Chapter 90

The Time Warp

They could hear the sound of the car's ignition humming to life and Buffy peeling out of the apartment complex's driveway. Joyce turned back to Will and squealed, her cheeks pink.

"Do you think she noticed anything?" she asked, giddy.

Will had already turned back to his B-52's CD, bobbing his head to the methodical bass. "Nah," he shrugged, glancing at Buffy's mother as she fished a bottle of Jose Cuervo out from under the armchair, where she'd hastily hid it when her daughter had arrived.

She twisted off the cap and took a swig, her face contorting at the strong taste. "You got any orange juice I can mix this with?"

"Uh-huh, in the fridge," Will replied, feeling a little uneasy.

He didn't want to look like a total loser, but he was kind of hoping Mrs. Summers wouldn't get too wild. It had sounded fun when she suggested hooking up to listen to music, but he didn't want to get into any trouble. He had been feeling marginally guilty when she rummaged through his liquor cabinet, before he reminded himself that he was totally an adult and it was his booze, anyways. He could do whatever he wanted to. Still, he couldn't shake the image of his mother shaking her head at him in disappointment.

Joyce returned with a red plastic cup of orange juice and tequila, taking large sips and trying really hard not to wince at the taste. She bopped along to the music as 'Planet Claire' changed to '52 Girls'.

"I love this song!" she exclaimed excitedly, "Sounds like the Go-Go's. Don't you love the Go-Go's?!"

Will shrugged. "The guys at school used to say that the Go-Go's were for girls… but, yeah, I guess they're kind of cool."

Joyce sidled up to him with her drink in hand, hips still shaking to the beat. "That's what's totally cool about you. You don't care what everybody else thinks. You're totally in touch with your feminine side. Dance with me!"

She slammed her drink down on the coffee table, some of the sticky liquid sloshing out.

"You should really use a coaster," Will mumbled as Joyce grabbed his hand and pulled him into the center of the room.

She started pulling him along, be-bopping, but when 'Dance This Mess Around' came on she started moving closer, her hands placed firmly on his back. Will was keenly aware of the fact that he was sweating through his button-up and he felt a strange jolt in his stomach when Joyce's hands started to slide downwards.

"Whoa," he stumbled backward.

"What's wrong?" Joyce asked, looking disappointed as her hands fell to her side.

"I just… I'm not…" Will stammered, "I have a girlfriend."

Joyce dropped one hip and pouted. "Who?!" she demanded.

Will shrugged. "You wouldn't know her. She lives in Canada…"

Joyce stuck out her bottom lip, looking skeptical. "I'll bet she does. Whatever, it's not like I wanted to hook up with you, anyways. You're a total square. I'm going out."

Joyce took one last swig of her drink and grabbed her jacket, slamming the apartment door behind her.

xxx

"This is it. My life, my dreams… It's all over."

Quinn bit down on her bottom lip to keep from telling Rachel that she was being dramatic. A comment like that would only exacerbate the situation. The brunette had looked pale as driftwood and near-catatonic when she had met the other three in front of NYADA's wide entrance. She had barely stammered out an explanation by the time the made their flight to Cleveland, and was slowly regaining her sanity after her horrific interview as their bus rolled through Ashland on their way home. Kurt had mostly kept quiet, afraid that regaling his fruitful lunch with Ms. Kesler would only add to Rachel's terrible mood.

"It was just one interview," Blaine said in an attempt to comfort her.

"It was the interview," she said in the seat behind the boys, clutching at her water bottle next to Quinn, "I have zero chance of getting into NYADA now."

"You still have your audition and your application," Quinn reminded her for the umpteenth time.

"No audition in the universe is going to make up for projectile puking on an admissions officer during the most important interview in my life." Rachel raised her sunglasses and squeezed the bridge of her nose.

"Even if you don't get in," Kurt began, which garnered severe looks from the other three, "It doesn't mean you should just give up on your dreams. There are other schools. And there are plenty of people who've made it on Broadway or in Hollywood who didn't even finish high school. You're already one step ahead of Marilyn Monroe."

Quinn smiled encouragingly at her girlfriend, as if to say, 'He has good point!', but Rachel didn't bite.

"If I don't get in…" Rachel mused, staring out of the bus's window at the water tower in the distance, before she shook her head, "I have to get in. I have to."

Quinn pursed her lips and peered at the girl, not wanting to kill her spirit with practicality, but wanting to know what she was thinking. "And if you don't?"

Rachel turned and gave Quinn a sober look. "New York is my dream. Broadway is my dream. If I don't get into NYADA, I can't stay in Lima. I can't."

Quinn nodded, knowing this was the most serious Rachel had ever been and wondering why she didn't feel the same. Like everybody else, she had grown up dreaming that she wanted to get out of this town, but knowing deep down that she would probably end up settling for mediocrity like all of the adults she knew. Now, she wasn't so sure. Were all of those settlers just less gutsy than her girlfriend, or did they actually like living in Lima? Was it possible?

"At least you got there on time," Kurt said half-heartedly, "That must count for something. I mean, it's more you can say for some of us."

Blaine smirked at his boyfriend's self-deprecation. All Kurt had said about his interview was that he had shown up too late, but luckily the admissions officer had a little time to spare. Blaine had a feeling that the interview had gone well and that was the only reason Kurt wasn't saying more about it; he didn't want to make Rachel spiral into even more hopelessness.

"Why were you so late?" asked Blaine, "Did you get lost?"

"No," Kurt waved a flippant hand, "I was almost there and then…" Kurt's eyes widened and he slapped a hand against his forehead. "I completely forgot! I have to text Buffy!"

He fished his cellphone out of his leather-sleeved coat and hastily began texting. The others peered curiously at him, even Rachel momentarily out of her funk to give Kurt a concerned glance.

"What is it?" asked Blaine.

Kurt quickly sent the text and gave his boyfriend a grave look. "Bryan Ryan's back."

xxx

Buffy had barrelled down Lima's main roads and through the narrower downtown streets, grinning with delight as she gripped her mother's steering wheel on her way to the Bronze. Her mom's offer had been completely out of the blue, especially when she had been expecting her to come up with even harsher rules after their little tiff. The slayer parked outside of a closed convenience store and walked down the street toward the thumping nightclub, which seemed even busier than usual. She walked into the Bronze with a smile on her face, taking in the happy-go-lucky dancers as they flung their bodies wildly to the beat of the indie band slamming guitars onstage.

It took her a moment to notice that this wasn't the Bronze's usual crowd. She didn't recognize anyone from school or even a stray college kid, but started recognizing a few parents and neighbors. As she scanned the crowd, she realized that mixed in with a few confused teens were throngs of over-fortys. Buffy blinked at the crowd as Kitty sauntered up to her, dropping a hip.

"Let's do the time warp again," she rolled her blue eyes, "No-one told me there was a Billy Joel tour in town."

Buffy smirked. "Maybe it's a reunion or something…"

"Buffy, there you are!" Tina called, rushing up to the two blondes as they stood a few feet from the entrance, warily eyeing the aged crowd, "Where have you been?"

"You dropped me off at Will's, remember?" Buffy raised an eyebrow.

Tina sighed. "Have you checked your phone?"

"Oh, no," Buffy smiled, glancing at her purse as it dangled on the crook of her elbow, "Mom gave me the car and I've seen enough It Can Wait commercials to know not to text and drive."

"Kurt had a vision," Tina explained, as Buffy found her phone at the bottom of her purse, brightly declaring that she had several missed calls and unread texts, "He thinks Bryan Ryan is back in town."

Buffy raised her eyebrows, her smile fading. "Is he sure?"

Tina shrugged. "When have his visions been wrong?"

"Who's Bryan Ryan?" asked Kitty.

Buffy clenched her jaw. "Black magic scum. If he's back on the Hellmouth, you know it's just to cause trouble."

"Do you think he has something to do with this?" Kitty gestured to the older crowd around them.

Before Buffy could answer, she felt a heavy hand slap down on her shoulder.

"Hola, chicas. Y'all havin' fun?" It was Coach Beiste, wringing her meaty arms around Buffy and Kitty's shoulders, red in the face and buzzed. "I know I am. This place is slicker than snot on a glass doorknob."

Kitty grimaced. "Ew."

"Coach Beiste, are you okay?" asked Buffy.

Beiste laughed. "You know I would be better if I got me some nachos. I'll see you ladies in a lil' bit."

Beiste bowled toward the bar as the girls gave each other horrified looks. "Something's up, for sure," said Buffy.

"You think?" asked Kitty, her eyes trained on a bob of frizzy blond hair as a couple on one of the couches passionately made out, grasping at each other's bodies.

Buffy narrowed her eyes at the clothes - the frayed skirt, the white sweater and the leather jacket that looked like it was stolen straight from her closet - and before she knew what she was doing, she had crossed the space between them and was grabbing the frizzy blonde by the shoulders.

"Mom?!" Buffy yelped after she had pulled Joyce up to reveal her makeup-stained face.

Joyce grimaced at her daughter, blushing brightly. "What are you doing? You're embarrassing me!" she whined.

Buffy widened her eyes. "What am I doing? What are you doing?!"

Buffy looked down at the guy on the couch, looking past the 80's rainbow suspenders and the Ziggy Stardust makeup to zero in on the defining features: square glasses, hooked nose, familiar brown eyes.

"Mr. Berry?!" Buffy exclaimed, even more horrified than she was ten seconds ago as Rachel's father, Hiram, attempted to straighten up, "You were making out with my mom?!"

Hiram gave her a disdainful look as he tugged at one of his suspender straps. "Don't wig, alright?"

Buffy's brow furrowed. "But, you're gay!"

Hiram's face immediately went pink. "I'm not gay! You're gay!" he said defensively, looking close to tears as he sprinted away into the crowd.

"Ugh, thanks a lot, Buffy," Joyce snapped, "God, why do you have to be such a stiff?!"

Joyce stomped away, past Kitty and Tina, and stormed out of the entrance. Buffy rushed up to the girls, looking urgent.

"Whatever's going on, we have to fix it, now."

"They're acting like…" Tina shook her head, at a loss.

"They're acting like us," said Kitty, looking vaguely amused.

Tina pouted. "I don't act like that."

"Whatever it is, it has Hellmouth fingerprints all over it," said Buffy, "Come on."

She led the girls out of the Bronze as she went after her mother, stepping out into the cool night air to scan the darkness around them for Joyce.

"Mom!" Buffy called, spotting Joyce with her arms crossed as she meandered down the street.

Joyce looked back at Buffy with contempt, but stayed rooted in the spot while Buffy caught up to her, the other girls following.

"What do you want?" Joyce sighed.

"Mom, look at me," said Buffy, "Do you know who I am?"

"Of course I do," Joyce rolled her eyes, "You're Buffy. Look, they're giving out candy back inside. Why don't we just go get some candy and try to have fun?"

"What? No, I don't want candy, and you shouldn't have any more, either."

"I can have more if I want," Joyce pouted.

"You need to go home."

Joyce scoffed. "Screw you."

Buffy reeled back. "Mom…"

"What? You want to slay stuff and I'm not allowed to do anything about it. Well, this is what I want to do, so why don't you just get off my back."

Buffy balled her hands into fists, completely unprepared for what was going on.

"I'll stay with her," Kitty offered.

Joyce and Buffy looked back at the girl.

"Yeah," Tina nodded, "Joyce and Kitty can hang out at the Bronze and eat candy, and we can go find Mr. Schuester without having to babysit them."

"Hey!" Kitty frowned.

Buffy looked back at her mom, who was smiling smugly down at the slayer. "Fine," Buffy said through gritted teeth, "Stay with Kitty, and out of trouble."

Joyce mouthed 'whatever' and sauntered off with the cheerleader. Buffy watched them disappear back into the Bronze before she looked at Tina. "This is way scarier than vampires."

xxx

Will had gone through four different albums before another knock came at his apartment door. He wondered if it was Buffy, or worse, her mother. He glanced around at the candy bar wrappers strewn all over the floor and the sticky residue of Mrs. Summers' abandoned drink on his coffee table. Without bothering to clean up, he trekked softly to the front door in his tube socks and looked through the peephole to see that it was Terri, waiting patiently in a warm pink cardigan, her hair tied up into a high ponytail. He felt a familiar flutter in his chest and quickly looked in the hall mirror, running his hair back and wiping the chocolate smudges from the corners of his mouth before opening the door.

"Terri," he breathed, smiling down at her wide blue eyes, "What's up?"

Terri smiled nervously and peered over his shoulder. "Uh, I just wanted to, you know, hang out. See what you were doing. Maybe watch Star Wars or something."

Will furrowed his brow. "Really?"

Terri sighed, looking embarrassed. "Actually… I heard you were with a girl."

"Oh," Will raised an eyebrow, wondering why Terri cared if he was with a girl, but feeling secretly pleased that she did, "Well, I was."

A spark of something flashed through Terri's eyes. "Who?"

"Buffy's mom."

Terri wrinkled her nose. "Figures."

"But she left," Will said quickly.

"She did?"

"Yeah. She was getting kind of sloppy drunk on my tequila so I kicked her out."

Terri widened her eyes, looking impressed. "You did?"

"Uh-huh," Will nodded nonchalantly, "Oh, s-sorry, did you want to come in?"

Terri nodded, her eyes brightening. Will closed the door behind her as she walked inside and pricked her ears, listening intently to the music wafting in from the living room. "Hall & Oates?"

"Yes!" Will smiled, "I love those guys."

"Oh, me too. Remember when me and Pam and Tiffany sang 'Rich Girl' in glee club?"

"Oh, yeah, that was great," Will nodded, remembering it vividly, "You're, like, the best singer I've ever heard."

Terri blushed. "Will, come on," she said bashfully.

"No, you are. You were the best in glee club, anyways. I can't believe it's been so long since we sang together."

"It really has been a long time, huh? We're like, grown-ups."

Will chuckled. "Freaky, huh?"

"Totally! Aw, Billy, I miss hanging out with you."

Will smiled at the sound of his nickname. It'd been so long since anybody had called him Billy. Once he graduated high school he fought for people to call him Will but now he couldn't remember why.

"I miss hanging out with you, too. You're not like other girls, you know. You're sweet. You're not… loose."

Terri's cheeks flushed red and she looked earnestly up at the boy. "Billy… This is going to sound totally gay, but… will you kiss me?"

xxx

Rachel trudged unhappily off of the bus and breathed in the faint smell of urine and gasoline that was trademark to the Lima bus station. To her, it smelled like failure and defeat. She peered out at the parking lot as her friends shuffled out behind her with their bags. She wasn't in the mood to tell her fathers how her interview went. She'd usually be happy to dramatically gush about it to them but if she wanted to tell them about her terrible day, she'd have to tell them about her drunken night.

"Where are your dads?" asked Quinn.

Rachel narrowed her eyes in the darkness. She was thinking the same thing.

"I'll call them," she said, and slowly following the other tired three to an outdoor bench.

The phone rang and rang on the other line, but after two tries each, neither of her fathers picked up.

"Something's wrong," Rachel said certainly, her eyebrows pulling together in trepidation.

"We don't know that," Quinn said reassuringly, "But it is strange…"

Rachel's thumb hovered over the speed-dial button, determining whether to try again or call a taxi, when her phone started to play the first notes of 'I'm the Greatest Star'. She quickly answered it with the others watching her expectantly.

"Buffy?" the girl answered the slayer's call with a sense of urgency.

First her dads didn't show up, now Buffy's calling her? She had a bad feeling.

"Are you guys back in Lima yet?" asked Buffy on the other line, almost distractedly.

"Yeah, we just got off the bus," said Rachel, "My dads aren't here yet. Is something going on?"

"Something is definitely going on. But don't worry, your dads are fine. They're just… younger."

"What does that mean?" Rachel asked. Quinn mouthed 'What?' to her as Kurt and Blaine's stares grew more concerned.

"Something is making all of the adults in town act… weird. Like teenagers."

"Do you think it has something to do with Bryan Ryan being back in town?"

"It's a safe bet. Only, there's something else."

"What?"

"No-one's working or protecting their houses. They're just wandering. Defenseless. So where are all the vampires?"

Rachel felt a chill run down her back and looked around at the dank recesses of the bus station as their bus rolled away, back out of town. "Something's happening… somewhere else."

"Yeah, and I'd say something big."

"Well, when did this all start?"

"It had to be this morning. I mean, everything last night was totally normal. Your dads weren't acting weird before you left, were they?"

"No. They were fine. I mean, a little annoyed because they just started a juice cleanse and Rory and I made them buy all of our candy bars, but-"

"The candy!" Buffy exclaimed, almost loud enough for the other three to hear her.

"The candy? What about the candy?"

"It has to be the candy that's making them act weird. It has to be cursed! I mean, we all sold it to our parents and our parents friends and our teachers and stuff."

"But it's not like we know every adult in town. How did they all get their hands on that candy?"

"Well, they're giving it away for free now at the Bronze, but I think that's just to keep the spell from wearing off. It's worth looking into. Rachel, do you know where the candy came from?"

"N-no, it was sent to Mr. Schuester's office. He put me in charge of selling them. But maybe he has the return address."

"Yeah, well, I just dropped Tina off at the school library to do some research. I'll drive by the bus station and pick you guys up before I go to Mr. Schuester's, alright?"

"Alright, thanks, Buffy," Rachel nodded, and then after a beat, said, "You're driving?!"

xxx

Puck only had to knock twice when Shelby swung the apartment door wide open, the chaotic sounds of both Joan Jett and Beth's wails floating out into the hall. Shelby looked a little crazed, her shoulders tensed and black eyeliner ringed around her already smoky eyes.

"Thank God you're here," she said emphatically and pulled him inside, slamming the door closed behind her, "She won't stop crying and I wanted to go out tonight."

Puck glanced in the direction of the hall that led to Beth's nursery. "You're going out tonight?"

"Duh! Look at me," said Shelby, waving a flourishing hand around her ensemble.

Puck had to admit, she looked ready to hit the town, in a black mini-skirt and an almost startlingly sparkly, red tube top. He was so used to seeing her dressed in only black, gray and purple that to him, she looked like a different person.

"Did you need a babysitter for Beth?" he asked.

"I was going to leave her with cranky Mrs. Crumplebottom next door but I think she went joyriding, so I was gonna put to her sleep and leave."

Puck wrinkled his nose. "Is that safe?"

"Sure," Shelby shrugged, "I mean, I'll lock the place up before I go."

"But Beth will be alone?"

"Oh my God, I'll only be gone for a few hours! Everybody's at the Bronze except for me and it's all because of that damn baby."

Puck gave her a strange look, trying to determine whether she'd lost her marbles or not. "Okay," he sighed, wincing at Beth's cries from the other room, "What's with the Joan Jett?"

"I remember you said she liked classic rock," Shelby shrugged, looking helpless.

Puck almost laughed. "Okay, come on," he sighed and headed for the nursery with Shelby following closely.

"Hey, baby girl," he cooed, leaning over her crib as she held onto the rails, stamping her feet and crying, her face red.

"Turn that off," he said to Shelby, nodding to the iPod dock.

The sounds of 'Do You Want to Touch' were silenced as Puck picked up the still wailing infant and began to rock her. He bounced on the balls of his feet and started to sing.

"I'm sailing away," he sang softly, "Set an open course for the Virgin Sea. Cause I've got to be free, free to face the life that's ahead of me."

Shelby rested her head against the door jamb and watched contentedly as he sang.

"On board I'm the captain, so climb aboard. We'll search for tomorrow on every shore," Puck crooned sweetly as Beth's cries dulled to a mild whimper and she rested a heavy head on his chest.

The boy glanced at Shelby and gave her an encouraging smile. With a peaceful look on her face, the woman stepped forward to peer at Beth over Puck's shoulder and joined in.

"And I'll try, oh Lord I'll try to carry on," they sang in unison, Beth's eyes fluttering closed.

She was sound asleep by the time they finished the song and Puck lowered her softly back into her crib. Both of them stood over her, looking blissfully at the child. Shelby smiled down at her daughter and casually rested her head on Puck's shoulder, clad in a white t-shirt. Puck's heart started to beat faster when she said, "Look at us. We're like a little family."

Puck opened his mouth and closed it again, stunned. He had come to apologize for kissing to her, to assure her it would never happen again and that he wanted to be there for Beth. But he was thinking that his apology was no longer necessary. He didn't want to ruin this moment but he turned to her, about to tell her that they could be a real family, when she looked up excitedly, grabbed his elbow and hissed, "Come on, let's go!"

She darted out of the nursery and through the house, Puck following quickly behind her, flabberghasted.

"Shelby, wait!" he called after her as she ran straight out of the apartment and down the stairs of the small, gated complex.

"You brought your truck, right?" she asked, not waiting for an answer when she spotted his mother's pick-up truck in the parking lot and headed straight for it.

"Shelby! Hold on!" he called to her as she got into the passenger seat and immediately pulled down the rear-view mirror to check her teeth for lipstick smudges.

He swung the driver's side door open and jumped in, his eyes bugging out at her.

"Come on, let's go," she said again, expectantly.

"We're not going anywhere!"

"Why not?!"

"We shouldn't leave Beth here alone."

"Why not? She's asleep and I have to go out."

"Why?! Why do you have to go out? You're acting crazy!"

"No, I'm not!" she said defensively and held his stare for a moment before sighing and glancing out of the window, "I woke up this morning and she was crying and it was fine. I fed her and I changed her and I played with her and it was almost fun. I was like, 'Wow, I'm such a good mom'. But then she cried again when she woke up from her nap and she cried before dinner and she cries when she's tired and it's like all she does is cry and poop and eat and how am I ever supposed to have fun around here? Okay, maybe I'm acting a little crazy, but I feel crazy. People can't live like this. It's not fair, me doing stuff for her all the time. What about me? I need a release."

Puck sighed, his head boggled from her inarticulate ranting. "Look, I get it. It's gotta be hard for you. But you know I'm here. If you ever need a break, I'll always be there."

"I know," Shelby smiled fondly at him, "You've been the best, ever since I moved here. And I'm sorry for what happened the other day-"

"No, I'm sorry-"

"No, I am. I shouldn't have flipped out like that. I was a total spaz. I don't even know why. I mean, we make sense, don't we?"

Puck just widened his eyes at her more. The words seemed so absurd coming from her red-stained mouth that he was sure he had misunderstood them.

"I mean, I'm Beth's mom, and you're her dad. And we help each other. And we like each other," she said, the inches between them lessening as she leaned forward, her eyes trained on Puck's lips, "You do like me, don't you?"

"Of course I like you," Puck said breathlessly, her perfume settling on his tongue as her face grew closer to his, "I love you."

Shelby didn't say anything back, but quickly replied with a kiss. Puck's whole body shivered. This kiss was so different from their first. He had instigated it, hopeful, searching, while she leaned into him, just looking for warmth. But this time, it was her who kissed him, and that seemed to make all the difference. She was aggressive now, ramming her tongue against his, grabbing fistfuls of his t-shirts and tugging, as if trying to take it off.

She pulled back and Puck almost thought she was going to freak out again and declare this a horrible mistake, rushing out of the car and back to her apartment. Instead, she hopped up and positioned herself on top of him, her hands scrambling to unbuckle his belt as she straddled his lap. A voice in the back of his head that sounded suspiciously like Quinn's told him that this was insane, that she was his teacher, that she wasn't in her right mind, but a larger and more influential part of him decided that he didn't care. Without any trace of apprehension, he tugged his belt out of his jeans and whipped off his shirt.

xxx

When Buffy rang Will's buzzer, he had answered, sounding breathless and alarmed. He buzzed her up and it wasn't until she was trekking up his stairwell with the rest of the scoobies waiting in her mother's car that she considered how the spell would affect her watcher. She'd often wondered what he was like at her age, besides a glee club geek. She rapped her knuckles against his apartment door and he quickly answered, his hair mussed and one corner of his t-shirt tucked into his jeans.

"Will?" she looked up at him, apprehensive, "Are you… Do you know who I am?"

"Yeah," he chuckled, "You're Buffy. Uh, come in."

Buffy walked in, eyeing Will's naked feet, before glancing toward the open archway to the living room, where Terri was standing, the back of her hair tussled, buttoning her cardigan back up. Buffy glanced in between them and sighed, "Oh, ew."

"Buffy, hi!" Terri said too eagerly, "What do you want?"

"I wanted to talk to my watcher," Buffy said sternly, and glanced at Will, "You know that you're a watcher, right?"

Will rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I know," he replied sullenly, as if Buffy had reminded him to mow the lawn, "And just call me Billy, okay?"

"Billy?" Buffy winced, "I so don't have time for this. Where did you get the candy?"

"What candy?"

"The candy for theater club! Where did you get it?! This is important, W- Billy."

Will sighed. "A bunch of teachers got them from this non-profit organization-"

"A bunch of teachers? How many?" Buffy asked worriedly.

"Every club in the school got ten boxes."

Buffy ran a hand over her hair. "That explains it. You have to tell me where they came from. Do you know where they were made?"

"Yeah, I mean, all the boxes say 'Made In Lima'. Besides, I have a letter, explaining the company policies, about how we have to sell the candy. That has the address on it."

"Perfect! Come on, let's go!"

"Wait, I have to come with you?"

Buffy blinked at him. "Yeah… I mean, my car is full so you'll have to drive separately-"

"No, I mean… I'm kind of in the middle of something," he said, eyeing Terri, who was now sulking quietly.

Buffy frowned. "This is more important."

"Says who?"

"Excuse me?"

"Everyone is always trying to tell me what to do. I didn't even want to be a watcher. I wanted to dance back-up for Vanilla Ice."

Buffy wrinkled her nose. "What?"

"I'm not going anywhere. You can't make me," Will said brazenly.

Buffy grimaced and glared at him. "Will, I need your help. I know you're having a pretty overwhelming bout of selfishness and rebellion right now, but something bad is happening and for all we know, people could die."

Will looked solemnly back at her and after a moment, turned to Terri. "I'll be back."

"What?" Terri snapped, "Billy, I'm not waiting around for you."

Will sighed. "Then come with."

"What?!" Buffy exclaimed.

Terri looked between Will and the slayer, considering the offer. "Fine. I'll come," she said smugly, and followed Will as he slipped on his shoes and headed for the door.

Buffy paled as she trailed after them. She couldn't wait for this day to end.

Next up: Someone vulnerable is kidnapped and an old foe is confronted...