"Pangs"
Based on the Buffy the Vampire Slayer Episode "Pangs" Written by Jane Espenson and the Angel Episode "I Will Remember You" Written by David Greenwalt and Jeannine Renshaw
The following story is copyright © 2023 by Mark Moore.
Katrina finished showering, dried herself with a towel, and then got dressed in a pair of blue jeans, a Garbage T-shirt, and a pair of socks. She started combing her hair.
"Thanks again for your help."
"No problem." Katrina set her comb back in the cup, opened the door, turned off the light, and exited the bathroom.
"You smell good."
Katrina regarded Angel with amusement. "Thanks. It's shea butter shampoo. I figure it'll mask the stench of any residual demon guts. Thanks for that, by the way."
"Hey, I told you to duck."
Katrina went over to her bass guitar and picked it up off its stand. "My bad. I thought you meant there was a duck."
"In the sewer?"
Katrina paused in thought. "Yeeeaaahhh..." She walked over to her bed, set her guitar on it, pulled her guitar case out from under her bed, opened it, and packed her guitar. Then she checked her duffel bag.
The phone on the night stand between the beds rang.
Katrina picked up the handset. "Hello?"
"Trina, where are you?" Cordelia asked.
"In my dorm room."
"Right." Cordelia paused. "Where is that, exactly?"
"Dabney House. I'll open the door and stand in the hall."
"I should go." Angel walked to the door, opened it, and quickly left.
Katrina hung up, grabbed her bag and guitar case, went over to the mat by the door, slipped into her off-brand white sneakers, and walked out into the hall.
She looked around. Angel was already gone. Soon, Cordelia arrived, holding her Nokia 7110 cell phone. She waved Katrina over. Katrina closed the door to her dorm room and walked over to Cordelia.
Katrina smiled. "Hey."
"Hey. C'mon, the others are waiting." Cordelia started walking.
Katrina followed her. The two of them exited Dabney House.
Katrina followed Cordelia to the parking lot and over to Anne's car. Cordelia opened the back driver-side door and got in. Katrina opened the back passenger-side door and got in. They closed and locked their doors and fastened their seatbelts.
"Hey, Trina." Anne started the engine.
"What up?" Faith, sitting in the front passenger seat, asked Katrina.
Katrina smiled. "Hi, guys."
Anne backed her car out of the parking spot.
Tara walked into her and Buffy's dorm room and closed the door. Buffy was just hanging up the phone.
Buffy turned and looked at her. "Hey. What's the sitch on Veruca?"
"She's secured at the mansion...and unconscious. Sandy and Harmony are watching her at the moment." Tara sighed. "It's kinda fucked up that we have to do this, especially since she won't change for another month."
"I know, but we can't just let her escape." Buffy sat on their bed and sighed.
Tara sat to her right. "What's wrong?"
"My mom called. She's decided to go to Aunt Darlene's this year. She'd just gone through a messy divorce, and Mom doesn't want her to be alone. I'm not getting a Thanksgiving."
Tara frowned. "I'm sorry." She hugged Buffy with one arm.
Buffy rested her head on Tara's shoulder.
"Hey, remember how a construction worker fell through during the groundbreaking for the new cultural center yesterday?" Tara asked.
"I think so."
Tara smiled. "I heard a couple of the anthro professors talking about it. Goddamn, were they excited. It's the old Sunnydale mission, which everyone thought was lost."
"A lost mission. I mean...a hairbrush, I can understand. And by the way, I will find that and get that back to you. But how do you lose a mission?" Buffy asked.
"Huge earthquake in 1812. Everyone just assumed the mission was leveled. Instead, they built right over it. It's like what happened in the '30s with that church the Master was in. Doesn't it make you wonder what else is there, like, right under our feet?"
"Mostly, I've just found sewers full of demons."
"Oh, right."
Outside, they heard students running mad through the halls with excitement.
Tara looked at the door. "Damn, it's crazy out there."
"Mm-hmm. Post-midterm frenzy. And the holiday. Everyone's going home."
"It looks like a lot of lucky moms are gonna be getting brimming baskets of dirty laundry."
"It's so not fair. I mean...they all get a family holiday just because they can go home to their families. Now, I'll have to call everyone and tell them that they shouldn't bother coming." Buffy paused and reconsidered, sitting up straight. "You know what? Fuck that. I should have my own Thanksgiving. I can cook the meal, just like my mom does, have all you guys over at my house, just like I planned. It'll be great."
"You sure?" Tara immediately realized how that sounded. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to imply-"
"It's okay, babe. I'm a great cook...in theory. I've eaten a lot. Okay, I know I'm not the best cook...but I want it. It's like Professor Walsh was saying about sense memory. I smell a roasting turkey, and I'm eight years old. I liked having that to look forward to. Everything's different now. I mean...we could definitely use a little comfort food."
"True."
"It'll be just like it was when I was a kid. Only without me building a fort out of my mashed potatoes. Maybe."
Tara smiled. "Sounds like fun."
"It will be."
The door opened. Amy ran inside, out of breath.
"Amy, what's wrong?" Tara asked.
Amy paused to catch her breath. "I just overheard. Professor...uh...Gerhardt was found dead in the cultural center."
"Oh, no." Tara paused in thought. "I don't think I know a Professor Gerhardt. Do you think they'll shut down the school?"
Buffy stared at her. "Has any Sunnydale school ever shut down due to a death?"
"Good point."
Buffy stood up. "Well, I guess we better look into it."
Tara and Buffy walked into the cultural center just as Professor Gerhardt's body was being put into a body bag.
Buffy took out her wallet, opened it, and showed the coroner her police identification. "Hold, please." She examined the body. "Jesus Christ, someone cut off her ear." She looked at the coroner. "Where was she found?"
He pointed. Buffy nodded at him, and he resumed bagging the body. Buffy and Tara resumed walking.
Tara was on the verge of crying. "I'll never get used to this."
Buffy inspected the scene. "I hope I never will either. Wait. Something's missing from this case." She looked at the inscription. "'Early 1800s Chumash Knife'."
There was a picture of it. Buffy memorized it.
Buffy unlocked the front door to her house and walked inside, followed by Tara and Amy. Amy closed and locked the door.
"So what do you need help with?" Tara offered.
Buffy smiled. "Nothing, sweetie. Jenny and Giles will be here soon. You just relax and leave everything to me."
Tara smiled in amusement. "And Jenny and Mr. Giles."
"Uh, right."
The doorbell rang. Buffy looked through the peephole, then unlocked and opened the door. Jenny and Giles were standing there. Jenny was holding a bottle of white Moscato, and Giles was holding a bottle of Armagnac brandy.
Buffy smiled and stepped aside. "Hey. Come in."
Jenny smiled and walked inside. "Hey. Happy Thanksgiving."
Buffy, Tara, and Amy replied in kind.
Giles walked inside. "Have the others arrived yet?"
"Not yet. Listen, Giles, there are a couple things that I need to talk with you about-"
"Ah, yes, what's the, uh, the sitch with Veruca?" Giles asked.
Buffy looked at him in surprise and then shook her head. "Giles, don't even try; it sounds weird and off-putting."
Giles cleared his throat. "Very well."
"Harmony and Sandy are watching over her at the mansion. She's knocked out for the moment. When the others arrive, we're gonna head over there and figure out what to do with her."
"Any ideas?" Jenny asked.
Buffy shrugged and shook her head. She was about to close the door, but then she noticed Anne's car pull into the driveway. Soon, Anne, Faith, Cordelia, and Katrina were walking up onto the porch. Buffy held the door open for them, and they walked into the house. A chorus of "Hey!" followed from everyone. Bags were dropped on the floor. Hugs were exchanged among the teenagers.
Katrina kissed Amy passionately on the lips. "God, I missed you."
Amy grinned. "Same."
Buffy looked at everyone. "Okay, we'll figure out sleeping arrangements later. Cordy, have you told everyone about our little predicament?"
"Oh, you mean about how you've got a psycho werewolf bitch chained up at the mansion?" Cordelia asked.
"Yeah, that. Let's head over there, huh?" Buffy suggested.
The others nodded.
"Uh, what do you want us to do?" Jenny asked Buffy.
"The turkey's in the fridge. Plug the sink, put the turkey in it, and fill it with hot water. It probably won't thaw completely, but it'll be something."
Jenny nodded. "Got it." She went through the dining room and headed into the kitchen.
"Giles, I'm gonna do some grocery shopping after the mansion. I'll need your help with peeling, if we're gonna get dinner done in time."
"Um, about that..." Giles took a small sticky note out of his pocket and offered it to Buffy. "I'm known to make a, um, phat Lorraine Quiche...yo."
Buffy snatched the note out of his hand. "I told you to stop that."
Buffy, Tara, Amy, Katrina, Cordelia, Faith, and Anne walked into the mansion. Harmony and Sandy were keeping watch over an unconscious Veruca.
Faith smiled at Harmony. "Hey, babe."
Harmony grinned. "Hey, Honey Bunches of Oats!"
Faith and Harmony hugged each other. Faith kissed Harmony on the lips and pushed her up against a wall. The two of them started making out. Faith shoved her tongue into Harmony's mouth. Everyone watched them for a while.
Buffy cleared her throat and looked at the others. "Anyway, this is Veruca. She's our resident werewolf. She doesn't use protection. What do we do?"
"Can we kill her?" Cordelia suggested.
Buffy frowned. "She's still a person, Cordy."
"Is that why you've got her in chains?" Anne asked her.
Buffy felt defensive. "She's a danger to herself and others."
"She's a troubled teen!" Anne yelled. "Like I was."
No one said anything for a while.
"Look, whatever we do, we don't have the means to look after her here. I was kinda hoping...you guys could take her with you back to L.A.?" Buffy suggested.
Katrina frowned. "How about you let her decide where she wants to be? A lot of people don't get that choice."
Buffy stared into Katrina's eyes for a moment and suddenly felt ashamed. "All in favor of setting her free?"
Everyone raised their hand, starting with Katrina and Tara and ending with Cordelia. Buffy then raised her hand as well and nodded to Sandy. Sandy unchained Veruca and gently sat her on the floor, leaning against the wall.
Soon, Veruca regained consciousness and slowly opened her eyes, feeling groggy. "What the fuck?" She looked at everyone. "Who are you?"
Sandy helped Veruca stand up. "They're friends...from LA."
Buffy walked up to Veruca. "Ruc, you need help. I don't know how to give it."
"I don't need anything from you people."
Anne walked over to Veruca. "I don't know you, but, as someone that had been fascinated with dark creatures of the night, I had lost my way, and it took courage to admit I needed help."
Faith nodded in agreement. "But it can be done - with the proper support system."
Anne briefly looked at Faith, an idea taking hold in her mind.
Cordelia folded her arms and looked at Veruca. "So what's it gonna be? You gonna come with us, or do we have to put you down like a rabid dog?"
Veruca snorted and then looked at Katrina. "And what about you? What do you have to say about all this? You wanna take me back to L.A. with you?"
Katrina shrugged. "Actually, I live in Pasadena at the moment, but I will say it's healthy for you to be wary of people that you don't know. That said, I know these women, and I can vouch for them."
Veruca stared at everyone for a moment. "I need help." Then she nodded. "I'll go with you."
Sandy smiled.
"Great." Buffy looked at Sandy. "Sandy, have a happy Thanksgiving with your family. I'll see you on Saturday night for our Bronze gig." She looked at the others. "Okay, I'm off to do some shopping. See you all at home."
Later, Buffy, Jenny, and Giles were in Buffy's kitchen, getting the food ready for Thanksgiving dinner.
Buffy was mixing the stuffing in a large bowl. "Pretty damn scary. It was more like a riot than a Ralphs. I thought I was going to have to use Slayer moves on this one woman who was completely hoarding the pumpkin pie filling."
"And at some point, you are going to tell us about the murder?" Giles asked, slicing bacon.
"Oh, right. The knife was some sort of Indian artifact. Chumash, I think. That's all we got."
"Oh, Chumash Indians. They were indigenous to this whole area."
"That's interesting."
"Then, of course, the murder weapon might have just been a convenient choice."
"Uh-uh. There was a big ol' scissors lying right there. That knife was picked for a reason."
Jenny turned off the water in the sink. "Buffy, do you own a turkey pan?"
"No, but my mom does. Pantry."
Jenny went to get it. "I don't think the turkey will thaw out in time for tonight."
"So we won't stuff it. We'll just bake the turkey. It'll be fine."
Jenny shrugged. "Okay." She returned to the counter, set the pan down, and lifted the turkey out of the sink.
Buffy set the bowl down on the island. She looked at Giles. "How about that ceremonial knife, huh? Pretty juicy piece of clueage, don't you think?"
"Yes, all right, we'll look into the Chumash connection and see if there's any ritual significance to the ear removal."
"Thank you. Sun's about to set. I'm gonna do a quick sweep of the cemetery with Tara, so I'll check in. And keep your hands off the food."
"Oh, I'll try and restrain myself from eating uncooked potatoes and cranberries."
Buffy rolled her eyes and left the kitchen.
Tara and Buffy walked through the cemetery on patrol.
"Sweetie, there's nothing out here."
"Okay. It's the last pass. I promise. Besides, I have an appointment with that priest that Giles told me about. He thinks he might have some information. He knows the history of this place pretty well. His family dates back to mission times. He might be able to fill in some blanks."
Suddenly, Buffy and Tara sensed a presence. They turned and looked around. Buffy raised her stake.
"An bhfuil tú ag lorg rud éigin?" a voice asked.
Buffy and Tara looked to the source of it.
Angel walked out from behind a mausoleum. "Nó duine éigin?"
Tara relaxed. "Níl, nílimid ach ag faire amach dóibh siúd atá ag iarraidh an cineál mícheart béile anocht."
Buffy was wary. "What are you doing here, Angel? Are you all evil again?"
"I'm not evil."
"What's going on?" Tara asked him.
Angel hesitated. "Is Cordy here yet?"
Tara nodded. "Yeah, they all arrived a few hours ago. Why?"
Angel didn't reply.
Buffy had a suspicion. "You son of a bitch, you're stalking her, aren't you?"
"What? No, I'm not."
Buffy nodded. "Yuh-huh! Not cool, dude! She's not helpless, and it's not your job to keep her safe. If you followed her here, at least tell her."
"If she sees me, it'll be worse."
Buffy nodded. "Yeah, because she'll kick your ass!" She grinned. "Tell her!"
"You know how I feel about her. You know how she can get."
"Yeah." Buffy was practically bouncing up and down with excitement. "Tell her!"
Buffy and Tara entered St. Prudencio Catholic Church and walked around.
Buffy looked around at the interior of the building. "I've been here before. My mom took me to Mass here once."
"Do you know the priest?" Tara asked her.
"I don't think so. His name doesn't sound familiar. Father Gabriel? Father Gabriel?" Buffy called.
They arrived at a set of double doors. Buffy pushed one open and went outside, and Tara followed.
"Father? Are you out here?" Buffy called.
She saw an Indian in the middle of slicing the throat of the priest that he'd hung.
"God." Buffy ran the rest of the way to the Indian and punched him in the stomach. She then redirected him a few feet away.
He got up to a defensive crouch, in a fighting stance. "You can't stop me."
"You're very wrong about that."
He rushed her again, but she sidestepped him and redirected him forward, which made him slam his head into a conveniently-low-hung bell. He landed a few feet back, got up, and tried to slice Buffy with his knife. She dodged back again. He tried to punch her, and she dodged, making him hit an ornamental stand. He screamed. They fell, and he landed on top of her.
"I am vengeance. I am my people's cry. They call for Hus, for the avenging spirit to carve out justice."
"They tell you to start an ear collection?" Buffy asked.
She kicked high, which threw him off. She rolled over, punching him, then slammed his knife arm into a tree, but he didn't let go. He punched her, but she kicked the legs out from under him. She grabbed him, and he was stuck holding his knife to his throat.
"You slaughtered my people. Now, you kill their spirit. This is a great day for you."
She shoved him away, and he got up. Then he turned into a group of bats, and they flew off.
Buffy stared at them for a moment, then walked back over to Tara. They stared at Father Gabriel's limp body. Tara was disturbed and buried her face in Buffy's shoulder.
Buffy hugged her with one arm. "I'll stay with him. Go inside and find a phone. Call the police."
Tara walked away.
After Buffy returned home, she went to the kitchen, where Jenny and Giles were getting dinner ready. Buffy checked the turkey in the oven, Jenny was preparing cranberries, and Giles was peeling vegetables in the sink. Buffy filled them in.
Giles set a potato aside. "It's clear we're dealing with a spirit of some kind. It's very common for Indian spirits to change to animal form."
"It's plenty uncommon for me to freeze up during a fight. I mean...I had the guy, I was ready for the takedown, and I stopped." Buffy grew somber. "And the thing is...I get that he's pissed. He has a right to be. He got gypped." She paused for a moment in thought. "Here's the thing: I don't believe lineage is of any importance. Each generation is made up of its own group of people and shouldn't be held responsible for the crimes of their ancestors. We had nothing to do with that. That was them. We are us."
Giles nodded. "This spirit warrior - Hus, you called him - has killed innocent people."
Tara walked into the kitchen. "So I've been reading up on the Chumash Indians and our fabulous buried mission."
"Find anything?" Buffy asked her.
"Well, I was just reading about the Chumash Revolt of 1804."
"So what happened to them?" Buffy asked.
"After an inconclusive battle, the Chumash fled. Most of them were brought back to the mission, but their population slowly dwindled over time, probably due to a combination of ill treatment, overwork, malnutrition, violence, and disease. The few Chumash who tried to rebel were hanged. And when a group was accused of stealing cattle, they were killed - men, women, and children. And for proof to bring back to their accusers-"
"They cut off their ears?" Jenny guessed.
Tara nodded.
Giles sighed. "He's recreating all the wrongs done to his people. And it's up to us to stop him."
"Yes, but after dinner, right?" Buffy asked.
"Buffy, people are in real danger. Are you sure the solution is pie?" Giles asked her.
"We will have a nice dinner, and we will get rid of Chief Cranky Pants, okay?" Buffy asked. "End of story. I'm having Thanksgiving, and it'll be perfect."
"Hus won't stop. Vengeance is never sated, Buffy. Hatred is a cycle. All he will do is kill."
There was a knock at the door. Buffy looked at the others in confusion, then left the kitchen to answer it.
She walked through the dining room and unlocked and opened the front door.
Spike was standing there. "Oh, it's you. I was hoping for your mum. Help me."
Buffy shoved him back, and he went tumbling.
"Ow! What part of 'Help me' do you not understand?" Spike asked her.
"The part where I help you."
"Come on, if I stay out here, they'll find me, and I'm a goner."
Giles handed her a stake.
"Want me to help make it quicker?" Buffy offered.
"Oh, damn it! Look, I'm safe. I can't bite anyone. Tara, tell 'em what I did."
"You said you were gonna kill me and gave me the option of being vamped."
"Yes, bad, but let's skip that part and get to the part where I couldn't bite you."
Tara gave Spike a demented smile. "It's true. He had trouble performing."
"Yeah, well, it looks like they've done me for good. Um..."
"What are you saying?" Buffy asked him, impatient.
"I'm saying that Spike had a little trip to the vet, and now he doesn't chase the other puppies anymore. I can't bite anything. I can't even hit people."
"So you haven't murdered anybody lately?" Buffy gave him a fake smile. "Let's be best pals."
"I've got information. About the soldier boys you were fighting. Got the inside scoop. Come on, what have you got to be afraid of?"
Spike was sitting in a chair in the dining room, being bound by rope by Buffy.
"Grrr. Bloody hell, woman. You're cuttin' off my circulation."
"Get used to it. I have more important things to worry about."
"I came to you in friendship."
Buffy gave him a look.
"Well, all right, seething hatred, but I've got useful information, and I feel I'm being mistreated."
"So tell me everything you know."
"I'm too hungry to remember everything."
Buffy walked away from him. "Then sit still and shut the fuck up."
Giles walked by. "Buffy, I..." He fell silent.
"What's wrong?" Buffy asked him.
"The victims. Hus has targeted authority figures. Father Gabriel, the curator of the cultural center. Who else fits this pattern?"
"The dean. Dean Guerrero. He's the king of us, and he was at the ceremony."
"Likely candidate. We should warn him."
"Tara, anything in those books about how to stop a Native American spirit guy?" Buffy asked.
Tara flipped a page. "Haven't found anything yet."
"Someone has to go warn the dean."
Tara stood up. "I'll go. I need the air."
"Not alone."
Amy stood up. "I'll go."
Katrina stood up. "Me, too."
Harmony stood up. "Me, three. Or is that four?"
Giles sat at the table. "I'll keep on looking for a solution."
Buffy nodded. "Yeah. Guys, the dean's house is up past the gym. And hurry. Dinner's in an hour!"
Tara, Amy, Katrina, and Harmony headed for the door.
Amy looked at them. "Let's take my car."
"Hey, when do I get fed?" Spike asked Buffy.
"Later. I hope the others are okay."
"You know what happens to vampires who don't get to feed?"
Buffy rolled her eyes. "I always wondered that."
"Living skeletons, mate. Like famine pictures from those dusty countries, only not half as funny."
"You can have gravy. That has blood in it, right?" Buffy asked.
"Do you know what else has blood in it? Blood."
"Do I have to gag you? Because I am not gonna listen to you whine all the way through my dinner. It's gonna be a nice, quiet, civilized-"
Suddenly, an arrow pierced the decorative scarecrow on the table.
Buffy turned and saw Hus in the window with a bow and arrow. "You!"
"What's going on?!" Spike asked.
"Get down!" Giles yelled.
Buffy and Giles crouched behind the table as arrows rained through the window.
"What about me? You gonna leave me here like this?" Spike asked.
An arrow hit him a few inches to the right of his heart.
"Hey! Watch the heart!" Spike yelled.
Tara, Amy, Katrina, and Harmony left the dean's house.
Tara sighed. "Well, that was a waste of time."
Katrina nodded. "I think he thought we were crazy."
Tara gave Harmony some side-eye. "Maybe if Harm hadn't opened the conversation with 'Everybody got both ears?'"
Harmony stuck out her tongue at Tara.
Amy smiled. "I liked his wife. She gave me pie."
"So what do we do now?" Tara asked.
Katrina shrugged. "We could stay here and stand watch, or I just don't-"
"Tara." Angel arrived before them.
"Angel?" Amy asked.
Harmony grew worried. "He's evil again."
"I'm not evil again. Why does everyone think that?"
Tara looked at the others. "Angel's here to protect Cordy."
"I haven't been evil for a long time."
Tara made air quotes with her fingers. "She's 'not supposed to know' he's here." She looked at him. "Angel, do you have something new?"
"Yeah. All the Chumash weapons are missing from the cultural center. Something's up. Where's Buffy?"
"At home, getting dinner ready. She sent us to check on Dean Guerrero."
"Why the dean?"
"We think he's going after someone in charge. A leader?"
"He's a warrior. To a warrior, the leader means the strongest fighter."
Tara realized with dread what that meant. "Buffy."
"He's formed a raiding party."
Amy looked at the other girls. "We gotta get over there."
"You get back fast."
Giles looked at Buffy. "Uh, we need a plan."
"Yes, let's talk about it some more. Fuck, I took my weapons chest to college." Buffy paused for a moment. "Take cover under the table."
Everyone except Spike did so.
Spike was riddled with arrows. "Apologize to the bloke."
Cordelia looked up at him. "Shut up, Spike."
"Fine, I'll do it myself. Hey, sorry. Sorry about that, Chief."
Anne rolled her eyes. "We're gonna die."
Jenny looked at her. "We're not gonna die."
Buffy looked at all of them. "There's too many of them. And they're spirits. These guys - they don't die. We need magic to vanquish them."
"Yeah, didn't the two witches go on an errand for you?" Faith asked her.
Buffy sighed. "Yes, Faith, thank you for reminding me."
Anne nodded. "We're definitely gonna die."
Veruca looked at her, annoyed. "Well, you will if you don't shut the fuck up."
"Ow! Bloody hell! Oh!" Spike fell and carried the chair with him. "Hey!"
Tara, Amy, Katrina, and Harmony arrived back at Buffy's house and saw a group of Indians firing arrows through the windows from various positions. They got out of Amy's car and ran onto the front lawn.
"What do we do?" Harmony asked.
Katrina thought for a moment. "Let's check the backyard for garden tools. Anything that can be used as a weapon."
The two of them ran around to the back of the house.
Amy looked at Tara. "I've got an idea. My mom had tried to send me to somewhere else. I think I know how to do it."
"You think?" Tara asked uncertainly.
"Well, I came across what I think she used while looking through the books later."
Katrina and Harmony returned. Katrina was holding an ax, and Harmony was holding a shovel. Each of them picked an Indian and started attacking. Suddenly, Angel arrived, dramatically jumping down into the yard from a nearby roof. He started fighting an Indian as well.
Tara nodded at Amy. "Go for it."
Amy closed her eyes and tried to concentrate.
Harmony continued to beat her Indian with a shovel. "Why...don't...you...die?!"
Angel ran up, grabbed the Indian, and snapped his neck with a deft twist. Angel was grabbed from behind by the neck and struggled.
Hus entered the house through a broken window.
"Help the others!" Angel yelled.
"I shall look upon my enemies..." Amy opened her eyes, and they became pitch black. "I shall look upon them, and the dark place will have their souls!"
Inside, Buffy was fighting with Hus. She managed to grab his knife, and she sliced him with it. This left a large, bloody cut on his chest.
Buffy smiled. "Your knife can kill you."
Suddenly, Hus turned into a large bear.
"A bear! You made a bear!" Spike yelled.
"I didn't mean to!" Buffy yelled.
"Undo it! Undo it!" Spike yelled in terror.
Faith got out from under the table. "Hey, asshole, over here."
He turned around. Faith delivered a front snap kick straight to his face. Buffy stabbed the bear in the back as he was distracted by Faith. The bear roared in anger.
Buffy pushed the knife in deeper. "God, fucking leave us the fuck alone already!"
Several Indians crashed through the windows and were about to attack. Three of them had broken necks.
Amy arrived at the nearest broken window. "Corsheth, take them!"
Amy's spell leaped from her hands. The power of the spell enveloped the Indians inside and outside the house, and they screamed. The energy twisted around them and disappeared with a roar, taking them with it.
Amy climbed through the window, followed by Tara, Katrina, and Harmony. Jenny, Giles, Cordelia, Anne, and Veruca climbed out from under the table and stood up.
"What happened? Did we win?" Spike asked.
Buffy looked at him in disbelief.
Everyone (except Spike) pitched in to clean up, and then Buffy was finally able to serve dinner. First, she brought out the turkey. Jenny brought out a large ham. Buffy brought out the stuffing. Jenny brought out the cranberries. Buffy brought out the pumpkin pie. Jenny brought out the bottle of wine and the bottle of brandy. Buffy brought out the mashed potatoes and gravy. Almost everyone else gathered around the table, helped themselves to food, and started eating. Buffy and Jenny sat down and started helping themselves to food as well.
"Is anyone gonna feed me?" Spike asked.
Buffy looked at him. "Bite me."
"I can't! That's the bloody problem!"
Giles entered the dining room, carrying a pie plate with his Quiche Lorraine in it.
"It's the man with the flan!" Spike announced. "Pass it here, ol' boy."
Buffy held up her fork and pointed it threateningly at Spike. "No one gets between me and bacon."
Giles set the dish down. Buffy immediately helped herself to some of it.
Giles sat down and started piling food onto his plate. "Turkey came out rather splendidly."
Buffy nodded. "Oh, it's yummy."
Giles smiled. "Good work, Buffy...on both counts."
"Thanks."
"Well, you know, you should be very pleased."
"Wasn't exactly a perfect Thanksgiving."
Cordelia rolled her eyes. "Tell me about it. I come all the way up here, and I almost get killed. I have a house ghost that would be very pissed off, and you would have to answer to him, missy."
Buffy stared at her in amusement. "Noted. But I do see your point. I bet Mom's gonna die when she sees the windows have been smashed again. 'Hey, Mom, surprise! Happy Fucking Thanksgiving!'"
Tara shrugged. "I don't know. Seemed kinda right to me. A bunch of anticipation, a big fight, and now we're all sleepy. And we did all survive."
Buffy smiled. "I guess that much is true. First Thanksgiving on my own, and we all got through it."
Tara smiled. "And we're all together. It's like old times."
"Yeah, especially with Angel being here and everything." Harmony stuck a piece of ham into her mouth.
Cordelia looked at her in shock. Jenny, Giles, Faith, and Anne were surprised. Tara, Amy, and Katrina looked down at their plates. Veruca was confused. Buffy and Spike smiled in amusement at Cordelia.
After dinner, Veruca went back to her dorm. Buffy assigned her friends to rooms. Tara, Jenny, and Giles helped Buffy clear the table and wash and dry the dishes. Then Jenny and Giles left.
Tara smiled at Buffy. "Well, you did it, Griswold."
Buffy smiled. "Thanks for helping."
"Anytime."
"I'm gonna call Dawn and Dad." Buffy picked up the handset and turned it on. She called her father's house.
The phone rang four times.
"Hey, Buffy!" Dawn greeted.
Buffy smiled. "Hey, Dawn. Happy Thanksgiving."
"Thanks. Happy Thanksgiving."
"How's everything?"
"It's...fine."
"Can I talk to Dad?"
"He's not here."
"What do you mean? Where is he?"
"At work. Said he couldn't get out of it."
"But he's the boss."
"Well, it's what he told me."
"That sucks. So you didn't have Thanksgiving?" Buffy asked, upset.
"No, but it's okay. I ordered pizza."
"Dawn, if Dad's gonna be unavailable to spend Christmas with you, you're welcome to spend it with Mom and me. I'll even drive there to get you."
"Thanks, sis."
Buffy suspected Dawn was crying. "Well, I love you."
"I love you, too."
"Good night."
"Good night."
Buffy ended the call and set the handset down. She looked at Tara, who felt sad as well.
Buffy and Tara left the kitchen and walked through the dining room.
"How's Cordy?" Tara asked.
"Pissed. She can't decide if she wants to call Angel and chew him out or give him the silent treatment." Buffy sighed. "And I don't blame her."
Buffy and Tara started climbing the stairs. They reached the top of the stairs and walked to their room.
"I gave her the guest room. She wants to be alone. Amy and Katrina are in Mom's room. I figure Faith has experience sleeping with both Harmony and Anne, so, once I grab some pajamas for us, they can have the room, and we can shower and then crash on the couch." Buffy opened the door to her bedroom and promptly stopped in her tracks.
Buffy's bed was a mess. Her stuffed animals were all over the floor. And the three naked women on her bed were going at it. Faith was kneeling on the bed and resting her head on Buffy's pillow, her ass raised high. Harmony was beneath her, eating her pussy. Anne was kneeling behind Faith, licking her asshole.
Buffy shut the door and headed for the bathroom. "Okay! New plan! We're sleeping naked!"
Tara laughed and followed Buffy into the bathroom.
On Saturday night, everyone gathered at the Bronze for Buffy and the Slayerettes' gig. Harmony brought her video camera and recorded the entire set. Both Katrina and Sandy were on the stage, but Katrina was the one playing bass tonight.
Cordelia, Harmony, Faith, Anne, and Veruca sat together at a nearby table.
"How are you feeling?" Anne asked Cordelia.
Cordelia sighed. "Still angry."
Faith looked at her. "Then let him know. Don't keep your feelings bottled up inside. It's not healthy."
"I guess you're right."
Anne smiled. "Of course, she's right. People should be honest with each other."
Harmony smiled. "Yeah, sharing is caring."
Veruca made a gagging motion. "Is this the kind of bullshit that I can look forward to in L.A.?" She looked at Cordelia. "Oh, by the way, thanks for putting me up."
"What?" Cordelia asked in shock.
Anne looked at her. "Well, someone has to take her, and she's made it clear that she's not sharing a bed with, and I quote, 'two ghetto-ass bitches'."
Cordelia blew her hair out of her eyes and made a face at Veruca. "Have you looked in the mirror?"
Buffy turned on her microphone. "Hi, everyone. Thank you for coming out tonight. I'm Buffy Summers. On keyboard, Tara Maclay. On drums, Amy Madison. Please give a warm welcome back to Katrina Silber on bass."
The audience cheered and applauded for Katrina. Some guys whistled at her.
Katrina smiled. "Thank you. It's an honor to be back." She put a hand on Sandy's shoulder. "And it's an honor to be performing with this young lady for the first time: Sandy Gray."
Sandy nearly blushed. The audience applauded.
"All right, let's do it!" Buffy yelled. "On 3! 1, 2, 3!"
The band started playing. Sandy's eyes sought out Veruca in the audience as she gripped the microphone. Sandy sang the lead vocals, and Buffy, Tara, Amy, and Katrina sang the backing vocals:
"Oh, the night
Is my world:
City light,
Painted girl.
In the day,
Nothing matters.
It's the night
Time that flatters.
In the night,
No control.
Through the wall,
Something's breaking.
Wearing white
As you're walking
Down the street
Of my soul.
"You take my self; you take my self control.
You got me livin' only for the night.
Before the morning comes, the story's told.
You take my self; you take my self control.
Another night, another day goes by.
I never stop myself to wonder why.
You help me to forget to play my role.
You take my self; you take my self control.
"I-
I live among the creatures of the night.
I haven't got the will to try and fight
Against a new tomorrow,
So I guess I'll just believe it,
That tomorrow never comes.
A safe night (You take my self; you take my self control),
I'm living in the forest of my dream (You take my self, you take my self control).
I know the night is not as it would seem (You take my self, you take my self control).
I must believe in something,
So I'll make myself believe it (You take my self, you take my self control):
This night will never go."
"Oh-oh-oh!
Oh-oh-oh!
Oh-oh-oh!
Oh-oh-oh!
Oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh..."
They went through the rest of the song, which consisted of repetitions of the same lyrics in various combinations. When they were done, they audience cheered and applauded.
On Sunday night, the women made a stop at Angel Investigations, so Cordelia could talk to Angel. She entered the office. Doyle was looking through the window into Angel's office.
"Hey, how was your trip?" Doyle asked her.
Cordelia growled and joined him at the window. They looked inside Angel's office. Angel was winding up an old clock and setting it on the desk in his office. The clock read 8:53. He then checked the table's surface. He put a pencil down at one end and watched it roll across his desk.
"When did he get back?" Cordelia asked Doyle.
"Late last night."
"And?"
"Uh, he seemed fine."
"He followed me to Sunnydale, tracking me!" Cordelia sighed as she looked at Angel trying to adjust his desk. "That fucker doesn't think I can handle myself."
"You think?"
Cordelia gave an exasperated sigh.
"Well, here's just looking out for you."
Cordelia patted Doyle on the shoulder. "You have so much to learn, little Irish man."
Doyle frowned at her. Cordelia turned and saw Angel take a stake out of his desk drawer, testing its tip with his finger.
"Oh, my God!" Cordelia opened the door and ran into the office. "Don't do it, Angel!"
Doyle was right behind her. "Listen to me, man, it's not worth it."
"It's not?" Angel asked.
"No!" Cordelia yelled. "You can't let me get to you like this. I mean...I know I'm hard to get over, but still. You'll meet someone else. Just give it some time."
Doyle held out a hand. "Why don't you let me have that?"
"Because I need it to level my desk." Angel bent down to stick the tip of it under one of the table's legs. "The floor is uneven." He straightened up with a smirk. "You two thought-"
"Doyle did. You know how he jumps to conclusions." Cordelia frowned. "Me, personally, I couldn't care less if you staked yourself. I don't wanna be around a man that has so little faith in me that he follows me around."
Angel looked guilty. "I was there to protect you. I stayed out of sight. You shouldn't have even known I was there."
Cordelia stared daggers at him.
Angel sighed. "Look, Cordy, you are always going to be a part of me, and that's never going to change. But you're human, and I'm..." He frowned and looked down. "...not. And that's also never going to change. No need to stir any of this up again."
"You don't want to 'stir', but my ex came to town and was all stalking me in the shadows and then left and then didn't even say 'Hello'. I'm a little upset." Cordelia looked at Doyle and motioned with her head for him to leave.
Doyle turned and walked out of the office. Cordelia closed the door behind him, then turned back to Angel, who was having trouble meeting her eyes.
"You, um, you just get back?"
"Yeah."
"Can I get you anything?"
"How about...an explanation?" Cordelia suggested. "Who the fuck do you think you are, following me around behind my back?"
"I'm sorry."
"What is this? Some new torment you cooked up just for me?"
"No, I don't want to torment-"
"What is it? You can see me, but I can't see you? What are we playing here?"
"We're not. I'm not playing anything. I wrestled with this decision-"
"Which you made without me."
"I tried to do what I thought was right. It's complicated how this all happened, Cordy, you know? It's kind of a long story."
"You followed me and my friends a hundred miles away to Sunnydale and stalked me?" Cordelia guessed.
"Okay, maybe not that long."
"You didn't feel that I was important enough to even tell me that you were there."
Angel looked at her. "I'm trying to explain. It's because I felt that you're important that I didn't tell you."
"I'm a big girl now, Angel. I'm not in high school anymore. And, hello, I'm a Potential Slayer...potentially."
"I know. I respect that."
"And I don't need you skulking around, trying to protect me."
Angel looked away. "I'm sorry if I handled this wrong. I mean...what else was I supposed to do?"
"I don't know. I just know that, when you're around, whether I see you or not, I feel you...inside...and it throws me."
"Throws me, too."
Cordelia headed toward the door. "So let's just stick to the plan: professional working relationship, even close friends, but not lovers."
Angel was leaning against his desk, blinking, looking around.
As Cordelia turned to go, a green-skinned demon with a curved sword and a red jewel in his forehead crashed through the window behind Angel and attacked him with a scream. Angel just turned, grabbed the clock from his desk, and coolly smashed the demon's jewel with it. The demon went up in a flash of light.
Cordelia was slightly stunned. "That was unreal. How did you know how to kill it?"
"It's a Mohra demon. I-I had a lot of time to catch up on my reading."
Cordelia nodded slowly. "Yeah. Okay. So I guess we've covered it, right?"
"I guess we did."
"And that's all there really is to say."
Angel took a deep breath and looked down on the smashed clock. He looked back up at Cordelia. "Yeah. That's it."
"Then I'll see you tomorrow. Good night."
"Good night."
Cordelia opened the door and left the office.
