not dead, nor not of the living. Spirits of the interregnum, I call," Shelby said beside her, enthralled by the orb, "Let him know the pain of humanity, gods. Reach your wizened hands to me, give me the soul of-"
The lock on the front door flew off of it's hinges as four vampires barrelled in. Shelby gasped and Jesse stood, quick thinking, sending a shock of electricity from his hand to the nearest vampire. The vampire flung back, but got up quickly, unfazed.
Mike whipped out a stake from the back of his belt, but a vampire dodged it and struck him over the head, sending him flying against the wall, Shelby's shelves coming loose and falling over him.
"Mike!" Tina cried. She stood, when a vampire grabbed her around the waist and picked her up with little effort, running out of the apartment with Tina screaming in his arms.
Quinn outstretched her hands and sent fire through the air like a flame thrower, catching one of the vampires and engulfing them, as Rachel, Mike, Shelby and Jesse lay flat on the floor with their arms thrown over their heads. As the flaming vampire turned to dust, Quinn's powers began to wane and she relented, the fire disappearing and one of the remaining vamps running towards her, gripping her throat in his steely hands.
"No!" Rachel called and picked up an oval lamp, throwing it over the vampire's head. He let go of Quinn, who dropped to the floor, and punched Rachel in the jaw. As the petite girl fell back, her head caught the edge of the coffee table and blood trickled onto her hair.
"Enough!" Shelby shouted and with great effort, clapped her hands together.
Like that, the vampires disappeared into thin air. Silence fell in the apartment save for Beth's crying coming from down the hall. Jesse looked up, wide-eyed, at his past mentor, stunned by what she'd just done. Shelby's eyes rolled back, drained from the magic she'd used to banish the vampires. She fell back and fainted, just as Jesse stood quickly and caught her, hooking his arms under her legs and picking her up, putting her on the couch. Mike pushed loose shelves and books off of him, clutching his head in pain as Quinn scrambled up from the floor and crawled towards Rachel.
The blonde put a hand at the back of the brunette's head and felt the wet warmth of blood. Quinn grimaced and lifted the unconscious girl's head, resting it on her lap.
"Oh, Rachel..." Quinn winced.
"Tina," Mike breathed, and then said louder, "They took Tina!"
xxx
"I have a feeling your heart's not really in this," Snix said after tossing Buffy to the ground, grass stains sliding up the side of the slayer's shirt, "Maybe I'll just go home. Destroy the world. Brood a little."
Buffy slid a stake out from her jacket sleeve and gripped it tight. Snix's smile faltered as her eyes fell over it.
"Let's finish this," said Buffy.
Snix hesitated before smiling nastily. "Yes. Let's."
Buffy lunged off of the ground and Snix ran toward her, both girls colliding in a mess of fists and elbows. Buffy struck Snix with a hard punch and Snix reeled back for only a moment before kicking at Buffy's shins, making the girl stumble backwards.
Snix grabbed Buffy's arm and pulled it backwards, making the slayer cry out and lose the grip on her stake. Snix grabbed the stake and simultaneously kicked the back of Buffy's heels, making her fall to the ground. Snix grabbed her shoulders, flipped her over and straddled her, pinning her down and holding the stake high above her.
"Slayers heal fast, right?" Snix asked with a smirk, "How fast can you heal a puncture to the heart before bleeding out?"
Buffy struggled under the vampire when Snix was pulled back by the collar of her shirt and shoved to the ground, the stake falling out of her hand. Angel grabbed it and loomed over her, a grave expression on his face. Snix smiled under his shadow.
"Well, hello, big brother."
"Don't make me do this," he grimaced, squeezing the stake in his broad hand.
Snix stood up with a crooked smile. "I'd like to see you try."
"No," Buffy said softly and locked eyes with Snix, "We finish this. You and me."
Snix threw her head back and laughed. "You're even more narcissistic than me, aren't you?""
Buffy furrowed her eyebrows and Snix rolled her eyes. "This isn't about you. This was never about you."
Buffy's face fell as she thought of her friends performing their spell back in Shelby's apartment, and Will and Sunshine waiting at the school. She dropped her guard and ran in the direction of the cemetery exit. Angel looked back at Snix, who was smiling to herself, before catching the other vampire's gaze.
"You gonna let her go alone?" she asked innocently, "Who knows what could be waiting for her."
Angel bristled and headed for the exit, falling into a jog. Snix shook her head as she watched them leave. "She falls for it every single time."
xxx
Drusilla watched, her lip curling up in a devious grin, as her minions shoved Will into the back wall of his office and knocked him unconscious with a 'World's Best Teacher' mug. Sunshine struggled against of one of the minion's grasps and ran towards Drusilla with a yell, her fist outstreched. She landed a heavy blow, but not before Drusilla extended one long fingernail and slashed at Sunshine's face like a blade, drawing blood. She winced from the pain but didn't relent, adrenaline coursing through her veins.
She threw punches at Drusilla, but the tall vampire evaded them with ease and agility. Drusilla grasped her arm, holding Sunshine in place despite her struggle to escape.
"Look at me, dearie. Be in my eyes. Be in me," Drusilla chanted, staring hypnotically into Sunshine's round brown eyes.
Sunshine turned slack, her conviction fading, as she stared back at Drusilla, under her thrall. The vampire smirked and slashed her fingernails at Sunshine's throat, creating five longer, razor-sharp gashes. Sunshine gasped and clutched her throat, blood welling between her fingers and gushing over her hand. She dropped to the floor with a thud.
"Night, night," Drusilla smiled and looked to her minions, "Let's go."
They left an unconscious Will Schuester on the chair of his own desk and strode out behind Drusilla through the east exit, just as Buffy burst through the doors of the main entrance and ran through the halls of McKinley High. She stifled a scream, her sneakers skidding on the carpet, as she ran into Will's office and saw Sunshine lying lifeless on the floor, covered in blood. Buffy kneeled down, tears welling in her eyes and laid a gentle hand on Sunshine's head, blood pumping in her ears.
"Freeze!"
Buffy whipped her head around to see two cops raising their guns at her, their eyes wide and darting between her and Sunshine's dead body. Buffy looked back at her unconscious watcher, helpless.
"Back away from the girl!" one of the cops said tensely to Buffy, "Put your hands up slowly and back away!"
"But I didn't-"
"Do it now!"
Buffy raised her hands, shell shocked, and stood up slowly.
"This one's definitely dead," said the first cop, stepping over Sunshine's body as his partner locked handcuffs tight around Buffy's wrists, "What about that one?"
"Is he okay?!" Buffy urged.
"Get her out of here," the cop said gruffly.
"See if he's okay!" yelled Buffy as the other cop pulled her out of the room and shoved her through the school.
In the parking lot, a cop car waited with it's lights still blaring but the sirens silent. Backup talked with serious expressions to Principal Figgins, who had his arms folded over his chest. They fell silent and turned to Buffy as the police escorted her down the steps.
"I didn't do anything!" she shouted desperately.
"You know this girl?" the cop asked Figgins.
Her principal nodded, disappointment in his eyes as he looked down at her. "Buffy Summers. I hoped it wouldn't come to this."
"I didn't do anything! Please, see if the others are okay!"
"That's enough," the cop frowned, "You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say-"
Buffy pulled her arms apart and broke the link between the handcuffs, elbowing the cop in the face and breaking away, running back to the school and through the double doors. The backup cops raised their guns and Buffy heard shots firing as she ran through the hallways.
xxx
Will blinked, waking up from a daze with his head feeling numb, like it was full of cotton balls. Buffy leaned over him, bathed in fluorescent light, a black hoodie thrown over her head.
"Buffy? Where-"
"You're at the hospital," Buffy said quietly, "Snix's gang..."
She trailed off and looked to her side. Will followed her gaze to see Rachel unconscious on the hospital bed beside him with Quinn and Jesse standing over her, and Mike pacing the floor look anxious. The long lightbulbs flickered over them.
"What happened?" asked Will.
"They killed Sunshine," Buffy voice broke, sitting at the edge of her watcher's hospital bed looking burdened, "And they have Tina."
Will swallowed. "Will Rachel be okay?" he asked, looking at his unconscious student. A thick cotton bandage was wrapped tightly over her head, pinning her hair to her ears.
Quinn sniffed. "The doctor said it was head trauma. She could wake up any time, but the longer it takes... the less likely it is." Quinn shook her head. "I should never have asked her to help."
Jesse squeezed the blonde's shoulder. "This isn't your fault, Quinn."
"Where's Shelby?" asked Will, struggling to sit up with a heart monitor connected to him.
"At home, with Beth," replied Jesse, "I think we're giving up on the ritual."
Buffy looked at Quinn, but she didn't make an indication of being displeased with the outcome of their spell. Her concerned eyes stayed steady on Rachel.
"Where are her dads?" she asked.
"With family in Jersey," answered Quinn, "They're getting a flight back in a couple hours."
Buffy sighed and stood back up, glancing at Mike. "I have to find Tina," she said, about to walk out.
Mike stopped pacing and looked eagerly at Buffy. "Where are you gonna go?" he asked.
Buffy pursed her lips. "I don't know," she shook her head, "But you can't come with me."
"But-"
"Mike, please. I can't risk any more lives, alright?"
"But it's Tina," he said, giving Buffy a pleading look, "I have to be there when you find her."
Buffy sighed. "You have to be safe when I find her - because I will find her, and she'll never forgive me if something happens to you."
Mike frowned like he wanted to say, 'Likewise', but he remained silent as Buffy ducked out of the hospital in her hood.
xxx
Tina's eyes fluttered open and she tried to blink against the bluriness and adjust to the dimness of the room. She was waking up with a pounding headache, one side of her face cold against a hardwood floor. Her stomach sank when Snix dropped into her vision, crawling on her stomach to catch Tina's attention and smiling eagerly.
"Hey, Crouching Tiger," she said peacefully.
Tina lifted her head and looked down at her body, realizing she wasn't bound by anything. She looked back at Snix, fearful of what the vampire's had planned. They'd snapped Ms. Pillsbury's neck just to send a message, so what did they have in mind for one of Buffy's best friends?
"What do you want?" she asked, her voice croaky.
She groggily pushed herself up with her hands and sat on the floor feeling dizzy. She looked around and saw she was in a wide, square room with nothing but a chandelier, thick curtains drawn over the windows and a large doorway. Spike sat under it in his wheelchair, frowning at Tina, not looking like his usual torture-happy self.
Snix stood up in a form-fitting black dress as Tina struggled to keep her balance on the floor.
"I couldn't tell if you were gonna wake up," she said, "You had me worried."
Tina gritted her teeth. "What do you want?" she asked again, assertive.
"I want to torture you. Never really done it before. I think it could be fun. I've heard great things," Snix nodded gingerly.
Tina turned and her gaze locked on something she hadn't noticed before. The statue of Acathla stood a few feet away, free from it's tomb.
"Oh, yeah, that guy," said Snix, "He's even harder to wake up than you are. I said all the right stuff, got blood on my hands, for nothing. So I figure, hey, the Asian nerd can tell me where I went wrong, right? Right. Except part of me is kind of hoping you don't let up right away because I really do want to get a little torture into the situation."
Tina's heart picked up a little. They didn't want to send a message - they wanted information. It made so much more sense. She tensed up and took in her surroundings. Two vampires had their hands clasped behind her, leering at her. As they began to swagger forward, Tina clenched her fist and brought back her elbow with all the force in her body, catching one of the vampire's chins and more importantly, catching him off guard, the way Buffy taught her. No-one expects it from the short teenage girl.
The other vampire lunged at her, but she darted under his arms and got behind him, shoving him hard into Snix, both of them sprawling to the ground. Tina sprinted to the door, past Spike, who made no movement to stop her, when Drusilla appeared in front of her and stretched out her hand, catching Tina by the neck and walking her easily back into the room.
Tina's heart pounded as she reminded herself why they needed her hear. Information. You have it. They need it. If she couldn't manage to escape, at the very least she could stall them until Buffy came to her rescue. If Buffy came to her rescue.
Snix pushed her minion away and strode towards Tina, smiling, vaguely impressed.
"Shall we start with the fingers?"
xxx
Buffy moved swiftly through suburban streets, unsure of where she was headed. She knew she didn't want Mike tagging along, hysterical, getting himself seriously hurt if there was another attack. But now she wondered if he would've had a better idea of where to look for his girlfriend. Buffy turned a corner a few blocks away from her house when somebody snapped the headlights on their car. Buffy blinked and stumbled a few steps back, shielding her eyes with her arms.
She looked up and saw the vague shape of a cop car. Somebody swung out of the driver's seat and pointed a gun at her.
"Freeze!" he said, before Buffy could react.
She blinked into the brightness when something pulled the cop back into the dark, making him emit a frightened yelp. When the cop was silenced, a dark figure strode forth. It wasn't until he was just a few feet away that Buffy recognized the bleached hair and the floor-length leather duster.
"Spike?"
"Hello, love."
Buffy frowned at him, looking him up and down, seeing he was finally free from his wheelchair. She didn't hesitate to lunge forward and throw a fist into his face. He reeled back and pushed her away.
"Will you hold on a second?!" he backed away and held his hands in front of his face, "Hey! White flag! I quit!"
Buffy scowled, her fists still clenched. "We're mortal enemies. We don't get time-outs."
"Hey, if you want a go-around, pet, I'll have a gay old time. But if you want to Snix, you're gonna have to play it a bit differently."
"What are you talking about?"
"I'm talking about your ex, love, and putting her in the bloody ground."
Buffy looked him up and down and shook her head in disgust. "This has got to be the lamest trick you guys have ever pulled."
"Not a trick, love."
"Oh, yeah?"
"She's got your friend. She's probably torturing her right now."
Buffy paused, pursing her lips. She stared hard at Spike's face and tried to imagine what Snix could possibly gain from a ploy like this.
"What do you want?" she asked hesitantly.
"I told you. I want to stop your girlfriend. Save the world."
"You do remember that you don't have a soul, right?"
"We vampires like to talk big, innit," he shrugged, "'I'm gonna destroy the world'. Just tough guy talk, strutting around with your mates, drinking a pint of blood."
He pulled a cigarette and a silver lighter out of his pocket and lit up, taking a drag.
"Truth is, I love this world. You got dog racing, Manchester United, 'Love Boat'. Billions of Happy Meals on legs. And then someone like Snix with nothing to live for comes along. Then it's goodbye Piccadilly, farewell Leicester bloody Square, you see what I'm saying?"
Buffy wrinkled her nose. "Sort of. I'm still having this 'not believing you' issue. You may not be down with Snix, but why would you come to me?"
Spike grimaced and paused before giving his honest answer. "I want Dru back," he said, exhaling smoke, "I want it like it used to be, before Snix showed up. The way she acts around him-"
"Ugh, you're pathetic," Buffy rolled her eyes and shook her head, not wanting to hear the sob story, "I've got friends in the hospital. People have died. I may lose more of them and the whole world could get sucked into Hell and you need my help because you're girlfriend's a slut? Let me take the opportunity to not care."
Spike stood straight, insulted. "I can't fight them alone and neither can you!"
Buffy bristled. "You're a killer."
"And I'm all you've got."
She shook her head, looking down at the floor. At the current moment, she just wanted to find Tina, even more than she wanted to stop Snix. "Alright. Talk."
xxx
Jesse leaned against the doorway, his gazing sometimes attracted by the bustle of nurses and doctors out in the hall, but usually pulled back by the sorry sight of Quinn, leaning over Rachel's hospital bed like a mourning girlfriend. Mr. Schuester got dressed in the bathroom, unwilling to stay another night like the doctor's wanted him to, and Mike still paced the room, staring out of the window every couple minutes, grumbling under his breath.
"She's gonna be okay," Jesse quietly to Quinn, walking up to her and taking a seat in one of the polyester chairs, "They all are."
Quinn nodded, not quite taking it in, her eyes still trained on Rachel. "We didn't even get a chance."
Jesse frowned. He wondered if it would be any easier for Quinn if she and Rachel had been a real couple before one louder half went into a coma. He doubted it. "You'll get your chance. You both will. She'll wake up. Don't worry."
Even he knew the words felt empty/ Quinn blinked tears out of her eyes and slid her hand into Rachel's, squeezing tight.
"Come on, Rach," she whispered, "You have to wake up. I need you. I love you." She rested her forehead against Rachel's and whispered again, "I love you."
Rachel's eyelids began to fluttre and Quinn leaned back, hopeful. "Rachel?"
"Quinn?"
A laugh escaped Quinn's mouth, and more tears slid down her face as Rachel wearily opened her eyes. "Oh, Rachel. Are you okay? How do you feel?"
Rachel frowned and looked at her surroundings and back up at Quinn, her eyes turning soft. "What... did you say?"
"I said... I love you," said Quinn, only just realizing it herself, "Rachel, I love you."
Rachel smiled up at her and Quinn leaned in, pressing her lips against the brunette's. Jesse politely averted his eyes, smiling to himself, and Mike glanced at the girls, seemingly unfazed.
Rachel's hands snaked gently around Quinn's neck. "I love you, too," she said against the blonde's lips.
xxx
Buffy trekked up the road to her house with Spike trailing behind her. She wrung her hands together, worried she was making a huge mistake. Ultimately, she didn't care. She needed to find Tina and if she was doing something stupid, at least she was doing something. Buffy looked up as they neared her house, just as her mother pulled the car into the driveway and spotted her daughter, frantic with worry.
"Buffy!" she called, running towards her daughter.
"Mom, what's wrong?" Buffy asked as she approached the front of the house.
"Where have you been? The police were asking about you. Are you okay? I went out looking for you," said Joyce, going a mile a minute.
Buffy sighed. "Let's go inside," she said, reluctantly accepting that she'd have to make up some creative story.
"Who's this?" asked Joyce, looking over Buffy's shoulder at Spike.
Buffy looked back at the English vampire, her stomach turning. "I'll explain inside," she replied.
"Buffy, what's going on? Are you okay?"
"Mom-"
"Buffy, terrible things have happened. What were you doing?" Joyce asked, stubbornly folding her arms.
"What, your mum doesn't know?" asked Spike.
Buffy whipped her head around and glared at him.
"Know what?" asked Joyce.
"That, uh, I'm in a band," Buffy said quickly, and added, "With Spike."
"Right. She plays the triangle," Spike nodded.
"Drums," Buffy grumbled.
"Drums, yeah. She's hell on the old skins, you know?"
"And what do you do?" asked Joyce, looking at Spike.
"Oh, I sing."
"Let's go inside and talk about it," said Buffy.
Joyce frowned, but turned and led them up to the front door. "I'm not sure how I feel about this..." she mumbled.
"You think she's buying it?" Buffy covertly asked Spike.
Spike was about to reply when the bushes rustled and they all turned their head to see a vampire pounced out from them, tackling into Joyce and knocking her to the ground. From the dewy grass, she looked up at his vamped out face and gasped. Buffy sprinted forward and grabbed the vampire, hurling him towards Spike to give her time to whip a stake out from her sleeve. She ran toward it and sunk the stake into his heart, making the vampire burst into a pile of dust.
Buffy's chest heaved as she tucked her stake back into her pocket and looked back at her mother, who was wide-eyed and speechless, sprawled on the ground.
"One of our boys," Spike said to Buffy, "Must've been watching me. Or you."
"Buffy, what's going on?" asked Joyce, pushing herself off of the grass.
Buffy walked over to her mother and helped her up, patting loose grass off of her shoulders, when Joyce looked at her with probing eyes.
"Okay," she said, taking a deep breath, "Mom... I'm a vampire slayer."
xxx
Quinn and Rachel were still holding hands and giving each other quiet, meaningful glances when Angel walked in, a leather jacket over his broad shoulders.
"What are you doing here?" asked Will, who had gotten dressed.
"Looking for Buffy. I found something she might be able to use... if you're still planning on summoning Santana's soul."
Quinn looked up at Angel, still grasping Rachel's hand. "I don't think so."
"What did you find?" asked Jesse.
"It doesn't matter," Quinn looked at the warlock, stern.
Rachel squeezed Quinn's hand and looked at Angel. "What did you find?"
"A revised version of the ritual. I've been out of town for a while trying to get help with it from the last of the Romani clan. If it works, we could restore Santana's soul without the clause. She'd never have to worry about happiness again."
Mike turned from the window and glared at Angel. "And if it doesn't work, it'd be a huge waste of time. People have died. Tina is missing. We don't have any more time to stall."
"Mike's right," Quinn said solemnly, "We can't let anyone else get hurt."
"We could try," Rachel said quietly, and the others looked at her, "I just mean, Buffy's doing whatever she can. We can go back to Shelby and try. If we get it done in time, Buffy won't have to kill Santana and if we don't... then we don't. It's not like there's anything else for us to do."
Quinn frowned. "Are you sure? I don't want you getting hurt. Not again."
"It's powerful magic, Rachel," said Jesse, staring steadfast at the girl, "Especially now that you're weaker."
"I'm not weaker!" said Rachel, sitting up with her bandage wrapped around her head, "When we tried the spell, before the vampires attacked, I felt something. Something I can't explain, but it made me feel powerful. I want to finish the spell. If we can save Santana, we stop her from waking Acathla."
Quinn hesitated before giving a tight nod. "Mike, go to Buffy. Tell her what we're doing. See if she can stall."
"But-"
"Please, Mike."
Mike frowned, his lips a tight line across his face. "Be careful."
xxx
Buffy sat Joyce on the living room couch with a glass of bourbon and a stunned face. The slayer looked down at her mother, worried how she'd deal with all of this when the shock finally wore off. She turned to Spike, who was standing awkwardly in the the hallway, his arms folded.
"Talk to me," she said gruffly, "What's the deal?"
"Simple. I help you kill Santana. You let me and Dru skip town."
"Santana? Your... girlfriend?" asked Joyce, looking up.
"Forget about Drusilla," said Buffy, ignoring her mother, "She's not walking out of this one."
"There's no deal without Dru!" Spike said heatedly.
"She killed Sunshine!"
Spike's eyebrows raised, impressed. "Dru bagged a slayer? Good for her," he said, before Buffy threw him a nasty look, "Um, not from your perspective, I suppose."
"I can't believe I invited you into my house," Buffy mumbled to herself.
"So you didn't kill that girl?" asked Joyce.
"Of course not!" said Buffy, turning back to her mother, bewildered.
"Did she explode like that man outside?"
"No, she was a slayer, Mom."
"Like what you are?"
"Look, this deal works one way only," interrupted Spike, "Me and Dru for your precious Snix."
"Honey, are you sure you're a slayer?" asked Joyce.
"I'll take her out of the country. You'll never hear from us again, I bloody well hope."
"I mean, have you tried not being a slayer?"
Buffy rolled her eyes. "Mom..." she sighed and looked at Spike, "Go make sure Tina is okay and be ready to back me up when I make my move. If Tina dies, so does Drusilla."
Spike glared at Buffy and left the house without a word. She frowned, her muscles starting to ache as she looked back at her mother, who was gaping up at her, waiting for an explanation.
"Is it because you didn't have a strong father figure?" Joyce blurted out.
Buffy sighed and took a seat on the floral fabric couch. "It's just destiny, Mom. I'm the slayer. Accept it."
Joyce paused. "We should call the police, now that we know you're innocent."
"What, did you think I was guilty?" Buffy frowned.
"I didn't think that, I just... Now we have proof."
"We don't have proof, Mom. We only have my word."
"I'm sure they'll understand-"
"If you get them involved, they'll get killed. Simple as. I have to do this alone."
"Do what?"
"I'm gonna need Sunshine's sword."
"What sword? What's going on?"
Buffy brought her hands to her temple, frustrated. She needed to act fast. She didn't have time to explain everything. "I have stuff to do. Just have another drink, okay?"
"Don't talk to me that way!" Joyce stood up, looking down at her daughter, her face red. Her bourbon glass fell to the floor and shattered, but she didn't even look at it, "You can't just drop this on me and pretend it's nothing!"
"I'm sorry, but I don't have time-"
"No. I'm sick of the 'I don't have time' and 'you wouldn't understand'. I am your mother and you are going to explain yourself to me," said Joyce, using emphatic hand gestures.
"I told you," Buffy said through gritted teeth, "I'm a slayer."
"Well, I don't accept it."
"Open your eyes, Mom!" Buffy said, leaping from the couch and getting at her mother's level, "What do you think's been happening for the past two years? How many times have you washed blood out of my clothes? You still can't figure it out?!"
Joyce clenched her jaw. "Well, it ends now."
"It never ends! Do you think I chose to be like this?! Do you know how lonely it is? How dangerous?! Do you know what I'd give to be upstairs, watching TV and talking about boys or, God, even studying?! But I have to save the world. Again."
"No. This is crazy," she shook her head, "You need help."
"I'm not crazy, Mom! I need you to calm down. I'll be back."
"You are not leaving this house."
"Who's gonna stop me?"
Buffy strode out through the front door with Joyce running after her and stopping still on the porch.
"If you leave, don't even think about coming back!" Joyce cried out to her daughter with desperation in her voice.
Buffy paused, and pressed on without a word.
a/n: So the next chapter will be the last of 'Season 2', and I'm super excited for the finale. I thought I'd have plenty of time to write this summer but my family is up and moving to America, so I'm pretty busy right now. Thank you for reading and reviewing :)