Chapter 12: I Was Made to Love You
February 20, 2001 – Tuesday
The Magic Box
Buffy and Dawn were in the amidst of sparring as Giles watched. "Spike! Spike wants me. how obscene is that?" Buffy stated as she punched at Dawn who blocked.
Dawn glanced at Giles and rolled her eyes. "She's been going on for almost a week now about that."
"Well it is very strange. I can't imagine what he's thinking," Giles said. Then he noticed Dawn shaking her head and realized he had made a small faux paw. "Not that you're not attract—"
"I feel gross, you know?" Buffy countered as she punched at Dawn who dropped to the floor to dodge the attack. "Like, dirty."
"You're not dirty, Buffy," Dawn said as she swept her sister's legs out from under her.
"You're not responsible for what Spike thinks or feels," Giles added.
"Aren't I?" Buffy countered. "Responsible? I mean, it had to be something about me that did it, right? Something that made Spike say... 'Woof, that's the one for me.'" She sent a flurry of kicks at Dawn who blocked them.
"Buffy," Dawn said. "I'm not morphed, remember? Please you need to calm down a little."
"Sorry, Dawnie, I got carried away." Buffy said apologized. "Are you okay?"
"I'm okay," Dawn grimaced. "Okay I'm not. I think you might have bruised a rib."
"I'll get some ice," Giles said walking out of the room as Buffy helped her sister to sit down.
"Lynn!" Buffy called out and Lynn orbed in a moment later.
"What?" Lynn asked and then saw her girlfriend. "To much practice I take it?"
"Yeah," Dawn replied. "Can you heal me, baby?"
Lynn smiled. "Of course, I can," she walked over to her girlfriend and held her hands over Dawn as they began to glow golden.
Buffy sighed as she sat down next to her siser. "That's my secret to attracting me. It's simple. I slap 'em around a bit, torture 'em, make their lives hell..."
"Buffy—" Dawn and Lynn started as Lynn finished healing her girlfriend.
"...Sure, the nice guys'll run away, but every now and then you'll find a prince like Spike who gets off on it—" Buffy continued ignoring both her sister and their Whitelighter.
"Buffy," Dawn started again. "The problem is not you."
"Dawn is right," Lynn agreed looking at the Slayer. "Don't do this to yourself."
"But... I just... I just want to know that there's going to be another one, another good one. One that I won't chase away," Buffy told them with a sigh.
Dawn and Lynn looked at each other and realized that Buffy had never completely gotten over Riley leaving. "There will be," Dawn told her sister. "I promise. He or she, because you know you don't have to…"
Buffy thought about that. She had never truly questioned her sexual orientation. She wondered if a woman might be right for her given her track record with men. She would have to experiment a little to see which she truly preferred.
"Is out there," Dawn continued. "He or she could come along any minute."
Buffy nodded as she looked her sister in the eyes. "Great. And the minute after that I can terrify them with my alarming strength and remarkable self-involvement."
"You are not like that, Buffy," Lynn told the older woman.
"Lynn's right," Dawn added. "You are not self-involved. And you will not terrify them away. Look at me and Lynn. She's okay with me being a Ranger. And when morphed I'm stronger than her. She doesn't run away screaming. Just be you, Buffy. And show them that amazing heart you have and they will fall for you in a heartbeat."
Buffy looked at Dawn and Lynn and smiled at them. "That's... that's really..." she started unable to find the words to thank them. She pulled them into her arms.
Streets of Sunnydale
A car rounded the corner into the main street. Inside the driver brought the vehicle to a halt by the sidewalk, before clicking off the auto-lock to allow his passenger to exit. The young woman leaned in through the open window on his side to thank him.
"Thank you for picking me up," she said. "I'm very grateful for the ride."
"You sure you want to get out here?" The driver asked her. "I mean, this place is kinda ..." he glanced around, unsure of what word to use without unduly scaring her. "What are you looking for in Sunnydale, anyway?"
"True love," the woman replied before walking away.
The driver watched her for a while, making sure she was in no danger, then quietly drove way. He has places to go to, people to see.
As for the young woman, she continued to walk the streets, searching for the true love whom had accidentally left her behind.
She was certain she would find him soon.
February 21, 2001 – Wednesday
Summers Home
Joyce stood before her daughters, turning in a circle as she modeled an attractive dress for them.
"I might like it more than the others. Spin again," Buffy said as Joyce spun for her eldest daughter.
"I'm not sure. Once more," Dawn said as she winked at Buffy while Joyce spun yet again.
"Now the other way," Buffy ordered.
Joyce started to turn the other way, then stopped as she realized her daughters were having fun with her. "You two are messing with me," she told them.
"Just wanted to see how many times you'd do it," Buffy admitted.
"Was that five or four-and-a-half?" Dawn asked her sister.
"So, is anyone going to talk about the dress?" Joyce wondered looking at the two of them with a raised eyebrow.
"I like it," Dawn said.
"You sure?" Joyce asked looking at her youngest. "It's not too, you know, mom-ish?"
Dawn smiled. "Oh. That was why I liked it."
Buffy chuckled. "You're both crazy! It's not mom-ish at all! It's sexy! It screams randy-sex-kitten-buy-me-one-drink-and-I'll...Wait..." She stopped as she realized what she was saying. "That's not good either."
"I'm so glad you two agreed to help," Joyce said sarcastically. "Oh God, what time is it?"
"Four-twenty-three," Buffy said checking her watch. "You have lots of time 'til seven. Vast acres of time in which you could plant crops so tell us all about this Brian and guy and what his intentions are."
"Maybe he's a gigolo. Was his shirt all shiny?" Dawn joked.
"No," Joyce said. "He works at a publishing house. A nice, normal guy, okay?"
"I've heard of those," Buffy stated wistfully.
Joyce looked at her eldest daughter. She didn't miss the undertone what Buffy was saying. She would talk with Buffy later and hopefully help her daughter to move past Riley leaving. "I met him my first day back at the gallery when I was still kind of shaky, you know, starting over. He asked a question about these antique cameos and I was so lost because Carol did the ordering while I was sick. But it turned out he didn't know anything about them either, so we had a lot to talk about."
Dawn smiled. "So, what's the plan for tonight?"
"Dinner and then a movie. Or maybe it was a movie and then dinner," Joyce said trying to remember what had been planned. "Which might be better because then we can talk about the movie. Or maybe a movie isn't a good idea at all, because you can't talk during and then what's the point of any of it. Also, what kind of a restaurant? One with candles and romantic music, or is that pushing it?"
"I think a date should be in a real fancy restaurant, then champagne at a night club with a floor show, then ballroom dancing," Dawn admitted.
Joyce looked at Dawn with a raised eyebrow.
"Kind of something I am planning if Lynn are still dating when I turn twenty-one," Dawn told her.
"As much as I like your idea, Dawn," Joyce said as she smiled at her youngest. She turned to her eldest. "Buffy, what do you think? Should I try to make things romantic or sort of let him set the pace?"
"Oh no, Love-Doctor Buffy is not in," Buffy retorted with a sigh. "I'm not qualified to give dating advice. I've had exactly two boyfriends and they both left. Really left. Left town left."
"Honey, you've just had some bad luck," Joyce said.
"You're going to that Spring Break party tonight, right?" Dawn questioned. "Maybe you'll meet someone there."
"Right. Or maybe Brian has a son and Mom and me can go on some unspeakably awkward double dates," Buffy said with a small chuckle.
"Oh God—" Joyce said picturing Buffy's suggestion. "Brian. What time is it now?"
"Four twenty-four," Buffy answered checking her watch again.
"You're sure this dress is okay," Joyce said looking at her daughters.
"Spin again. Real fast this time," Dawn instructed.
Streets of Sunnydale
"Willow's good at all that computer stuff, but me not so much," Tara remarked to her companion as they walked down the street. "Do you really understand all that?" she asked curiously.
"Oh. Well, at first it was confusing," Anya confessed. "Just the idea of computers was like, 'whoa', I'm eleven hundred years old. I had trouble adjusting to the idea of Lutherans."
Tara nodded in semi-understanding. "I go online sometimes, but ... everyone's spelling is really bad, and it's ... depressing."
"But you have to try online trading, it's great!" Anya argued. "The secret is avoiding the tech companies everyone was jumping on, and, and going with the smaller firms that supply the basic components."
"Uh-huh," Tara nodded, mainly for empathy.
"Anyway, I took the money from working for Giles, and I tripled it," Anya continued.
"Tripled?" Tara queried. "Like, first money, then money, money, money?"
"Yes," the former vengeance demon confirmed. "I'm thinking about buying something very expensive. Maybe an antelope."
"Hi," a young woman remarked to them suddenly, making them come to a halt and look at the newcomer before them.
"Hi," Anya returned.
"I'm looking for Warren," the woman informed them. "Do you know where Warren is? And if you do, could you tell me?"
"Um, I, don't think we know a Warren," Tara replied, while Anya shook her head.
The young woman was not too disappointed. "Well, all righty, no harm in asking. Thanks!" She smiled at them before walking away, heading to another student, seated on one of the benches, reading a newspaper.
"Hi, do you know Warren?" She asked. "I need to find him."
"Uh, sorry," the guy replied before the two slayerettes moved out of earshot.
"You, you can do all this stuff with a regular computer?" Tara asked.
Anya nodded. "I'll show you. You can also see the website I designed for the magic shop. Huge photo of me."
U.C. Sunnydale
"You sure I should be here?"
Buffy glanced at her sister, a mixture of mild annoyance and mild bemusement crossing her features. "Dawn, if anyone asks you had to come because I couldn't leave you home alone while mom is out. But seriously with the makeup I applied for you. You could pass for eighteen. No one is going to pay that close attention that you're not."
Dawn nodded, still gazing around the room in concern. "Hey there's Xander," she said spotting Xander. "Did you invite him?"
"Well I can't dance with you all night," Buffy admitted with a wink at her sister. She walked across the room to Xander. "I'm glad you came."
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
"How you doin'?" Xander asked as he and Buffy danced. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Dawn sitting by herself. He was sure the real reason she had brought Dawn wasn't what she had told him. He was pretty sure that they were going patrolling later. "Having o' the fun?"
"You know? I really am," Buffy admitted. "Dancing with you is way better than trying to hook up with some good-looking guy."
Xander glared at Buffy. "Maybe you should be dancing with Dawn," he said.
Dawn spotted Anya, Willow and Tara making their way over to Xander and Buffy.
"I let them do that," Anya said motioning toward Buffy and Xander. "Dance together. That was me."
"Very nice of you," Tara told the ex-vengeance demon.
"A good deed," Willow added.
"Yes. I'm expecting a big karmic reward any second now," Anya stated as they reached the snack table, a second later Xander joined them.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Ben, the intern from the hospital, stood eating a plate of snacks as Buffy moved in front of him. "Buffy!" he said surprised to see her.
Buffy looked over, pretending to notice him for the first time. "Ben, I didn't know you were here!" she fibbed. "And again, with the non-medical clothing!"
"Actually, these are orthopedic pants," Ben informed her. "Oh man, that sounded so funny in my head."
"It is funny!" Buffy said chuckling more than necessary. "Very, very funny in my head too."
"Having a good time?" he wondered.
Buffy nodded. "Yeah. I was dancing earlier and my friends are here—" she said before catching herself. "But this isn't all about me. Are you enjoying yourself?"
"I am now," Ben said.
A small awkward moment of silence passed between them.
"Would, um, would you like to dance or something?" Buffy wondered hopefully.
"I'm not really... good... rhythm... Sure. I'd love to," Ben said before looking down at his plate. "I'll just go dump this...be right back."
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
"Look at these tiny grain patties," Anya remarked as she ate Chex Mix. "They're woven. That's craftsmanship."
"They aren't hand-woven, you know," Xander informed her.
"Then how?" Anya asked.
"Well, it's a machine, and it's ... it sort of…it presses," Xander replied distractedly, his attention caught by a strange young woman entering the room. "And there may be a mold of some sort ..." he trailed off to ask, "who's that?"
"Warren?" the young woman asked.
Unseen a guy looked up nervously, before quietly slipping away.
"Oh, that girl," Anya remarked. "Tara and I met her. She speaks with a strange evenness and selects her words a shade too precisely."
"Well, some of us like that kind of thing in a girl," Xander replied, smiling at her.
"Warren?" the young woman persisted.
The guy who nervously looked up before slipping away, now rejoined his date for the party, who was sitting with her friends, waiting for him to return. "Hi, did you get me a drink?" she asked him.
"We got to go, she's going to see me," the guy replied.
"She who?" His date asked. "What's up, Warren?"
"It doesn't matter," Warren replied, anxious to escape. "Come on."
"Is Warren here?" the young woman continued to ask.
"I thought you were getting the crunchies," Willow asked as she joined Tara, Dawn, Anya and Xander.
"Xander got hypnotized by the strange girl," Anya replied. "I am remaining calm, however."
"Uh-uh, no," Xander replied, unconvincingly. "I'm, right with you. You don't know what you're talking about."
The young woman approached them. "I heard that Warren was here. Is Warren here?"
"Um, Warren who?" Xander asked.
"He's ... Warren." the woman replied. "And he's looking for me. He lost me." She walked over to another group of students. "Is Warren here?"
"It's that girl again," Tara murmured to Anya. "Is she still looking for Warren? Weird, it's been like all day."
"There's something strange about her," Willow remarked. "She talks funny."
"Some men find that appealing," Anya said, echoing her still distracted boyfriend.
"I just hope she finds him," Tara added.
"Somehow I don't think a girl that looks like that's going to be lonely for too long," Xander remarked.
"Yeah," Willow agreed. "I mean, maybe this Warren guy is gone, but maybe there's some guy she's neglected that'll pop up right when she doesn't even know she needs him."
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Dawn frowned as she spotted Spike approaching her sisters. She stood from where she had sat since Buffy had danced with Xander and made her way over to her sister, her hand behind her back the entire way.
"Small world," Spike said as Buffy stared at him. "Oh dear, if looks could stake. Are you having fun, pet? Trolling for your next ex? Got to say..."
"Spike," Dawn growled as she stepped next to her sister. "I told you…"
"You think I was gonna leave town?" Spike told the Power Ranger. "Free country. Free party. You can tell your big sis to put her hands on my hot tight little body and make me."
"Get away from us," Buffy said through clinched teeth. .
Spike considered pushing his luck, but instead walked away. Ben hurried over to Buffy. "Was that guy bothering you?" he asked Buffy. "Should I, um, offer to get inappropriately violent or something?" Then his brow furrowed as he saw who stood next to Buffy. "Isn't that…"
"Mom went out tonight," Buffy informed Ben. "So, I let Dawn tag along. Anyways thanks for the offer."
"Good, 'cause, honestly...I don't want to," Buffy said.
"So, ready to dance?" Buffy asked.
"Um... first...?" he said holding a scrap of brightly colored paper.
"What's that?" Buffy wondered.
"Really, Buffy," Dawn chuckled.
Ben smiled at Dawn realizing that she knew what was written on the paper. "Oh, yeah... my phone number," he told the Slayer. "I was going to try to work it subtly into the conversation, but... didn't pan out. And I figured I should try to give it to you before you see me dance." He held it out. Buffy hesitated before Dawn nudged her. She took it and smiled at Ben. "You know, in case you want to get coffee..."
"Oh! That's... thank you! But I should tell you, I've got this kind of bad history," Buffy started.
"Ignore my sister," Dawn interjected. "Go out to coffee with him. Let that other stuff lie where it is, Buffy. Don't let Riley leaving sour you."
"She's got some good advice," Ben admitted. "And I think I'd like to get to know you better."
Buffy smiled at him. "Then I'll call you."
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Spike glanced at Buffy and quickly approached the girl. "And who are you, darlin'?" he asked loudly hoping to catch Buffy's attention.
"I'm April," the woman replied. "I'm looking for my fella."
"Maybe you just found him," Spike replied.
"Really?" April cried. "Where?"
Spike leaned in to whisper in her ear.
"Oh!" April gasped, before grabbing his shirt and lifting him over her head.
"Hey! Hey! Hey!" Spike cried, causing the party to come to a complete stop as everyone looked at them.
"That would be wrong," April remarked. "You are not my boyfriend!" She added before throwing him through a window, shattering the glass.
Spike rose up from the ground. "Bloody hell! You threw me through a window! What's that about?"
"You do not make those suggestions to me," April replied. "I have a boyfriend. Warren is my boyfriend."
"You know what?" Spike returned. "My bleeding sympathies to Warren." He turned and walked away.
"Dawn?" Buffy started and then saw her sister was walking through the crowd straight for April.
April turned around. "No one but Warren can touch me," she remarked before walking away through the crowds.
"It's Morphin' Time!" Dawn called out. "Zeo Ranger Six, White!" When the morphing sequence had morphed her into her armor, she calmly intercepted April. "Excuse me. Hi. Um, uh, maybe you and I could talk. You know, because, throwing Spike through a window," she paused, catching Angel's half-hidden smirk, "well, that's really good... um, but, you know, generally speaking—"
"Do you know my boyfriend?" April interrupted the Ranger.
"Okay. I think you need to take a second and stop looking for your boyfriend," the White Zeo Ranger suggested. Out of the corner of her eye she spotted Buffy walking toward her.
April grabbed the Ranger's arms and flung her backwards. "I have to find him," she added, as Buffy caught her sister who was in the midst of de-morphing because of how strong April had flung her.
Buffy helped Dawn up from the floor. "You de-morphed," she whispered.
"I know," Dawn whispered back.
"If I hurt you just now, I'm sorry," April apologized. "And I hope that your boyfriend will take good care of you," she added before walking away.
"I need, Lynn," Dawn said.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
"Ow," Dawn groaned as Lynn healed her injured arms a few moments later in the student lounge, where the Scoobies had called an emergency meeting. "I don't know about you guys, but I've had it with super-strong women who aren't me and Buffy."
"Well, at least she didn't do too much damage," Lynn remarked as she finished healing her girlfriend.
"Are you kidding?" Xander queried. "Double-glazed windows ain't cheap. And the jamb needs to be completely repaired," he paused, coming to an internal revelation. "Oh, dear god, I'm the grown up who sees the world through my job. I'm like my Uncle Dave the plumber. I must be shunned."
"Okay," Willow agreed.
"So, what do you guys think she is?" Buffy asked them. "I mean, this may sound nuts, but I kind of got the impression with the way she threw Dawn while morphed that she was a—"
"Robot," Tara finished, causing all of them to nod in agreement.
"She's a robot," Anya added.
"Oh yeah, robot," Xander agreed.
"Robot," Willow finished.
Dawn nodded in agreement. "What they said."
Buffy sank into the sofa next to her sister, opposite Lynn. "Yeah, I was going to say robot. What do you think she wants?"
"Warren, whoever that is," Tara replied.
"It's got to be the guy that built her," Xander added.
"It's an unusual name," Willow mused. "There's hardly any except ... Warren Beatty and, you know, President Harding. It's probably not either of them."
"Sounds like a nerd to me," Xander admitted.
"Hey, President Harding was quite the package when he was young," Anya told them. "He had these amazing gray eyes—"
Dawn rolled her eyes. "Will, can you track down this guy with only a first name?" she asked.
Willow nodded slowly. "Sure, given enough time. I can get a list of the Sunnydale students named Warren tonight, but ... then we'll have to call them or go to their dorms, so we probably can't start narrowing it down till tomorrow."
"Sounds like I'm going to have mom call the school and say I'm sick," Dawn said as Buffy nodded.
"She could do a lot of damage by then," Anya remarked.
"To who? Spike? See me vigorously not caring. Also, she was looking for this Warren, but it didn't sound like she wanted to hurt him," Xander added. "She said he's her boyfriend."
"I agree," Willow said. "I'm not sure this is a code red, guys. Is there a code pink? We need more codes."
"We'll track down Warren tomorrow," Buffy said.
Summers Home
Joyce arrived home to find her daughters waiting, looking very happy. "So, who wants to hear everything? Gosh, I'd forgotten how much fun dating can be!"
Buffy smiled at her mother. "I don't know, I was standing right there. I didn't see Prince Charming. I didn't see a good-night kiss. It all looked pretty tame to me."
"Same here," Dawn agreed.
"Yes," Joyce said as she took off her coat. "I suppose by either of your standards it would seem pretty—Oh dear."
"What?" Buffy and Dawn said suddenly worried.
"I left my bra in his car," Joyce informed her daughter.
"Mom!" Buffy and Dawn screamed in surprise.
Joyce smiled at them. "I'm joking!"
The sisters let out a sigh of relief. "Good God! That's horrible!" Buffy said.
"Don't do that!" Dawn added.
"I left it in the restaurant," Joyce said, trying to keep a straight face.
Dawn hit the teleport button on her communicator. "My room," she said and disappeared in a white light.
"Cheater," Buffy called out to her sister as she ran up the stairs, hands over her ears.
"On the dessert cart!" Joyce called after her daughters with a grin.
Streets of Sunnydale
"Yeah? What?" A guy asked wearily as he opened his front door across town.
April beamed at him. "Hi! Does Warren live here?"
The guy frowned. "What the hell - what are you doing, it's three-thirty am!"
"Yes, it is!" April replied, still smiling. "Does Warren live here?"
The guy glared at her, then slammed the door in her face.
"Okay then," April replied to the wooden barrier before walking away. "Bye."
She left the drive and walked to the next house to continue her enquiries.
February 22, 2001 – Thursday
Magic Box
"And you're certain she was a robot?" Giles asked.
"Absolutely," Buffy and Dawn replied.
"She practically had 'Genuine Molded Plastic' stamped on her ass," Tara stated as ever looked at her. "Just trying a little spicy-talk."
"She was looking for someone named Warren," Anya continued.
"Willow's already checked the Sunnydale enrollment," Buffy informed her watcher.
"And got nothing," Willow replied. "I found one Warren, but he moved out of the country a year ago. I'm checking nearby schools."
"Whoever he is, he knows his stuff," Xander remarked. "That girl, well... that was a nice-looking girl."
"It's okay for him to say that, because I know that he really loves me only," Anya said to Buffy and Dawn.
"Perhaps there's something the rest of us should be doing..." Giles stated.
"What can we do?" Xander wondered.
"Do you have any books on robots?" Tara asked Giles.
"Oh, yes – dozens," Giles answered sarcastically. "There's a lot of research to be done in order to—no, I'm lying. Haven't got squat—I just like watching Xander squirm."
"Funny," Xander said, though he didn't find it funny. "Charming and funny."
"Hey, the no-research angle likes Dawn and I just fine. But we're still going to have to—" Buffy started.
Willow tapped a few more keys on her laptop. "Hey! I think I found him. A Warren Mears. He went to Sunnydale High with us for a semester, and then he went to the tech college over in Dutton. I've got a local address where his folks still live."
"He's probably home for spring break," Dawn deduced.
"Well, you and I will go talk to him," Buffy decided, taking the address from Willow.
"No, wait, we don't know what you two are walking into," Giles warned the Slayer and Ranger. "We have no idea what his motive is for building this thing."
"Um... Don't you think she's just..." Tara started.
"Yeah... sort of just a..." Willow interjected.
"She's a sexbot," Xander decided. "I mean, what guy doesn't dream about that? Beautiful girl with ... no other thought but to please you ... willing to do anything..." He looked around the table at all the women all wearing looks ranging between disgust and more disgust. "Too many girls," he admitted I miss Oz. He'd get it. He wouldn't say anything, but he'd get it."
"Why would anyone do that if they could have a real live person?" Anya asked.
"Maybe he couldn't," Lynn replied. "Find a real person."
"Oh, come on," Buffy protested. "The guy's just a big wedge of sleaze, don't make excuses for him."
"I'm not," Lynn replied. "I'm just saying...people get lonely. And having someone around, even someone you made up, well, maybe it's a little easier."
"When would you be lonely?" Dawn questioned her girlfriend.
"Before we met, Dawn," Lynn admitted. "Back when I had to hide that I was part-witch and part-Whitelighter. You don't know how much it helps to have you all to talk to about that."
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Buffy slipped quietly from the group and into the training room as she pulled the paper with Ben's number out of her pocket. She then looked over at the phone on the wall. After a moment of hesitation she picked it up and dialed.
"Hello?" came Ben's voice from the other end.
"Hi. It's Buffy. This a bad time?" Buffy asked. "It's kind of early."
"No. I just... I just got in is all. Night shift at the hospital. I'm glad you called."
"Well, I found your phone number in my pocket and I thought I might as well pick up the phone a couple times and hang up and finally call to see if you want to, you know, have that coffee or, whatever, whatever you want to do," Buffy admitted.
"Yes. Yes. Coffee would be great...tomorrow night...sure... Bye!"
Buffy sighed as she heard the dial tone and hung up the phone.
"Did he say yes?"
Buffy spun and saw Dawn standing in the door way. "Sort of," she admitted. "We better get over this Warren guy's house."
Dawn nodded in agreement. "It's Morphin' Time!" she called out. "Zeo Ranger Six, White!"
Mears Home
Warren's girlfriend watched him pack, confused as to why he was in such a hurry to leave.
"But we just got here," she protested. "If you don't want to be here, why didn't we just stay in Dutton? Or we could have gone to my sister's."
"Katrina, I don't want to hear about your sister's place again," Warren replied. "Pack your stuff now."
"Why the rush?" Katrina persisted. "It's real early. Are we even going to say goodbye to your mom?"
"Uh, you can call her," Warren decided hurriedly.
"Warren. Is something going on you don't want me to see?" Katrina asked him.
"Katrina, um, if you don't want to pack, that's fine. We can buy new stuff. Now let's just go!" He grabbed his bag and her hand, heading for the door. He opened the door just in time to find Buffy, who was about to knock, and the White Zeo Ranger standing outside.
"We have to talk to you," Buffy informed him.
Katrina frowned. "Who are they?"
"This is my partner," the White Zeo Ranger replied. "And I am the White Zeo Ranger. Surely, you've seen us on the news. We have a whole team in Angel Grove."
Before Katrina could answer the Ranger's question, Warren cut in, "Is this about her?" he guessed.
"Yes," Buffy replied.
"Her who?" Katrina asked. "Warren, something's going on here. Strange girls..."
"Katrina," Warren interrupted, "please be quiet, okay, this is important. Wait in the kitchen."
"And I'm not important?" Katrina retorted. "Warren, just tell them to go away."
"I can't," Warren replied.
"You're keeping secrets from me," Katrina realized. "Other girls, and who knows what else?"
Warren sighed. "Trina, shut up."
"That's it," Katrina replied. "Forget it, Warren. I'm gone." She walked past the Slayer and the Power Ranger, down the street and away.
"No, Katrina! Ahhh..." Warren sighed before stepping back to let Buffy and the White Zeo Ranger inside.
"My name is Buffy Summers," Buffy informed him. "We were at Sunnydale High together. Do you know who I am?"
"Yes, I know," Warren replied. "Um, April, did she hurt someone?"
"Not yet," the White Zeo Ranger replied. "Well, no one that matters."
"She's looking for me," Warren revealed. "You know, uh, she followed me here."
Buffy nodded. "Okay, we kind of figured that out."
Warren shook his head. "No, no, there's more. Uh, there's something you need to know about her."
"We know," the Ranger replied.
"No, wait, this is important," Warren added.
"Believe me, we worked it out," Buffy tried to assure him.
"No, this is something, uh, that you can't possibly know." Warren took a deep breath. "She's a robot."
"Uh-huh," Buffy and the Ranger replied.
Espresso Pump
"I'm looking for my boyfriend Warren," April announced to the customers and.
"What?" one person asked.
"He comes from here and I need him," April replied. "But ... it's confusing, and I've already walked a really long way. I'm sure he's nearby."
"Oh, Warren!" The guy cried. "You're looking for Warren?"
April's face brightened. "Yes! Do you know him? Do you know where he is?"
"Man, let me think," the guy mused.
"Please think," April urged him.
"Geez, this is too bad, you, you just missed him," the guy remarked.
"Yes? Where did he go?" April asked.
"Warren? Uh, he headed out." the guy pointed in a random direction. "Uh, that way. Hurry, you might catch him."
"Oh, thank you," April answered. "I was getting very tired. Thank you."
The guy and his companion watched her hurry away.
"Who's Warren?" the former asked.
"Hell, if I know," the guy replied, causing mutual amusement.
Mears Home
Buffy and the Ranger were listening to April's creator with empathy. "They're not talking to you, you're not getting dates ... you start thinking, 'hey, this isn't fair.'"
Warren nodded. "Yeah, I mean, I felt like I deserved to have someone. You know, I mean, everyone deserves to have someone."
"So naturally you turned to manufacturing," the White Zeo Ranger added.
"Kinda," Warren confirmed.
"And how long did it take to build yourself that little toy?" Buffy asked.
"Oh, no, she's not a toy," Warren replied. "I mean, I know what you two are thinking, but she's more than that."
"I'm sure she has many exciting labor-saving attachments," Buffy remarked sarcastically.
"No, I made her to love me," Warren replied. "I mean, she cares about what I care about, and she wants to be with me. She listens to me and supports me. I didn't make a toy. I made a girlfriend."
"A girlfriend," Buffy echoed. "Are you saying ... are you in love with her?"
Warren sighed. "I really thought I would be. I mean, she's perfect. I don't know, I ... I guess it was too easy. And predictable. You know, she got boring. She was exactly what I wanted, and I didn't want her. I thought I was going crazy."
Buffy rolled her eyes. "Really? You?"
"Then something happened," Warren continued. "Katrina, was in my engineering seminar, and she was really funny and cool. You know, she was always giving me a hard time, real ... unpredictable. She builds these little model monorails that run with magnets, and ... Anyway. I fell in love with Katrina."
"Swell," Buffy mused. "Romance and magnetic trains. But first you decided to take April out of the box, play with her for five minutes, and then what? You got bored, decided to dump her, tell her to go away?"
"Kind of," Warren confirmed.
"And she got mad. She didn't go, huh?" the Ranger guessed.
"Okay, I didn't really dump her, as much as I, uh, went out, and, uh, didn't come back," Warren confessed. "I left her, I ... left her in my dorm room."
"You left her in your dorm room?" Buffy cried incredulously.
"Well, I figured I could just kind of get away until her batteries gave out," Warren replied. "Which should have been days ago."
"Did you even tell her?" Buffy asked. "I mean, did you even give her a chance to fix what was wrong?"
"I didn't need to fix anything," Warren protested. "I mean, her batteries were supposed to run down. Really, they should be completely dead by now."
"So why aren't they?" the Ranger asked him.
"I don't know," Warren answered. "I mean, maybe ... uh, she must be recharging them somehow."
The Ranger and Buffy looked at him. "Warren," Buffy said. "This is important. Is she dangerous?"
He shook his head. "She's only programmed to be in love."
The Ranger and Buffy looked at each other, the same thought running through their heads. April was dangerous. "Then she's dangerous," Buffy said. "Do you have any idea how to find her?"
"Well, she's looking for me, so my guess is she's probably pretty close," Warren speculated.
Streets of Sunnydale
April was indeed nearby, in fact, she ran into Katrina.
"Hi!" She cried. "Do you know where Warren is? I need to get to Warren."
"This is getting insane, how many of you are there?" Katrina asked her.
"There's only me. April."
"April. Fine. Listen up, April. Warren is my boyfriend. Mine. And you others probably ought to figure that out." April grabbed her arm. "Ow. Ow! Let go!" Katrina cried.
"Don't go," April commanded. "You have to stay and tell the truth." She pulled Katrina towards her, turning her around to wrap her arms around her, pinning Katrina's to her side. She locked her hands over Katrina's stomach and squeezed, making her gasp for air.
"You're lying," April remarked. "He cannot be your boyfriend. Say that he's my boyfriend."
"I can't ... I can't breathe. Let go!" Katrina pleaded.
"You have to stop lying," April continued.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
"April! April, are you there?" Warren called out as he, the White Zeo Ranger and Buffy walked up the street from his house in search of her. "If the batteries are still working and she hears my voice, then ... she'll answer," Warren explained.
"She's voice-activated?" Buffy asked.
"Well, I made it so that if she heard me and she didn't answer, it causes this kind of feedback," Warren replied.
"Wait, if you call her and she doesn't answer, it hurts her?" the White Zeo Ranger sought to confirm. "You' re one creepy little dweeb, Warren," she stated and Buffy couldn't help but agree.
"April!" Warren cried out.
"Warren!" April answered.
They came to a shocked halt as they took in the sight before them; April holding Katrina by the neck.
"April," Warren gasped.
"Where have you been?" April asked. "I couldn't find you, and this girl kept lying to me, and ... then she went to sleep."
"April, what did you do?" Warren asked her.
"Please don't be angry, Warren," April replied. "I'm trying very hard to make you happy."
"April," Buffy said. "I want you to put the girl down."
"Warren? What should I do?" April asked.
The Ranger turned to the hesitant boy. "Talk to her!"
"Pu-put her down!" Warren cried.
"Okay," April complied.
"This is Buffy and the White Zeo Ranger," Warren informed her. "Give Katrina to them."
April handed the girl to the Ranger, who carefully laid her on a nearby bench. With her helmet's scanners, the White Zeo Ranger checked Katrina for a pulse.
"Is she broken?" April asked.
"Dawn?" Buffy said glancing at her sister.
"She's alive," the White Zeo Ranger replied with relief.
"Warren, honey, what's going on?" April asked him. "Why did you go away? Is it a game?"
Warren shook his head. "No. No, this isn't a game."
"Did I do something wrong?" April asked. "I waited a long time and you never came back. A long time. I made you five sweaters."
Warren leapt on that mark of achievement. "That's great, you could go back and get them. So, you could wait there, and-"
"Warren!" Buffy cried. Next to her the Ranger cradled Katrina's head in her lap. She made him look at them. "You have to tell her. And do it right."
"What is she saying, Warren? What do you need to tell me?"
"April, I made a mistake," Warren continued.
April laughed. "You can't make mistakes."
"No, I did," Warren persisted. "I thought that I made you everything that I wanted, but it wasn't really what I wanted. I'm sorry, but it's over."
"But ... I can be whatever you want," April argued. "I love you. I'll do whatever you want. Would you like a neck rub?"
"No. See, I know that you love me, but the truth is, I can't love you. I mean, it's not your fault, but... I don't love you." Rapidly, Warren moved so April could see Buffy and Katrina. "I love her!"
April growled.
Buffy frowned. "She growls? You made her so she growls?"
"Well..." Warren began, before backing away.
Buffy turned to April, who grabbed her and flung her away. She rose from the grass she landed on, watching her opponent as she snapped off a piece of the seesaw nearby. She approached Buffy, swinging the wood at her. Slayer reflexes in control, she took hold of the weapon, causing them to wrestle for sovereignty. Buffy kicked her in the stomach, causing April to stumble backwards, clutching the bench for support.
Buffy aimed the wood at her opponent, but April dodged the hit, and the it impacted on the bench instead, causing Katrina to wake up. Buffy swung again, this time managing to hit April, tearing away her dress, exposing the complex machinery beneath her synthetic skin. "Dawn," she called out to her sister.
The White Zeo Ranger stood up seeing Katrina had regained consciousness. She moved to stand next to Buffy.
"What's going on?" Katrina asked.
"No, no, Trina—Get away," Warren urged.
Buffy swung the wood at April again, but April grabbed the weapon, pulling it out of the slayer's hands, tossing it away before punching her.
The White Zeo Ranger dodged a punch and landed one on April.
Katrina stared at the April in sudden understanding. "What is ... what ... that's a robot!"
"She wasn't just for sex," Warren hurriedly replied.
"Is that ... is that your ex-girlfriend?" Katrina asked him." He turned her, ready to reply, but she cut him off. "No, get the hell away from me!"
Warren followed her. "No, no, no, Trina, no, Trina, wait..."
Buffy kicked April into the sand next to the swings.
"White Zeo Power Sword!" the Power Ranger called out as the sword was beamed into her hands. She swung it hitting April with it.
April grabbed the Ranger by the throat, lifting her into the sky. "You two took my man. I'm going to kill you both. I'm going to ..." she paused suddenly, "I can't, I can't crush! So ... tired." She let go of the Ranger, staring at her hand. "Warren? Where are you? What's happening to me?"
Buffy glanced at her sister and they both gently took April's hands. "You're running out of power," Buffy informed the robot. "Do you know what that means?"
April nodded.
"Power Down!" the White Zeo Ranger called out as she de-morphed into Dawn. "Let's sit," Dawn suggested. indicating the swings. "Can you cry?" she asked her curiously. "Sometimes I feel better when I cry."
"But ... there might be rust issues," Buffy countered.
April leaned against the chain support for the swing as she replied. "Crying is blackmail. Good girlfriends don't cry."
"Oh," Buffy and Dawn replied, unsure what to say to that.
"I rechecked everything," April remarked. "I did everything I was supposed to do. I was a good girlfriend."
"Dawn and I are sure you were," Buffy uttered consolingly.
"I'm only supposed to love him," April added. "If I can't do that, what am I for? What do I exist for?"
"I don't know," Dawn and Buffy answered honestly.
"It isn't fair," Dawn added. "He wasn't fair to you."
April glanced at the brightly sunny day surrounding them. "It's getting dark," she murmured. "It's so early to be dark."
"Yeah," Buffy and Dawn replied sadly.
"What if he comes back and he can't find me in the dark?" April asked the sisters.
"Dawn and I are here. We'll make sure that he finds you," Buffy promised.
April smiled in sudden thought. "Maybe this is a girlfriend test. If I wait here patiently this time, he'll come back."
Dawn decided to comfort April as best she could. "I'm sure he will. And he'll ... he'll tell you how sorry he is."
"You know, he told me ... how proud he was of you and ... how impressed he was with how much you loved him and how you tried to help him," Buffy added. "He didn't mean to hurt you."
"He's going to take me home, and things will be right again," April decided.
Buffy nodded. "It'll be fine."
"When things are sad," April's speech pattern began to slow, "you just have to be patient. Because ... because every ... cloud has a silver lining. And ... when life ... gives you lemons ... make ... lemonade."
"Clouds and lemonade, huh?" Dawn mused.
"Yes. And ... and ... things are ... always ... darkest ... before..." she froze, a sort of peaceful smile fixed on her face.
Buffy and Dawn watched April before hearing the sounds of someone orbing in behind them. A second later they felt a hand on their shoulders and they looked up to see Lynn standing behind them.
"How was she?" Lynn asked.
"Sad," Buffy replied. "She devoted everything to making this one person happy."
"And then it was like, with him gone, there was just ... no reason for her to exist anymore." Dawn sighed, rising from the swing to wrap her arms around Lynn, seeking comfort.
"In many ways, she was just a normal girl," Buffy said. "I mean, I'm not that different from her. I've got so much more than her—I've got this great life, all this power, all these friends, my family, but still, every time I don't have a boyfriend, I feel like someone took away my arms. I feel like something real important is missing. But it isn't. I mean, it is missing, but it isn't that important, you know?"
"Buffy," Dawn said turning to look at her sister. "You're acting like you're never going to find someone, and that's nuts. Hey, there's lots of guys or girls out there. You will find someone."
"It's okay, Dawn," Buffy cut in. "I don't need a guy right now. I need me. If someone amazing comes along, fine, but I think I'd like to get comfortable being alone with Buffy."
"Well, you will never be completely alone," Dawn reminded her sister. "After all Buffy has Dawn and the Slayer has the White Zeo Ranger."
"Thanks, Dawnie," Buffy said as she smiled at her sister.