Chapter 25: Go Fish
May 4, 1998 – Monday
Beach
As Xander, Dawn, Faith, Cordelia, and Willow warmed themselves by the fire, Xander observed, "All I'm saying is, it was a stupid idea to have a victory party on the beach. It's officially nippy. So, say my nips."
Willow rolled her eyes. "I think it's festive. A party with nature," she remarked.
"Well, it's the team's choice," Cordelia chimed in. "It was their victory."
Xander shrugged. "Team. Swim team. Hardly what I call a team. The Yankees, Abbott and Costello... Those were teams."
Faith smirked. "Jealous?" she asked.
Xander scoffed. "No. Yes. But more no than yes," he replied. "I mean, look at that..." He waved at Dodd McAlvy, a lanky student with poor skin who was dancing with two attractive coeds. "Dodd McAlvy. Last month, he was the freak with jicama breath who waxed his back. He wins a few meets, and suddenly he's inherited the cool gene."
"Hey, all I know is that my cheerleading squad wasted a lot of pep on losers," Cordelia explained, taking a sip of her drink. "And it's about time our school excelled at something."
"You're forgetting our high mortality rate," Dawn retorted.
"We're number one!" Xander boasted falsely.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Buffy and Chloe sat huddled together in the moonlight, watching the tide come in. They had determined that outside of school, they would no longer hide their romantic relationship. In school, however, it was a different story, as Chloe was still a member of the faculty. Chloe had revealed to her charges that a spell had been performed on the Watcher's Council to fool them into believing she was a Watcher. However, the Cleaners, a group of supernatural beings that altered reality to conceal magic, altered reality to erase Chloe's death from official records.
A voice from alongside the pair said, "Beautiful..." They looked up to see Cameron sitting next to them. "Isn't it?" He gestured toward the moonlight playing on the water.
"It is," Chloe agreed.
"Yeah. It's so... so..." Buffy struggled to find the right words, to sum up the feeling.
"Eternal," Cameron finished for her. "Our true mother is birthing new life while devouring the old... Always adaptable and nurturing, yet constant and merciless."
Buffy smiled at Chloe before returning her gaze to Cameron. "Boy, I was planning on going with Big and Wet," she half-joked.
Cameron chuckled. "Some of the other guys on the team and I go out once a week to train in it. Swim against the current."
Buffy cast a glance at Chloe. "Funny. That's how I feel most of the time," she explained as Chloe comforted her with a pat on the arm. "So, Cameron Walker..." She held up a fictitious microphone. "You've just won the state semi-finals; what are you going to do now?"
Cameron gave Buffy and Chloe a warm smile. "I'll be hanging out with Buffy Summers and Ms. Payne," he said, gesturing toward them. "Get acquainted with you both."
"Please," Chloe requested. "It's just Chloe. We're not in school."
Cameron chuckled. "Chloe," he said with a nod, noticing Chloe's arm draped over Buffy's. "I take it..."
"Yes, we're dating," Chloe confirmed with a smile. "Buffy will be eighteen in January. So, as far as the school is concerned, we keep it hidden there so I don't lose my position before Buffy graduates."
They turned around when they heard someone yelling behind them and saw Dodd shoving someone's head down into a metal beverage tub filled with ice water while the spectators laughed.
"C'mon, Jonny, you've got to hold your breath longer than that if you ever want to make the team," Dodd urged as the youngster, whom Buffy and Chloe recognized as Jonathon, came up for air. "Someone watch him." He pushed Jonathan's head back into the tub.
Dawn had been watching from where she sat with Faith, Xander, and Willow. Anger was boiling beneath the surface over Dodd's treatment of Jonathon. She stood up and walked over to the tub. She grabbed Dodd's wrist, twisting his arm behind his back in an armlock, forcing him to let Jonathan go.
Dodd struggled against her grip. "Hey!"
Dawn observed the boy's tattoo of a grinning, cigar-chomping shark and smirked. "Nice tat. I guess they ran out of Tweety-Bird," she remarked as she swept his feet out from under him.
Dodd hit the ground with a thud, and Dawn released him from the armlock. "What's your problem?" he asked.
"Had it coming, bro," Cameron said, still sitting next to Buffy and Chloe.
Gage, one of Dodd's friends, drew Dodd away from Dawn. "Calm down, man. A group of us is going to have an evening swim down the beach. You in?"
Dodd took a deep breath and nodded, still fuming. "Whatever," he murmured as he followed Gage along the shore.
"Let's find you a towel," Dawn said, turning to face Jonathon.
"Why don't you mind your own business?" Jonathon said he was angry that he had been rescued by a girl. "I can handle this without your help." He stormed off.
Dawn shrugged and turned back to Chloe and Buffy. "Some people just don't appreciate a helping hand," she said.
"Yeah," Buffy agreed.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Dodd and Gage made their way down the beach toward their little sub-party. "Man, that chick gives me the creeps," Dodd muttered, coming to a halt as if sensing something. He looked around.
Gage, who hadn't observed Dodd stopping, kept on walking until he smelled something in the air. "Dude. "What's that foulness?" he inquired. He turned around and noticed Dodd was gone. "Hello, Dodd! Dude!" He shrugged and continued on after receiving no answer.
A loud cry pierced the air, almost drowned out by the sound of the waves breaking nearby. As the shrieking came to a halt, it was followed by a terrible, wet, ripping sound.
Then, from behind a dune, a shadowy humanoid figure emerged, heading towards the water, leaving behind a heap of ripped garments and Dodd's remains.
May 5, 1998 – Tuesday
Sunnydale High
Jenny Calendar passed by her students as they worked on their computers. She looked over their shoulders to see how the children were doing on their pie charts. "Okay, really good pie charts, guys," she murmured as she approached Gage's desk and frowned. "Mr. Petronzi, that isn't a pie chart," she said, glancing at the solitaire game on the screen. She leaned in closer and noticed naked women on the digital cards, "with naked women on the cards."
"What's your point, Ms. Calendar?" Gage inquired as the bell sounded.
Jenny shook her head disapprovingly as she watched him walk out of the room with the other students. "The point is," she grumbled. "You're getting an F in my class." She was disappointed that Gage didn't seem to take her class seriously.
Snyder, like a salmon swimming upstream, pushed through the torrent of departing students. As he passed Gage, he offered him a kind pat on the back. "Good job in yesterday's meet, son. Now let's go for it!"
As he mingled with the rest of the student traffic, Gage hardly paid attention to the principal.
Snyder glared at Jenny as she approached him. "Calendar, how's the class going—is everything in order?" he said.
"Well, actually—" Jenny began.
"Great!" Snyder exclaimed, cutting her off. "You're a team player, which I appreciate. A team player wishes for the success of the entire team. Wishes for everyone to pass."
Jenny frowned, wondering if he was really saying what she thought he was saying. "Okay?"
"I understand there's a problem with Gage Petronzi," Snyder stated, his tone serious.
"There is," Jenny confirmed, nodding her head. "Aside from his behavior issues, he refuses to do his homework, and his test scores are, well, actually, he doesn't have any test scores because he never shows up when we have—"
Snyder dismissed her argument with a dismissive shrug. "None of that appeals to me," he interrupted. "I'm curious why, when our school is on the verge of winning its first State Championship in fifteen years, you assign a failing grade to a key player on the team, forcing his removal. Is this how you demonstrate your school spirit?"
"Are you saying I should change his grade?" Jenny snarled at him, her eyes narrowing in anger.
"Gage is a winner. He's under more strain than the other students," Snyder explained calmly. "And I believe we should give him some leeway." He turned on his heels and took a few steps back. He then returned his gaze to Jenny. "Oh, and I never say anything like that. All I'm asking is that you double-check your figures. I believe you will discover a grade that is more appropriate for an athlete of Gage's stature. Maybe something in a 'D.'" He turned and walked out of the classroom.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
"Just like that?" Chloe said as Jenny paced back and forth beside the library table. Both she and Giles were astounded that Snyder would put pressure on a teacher to adjust a student's grade solely because he was on a sports team. "He actually advised you to change his grade."
Jenny nodded; her face flushed with anger. "Yes," she confirmed. "Of course, he didn't say it out loud, but he made it perfectly clear what he wanted."
Chloe and Giles exchanged a worried glance. "I can't believe he would do something like that," Giles said. "That's unethical, isn't it?"
"Very," Jenny said as she sat in a chair. "I don't know what to do. If I don't fall in line, he could go to the school board and get me fired. But if I do conform, I am sacrificing my own morals. I'm at a loss for what to do here."
. "Understandably so," Giles said, sitting close to his girlfriend.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Cameron stood in the corridor, trapping Buffy in a corner with no way out. He inquired, "Are you wearing a bra?"
Buffy's expression turned to one of disgust as she replied, "What?" Cameron's question made her feel uncomfortable and violated. She wondered why he would ask such an inappropriate and irrelevant question.
Without listening to her, he ran his hand down her arm. "Are you sure you haven't been thinking about this since last night?"
Buffy's discomfort turned into anger as she pulled her arm away from him. "Uh, remember, I'm in a relationship," she reminded him before quietly whispering to herself, "Chloe."
"Relax. I'm not going to hurt you," Cameron assured her.
Buffy narrowed her eyes at him. "Oh, I'm not worried about me," she said as he came in for a forceful grope.
Gage was yanked away from Buffy by Chloe, who arrived behind him. "What exactly do you think you're doing, Mr. Walker?" she asked.
"And what exactly are you doing, Ms. Payne?" Snyder inquired as he approached Chloe, Buffy, and Cameron.
"My duty as a member of the faculty," Chloe replied firmly. "It appeared to me that Mr. Walker was about to sexually assault a female student."
Snyder's expression turned serious as he listened to Chloe's explanation. "That's not how it looked from where I was standing," he said.
"I'm not sure what happened." Cameron said, motioning toward Buffy. "She led me on."
Chloe shook her head in disbelief. "Led you on?" she asked incredulously.
"When did I start leading you on?" Buffy demanded angrily.
Cameron gave Snyder a sidelong glance and waved to Buffy. "C'mon, look at how she dresses," he remarked as Snyder drew him away from the two women.
Chloe's face turned red with anger as she realized that Jenny had been correct in that Snyder was giving the swim team preferential treatment. "Jenny is right," she said. "He's playing favorites because the swim team is winning." She smiled as she turned to look at her girlfriend. "I have to say, I'm glad you were assigned to me."
Buffy returned the smile and squeezed Chloe's hand. "You heard my call?" she asked. "I wasn't sure because I said it barely above a whisper."
"I did, but it's not so much your voice that I hear. It's the fact that you needed me. That desire for my help is what I heard," Chloe explained with a reassuring smile. Then she sighed. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine, Chloe; you arrived just in time," Buffy murmured, grateful for her girlfriend's presence. "A minute more, I would have decked him."
"While as your Whitelighter, I would have had to admonish you if you used any of your Slayer strength for that purpose," Chloe said. "Having said that, as your girlfriend, I would have been proud of you if you had decked him," she added with a smirk. "He deserved it because he tried to assault my girlfriend."
Buffy chuckled at Chloe's comment but couldn't help feeling grateful for having her by her side.
"Ooh," she replied cheerfully. "I love it when you get all possessive of me."
Chloe rolled her eyes playfully. "I'm not possessive; I just can't stand anyone messing with my girlfriend."
After making sure no one was watching, Buffy leaned in and gave Chloe a quick kiss. "I know, and I wouldn't have it any other way."
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Dawn, Buffy, Chloe, Faith, Willow, and Xander sat at the library table with Giles and Jenny. They, with the exception of Buffy and Chloe, had been working at trying to find a demon that would skin their victim and eat everything else. Buffy stood before them, with Chloe's arm wrapped around her comfortingly, ranting about what Cameron had done and said.
"So," Dawn said, looking up at her sister. "So, he attempted to assault my sister, and Snyder let him get away with it!"
Buffy nodded grimly. "Pretty much," she said, her eyes blazing with anger.
"It seems he only cares about the swim team winning," Jenny said, her voice laced with disappointment. "He asked me to change Gage's grade. Anything that interferes with them bringing in another win..."
"So," Buffy said looking at the piles of books. "What's going on?"
"Apparently, some remains were discovered on the beach this morning," Faith said, flipping through a book.
"Human remains," Giles added, his face grim.
"Dodd McAlvy's remains," Willow explained.
"Vampires?" Chloe asked.
"No," Giles replied. "He was eviscerated. "There was nothing left but skin and cartilage."
Everyone fell silent, the weight of the news sinking in. Xander spoke up, breaking the silence. "In other words, this was no boating accident!"
"So, something just split him open and ate out his insides?" Buffy asked.
Dawn nodded grimly. "Like an Oreo cookie," she said as everyone looked at her. "Really? You don't get the analogy? You know, eat out the creamy middle, leaving behind the chocolate cookies."
"Anyways, Principal Snyder's instructed the faculty to keep the news quiet for now," Giles said before looking at Chloe. "Since you missed the meeting, he wanted to make sure you got the memo. Anyway, it was so as not to unduly upset the students."
"For students," Xander said, "read swim team."
Chloe raised an eyebrow. "So, we're looking for a demon?" she asked.
"Or some kind of monster," Giles said. Despite it being against the rules, Chloe had revealed who she was to everyone currently at the table. "That eats humans whole, except for the skin."
"It doesn't make sense," Buffy admitted.
"Yeah!" Faith agreed. "Skin's the best part!" She gave a wink at her girlfriend who smiled at the suggestive remark.
"So, any demons with high cholesterol?" Buffy asked as Giles gave her a look as if to say, what?
Chloe laughed at her girlfriend's joke. "Later on, you're going to think about that and you're going to laugh too," she told Giles.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Faith followed Xander down the hall toward the soda machine, counting out change. They were getting soda for the entire group. She collided with Cameron, who kept going as Faith dropped the change.
"Watch it," Cameron called over his shoulder.
"Oh, forgive us, your swimteamliness," Xander said as he helped Faith pick up the change.
"Loser," Cameron said as he headed for the cafeteria.
"You should be more considerate," Faith snarled at Cameron's retreating figure. "Dawn is my girlfriend. And Buffy is her cousin. Which means I take offense that you tried to assault Buffy, which would have hurt my girlfriend."
Cameron glared at Faith. "You're lucky I'm hungry," he said as he walked away.
"Cafeteria's closed," Xander called after him.
"Not to me," Cameron said before walking into the cafeteria.
"Sometimes I wish I was a Slayer in this timeline," Faith admitted. "I would give him the beatdown he deserves."
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
In the cafeteria, Cameron made his way toward the back. He stopped as he heard something. Moving forward slowly he began to smell something. "God, what is that?" he asked in disgust.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Faith, now laden with soda, watched as Xander put the last of his change into the machine. "Grape, orange. Grape, orange," he said, pondering his choice.
It was then that they heard a bloodcurdling scream coming from the cafeteria, followed by the sound of something tearing and tables being knocked over.
Faith handed the cans in her arms to Xander. "Wait here," she instructed. She ran into the cafeteria. She found a pile of skin and Cam's torn clothes. She turned and found herself face-to-face with... she wasn't sure what it was.
It had a spiny head, like a fish; palpitating gills at the side of its neck; and large, bulging, cold black eyes that never closed. Its gaping piranha-toothed jaw widened, and it let out a primal croaking screech.
From behind Faith, she heard Xander scream. She should have known he wouldn't follow directions but would follow her.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
"No, its mouth was bigger and turned downward," Xander said as he demonstrated for Dawn, who was trying to sketch the creature he and Faith had seen. "Like this. And with more teeth."
"Okay!" Dawn said as she gradually lost her patience.
"And what's that? I said gills, not dimples," Xander said, pointing to the sketch.
Dawn had it with Xander as she slammed down her pencil and sketchpad. "I'm doing the best I can. I'm a Slayer, not an artist," she retorted.
Giles and Chloe approached and peered at the drawing from behind Dawn. "Is this what you two saw, Xander? Faith?" Giles asked, pointing at the sketch.
"Close," Faith said. "Not quite right, but close."
Willow entered the library, followed by Buffy, holding a computer printout. "Buffy was right. According to the statistics, Dodd and Cameron were the best swimmers on the team," Willow said, handing the printout to Giles.
"First and second, actually. And if my theory's correct, that means Gage Petronzi, the third-best swimmer, maybe the next item on the menu," Buffy added.
Giles nodded thoughtfully. "If you're proposing these killings are not random, that would indicate a revenge motive," he said, looking at Buffy.
Jenny nodded as she saw where Buffy and Giles were going. "And raise the possibility that someone brought forth this demon to carry out that revenge."
Xander furrowed his brow. "Who hates the swim team that much?" he asked as everyone stared at him. "Besides me, I mean."
Dawn thought for a half-second, then nodded. "Jonathon! He was bullied by Dodd on the beach."
"And he did say he could take care of those guys himself," Buffy added with a glance at her sister. "You're right, Dawn." She then turned and looked at Willow. "Willow, you should question him."
Willow looked at Buffy, surprised. "Really? Me?" she said. "I'll crack him like an egg."
"I'll go with you," Chloe offered, standing up from her chair.
"Meanwhile, I think swimmer number three might benefit from your protection and watchful eye," Giles said, looking at Buffy, Dawn, and Faith. "Discreetly, of course."
"Let's motor," Faith said as she followed Buffy and Dawn out of the library.
"What about me? What can I do?" Xander asked.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
"I've been thinking this summer that you and I could take a vacation out of town, Dawn," Faith said, looking at her girlfriend. They and Buffy sat on the opposite side of the student lounge from Gage.
"That would be nice," Dawn admitted. "As long as Buffy doesn't run away for the summer."
Buffy glanced at her sister with a raised eyebrow. "Is that what I did before?" she asked as Gage looked in their direction.
Dawn nodded. "Yeah, right after you had to kill Angel to save the world," she said with a sigh. "Long three months of mine and mom's life. Mom and I worried where you were that whole time."
Buffy's expression softened as she listened to Dawn's words. "I'm sorry I put you and Mom through that," she said as she patted her sister's hand comfortingly.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
In Jenny's computer classroom, Jonathon sat in front of Jenny's desk as Willow shone a line in his face. Chloe stood next to the doorway, watching to make sure no one entered but also to make sure Willow didn't go too far in her interrogation.
"He tried out for the swim team twice and never made it," Chloe informed Willow.
"I'm asthmatic. I couldn't keep up," he admitted.
"You resented it, didn't you?" Willow asked.
She could see the hurt in his eyes as he nodded. "Maybe," he said softly.
Willow felt a pang of sympathy for him. "You hated being pushed around by Dodd and the others," she said.
"So?" he replied, wondering where this line of questioning was going. If Chloe was not there, he would not have stuck around for the third degree.
Willow hesitated before continuing. "You wanted revenge, didn't you?" she asked. accusingly. "Didn't you?!"
Jonathon shifted uncomfortably in his seat, not wanting to answer her question. Finally, he let out a deep sigh and said, "Yeah. Okay. I did!" he said, looking guilty.
Willow glanced at Chloe with an ear-to-ear smile. She looked back at Jonathon as she went in for the kill. "So, you delved into the black arts and conjured up a hell beast from the ocean's depths to wreak your vengeance," she said as Jonathon squinted at her.
"Ms. Payne, you're going to allow this?" Jonathon asked the assistant librarian.
"Actually yes," Chloe answered as she looked at Jonathon. "We know something is going on, Jonathon. And we have the full support of the faculty in finding the culprit. Because of your animosity... Well… Please answer the question."
"No," Jonathon replied. "I snuck in yesterday and peed in the pool."
Willow and Chloe glanced at each other and wrinkled their noses in disgust. "Eww," they said simultaneously.
Chloe nodded sternly and said, "Jonathon, I will be reporting this to the principal."
Jonathon sighed.
The Bronze
Buffy, Dawn, and Faith sipped their drinks as they watched Gage shoot pool by himself. As he lined up a shot, he looked over at them, who turned and acted like they were in the midst of a conversation. Gage walked over to them, intending to confront them. "This me and my shadow act is getting old," he said. "What do you three want from me?"
Buffy, Dawn, and Faith looked at each other, then back at Gage. "Oh, we um..." Buffy finally spoke up. "Okay. It's a little embarrassing, but, um, we're swim groupies," she said as Dawn and Faith rolled their eyes at the lame excuse.
Gage raised an eyebrow skeptically. He didn't believe Buffy's lie one iota. "Uh-huh."
"Yep. There's just something about the smell of chlorine on a guy. Hmm, baby—" Buffy said as Gage turned to walk away. She, Faith, and Dawn quickly moved to block his escape. "Okay, my sex appeal..."
Dawn rolled her eyes. "Don't let Chloe hear you say that," she told her sister before looking at Gage. "Look, I'll be straight with you. There's something lurking around making filets out of the swim team and you being the third best swimmer, well we think you're next."
"Uh huh," Gage said in disbelief; he didn't believe Dawn anymore than he had believed Buffy. "And you girls think that because ..."
"As my baby said, it's making filets out of the swim team," Faith said with a smirk. "Dodd and Cameron were first and second on the menu, and now they're dead."
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Gage walked down the deserted alley behind the Bronze. "Little wacko bitches have pain in the—" he muttered.
"You've got to be talking about Buffy and Dawn."
Gage jumped as he turned to find Nakamura partially visible in the soft glow of a street lamp. "And Faith," he added as Nakamura smiled at him. He eyed the vampire warily. "How'd you know?"
Nakamura chuckled. "Buffy and I had a thing once," he said, his smile turning wistful. "And her cousin, Dawn, and I were always at odds over it."
"My condolences, dude," Gage said as he started walking again.
"Dawn and Faith are real head trippers," Nakamura said, falling into step with Gage.
"Tell me about it," Gage replied, not realizing that Nakamura had not included Buffy in his statement. "All three of them think they are God's gift or something."
"You know, what Dawn and Faith really need is for someone to knock them both down a few notches," Nakamura said.
"That'd be sweet," Gage said, enjoying the idea. "Anyone in mind?"
"You're in luck, friend..." Nakamura said as Gage turned to look at him. Gage's eyes went wide with terror at the sight of the vampire's demonic visage. "It so happens that I'm recruiting." He then lunged at Gage.
0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0
Buffy, Dawn, and Faith came out the backdoor of the Bronze, searching for Gage.
"Hey! Get off! No!" shouted Gage.
They spun around at the sound of his voice. Dawn pictured Gage in her mind and then opened a portal. The three of them stepped through it to find Gage dazed but very much alive and holding his hand to his neck while he leaned against the wall of the building. Nearby, Nakamura was spitting out Gage's blood, which to him tasted like battery acid.
Nakamura suddenly sensed the sisters and looked up. Without a word and before he could react, Dawn nailed him with a roundhouse kick to the face, which sent him reeling back.
As he stumbled, Buffy reached up to her bun and pulled out the two thin wooden stakes. Her hair fell to her shoulders as she shook it out. She handed one of the stakes to Dawn.
Faith ran over to Gage to check on him. "Are you five by five?" she asked him.
"Why, Buffy," Nakamura said as he smiled at the elder Slayer. "I always liked you with your hair down." Buffy rolled her eyes at Nakamura's comment as she and Dawn stood, ready to attack, stakes poised.
Nakamura grabbed Buffy and pulled her aggressively in for a quick, passionate kiss before throwing her into Dawn, sending the sisters sprawling. He hurried off, still spitting out the taste of Gage's blood.
Faith turned and helped Buffy and Dawn to their feet.
"So that... Was that the thing that killed Dodd and Cameron?" Gage asked.
Buffy shook her head grimly. "No. That was something else," she answered.
"Something else?!" Gage said, shocked.
Dawn nodded. "Unfortunately," she said. "There are a lot of something elses in this town."
"Well, g'night," Buffy said as she, Faith, and Dawn turned and casually walked away.
Gage ran after them. "Walk me home," he pleaded.
Buffy, Dawn, and Faith exchanged a look before nodding in agreement. "We didn't walk here. But I could give you a ride home," Dawn offered. Gage gratefully accepted her offer, and the four of them made their way to Dawn's car.
May 6, 1998 – Wednesday
Sunnydale High
At swim practice, Marin blew his whistle as swimmers dove into the pool for a practice lap. Gage got out of the pool and turned to wave at Buffy, Dawn, and Faith, who were sitting in the bleachers with Willow and Cordelia.
"He spit it out." Cordelia said, referring to the story Buffy, Dawn, and Faith had been telling her and Willow of what happened the night before at the Bronze.
"He spit it out," Dawn said in confirmation.
"You think his eyes were too big for his stomach?" Willow asked.
Buffy shook her head. "We think there was something in Gage's blood that Nakamura didn't like. As, for example, steroids."
"That would explain all their behavioral changes," Willow said, nodding in agreement.
"And the winning streak," Cordelia added, chiming in.
"Maybe whatever is in their blood is what's attracting this creature to them!" Dawn suggested.
"Any luck researching our fish monster?" Buffy asked, looking at Willow and Cordelia.
Cordelia had popped into the library the evening before and had been roped into helping with research. "Zippo," she answered. "We couldn't find any sea demons that match the description that Xander gave us. Not that Chicken Little was much of a witness," she said as she spotted something behind Buffy, Dawn, Willow, and Faith. "Oh, my."
They turned around to see what had caught Cordelia's attention. They saw Xander exiting the locker rooms wearing nothing but Speedos.
"That, girls, is my kind of..." Cordelia said, appreciatively.
Willow's eyes went wide as she stared at Xander. "Xander?" she asked, incredulously.
Xander turned at the sound of his name and saw the girls. Horrified to be seen by his friends in his near-naked state, he tried to cover himself up.
"Xander, what the hell are you doing?" Cordelia asked, her eyes scanning his body.
"I'm undercover," Xander said, quietly.
Dawn raised an eyebrow. "You're not under much," she said as Faith chuckled while Willow lowered her eyes, but kept sneaking peeks at him.
"Get out of here before somebody sees you impersonating a swim team member," Cordelia said.
"I don't do impersonations," Xander countered. "I tried out for the team last night, and I made it."
"Really?" Cordelia asked in surprise.
"Figure I can keep an eye on Gage and the others when Dawn, Faith, and Buffy can't," Xander said as Cordelia smiled with pride.
"Like when you're nude. I meant to say changing." Willow suggested, trying to diffuse the awkwardness.
It was then that Marin, the swim team coach, noted that Xander was talking to them as he yelled at the boy. "Harris, you can flirt on your own time," he said as Xander turned and walked over to the pool.
"I'm dating a swimmer on the Sunnydale swim team," Cordelia said happily.
"You can die happy," Faith snarked.
"So, Will, what about Jonathon?" Buffy asked, changing the subject. "He involved?"
"No, he just, uh, sort of peed in the pool," Willow said as Dawn and Faith looked at each other shaking their heads in disgust.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
After practice, Buffy, Dawn, and Faith stood outside the locker room, pretending to read a notice on the wall, waiting for Gage. It was at that moment that the door swung open and Xander walked out, drying his hair with a towel. "You've got to love this undercover deal," he said. "Twenty minutes in a hot room with a bunch of sweaty guys."
"Where's Gage?" Buffy asked.
"He was right behind me, putting his sneakers on," Xander replied. "But they're not the Velcro kind, so give him a couple of extra minutes." He tapped Dawn lightly on the shoulder. "Tag, you're it." He hurried off down the hall before disappearing around the corner.
They eventually began to pace as they waited for Gage. Suddenly, they heard a scream coming from inside the locker room. "Help! Help me!"
Buffy, Dawn, and Faith turned and rushed into the locker room and watched as a creature converged on Gage near the grate outside the steam room.
"Get behind us. Now! Do it!" Dawn yelled out as Gage moved behind them. "Faith, stay next to him."
Faith nodded. "Sure, babe," she said. She understood why the order, wasn't to protect her; it was to protect Gage.
The two Slayers sized up the creature, contemplating their next move as the creature approached. Then it stopped. Buffy and Dawn looked at it quizzically.
"Dawn!" Faith yelled out just as Gage screamed.
The Slayers turned and found Gage doubled over.
"Gage?" Buffy and Dawn spoke, concern flooding their voices.
Gage bolted upright, his face twisted in agony and slick with sweat. His hands suddenly went to his chest, and Buffy, Faith, and Dawn watched, horrified, as his body split wide open down the middle. They watched as another creature emerged from the molted casing that was once Gage Petronzi.
The creatures converged on the three of them as they backed away.
"Dawn," Buffy said. "We need a portal!"
Dawn looked over her shoulder, and a portal opened as Buffy kicked one of the creatures in the stomach, and it rolled back, crashing into a locker.
The other creature grabbed Faith's shoulder with his piranha-like teeth. Faith cried out in pain as she backhanded her creature, who staggered back and fell on its belly. It slithered down the open grate. As the other creature was about to spring on Buffy again, the three of them stepped through the portal into the library, and Dawn let it snap close in the creature's face, preventing it from following.
Dawn turned toward her girlfriend and looked at the wound. "Chloe!" she called out as Chloe and Giles rapidly came out of the office. "Faith needs healing."
Chloe rushed to Faith's side and quickly assessed the wound. She held her hands over the wound, and they began to glow with the golden rays of healing. As Faith's wound slowly closed, Dawn couldn't help but feel relief that Faith was alright.
"How are you?" Giles asked, looking at the three of them.
"I'm definitely feeling the burn," Faith quipped.
"Well, we can honestly tell you that none of the swim team is dead," Dawn said. "The creatures are the swim team."
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Giles, Buffy, and Dawn found Coach Marin in his office and filled him in on what had happened to his swim team, trying to see if he knew anything. "Well, the good news is, it would appear none of your team has actually died," Giles said.
"But the bad news is that they're monsters," Buffy added, looking worriedly at Marin.
Marin seemed genuinely shocked and concerned. "How could this happen?" he wondered, looking at them.
"Are you saying you don't know?" Dawn asked as she stared levelly at the coach.
The coach shook his head as he sat down, obviously defeated. "You work so hard, you start winning suddenly... You like to think it's just you; you're just inspiring the boys to greatness. But in the back of your mind, you wonder..."
"You never asked the boys if they were taking anything?" Giles questioned.
Marin shook his head. "Maybe I was afraid to." He sighed heavily and leaned back in his chair, looking defeated.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Later in the computer room, Willow and Dawn sat at their computers while Faith, Buffy, and Xander stood on either side of them, their eyes glued to the screens.
"There," Buffy said as she indicated Dawn's screen, on it was Dodd's file with the school nurse.
"Dodd McAlvy: torn tendon. Gage Petronzi: fractured wrist, depression, headaches," Dawn read, looking at the screen.
"It's all here in their school medical records," Faith commented, her eyes narrowing as she scanned the information on the screen.
"It's all here in their school medical records," said Faith.
Willow nodded in agreement. "All symptomatic of steroid abuse."
"But is steroid abuse usually linked with, Hey, I'm a fish?" Xander asked, raising an eyebrow skeptically. "There must be something else in the mix," replied Willow, furrowing her brow in thought. "The point is, the boys were obviously drugged."
"And Nurse Greenliegh treated each and every one of them," Buffy added, her eyes narrowing in suspicion. "She must have known."
"If steroids are that dangerous, why would they do that to themselves?" Willow asked, looking at her friends.
"Maybe they were pressured into it," Dawn suggested. "Peer pressure can be a powerful thing, especially in sports."
Buffy nodded in agreement. "The need to win... Winning equals trophies, which equals prestige for the school. You see how they're treated. It's been like that forever."
"Sure, discus throwers had the best seats at all the crucifixions," Xander chimed in jokingly.
"Meanwhile, I'm breaking my nails battling the forces of evil, and my French teacher can't even remember my name," Buffy muttered, half-jokingly.
"So, what's the plan?" Faith asked, looking at Buffy and Dawn.
"Get Nurse Greenliegh?" Xander added.
"Let's throw the book at her!" Willow said so vehemently. Everyone turned to her and stared at her. "Or a book."
Buffy chuckled at Willow's suggestion before getting serious. "She's probably gone home. It can wait. Xander, try to find out what these boys are taking, or at least how they're taking it. Pills, powder, syringes—"
Xander nodded. "I'm looking around guy.
"What about you guys?" Willow wondered, looking at Buffy, Faith, and Dawn.
Buffy exchanged a knowing look with Dawn and Faith before answering, "Giles is loading up the tranquilizer gun. We're going fishing."
Sewers
Buffy, Dawn, Faith, and Giles moved through the dank, filthy sewer tunnel. Buffy held a flashlight while Giles held the tranquilizer gun.
"You should get a second tranquilizer gun," Dawn suggested, looking at Giles. "We could cover more ground if you had a second gun."
Giles nodded in agreement. "I'll see if I can acquire another one," he said.
They continued to navigate the sewer, on the lookout for any signs of the creatures they were hunting. Suddenly, they heard splashing ahead of them.
Buffy shone her flashlight in the direction of the noise while Giles took aim with the tranquilizer gun, ready to shoot. They spotted a rat making its way along the wall, retreating from them.
Buffy, Dawn, Faith, and Giles shared a look and exhaled warily before continuing on. They passed by the opening of another tunnel, not seeing one of the creatures they had been looking for.
May 7, 1998 – Thursday
Sunnydale High
Xander paced the library nervously as Buffy, Jenny, Dawn, Faith, Willow, Chloe, Giles, and Cordelia digested the new information he had revealed. That the steroids were in the steam room gas.
"They've been absorbing the steroid mixture through the steam," Giles said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.
"Not they," Xander corrected, worried that he would wind up turning into one of the creatures. "We. Me. We need an antidote, don't you think? The clock is ticking, people."
"Let's not break out the tartar sauce yet," Buffy said, trying to lighten the mood. "It's not like you were exposed more than once." Xander looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "Twice?" she asked hopefully.
"Three times a fishguy," Xander corrected with a grimace.
"Whoa," Willow said, with wide eyes.
"That's not good," Dawn admitted sadly.
"What am I going to do?" Xander asked worriedly.
Cordelia cleared her throat, drawing their attention. "You, you, you. What about me? It's one thing to date a lame, unpopular guy. It's another thing to date the Creature From the Blue Lagoon."
"Black Lagoon," Xander corrected the cheerleader. "The creature from the Blue Lagoon was Brooke Shields," he said before realizing, in Cordelia's own way, she was trying to show him some support. "And thanks so much for your support."
"We need to find the rest of the swim team and lock them up before they get in touch with their inner halibut," Dawn said as Faith and Buffy nodded in agreement.
"Yes, good," Giles agreed. "But we're also going to need to know exactly what was in the steroid gas so the hospital's toxicology lab can develop an antidote."
"I'll have a little talk with Nurse Greenliegh," Willow offered.
"You're really liking this whole interrogation routine, aren't you?" Dawn asked with a smile.
Willow nodded. "The trick is not to leave any marks."
"Okay," Dawn agreed. "I'm going with you."
"That means, Faith, you're with me. We're going to visit the coach," Buffy said as Faith nodded. "Somehow, I just don't believe that all he's been giving them is inspiration."
"And I will go up and talk to the Elders and see if they know anything about these creatures," Chloe said as she disappeared in blue and white orbing lights.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Marin led Buffy and Faith into the pump room for the pool. "You two have quite an imagination," he told them.
Buffy and Faith exchanged a glance. "Right now, I'm imagining you in jail," Buffy said.
"Yeah, I can just picture you wearing a big, orange suit and—" Faith added as she began to chuckle. "Oh look! The guards are beating you!"
Marin's expression turned serious as he shook his head. "You two don't have any proof that..."
Buffy interrupted him, her tone firm. "Tell us what you put in the steam."
Marin stopped as he dropped the facade. "After the fall of the Soviet Union, documents came to light detailing experiments with fish DNA on their Olympic swimmers. Tarpon, mako shark... But they never cracked it."
Buffy and Faith listened intently. "And you did. Sort of. Why?" Faith asked, her voice laced with concern.
Marin nodded solemnly. "What kind of a question is that?" he asked, his eyes narrowing. "For the win. To make my team the best they can be. Do you understand we have a shot at the State Championship?"
Buffy and Faith's concern deepened as they realized Marin's obsession with winning may have clouded his judgment. "Do you understand that I don't care?" Buffy asked. "It's over. There's not going to be any swim team this year."
"Boy, when they were handing out school spirit, you two didn't even get in line, did you?" Marin asked sarcastically.
Buffy rolled her eyes. "No, we were in the line for a shred of sanity," she said as Marin pulled out a gun from the small of his back. She glanced at Faith with a look of surprise before turning back to Marin. "Which you obviously skipped."
Marin waved toward a nearby hole in the floor. "Get in the hole," he instructed as Buffy and Faith glanced at each other before moving toward it. "In. Now!"
"Chloe!" Buffy called as she and Faith dropped into the hole and down into a grotto of murky water that resided below the school.
Marin looked down at them with a smirk. "You two think I don't care about my boys. But I do. They count on me."
Buffy and Faith looked around. "So you're going to feed them us?" Faith asked with wide eyes.
Marin chuckled. "Oh, they've had their dinner," he said as Buffy and Faith felt something brush up against them.
The girls turned to see Nurse Greenleigh's masticated corpse floating by.
"But boys have other needs," Marin continued with a smile.
Buffy and Faith exchanged a look of horror as they realized what Marin meant.
The Heavens
Chloe stood before an Elder, by the name of Roland, explaining what was going on in Sunnydale. That the swim team was being transformed into some kind of sea creature. Roland listened intently, his expression grave as he absorbed the information. After a moment of silence, he spoke in a deep and authoritative voice, "This is a serious matter indeed. I assume you have your charges investigating?"
Chloe nodded. "Yes," she said. "We've learned so far that the steam in the steam room is introducing something into their blood."
Roland furrowed his brow, clearly concerned. "I suggest you take immediate action to shut down the steam room and quarantine those affected. Do you have any idea how the gas got into the steam?"
Chloe shook her head. "We have no idea," she admitted. "Buffy and Dawn are with Faith and Willow, looking into two possible angles. One is the school nurse, the other is the coach."
"Keep them on top of this," Roland said firmly. "It is very concerning. Of course, there are ways to transform humans into demons. But this is the first we've heard of someone effectively creating a new kind of demon."
Sunnydale High School
Giles locked the door of the book cage, in which four of the swim team members were inside. "Stay calm. Either we'll find an effective antidote, or... just stay calm," he said.
Willow looked at her list of swim team members. "Everyone's accounted for, except Sean," she said, standing next to Dawn and Jenny.
It was at that moment that Xander and Cordelia walked into the room. "Oh, I think we can safely say we found Sean," Cordelia said. "He was in the pool, skinless-dipping."
Xander looked around. "Where are Buffy, Faith, and Chloe?"
"Chloe is still up there," Dawn said, motioning toward the heavens.
"And neither Buffy nor Faith has returned," Jenny added.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Buffy and Faith looked around, trying to find something to either fight the creatures off or a way to escape. They listened closely for any sounds of the creatures' movements, but they only heard the steady dripping of the wet walls.
"Not how I pictured dying, B," Faith said, trying to dislodge the mental image of being raped repeatedly by the creatures. "Doing it with the entire swim team."
Buffy looked at Faith, concern etched on his face. "Neither did I," she agreed.
Two of the creatures, unseen by Buffy or Faith, rose up behind the girls before submerging again.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Xander and Dawn entered the pump room cautiously to find Marin standing over the hole. "What's up, Coach?" Xander asked.
Marin stood up and turned to face Xander and Dawn. They could see he was visibly nervous. "Harris. How are you feeling?" he asked.
"A little dry. Nothing a nice lemon butter sauce won't cure," Xander quipped.
"Where are Buffy and Faith?" Dawn said, glaring at the man.
Marin glanced over at his gun, which sat on top of a nearby piece of equipment.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Something once again brushed up against Buffy and Faith, though this time it wasn't Nurse Greenleigh's corpse. Two of the creatures leaped at the girls, who threw them off. The creatures disappeared under the murky water. Then two more leaped at them, and they punched them in the face before those also disappeared.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Marin made a dash for his gun and grabbed it just as Dawn grabbed him. She twisted his arm, making him drop the weapon. "I don't like guns," she said as Xander slammed his elbow into the coach's face.
"Elbows are neat, though," Xander said as Marin dropped to the ground just as Chloe appeared in blue and white orbing lights next to them.
"Chloe!" Dawn said happily. "Where is Buffy?"
Chloe closed her eyes to sense her girlfriend. When she opened them, she looked directly at the hole in the floor. "There," she said, pointing.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Buffy and Faith were breathing heavily, still holding off the creatures, though they were tiring. Then they saw two of them, the creatures' heads just barely breaking the surface of the water. The creatures were making a run for them. like a shark bearing down on its prey. They stood as ready as they could to fend it off when suddenly blue and white orbing lights appeared and solidified into Chloe.
Chloe held out her hands to Buffy and Faith. "Come, on. Hurry!"
Buffy and Faith grabbed Chloe's hands just as the creatures leaped at them. Chloe orbed out with them, narrowly missing being tackled by the creatures.
They orbed back in, in the pump room. Buffy and Faith shivered from a combination of damp clothing and stone-cold fear.
Chloe and Dawn took off their jackets and slipped them on their respective girlfriends.
Suddenly Marin stood up holding a wrench, that he smashed into Xander's head. As Xander crumbled to the floor, Marin rushed at Buffy, Faith, Dawn, and Chloe.
Dawn stepped forward and sent a kick at the coach, which sent him flying into the hole. She dove at the hole and reached down for Marin and then grimaced. It was too late for the man as she saw the creatures biting into him. "Those boys really love their coach," she said in disgust.
May 8, 1998 – Friday
Sunnydale High
Dawn, Faith, Buffy, Willow, Xander, and Cordelia sat at a table in the student lounge. "I've got to take a make-up chem test at three, and I'm meeting some of the guys for plasma transfusions at five. It's turned into quite a busy afternoon," Xander said.
Buffy nodded sympathetically. "The fun never stops with you, does it?"
"Giles, Ms. Calendar, and Chloe seem pretty confident that the treatments are going to work," Willow said with a smile.
"Turning into a creepy crawler wasn't on my top ten list of things to do before I turn twenty," Xander quipped.
"I just want you to know that you've really proven yourself to me. And next year, you don't have to join the new team if you don't want," Cordelia said as Xander looked at her, obviously touched by her words. "I'd be just as happy if you played football."
Xander's face fell as Buffy, Dawn, Faith, and Willow all shared a smile.
It was then that Giles, Jenny, and Chloe walked into the lounge and made a beeline for them. "The people from Animal Control just left. Our creatures have apparently made a dash for it. So to speak," he informed them.
"No note?" Xander asked jokingly.
"Does that mean we have to hunt them again?" Willow asked, looking at Dawn.
"No," Dawn answered. "I didn't know how this incident played out or anything. But Buffy told me that it happened. So I know that we won't see them again."
"Did she tell you where they went?" Jenny wondered.
"Home," Buffy and Dawn answered in unison.
Summers, Payne & Harris Residence
Later that evening, Dawn and Faith sat in the dining room, having a romantic candlelit dinner. They gazed into each other's eyes, enjoying the delicious meal and the intimate atmosphere. The soft glow of the candles illuminated their faces, creating a warm and cozy ambiance. As they talked and laughed, they felt like they were the only two people in the world. The sound of their voices and the clinking of their glasses filled the room with a sense of joy and contentment. Dawn reached across the table and took Faith's hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. "I can't believe how lucky I am to have you," she said, her eyes shining with emotion.
Faith smiled back at her, feeling her heart swell with love. "I feel the same way," she replied, her voice soft and tender.
They sat in comfortable silence for a moment, savoring the moment and each other's company. Then, Dawn leaned in for a kiss just as Elizabeth's cry came from upstairs. They both chuckled, and Dawn stood up. "I'll go check on her," she said.
"No, let me," Faith said as she stood up. "After all, we're going to be getting married after graduation. Which means Elizabeth will become my daughter. I need to learn how to take care of her."
Dawn smiled at Faith's words and nodded. "Thank you, Faith. That means a lot to me," she said before sitting back down.
Author's Note: I am still determining whether or not to add Becoming Part 1 and 2. It's time for Faith to be called as a Slayer but the question is do I have Nakamura try and open Acathla and Drusilla kill Kendra like in canon? Or should I just kill Kendra off-screen and have Faith called as a Slayer off-screen?