Author's Note (May 18, 2013): I decided to upload a second today because I wanted my surprise guest to make her appearance in Chapter 26: Morality Bites, and I was getting tired of waiting.
Chapter 24: School Hard
September 9, 1997 – Tuesday
Gateway High School
"A lot of educators tell students," Mr. Snyder, the principal, said as he looked at Buffy and Sheila, who sat across from him in his office, "think of your principal as your pal. I say think of me as your judge, jury and executioner. Tell me, who do you think is the most troublesome student in this school?"
Buffy noticed out of the corner of her eye Sheila jerked her head towards her. She let out a sigh.
"Well, it is quite a match between you two," Snyder said as he opened the two folders that lay in front of him. "On the one hand, Buffy hasn't stabbed a horticulture teacher with a trowel, yet."
"I never stabbed anyone with a trowel!" Sheila said as she stabbed her file in front of Snyder with her finger causing him to involuntarily edge back. "It was pruning shears. It should say pruning shears."
Snyder looked toward Buffy. "On the other hand, Sheila's never burned down a school building."
Buffy glared at Snyder. "As my, cousin, Piper told Mr. Flutie when I was enrolled," she said. "If anyone brought up Hemery's accusation we would direct them to our lawyer. So do you want to reword that or shall I direct you to our lawyer?"
Snyder glared at Buffy ignoring her threat. "And the two of you seem to be tied in the class-cutting and fight-starting events. You're really neck and neck here. It's very exciting."
"What does the winner get?" Sheila wondered.
"Expelled," Snyder said. "This Thursday is parent teacher night. Your parents," he looked at Buffy, "assuming you have any…"
"Which technically speaking I don't," Buffy said. "Dad's out of town on business and mom's dead. It's just me and my cousins, who are my legal guardians."
"Your cousins then," Snyder corrected, "will meet your teachers." He looked at Sheila, "assuming you have any left. I have decided to put you two in charge of this event. You have three days to prepare the refreshments, make the banners, and transform the school lounge into a habitable place for adults. This will incur my goodwill and may even affect what I tell your parents when I meet them. Are we clear?"
"We're clear," Buffy said.
"Good," Snyder said. "Because you mess up this time, your parents or cousins, as is the case with you Ms. Halliwell, will be coming to clean out your lockers."
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Buffy walked with Sheila down the hall as Xander and Willow approached. "It really shouldn't be that hard," she was telling Sheila. "We'll work on banners tomorrow at lunch and we can figure out refreshments then."
"Yeah, sure, whatever," Sheila said. She noticed an older, slovenly, tattooed student. "Hey, Meatpie! Wait up!" She rushed after him as Buffy, Willow and Xander watched.
"Heard Snyder's got you guys making party favors," Xander said.
"Yeah, his two worst students," Buffy said. "Sometimes I wonder when mom looked at me if that was what she saw. A Sheila."
Xander shook his head. "Sheila's definitely intense," he informed his friend. "That guy with her? That's the one she CAN bring home to her mother."
"She smoked when we were in fifth grade," Willow added. "Once I was lookout for her."
Xander smirked at Willow. "You're bad to the bone," he teased her.
Willow smiled. "I'm a rebel."
"It's just not fair," Buffy said with a sigh. "I'm the Charmed Slayer, which requires a certain amount of fighting, cutting and magic. What's Sheila's excuse?"
"Homework. She won't do it," Xander explained. "And most of the teachers respect that now. You'll probably want to keep her away from sharp implements while you're working."
"Do you think any of the other Slayers ever had to go to high school?" Buffy asked with a sigh.
"Hey, it's no biggie. You'll put on a nice little affair," Xander offered. "The parents'll love it. As long as nothing really bad comes along between now and then, you'll be fine."
Both girls turn, appalled. "Are you nuts? What'd you say that for?" Buffy asked. "Now something bad is gonna happen!"
"What do you mean?" Xander asked. "Nothing is gonna happen!"
"Not until some dummy says… As long as nothing bad happens…" Willow countered.
"That's like the ultimate jinx!" Buffy agreed.
"What were you thinking?" Willow concluded with a smirk. "Or were you even thinking?"
"Well, you don't know. Maybe this time is different." Xander said defensively.
Halliwell Manor
Buffy was trying to brush the tangles out of her hair in front of the vanity as she got ready for bed. "Ow!"
"What's wrong?"
Buffy glanced in the mirror and saw Piper standing in the doorway. "I spent half my allowance on that new cream rinse and it's neither creamy nor rinsey."
Piper chuckled. "Life is hard, Buffy."
"Don't I know it," Buffy said running her fingers through her hair. "Look at these split ends!"
Piper held up the mail. "I got the mail," she told her cousin.
"Oh good," Buffy said as she smiled at Piper.
"Which included a reminder notice about parent teacher night on Thursday," Piper reminded her cousin.
Buffy sighed. "Oh less good."
"Which your were planning on telling Prue, Phoebe and myself about…?" Piper questioned.
"For the last two weeks," Buffy admitted. "I've been working up my nerve. Besides it's not like we haven't been busy."
"Buffy. Is there a reason you don't want us to go to your school?" Piper asked as she sat on Buffy's bed.
Buffy sighed as she sat her brush down on her vanity. "It's Snyder. I know you all know different. But I am quite sure he will try and tell you how much of a trouble maker I am."
Piper smiled as she reached a hand over and patted Buffy's arm comfortingly. "And if he does we will tell him how wrong he is."
"That reminds me," Buffy said with a sigh. "He brought up Hemery's accusation."
Piper sighed shaking her head. "I hope you told him what we told Mr. Flutie when we got you enrolled."
"I did," Buffy said. "But I think it went in one ear and out the other. He's got me busy after school for the next few days. He put me in charge of the banners and refreshments for Parent/Teacher's night."
Piper nodded. "Okay, Prue and I will see to your patrols then."
"That's alright," Buffy countered. "I may have to go out later but I can still patrol. Wouldn't want Giles to get onto me for not doing my duty. But I won't say no to some help. Patroling, not the other thing. Because I don't think Snyder would appreciate it if I got you to help me."
"Are you sure?" Piper asked, a touch of concern in her voice.
"First, Piper, remember I can go on three hours sleep," Buffy reminded her cousin. "Second trust me after having to mess with the stuff for Parent/Teacher night, a night of slaying will be just what the doctor ordered."
September 10, 1997 – Wednesday
Gateway High School
During lunch Buffy and Willow were painting Welcome Parents on a banner. Near them stood Xander painting Parent/Teacher Night on another banner. Sheila hadn't shown up. Buffy had a feeling why Sheila hadn't shown up, Sheila just didn't care one way or another if she was expelled.
"Sheila's a no show?" Willow asked as Buffy nodded. "She goes to this really rank bar, the Fish Tank, sometimes they have raids and … other things that could make you tardy."
"Can you help me cram some French later?" Buffy answered. "I don't want Mr. DeJean telling my cousins I'm an imbecile! It's bad enough Prue, Piper and Phoebe will likely have to speak to Snyder."
"I thought we were going to the Bronze tonight," Willow reminded her friend. "'Cause of how you thought Angel might show."
"If he does he'll meet some other nice girl," Xander countered. "Studying comes first."
"We're going to the Bronze," Buffy said. "I can study and party and do Parent/Teacher night and make my cousins proud as long as I don't have to…" she saw Giles and Ms. Calendar approaching, "…fight vampires."
"There's nothing in the Chronicles about an extraneous lunar cycle," Giles said.
"The Order never accurately calculated the Mesopotamian calendar!" Jenny informed the librarian. "Rupert, you have to read something that was published after ten sixty-six."
"What's the up, guys?" Xander asked.
"I don't suppose this is something about happy squirrels?" Buffy asked.
"Vampires," Giles answered.
Buffy sighed. "That was my next guess."
"Ms. Calendar has been researching," he continued. "Surfing on her computer. According to her calendar, this Saturday is the Night of Saint Vigeous.
"Lemme guess," Buffy said with a smile on her lips. "He didn't make balloon animals."
Giles shook his head as he looked at his Slayer and her friends. "He led a crusade. Of vampires. They swept through Edessa, Harran, and points east."
"They didn't leave much behind," Jenny said.
"So, Saturday's kind of a big doo for bloodsuckers," Xander said.
"It's a Holy Night of Attack," Jenny explained. "They'll come in numbers."
"If I survive parent teacher night tomorrow…" Buffy said as she nods at the banner, "…I'll see if I can get Prue, Piper and Phoebe and we'll see what we can do about Saturday."
"You're being a tad flip, don't you think?" Giles asked. "This is serious."
"And do you know what Prue would do to me if I got kicked out of school?" Buffy countered. "I love my cousin, but she scares me more than you do, Giles. I promise once I get through tomorrow night I will get Prue, Piper and Phoebe and we'll tackle this thing on Saturday."
"Saturday will require a great deal of preparation," Giles replied.
"Well, we'll help," Willow offered nudging Xander. .
"Yeah! I can whittle stakes!" Xander added.
Willow smiled. "And I can research stuff."
"While I'm whittling, I plan to whistle a jaunty tune," Xander said jokingly.
"Your help will be appreciated," Giles said. "But when it comes to battle, Buffy must be prepared to fight alone…"
"No I don't," Buffy countered. "I am the Charmed Slayer and my cousins are the Charmed Ones. Remember, Giles? We fight together."
"Right," Giles agreed as he noticed Snyder approaching. "You're all slaves to the… television. You young people nowadays. Goodbye." He and Ms. Calendar made a hasty retreat.
Snyder looked at Willow and Xander with a glare. "You two wouldn't be helping Buffy in Sheila's place would you?" he asked, daring them to say yes.
Xander hid his brush behind his back. "No," he countered.
"We're hindering," Willow added.
"Sheila ditched," Snyder said with an evil grin. "Mmm-mmmm, I feel an expulsion coming on. And what about Josephine? She ditch also?"
"They've been helping since school let out," Buffy said. "They're just out getting more paint…" It was then they all saw Sheila stumble through the doorway. She rushed to Sheila and guided her to Xander's banner. "No more teal in the art room? I know you wanted it to be perfect, but we'll have to just keep going with the green." She plopped Xander's brush in Sheila's hand.
"Just make sure everything is perfect on Thursday," Snyder said as he walked off.
"Thanks for covering. Guy's a serious rodent," Sheila said.
"No problem," Buffy said.
"Did you really burn down school property one time?" Sheila asked.
Buffy glanced at Willow and Xander and then back at Sheila. "No," she lied. "So. We're gonna Bronze it tonight, if you wanted to come."
Sheila shook her head. "I can't go there," she informed them, thinking of the last time she was in the Bronze. "You threaten one bartender with a broken bottle and they like ban you for life." She snorted.
The Bronze
Buffy and Willow sat at a table studying for Buffy's French class. "La vache doit me touche de la jeudi…" Buffy said as she noticed Willow's brow furrow. "Is that wrong? Should I use the plural?"
"No," Willow said with a sigh. "You said, the cow should touch me from Thursday."
"Well, maybe that's what I was feeling," Buffy admitted with a shrug.
"And you said it wrong," Willow added.
Buffy sighed. "Oh. Je stink."
"You're just not focused. It's Angel missage," Willow said.
"Well he didn't say for sure," Buffy said. "It was a maybe see you there kind of deal."
It was just then Xander walked up to them from the direction of the dance floor. "Guys! I'm all alone out there! Somebody has to dance with me."
"Well, we are studying…" Willow said.
"Come on, one dance!" Xander begged. "You've been studying for nearly twelve minutes!"
"No wonder my brain is fried," Buffy said as she and Willow stood up as a new song began. The three of them walked onto the dance floor and danced together. Every so often Willow and Xander could hear Buffy reciting French phrases to herself.
"Where's a phone. I need to call the police," someone said. "There's some big guy out back trying to bite someone."
Buffy glanced at her friends, she then darted for the door and outside. In the alley behind The Bronze she found a girl about to be bitten by a big ugly vampire. She locked her hands together and slammed down on his wrist, breaking his hold on the girl.
"Slayer," the vampire said.
"Slay-ee," Buffy said as she spun around and kicked him in the head. He grabbed her and hurled her against a wall. As he charged at her she ducked out of the way, pivoting under his arm. They trade blows as Xander and Willow come out the back door. "Get her out of here!" She ducked a punch and kicked out at the vampire as Willow grabbed the girl.
Buffy knocked the vampire back long enough for a fireball to form in her hand. "You really don't want to mess with the Charmed Slayer," she told him.
"Spike, give me a hand." The vampire called out looking toward the shadows behind Buffy and Xander. He didn't notice Buffy toss the fireball till it was too late when he caught on fire before exploding to ash.
Another vampire applauded slowly as he stepped out of the darkness. "Nice work," he said causing Buffy and Xander to turn to face him. "They didn't tell me you were also a witch."
"Who are you?" Buffy asked.
"You'll find out on Saturday," he said.
"What happens on Saturday?" Xander asked.
"I kill her," the vampire said with a smile. He slid back into the shadows and was gone.
Gateway High School
Buffy, Xander and Willow were telling Giles and Ms. Calendar, who was dragging weapons out of the book cage.
"Spike that's what the other vampire called him?" Giles said as Buffy nodded. "Sounds a little unorthodox."
"Maybe he's reform," Buffy offered.
Giles thumbed through some of his diaries. "He may have gone by a different name in times past…"
"Whoever he is, we'll need all the help we can get come this Saturday," Jenny said.
Buffy smiled at the computer teacher. "Way ahead of you. We'll have a little power of three for backup." She looked at Giles. "I told Prue, Piper and Phoebe, they'll be here."
Xander eyed The Attack of Saint Vigeous engravings in the tome in front of him. "This Night of Saint Vigeous deal, if they're going to attack in force shouldn't we be thinkin': vacation?"
"We can't run, that would be wrong," Willow said. "Could we hide? I mean if that vampire is leading the attack…" she shuddered loudly "…sorry, was that audible?"
"I'm sure he's no worse than any other creature you've faced –" Giles said.
"He's worse."
They all turned and found Angel standing in the doorway.
Buffy smiled. "Angel."
"You know him?" Giles asked.
Angel nodded. "Once he starts something he doesn't stop, until everything in his path is dead," he informed them. "Stay away."
"So he's thorough, goal oriented…" Xander said not liking what he had heard. "Okay, someone else lighten the mood."
"We were at the Bronze last night," Buffy said looking at the vampire. "I thought you said you might show."
"You said you weren't sure if you were going." Angel reminded her.
Buffy rolled her eyes. "I was being coi," she admitted. "You been dating for what, two hundred years, you don't know what a girl means when she says maybe she'll show? Work with me here," she said as Angel smiled at her.
"Wow, two centuries of dating. If you only had two a year that'd still be like four hundred dates with four hundred different -" Willow said and then suddenly she was interested in the weapons, "- why do they call it a mace?"
"Yes," Giles agreed. "Well we've slightly more urgent things to discuss."
Buffy turned away from Angel. "Like keeping my cousins away from Principal Snyder tomorrow night." Or at least she hoped.
"And not dying Saturday," Ms. Calendar added.
"Angel, do you know if this Spike fellow has any other names?" Giles said before looking up from the diaries to find Angel gone.
"That's it," Xander said angrily. "I'm puttin' a collar with a little bell on that guy."
September 11, 1997 – Thursday
The hour before Parent/Teacher's night started; Cordelia and Xander were sharpening stakes, Jenny and Willow were sighting arrows, tightening screws on the crossbow and other weapons. Buffy was chopping carrots for an impressive platter of crudités.
"Do you think Sheila will show?" Willow asked.
"I doubt it," Buffy answered. "She doesn't seem to care about getting kicked out – about anything. I sort of envy that."
"Payson Patricia Halliwell!"
They turned and saw Piper walking toward Buffy carrying a couple jugs.
"I may envy it, Piper," Buffy said defending herself. "Doesn't mean I want to get kicked out. Especially when you, Prue or Phoebe look at me like that."
Giles approached them, book in hand. "For three nights the unholy ones scourge themselves into a fury, culminating in a savage attack on the Night of Saint Vigeous."
"Anyone still remember when Saturday night meant date night?" Xander asked.
"You sure don't." Cordelia said sarcastically.
Buffy glanced at the clock. "The parents start arriving in an hour. Okay, banners are in place, the lounge is comfy, what am I forgetting…?" she asked as she looked at Piper.
"I think you have everything, Buffy," Piper said as she smiled at her cousin. "Maybe someday I might actually be able to teach you how to cook. Well I better go find Prue and Phoebe. We'll see you later."
"Thanks, Piper," Buffy said as she hugged Piper. She watched her cousin leave.
Cordelia dropped a stake. "My fingers are cramping, how long have I been doing this?" she said clearly exhausted.
"Three minutes." Xander said glancing at the clokc.
"So can I go now?" the cheerleader asked. "She's not gonna need that many stakes, I mean if this Spike guy's as mean as you all said, it should be over pretty fast." She looked at Buffy. "We're still rooting for you Saturday. I'd be there myself but I've got a leg wax."
Buffy chuckled as she got up. "Okay got to get this punch into the bowl," she said as she grabbed the jugs. "I'll be back for the platter." She looked at Xander and Cordelia as they reached for the food on the platter. "And no eating the food."
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
An hour later Buffy and Willow stood at the punch bowl as Buffy filled it with the lemonade that Piper had brought.
"Hi, Prue…Piper…Phoebe," Willow said as the trio approached her and Buffy.
"Hi Willow," the sisters replied.
Prue looked around. "This looks nice Buffy."
"Thanks, Prue," Buffy said as she noticed Snyder approaching them. "Snyder is walking toward us," she whispered.
"Hello," Prue said as she, Piper and Phoebe turned to face Snyder. "I'm Prue Halliwell and these are my sisters Piper and Phoebe. We're Payson's cousins and legal guardians."
"I'm Principal Snyder," Snyder replied. "I'm afraid we need to talk. My office is down here."
"Is this about the unexplained absences?" Prue asked. "I had thought I submitted everything for those."
"I would have to check of course," Snyder said. "But I didn't see them myself. You do know though that Payson's grades have been slipping, correct?"
"Yes," Piper said. "Prue, Phoebe and I have been on top of it. We hope to have those grades turned around in the coming weeks."
"If you will excuse us," Phoebe said. "We still have to see Payson's teachers."
"Of course," Snyder said as he walked off slightly fuming.
"Way to go," Buffy said excitedly.
"Well we do have to keep the secret," Prue said with a sigh. "That said though. You need to be more careful, Buffy."
"Kind of hard to when we have family emergencies all the time during school," Buffy retorted. "And when I sometimes have Slayer duties that have to happen during school also."
"We know," Piper said. "That said. You still need to be careful."
"Talking about witchy stuff," Buffy said. "You guys ought to stop by the library too. Just so Giles can fill you guys in on Saturday."
"We will," Prue said. "Come on, Piper…Phoebe." She turned and led her sisters away.
"It must be nice to have cousins who know everything," Willow said.
"At times," Buffy answered.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Buffy stood near the refreshments keeping an eye out for her cousins since she knew it was almost time to head home for the night.
Cordelia walked up beside the blonde Slayer, fuming. "Giles has us locked in that library working on your weapons. Even slaves get minimom wage."
"What?" Buffy wondered when she noticed Cordelia staring at her.
"You're starting to look pretty slagged," Cordelia told her. "What are you, just skipping foundation entirely now?"
Buffy sighed. "Cordelia, I have at least three lives to contend with and none of them really mesh. It's like oil and water and… a third unmeshable thing."
"Yeah. And I can see the oil," Cordelia said as the sisters walked toward them. "Now your cousin, Prue, that's a woman who knows how to moisturize."
"Well maybe not a power of three deal," Prue said looking at Buffy. "But we will be there right beside you on Saturday."
At the moment Snyder stood in front of a big picture window and flicked off the light. It was then that the huge window shattered as Spike crashed through it flanked by six other vampires.
Pandemonium erupted as Snyder and the parents scream and run. Only Buffy, Prue, Piper and Phoebe stood still as Spike looked at them from across the room.
"What can I say? I couldn't wait," Spike said as he made a beeline for them.
Prue telekinetically threw a chair hitting Spike in the head knocking him back.
"Run!" Buffy shouted. "There is too many here and there are innocents to save." Prue, Piper and Phoebe followed her as she ran toward Snyder, a couple teachers, a student and a parent. "They've got the exits, this way! Everybody, this way!" She hustled everyone down the north hall towards the library.
Giles, Xander and Ms. Calendar flew out of the library doors, see them coming. "It's Spike and a small army! Look out!" Buffy shouted to Giles as a vampire rounded the corner.
In the north hall the group split apart. Prue and Buffy rushed into the library as Piper and Phoebe followed the other group into a classroom.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Phoebe locked the door behind them. "Barricade the door," she said. Piper and a few others trapped in the room with hem slid desks and cabinets in front of the door. Phoebe vaulted across the room and locked the door at the opposite end of the room moments before the lights went out.
"Oh my god!" Snyder cried.
"What are we goingt to do?" Phoebe asked her sister.
"Wait for Prue and Buffy," Piper answered reluctantly. "The only good thing going for us is I might be able to freeze anything that breaks into the room. But that will expose us as witches."
"Who are these people?" a parent asked as they heard some of the vampires trying to break down the door. "What do they want?"
"I didn't get much of a look but is there something wrong with their faces?" asked a teacher.
"Yes!" Snyder said as Piper nad Phoebe looked at him. "P.C.P. It's a gang on P.C.P.! We've got to get out of here."
"At least that helps with the exposure," Piper whispered to her baby sister. "They came up with their own excuse for the vampires."
Snyder climbed up on a chair and began to claw at the metal slats on the windows.
"You can't go outside," Piper said calmly but firmly. "They'll kill you."
"Piper is right," Phoebe agreed. "We don't know what kind of mental state they could be in. They could kill us for trying to escape."
"Nobody goes out. Nobody comes in," Piper added. "Until Phoebe and I say so."
It's clear to everyone in the room that the sisters know what their talking about but Snyder was not about to admit it. "Who do you think you two are?" he asked.
"We know how to deal with them," Phoebe answered.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
"Prue needs stakes," Buffy said.
"Spike didn't wait till Saturday?" Giles asked already knowing the answer.
"No," Prue said. "We're going to take care of the others that came with him. Then we will tackle him."
Buffy began loading her book bag with weapons for Prue. "Snyder, Piper, Phoebe, and four others are locked in the science room across the hall. Cordelia and Willow ran the other way, I don't know if they're… where's Xander?"
"He got out through the stacks. He's getting Angel." Giles admitted.
"Good," Buffy said. "After Prue and I take out the vamps in the hall you two can get the others out that way, too. Send Piper and Phoebe to help us mop up." She handed the pack to Prue.
"How are we going to get a drop on them?" Prue wondered.
"I'm thinking I will do that literally," Buffy said. "Tackle them from two fronts. Me from above. When I drop down, you then spring out the door."
"Sounds like a plan," Prue agreed as Buffy got a chair and after standing on it she hoisted herself up into the ceiling.
"Watch your back…" Giles called after Buffy.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Snyder paced, growing more feverish by the moment.
"Why don't you sit down…" Phoebe suggested trying to calm Snyder.
Snyder looked at her with wild eyes. "This is my school. What I say goes. And I say this isn't happening."
"Well then I guess the danger is over," Piper said sarcastically.
"I'm not waiting for them to break down the doors. I'm getting out," said a parent.
"Don't be an idiot!" Phoebe pleaded.
"I'm beginning to see a certain family resemblance," Snyder said.
"Oh yeah," Piper said as she looked toward Phoebe. She looked back at Snyder who had climbed back up on the chair and started pulling like crazy at the metal bands that covered the high windows. "What are you doing. You heard what Phoebe and I said."
Phoebe grabbed Snyder and pulled him off the chair. "Do you really want to die?" she asked. She then looked at the parents and teachers. "I personally don't want to die, do any of you."
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
In the hall a vampire hurled himself against the door to the classroom. "Doors are solid," he said to his partner. "Guard that door." He watched as the other vampire walked around the corner and then he started chopping away at the door.
It was then he heard a noise causing him to look around. He saw nothing as he started chopping at the door again. Suddenly he caught on fire and exploded to dust as Buffy smirked from behind him. She moved to the door where she saw Piper looking through one of the ax holes.
"Buffy! Are you okay?" Piper asked hopefully.
"I'm fine, Piper," Buffy said. "Hang on for one more minute, till I tell you to open the door." She peered around the corner and looked down the hall. The other vampire was dutifully standing guard at the other door. She stepped back as a fireball formed in her hand. Sensing movement behind her she spun and was about to fling the fireball at her assailant when she realized her assailant was Sheila and she quickly extinguished the fireball before Sheila noticed it. "Sheila! Where've you -?"
"Sorry I'm late," Sheila answered. "There's some pretty weird guys outside…"
"They're trying to kill us," Buffy admitted.
"This should be fun," Sheila said as she picked up the fire ax.
Buffy smiled as she turned away to look around the corner while Sheila stared at her with deadly contempt. "Stay behind me," she said as she began to sneak around the corner. Sheila was dutifully close behind, ax at the ready. She saw the vampire, his back to them.
Sheila raised her ax high over her own shoulder seconds before she crumbled to dust.
"You need to be careful, Buffy," Prue said having come up behind Sheila.
Buffy glanced at Prue and then the dust on the floor. "Should have figured she had been turned. Damn. She was a student, I didn't think," she said throwing a fireball around the corner and dusting the vampire. "Okay, Piper," she called out as she Prue headed for the door across from the library. "It's clear."
Piper unlocked and opened the axed door as Giles and Ms. Calendar open the library doors. Buffy, Prue, Piper and Phoebe ushered Snyder, the parents and the teachers into Giles' care.
"Get them out," she told her Watcher.
Snyder didn't need any coaching, he bumped into Piper on his way toward the library.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Buffy, Prue, Piper and Phoebe returned to the lounge looking for Spike.
"Fe fi fo fum. I smell the blood of several nice ripe girls," Spike said as the four of them came face to face with him. They noticed he was holding an ax.
Buffy smiled as a fireball formed in her hand. "Do we really need weapons for this?" she asked.
"I just like 'em. Make me feel all manly." Spike countered before dropping the ax.
Prue frowned as she watched Buffy extinguish the fireball. "Buffy," she said a tone of worry in her voice.
Buffy glanced at her cousins. "I want to see what he's made of. Besides I'm itching right now for a good fight."
"If you need us," Piper said.
"I'll yell," Buffy said as she watched the sisters back away from her and Spike.
Spike smirked at the fact that the other three were backing away from Buffy. He turned his attention to the Slayer. "The last Slayer I killed, she begged for her life," he informed her. "I don't see you as the begging kind."
"You shouldn't have come here." Buffy said as she glared at the vampire.
"Yeah, I messed up your doilies and stuff," Spike said looking at the refreshment table. He then looked back at Buffy. "But I just got so bored! Tell you what. As a personal favor from me to you. I'll make it quick. It won't hurt a bit."
Buffy chuckled. "Wrong," she told him. "It's gonna hurt a lot."
Spike hestitated for a moment and then he hurled himself at Buffy. As the sisters watched the cousin fighting the vampire they could tell everything was going full tilt as the punches flew, fast and furious. He closed in on Buffy with a vicious combination of punches and kicks.
Buffy pretended like the last attack hurt more than it did as she doubled over. Spike went in for the kill as Buffy suddenly moved asie as his hand went through the wall behind her. She locked locked her hands and hammered him on the back of the neck.
"Now that hurt." Spike said as he ripped a two by four stud from the wall. "Not as much as this will." He hit Buffy with the lumber knocking her off her feet. Winded with nowhere to turn. She looked up at him, standing over her victorious.
He raised the stud over his head as he went in for a killing blow. And they both heard it, the sisters chanting. "The Power of Three and the Charmed Slayer, Will Set Us Free."
Buffy closes her eyes and concentrated on Prue, augmenting Prue's telekinesis. "Prue!" she called ut.
As the sisters continued to chant Prue telekinetically lifted the ax Spike dropped. She sent it flying knocking Spike back from Buffy. He hit the ground hard, totally blindsided.
Spike glanced at Buffy and the sisters, then at the broken window. He knew four against one, all of them witches, he would not be able take them. He saw Buffy stand up and move next to Prue, Piper and Phoebe. He decided it would best to run and fight another day. "Women," he said as he ran and leapt out the window, disappearing into the night.
Buffy looked at her cousins and smiled at Prue, Piper and Phoebe. "Thanks guys," she said as the sisters pulled her into the arms for a tight group embrace. "Tomorrow how about we do nothing strenuous."
"Sounds like a plan," Prue, Piper and Phoebe all agreed.