Chapter 77

The Slayer

Quinn slammed a fire poker through a zombie's chest as more flooded in through the back door, but the metal hook stuck halfway through his chest as he stumbled. Buffy darted in through the hall, her eyes bugging out at the impaled zombie.

"We have to barricade the door!" she called as Quinn poked her head in from the dining room.

Blaine and the rest of the scoobies started grabbing end tables, chairs, anything to hold back the horde of zombies pounded their fleshy fists at the front door. A hand broke through the diamond-shaped window in the door and Rachel screamed as small flecks of glass caught in her hair.

"Upstairs!" ordered Buffy, abandoning the barricade. The scoobies and a few frightened party guests ran upstairs and towards the master bedroom, when the slayer spotted a body moaning on the floor of the landing.

"Pat!" Joyce cried.

"Help me," said Buffy, as she leaned down to lift Pat from the ground.

She and her mother carried the woman into the bedroom as Quinn urgently ushered them in. They dropped her onto Joyce's bed as Quinn, Kurt and Blaine held the door back, trying to shove hungry zombie arms back out.

Buffy grabbed Pat's wrist, trying to feel for a pulse. Her face paled. "She's…"

"Oh, God, Pat," Joyce moaned.

Buffy frowned, not wanting to meet her mother's eyes. "She's dead."

Joyce looked pained, but turned around to see the three teangers struggling to barricade the door with their bodies. Joyce and Buffy rushed toward them to help as Quinn turned, pressing her back against the door.

"Where's Rachel?!" Quinn asked, panicked.

Buffy swallowed. "She's okay. She'll be okay," she said, unconvincing, "We can't let these zombies in."

"Zombies?!" Joyce cried, "Oh, God, what happens if they get in?"

"We die," Buffy said curtly.

xxx

"I don't hear anything. Should we check?"

Tina sighed. All she could hear in the darkness of the Summers' linen closet was Rachel's shaky breathing and her own heart beating.

"Yeah, let's go for it."

Tina opened the closet door open with a creak and poked her head out. The house looked trashed - and abandoned - but she could hear some rustling around down the hall. Rachel held a ski pole out for Tina to take.

"Thanks."

They both walked side by side down the hall, hearing the faint sounds of footsteps and a plate falling upstairs. They rounded the corner, both armed with ski poles, when a shadow floated over them. Rachel gasped and held out her ski pole, ready to stab, when she saw it was Mr. Schuester.

He stumbled back and hissed, "Rachel, it's me, it's me!"

"Mr. Schuester! You're alive!" Rachel sighed as she lowered the pole.

"I think the dead man's party has moved upstairs," said Tina, her eyes to the ceiling as they heard some more rustling and shattering coming from above.

"That makes sense," said Will, following Tina, "It's the mask in Joyce's bedroom they're after."

"Mask? What mask?" asked Rachel.

"One of the relics you were researching, Tina," said Will, "Evil Eye."

"Evil Eye," Tina sighed, "Mrs. Summers has the relic of Ovu Mobani in her bedroom?! That is so badass."

"What is Ovum Banana?" asked Rachel.

"Ovu Mobani. A zombie demon," said Tina as they reached the bottom of the staircase, "How are we supposed to get past the zombies?"

"What happens if they get the mask?" asked Rachel, holding the ski pole close to her chest.

"If one of them puts it on, they become the demon."

"Worse than a zombie?"

"Way."

xxx

The bedroom door bust open, throwing back Buffy, Joyce and the remaining scoobies. Quinn landed with a thud on the floor and raised her weakened arms when she noticed the zombie that had busted through had scorch marks all over its burned flesh. It was the same zombie she'd set fire to. Still alive. Still strong.

"How are we supposed to kill them?!" she yelled desperately, her face hot with frustration as Buffy attempted to hit the zombie.

The zombie landed a backfisted punch onto the slayer's face and Buffy thudded against the bedroom wall, knocking a piece of wooden artwork to the ground. Joyce stumbled back, flustered as her daughter tried to fight back the monster, when Pat caught her eye. The woman was standing up from the bed, looking strong and stone-faced.

"Oh, God," Joyce breathed, starting toward her, "We thought you were-"

Pat grabbed Joyce by the shoulders and threw her over the bed. Joyce rolled over the covers and stared in her friend's direction, bewildered. She scrambled over the edge and tried to hide on the other side, where Kurt army-crawled toward her. Both of them watched as Pat bent down to pick up the wooden mask that had fallen to the floor and Buffy, Quinn and Blaine continued to fight off the zombie that had broken its way into the bedroom.

Pat lifted the mask to her face and with a small glowing light, the wood seemed to meld into her flesh. Pat was wearing the glaring red eyes and the fanged frown like it was her own face, and as she did, the zombie that the other scoobies were fighting began to whimper and back away.

"Generally speaking," said Kurt, "When scary things get scared, it's less than good."

Joyce nodded, stunned, as the zombie dropped to its knees, cowering on the floor. The other scoobies turned to face Pat.

"I live," she said in a hollow, otherworldly voice, "You die."

Buffy ran toward Pat, arms out, ready to fight, when she met the demon's eye and was stunned by a flash of light. Pat raised her arm and slammed her fist into Buffy's chest, throwing her to the other side of the room. Buffy fell into a winded heap on the floor as Quinn and Blaine stared at Pat, helpless.

"Don't look!" Buffy raised her head to say, her voice hoarse, as Pat's eyes produced another blinding flash of light.

Pat grabbed a petrified Quinn by the end of her pink hair. Buffy darted up from the ground and grabbed the demonic woman, throwing both of them against the window. Buffy felt glass shatter against her skin and she and Pat were falling. She let go of the woman and rolled down the gable roof and her stomach swooped just before she hit the grass in the backyard. Buffy hopped to her feet and spun around, attempting not to look Pat in the eye.

The demon grabbed the slayer by the back of her dress and threw her to the ground. Buffy shielded her eyes and turned on her back, kicking wildly in front of her until she felt her foot hit Pat's chest. She scrambled over the dewy grass and reached for the shovel that was lying near the upturned patch of earth that the zombie cat had crawled out of. As Pat stood back up and walked toward her, Tina came rushing out of the back door.

"Buffy-" she called, before Pat turned around and, with a blast of light, stunned the girl.

Buffy stood up while Pat's back was turned and wielded the shovel.

"Hey, Pat," she said, almost grinning.

Pat spun back around and Buffy quickly shoved the sharp end of the shovel into the woman's face, slicing right between the eyes of the mask. Pat stumbled back, groaning in pain and reaching, in vain, for the shovel that had impaled her.

Buffy smirked and scanned her brain for something to say. "...Made you look."

Yeah, she thought, I still got it.

A blinding light poured out of the mask and Pat disappeared into thin air, taking Ovu Mobani with her. Buffy's chest heaved as she tried to reclaim her breath. She looked up at Tina, who was standing on the back porch.

Tina shrugged. "Never mind."

The girls quietly walked back into the trashed house together, the front door off of its hinges, as Joyce led the rest of the scoobies downstairs, her hair a wild mane.

"Oh, honey!" she breathed, rushing over to Buffy and embracing her in a death grip, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," Buffy sighed.

Strangely, she was alright. She knew she'd bruise a little in the morning, but more than anything, she felt invigorated. She felt like she had a purpose again, like she had done exactly what it was she was supposed to do. And as the scoobies gathered under the arch between the living room and the hallway, they looked at each other - and at Buffy - with exhausted reverence. They were all alright. Things were finally back to normal.

"So, is this a typical day at the office?" asked Joyce, her lips curled in a nervous grin.

"No," Buffy smirked, "This was nothing."

Quinn leaned against the arch, breathing heavily as Rachel held her hand. "Nice moves," she said.

Buffy nodded. "You, too."

Tina sighed mournfully and grabbed the slayer by the shoulders, gripping her in a tight hug. As she slid out of the embrace, smiling sheepishly, Rachel ran forward to hug the slayer, too.

"We don't all have to hug you, do we?" Quinn asked as Rachel and Buffy pulled away from each other, "Because that's a level of intimacy I'm not really ready for with you."

Rachel rolled her eyes and smirked at her girlfriend. "That's Quinn for, 'We're happy to have you back, Buff'."

Buffy smiled and glanced at the floor. "I'm happy to be back."

xxx

"I mean, I'm not a full-fledged witch. I don't really plan on becoming one. I have NYADA and everything to worry about. Turning Quinn's hair pink is probably the most impressive thing I've done so far. Not like her. She tried communicating with the spirit world a couple weeks ago. It didn't work, but she did manage to blow out the power for her whole neighborhood."

"So you and Quinn are spending a lot of time together, huh?" Buffy murmured as she took a sip of mocha.

She, Rachel and Tina had taken a tall table at the back of The Lima Bean during lunch to talk over sugary drinks.

"Yes, we've been openly dating since April," Rachel announced proudly, "I know, it's probably difficult for you to adjust to-"

"No, no, I get it. I just… well, I don't think she likes me."

"Trust me, she likes you," Rachel rolled her eyes, "She just has a funny way of expressing affection."

"Yeah, if she really didn't like you, she would ignore you completely. Like she does with me," Tina smirked.

"Tina-" Rachel pouted.

"Rachel, it's fine. I'm perfectly happy not being on Quinn Fabray's radar. Or anybody's," she said, absentmindedly stirring her chai.

"I wouldn't say that. That waiter is giving you googly eyes," Buffy smirked as she nodded her head at a college freshman in a red smock behind the counter glancing their way.

Tina blushed. "Please don't tell me that you came back to Lima to set me up because I'm so not ready for that."

Buffy smiled sympathetically. "Is it awkward? In glee club? With… he who must not be named?"

Tina smiled gratefully at the slayer. "No," she said quietly, "Mike dropped out of glee club. I feel so bad…"

"Don't feel bad for him," said Rachel, "He dumped you for following your dreams. You don't need that kind of negativity."

"Yeah, and besides, this year is going to be the best. I can tell," Buffy nodded.

"Why in the world would you think that?" asked Tina.

"I don't know. How could it be any worse than the last two years?"

"The last two years weren't that bad," said Rachel, "I mean, despite all of the fatalities and the betrayal and the broken hearts, I've had some fun since sophomore year. I've made friends."

"And now we're seniors," said Buffy, "It's the end of an era. Which would probably be more meaningful if I was actually enrolled in school."

"Figgins will come around," said Tina, "He's probably going to let you back in during your meeting later. Why else would he want to see you again?"

Buffy shrugged and gripped her coffee in both hands. "That's what Mom is hoping. I don't know, though. Maybe he just wants to rub it in my face what a delinquent I am. It's kind of poetic justice though, right?"

"What do you mean, Buffy?" asked Rachel.

"This is what I deserve. For bailing."

"No, you have to stop blaming yourself," said Tina.

"Yeah, we forgave you," said Rachel, "We have to make allowances, for what you're going through and be adults about this."

Buffy cocked her head and smirked. "Is this moral superiority thing for your class president campaign?"

Rachel smiled. "No, but it is an added bonus. And if Figgins does let you back in school - which he will - you can help me. I still don't have a running mate, so-"

"No, I think Vice President is a little more than I can handle," said Buffy, "Even if it is just over our class."

"Maybe you're right. So, if small government is out of the question, what about dating?"

Buffy flinched and gripped her coffee tighter. "I don't know."

"I know, I know, you're still sore after… whatever it is that happened, but it's been all summer, and there's a cute new boy at school."

Buffy smirked. "I'm not saying I'm interested, but when I hear the phrase 'cute boy', I'm programmed to ask for details."

"Are you talking about Joe?" asked Tina.

"Yes," Rachel smiled excitedly, "He's not really my type, but he is cute, if you're into dreadlocks and barefeet."

"Granola hottie?" asked Buffy.

"Very much so. He's pretty religious, too, and not in an in-your-face, my-girlfriend-circa-2010 way. I'm not saying that he's the boy that you marry but he's at least the boy that you flirt with just because he's cute and you're single."

Buffy exhaled. "I'm not trying to snare any boys right now. That includes flirtiness. I just want to get my life back and do normal stuff."

"Flirting is normal. Right, Tina? Back me up."

Tina shrugged. "I'm not in the state of mind to tell anyone to get back on the horse, but yeah, flirting is normal. And Joe doesn't look like the type of boy to try and bring about the apocalypse."

"Maybe you have a point," said Buffy, "Flirting is normal. Dating is normal. I just… I don't know. I want to start with easy stuff. Like shopping and hanging out and going to school and saving the world from unspeakable evil. Girly stuff."

Rachel smiled encouragingly as her phone bleeped in the pocket of her purple trench. She took it out and opened up a picture that was sent to her. She widened her eyes.

"What is it?" asked Tina.

"The school newspaper. They ran an article in the student government section about Kurt. A full page about how much he cares about McKinley," she pouted, "That is propaganda! The McKinley Times is supposed to be an objective medium!"

"Maybe it's an opinion piece," Tina suggested.

"I have to get back to the school," she groaned, grabbing her purse, "Sorry to skip out on lunch early but I have to work on my audition for the school musical."

"School musical?" asked Buffy.

"Mr. Schuester's putting on a senior production of West Side Story," Tina explained.

Buffy pouted. "I feel so out of loop."

Rachel left The Lima Bean and hopped into her car, calling Quinn before she turned the key in the ignition.

"Hello?" Quinn greeted on the other line.

"Hey, I'm coming back to school. Want to run lines with me as Tony?" Rachel asked as she buckled her seatbelt.

"Sure, but I thought you were taking lunch to catch up with Buffy?"

"I figured I should get in some extra rehearsal time. I really want to get this part."

"Are you avoiding her again?"

"No, this isn't about Buffy. Somebody texted me a picture of the school newspaper - probably Blaine, just to rub it in my face. Kurt has a full-page article in the student government section about how he loves McKinley so much that he'd come back to it even after being harassed by bullies. How am I supposed to compete with that?"

"What does that have to do with West Side Story?"

"If I don't win this election, I have to have something going for me, and I can't count on winning Nationals next spring. I need to land the role of Maria."

"Don't worry, Rachel, you'll get it. You're pretty much the only one who cares about the school musical, anyways."

"I'm not as sure as you are. I just feel like maybe I've deluded myself into thinking I'm more special than I am. I need to work harder."

"Rachel, all you do is work hard."

"And obviously it's not enough."

"So I'm guessing between the campaign and glee club and West Side, you won't have time to practise tonight?"

"Practise what?"

"I was going to teach you some glamours, remember?"

"Oh, right. No, I don't think I'll have time for magic anytime soon."

"No, I guess not."

"Are you disappointed?"

"Honestly, yeah, but it's not your fault. I know witchcraft isn't really your thing, even though I keep telling you that you could be great at it."

"I just have so much going on."

"I know. I guess with Jesse gone, I just need to find somebody else to practise with."

xxx

"Here are the returns of your re-entry. One, you must pass a makeup test of every class you flunked last year. Two, you provide a letter of recommendation from any member of our faculty who is not a glee club instructor. Three, you complete an interview with our school counselor who must conclude that your violent tendencies are under control."

"I'm not sure I like your attitude, Mr. Figgins."

Buffy picked at a glossed fingernail and smirked at her mother. The meeting that Figgins had called that afternoon had been to allow her back into the school, after all, but the high school principal didn't look happy about it. It seemed that Joyce's many complaints to the school board were weighing on Figgins' shoulders.

"I spoke to the school board," Joyce continued, "And they told me that-"

"I'm required to provide an education for every child in the district," Figgins interrupted, "Welcome back, Ms. Summers."

Buffy smiled to herself. "One question?"

"Yes?"

"I don't have any of my stuff with me for today, but do you think I could go to glee club?"

xxx

"Look who's back!" Tina smiled broadly, waving her hands over Buffy's head with a flourish as both of them entered the choir room.

Will looked up from writing in his notebook on the surface of Brad's piano and smiled as the glee club cheered. Buffy blushed at her clapping classmates.

"We missed you, Buffy," Mercedes smiled as she sat in the front row, Sam's arm slung over her shoulder.

Buffy smiled politely. "Thanks."

"Okay, who is she, and why didn't anybody clap when I joined glee club?" asked Sugar, lowering her heart-shaped glasses to get a good look at Buffy.

"Sugar, this is Buffy. Buffy, Sugar," Will smirked.

"Nice to meet you," Buffy half-smiled at the younger girl.

"Probably."

"Whoa, Buddy is back!"

Buffy spun around to see Puck and Finn walking into the choir room, their backpacks hanging from one shoulder.

"It's Buff-... Okay, I know you know what my name is, so I'm not going to bother correcting you anymore," she smirked.

Puck smiled and rustled her hair as she passed. "We've had some good times, Buster."

Finn nodded to Buffy as Puck handed Will a note.

"We can't do practise today," he said to the teacher, "Football practise."

"In the middle of the day?" Will asked skeptically.

"There's a scout from OSU coming to watch Friday's game."

Will sighed. "Fine, I guess. We'll just run harmonies. Buffy, can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Sure," Buffy said and huddled over with Will at the piano as the other glee clubbers chattered to each other in their seats, "What's up?"

"It's about the demon, Acathla."

Buffy's smile faltered as she remembered the apocalyptic stone demon they fought before the summer. "Gee, don't gush about my miraculous return or anything."

"I wouldn't call it miraculous. I had to make several daily phone calls to the state school board."

"You broke them down?"

"Don't worry about it. Worry about getting back on the proverbial horse. Where slaying is concerned, at least."

"Right. Acathla. Should we be panicked?"

"No, not at all, we just need to make sure that the vortex is totally sealed. I'm getting Shelby to help me with a binding spell."

"So what do you need me for?"

"There are some incantations during the spell that get very specific, so I need a few details about your last fight with Snix."

Buffy frowned and glanced at her classmates, happily going about their business. "Now?"

"If it's okay."

Buffy looked back at Will and shrugged, trying to look easygoing. "Fire away."

"I figured that the time the vortex was closed about a half an hour after Mike rescued Tina."

"Less. More like ten minutes."

"Was the vortex already open?"

"Barely."

"Oh. And Snix?"

Buffy shrugged. "Big fight. She got the pointy end of the sword. Acathla sucked her into Hell. That's about it."

Will nodded. "Thanks, Buffy. That should be… helpful."

xxx

"Dahling, you're simply glowing," Kurt crooned as Buffy squeezed past a gyrating blond girl and a guy with a pencil-thin moustache on the dancefloor and met the rest of the scoobies - sans Quinn and Rachel - in a corner of The Bronze with mismatched velvet couches pushed together in a cosy semi-circle.

Buffy giggled, "I passed my English make-up exam."

"Good for you!" exclaimed Blaine.

"Good job, Buffy," Tina said encouragingly.

"I'm just glad to be hanging with my friends. Hello, my life, how I've missed you," Buffy smirked, "I wish Rachel were here."

"She's going crazy with school stuff," Tina shrugged, "And of course, Quinn is helping her out."

"I'm surprised you're here," Buffy said, looking pointedly at Kurt, "Don't you have an election and a school musical to worry about, too? And Blaine told me about your dreams. Do you ever get any sleep?"

"Oh, yeah, usually at about 11:30 in Natural Science," Kurt joked, "I haven't gotten the chance to see you since your less-than-festive welcoming party."

"Look who's walking over," Tina smirked, nudging Buffy with her elbow.

Buffy looked over to see a modestly-dressed boy with dreadlocks and leather sandals approaching. It must have been Joe. Rachel was right - he was cute, and in a way that Buffy never imagined herself being into. He had smoky eyelashes and a silver nose ring. The perfect specimen for harmless flirting.

"Hey, guys," he greeted them, an easygoing twinkle in his eye.

"Hi, Joe, what are you doing here?" asked Tina.

"You told me if I came after eight I could meet your friend Buffy."

Buffy threw a look at Tina, whose face had fallen with guilt.

"Sorry," Joe smirked, "I'm a bad liar. It's not good for the soul. You must be Buffy."

Buffy smirked. "Hi, Joe," she said shyly.

"You like this song?" he asked, nodding to the live band on stage.

"Yeah, actually, I do."

"Well, would you like to…" he trailed off, gesturing toward the dancefloor.

"...Dance? Um, I don't know. I'm bad with… Well, thank you for asking, it's just that-"

"Look, I'm just going to stand by the dancefloor. If you change your mind, mosey on over. No pressure," he said, smiling kindly.

Buffy smiled back, grateful, and slightly embarrassed. "'Kay."

Joe walked away, hands in the pockets of his loose jeans, as Buffy's friends collectively winced at her.

"That was hard to watch," said Blaine.

"Come on, Buffy, that guy is all charm and sincerity," Kurt smiled.

"And normal. Don't forget normal," said Tina.

"Well, as normal as a previously home-schooled teenager can be," Blaine commented, "But other than that, what's stopping you?"

Buffy hesitated, but was saved from replying when Morgan Ru skipped over and threw herself over the back of Buffy's chair.

"Buffy Summers, as I live and breathe," she sighed into Buffy's ear, her warm breath smelling like mojitos.

"Nice seeing you, Morgan," Buffy smirked.

"Is there any way I can convince you to join the Cheerios this year or have you become an alternative lesbian, too?" she asked, "Ugh, don't answer that. Just take a look at that Slut-Bomb Barbie and her 70s coke dealer boyfriend grinding to Hipster Top Hundred. Gag me."

"Morgan, you're interacting with me in a way that implies that we're friends, and I feel that it's misleading to-" Buffy started to quip before she turned her head in the direction that Morgan was sneering, to spot the odd couple she had brushed past earlier.

Morgan snorted. "I mean, what was the last thing he danced to? KC and the Sunshine Band?"

Buffy smirked at the pencil-moustached man's embarrassingly retro dance moves, but she became overwhelmed by a familiar sensation as the man swept his arm around the blonde's waist and pulled her away from the crowd, out through the back entrance.

Buffy frowned. "I don't think that guy thrives on sunshine."

She grabbed her purse and stood, giving her friends the look. She stormed through the crowd and head toward the exit when Joe side-stepped in front of her with a wide smile.

"Hi," he greeted eagerly.

"Hi," Buffy half-smiled, and then realized what he must have thought, "Oh, no, I'm not- I just have to-..."

She trailed off, pointing to the door.

"Oh, right, sorry. My bad," Joe shrugged, stepping out of her way.

"No, it's mine, really. I have to go," she said, waving apologetically as she walked away.

Buffy darted out of The Bronze and whipped her head around the alley outside, but she couldn't see or hear the couple that she had followed out. Tina, Kurt and Blaine came bounding out behind her.

"Where'd she go?" Buffy asked aloud.

"Maybe it's nothing," said Kurt, "Maybe they're just making out."

They heard a heavy thud come from around the corner and their heads snapped in the direction of the sound. Buffy, with her stake in hand, took the lead and darted around the corner to find the 70s faux pas vampire cornering the blond girl. Before Buffy could get to him, the blonde grabbed the vamp by the throat and pushed him backward. She leapt onto an abandoned crate, jumped off of it and gave the vamp a flying kick to the face. Buffy stumbled backward, perplexed, as the vampire reeled and the blonde turned to give the slayer a grin.

"I think I've got this," she said, looking the slayer up and down, "You're Buffy, huh?"

Buffy's mouth fell open. "And you are?"

She had all of her glossy, platinum-blond hair gathered into a thick ponytail. Her button-nose and cat-eyeliner screamed sexy little victim, but her jump-kick said the opposite. The vampire gathered himself and ran up behind her, grabbing her by the shoulders, but she head-butted him from behind and slammed him into the wall.

"I'm going to go out on a limb and say that she's the new slayer," Tina murmured.

The blonde kicked the vamp in the gut a few more times before throwing him to the ground.

"Can I borrow that?" she asked Buffy, almost sweetly, before grabbing the stake out of her hand and slamming it into the vampire's chest.

As the vampire dusted, the girl stood up straight with a smug look on her face. "I'm Kitty."

a/n: Thanks for reading! Kind of a short chapter but I'll make it up to you. I'm sure plenty of people will be disappointed that I didn't bring in Faith, but I decided to make Kitty the new slayer, honestly, because I've never written her before and I think she'll be funny and interesting, so I hope you'll give her a chance. Let me know what you think! xoxo