AN: I don't own anything but my OC characters and parts of the plot. Everything else belongs to its owners.
Time Skip
It was morning as my alarm clock woke me from my dream. I looked at the time before getting up. I headed to the bathroom and quickly showered before heading back to my room in my housecoat. I changed into a casual outfit before putting on my Claddagh ring and trinity necklace.
"Look who's up, Persephone," Kate said as she walked into the room wearing her PJs with Persephone in her arms.
"Mamamamama," Persephone said as she clapped her hands towards me.
I took her from Kate and kissed her forehead.
"Time for breakfast," I replied as we headed downstairs.
We walked into the kitchen & dining room combo to see Jenna, Kate and Kyra making breakfast and drinks.
"Morning, sleepyhead," Jenna said.
"Morning," I replied as I placed Persephone into her highchair before doing up the straps.
I walked to the baby cabinet and warmed a Peachy & Oatmeal puree for Persephone's food. I fed Persephone as I waited for the food to be ready. A little later, food was already, and I gave Persephone some baby puff snacks for her to enjoy as we ate.
"This looks good," Kate said as I poured some juice into my cup.
We started eating our breakfast sandwiches before talking about tonight.
After breakfast, I took Persephone for a walk around the neighbourhood before heading home. When Persephone and I walked in the door from our walk, we could hear Aunt Joyce telling Buffy about the school. I picked Persephone up and out of the stroller before heading into the kitchen dining room.
"I've been on the phone with the... uh, Superintendent of Schools. At least he seems more reasonable than that nasty little horrid, bigoted, rodent-man," Aunt Joyce told Buffy.
I placed Persephone into her high chair and attached a toy to the table for Persephone to play with as I looked at what we needed for groceries. Even though Kate, Kyra, Buffy, and I got subscription boxes; every week/month for food, diapers, and other things. There were some items we couldn't get in the boxes.
"Mom..." Buffy started to say.
"Anyway... um, I'm going to speak with him this afternoon. Uh, as for private schools, uh, Miss Porter's accepts late admissions," Aunt Joyce interrupted as Kyra came into the room.
"I'll watch Persephone," Kyra whispered to me before getting Persephone out of the high chair and walking out of the room.
I wrote down a few things from the fridge before Buffy closed it and gave Aunt Joyce a look.
"I... uh, I wrote the information down for you," Aunt Joyce replied.
"A girls' school?" Buffy questioned as she went over to the island and read the slip of paper. "So now it's jackets, kilts, and no boys?" She looked at Aunt Joyce. "Care to throw in a little foot-binding?"
"Girls, you made some bad choices," Aunt Joyce said as she set her mug down on the counter before stepping over to Buffy. "You just might have to live some consequences."
Buffy and I looked down at the island. Buffy and I knew we had to make some difficult choices.
"Nothing's settled yet," Aunt Joyce said as she looked for something to do and spied the trash. "I just wish you all didn't have to be so secretive about things." She tied off the trash bag. "I mean, it's not your fault you and Aurora have special circumstances. They should make allowances for you."
"Mom, Aurora and I are slayers. It's not like we need a ride on a little bus to school," Buffy voiced.
"Couldn't you just tell a few people, like Princpal Snyder... and maybe the police?" Aunt Joyce suggested as she walked to the door with the trash.
Buffy and I looked at her as if we thought she was kidding.
"I mean, I would think they would be happy to have a... a superhero," Aunt Joyce continued.
We couldn't believe our ears of what Aunt Joyce was saying.
"Is that the right term? I mean, it's not offensive, is it?" Aunt Joyce questioned as she opened the door to take the trash out. She gasped in fright as the dead cat from yesterday ran in. Buffy and I jumped back. It stopped for a moment before menacingly meowing at us.
"Kate!" I yelled.
"Yeah!" Kate yelled back.
"Call Giles and ask him to bring him a cat carrier!" I shouted.
"Why?" Kate shouted back.
"Because the Dead cat from yesterday has arisen from its grave!" I hollered back.
"Okay!" Kate said back.
The dead cat ran from the room. Buffy followed it with Aunt Joyce as I ran to the playroom.
"Aurora, what is it?" Jeremy asked as he looked from the book he was reading to Persephone.
"Keep Persephone in here. The dead cat from yesterday has arisen somehow," I told him.
"Don't worry. I'll protect my niece. Go deal with the cat," Jeremy voiced.
"Thank you," I replied before heading out of the room and waiting for Giles to come.
A little before lunchtime, Giles finally showed up holding a cat cage.
"Welcome to the Hellmouth Petting Zoo," I voiced as I opened the door.
Giles came in before indicating that the zombie cat had gone upstairs. I closed the door before following Giles up the stairs.
Giles and I walked into Aunt Joyce's room as Buffy gestured that it was hiding under the bed.
"Oh, my god, What a stench!" Giles coughed as he grabbed the zombie cat by its neck and pulled it out before taking the cat over to the cage, placing it in and closing the latch.
"You know, I wanted Forest Pine or April Fresh, but Mom wanted Dead Cat," Buffy joked.
Aunt Joyce looked at the cat as she was grossed out by its appearance and smell.
"I'll, uh..." Giles said as he took a step back from the cage as he was overwhelmed by the scent. "Ugh! I'll get it back to the library and see if we can determine its exact origins." He lifted the cage before turning to Aunt Joyce.
Aunt Joyce stared at it before looking at Giles.
"It's, uh...striking and... Nigerian," Giles said as he stared at the creepy mask on the wall.
"Oh. Yes. I...I...I have this wonderful dealer who specializes in ancient artifacts. I don't know if you..." Aunt Joyce said before being interrupted.
"Aunt Joyce... You know I love art talk as much as the next person," Kyra voiced as we headed downstairs and for the door before saying. "But we have work to do, Giles. Research mode."
"Sh-sh-shouldn't you all stay here, perhaps? I mean, you must have..." Giles stuttered.
"Please, no. I, it's fine," Aunt Joyce replied before saying. "They can go with you."
"Actually, Buffy can't. Um..." Giles responded before turning to us. "You're not allowed school property, and I believe Aurora and the others are better off here."
"Oh," Buffy said as she ironically smiled.
"I'm sorry. Um, uh... I'll, I'll call a-as soon as I know something," Giles told us as he reached for the doorknob before the cat growled and hissed.
"Oh, we'll see you tonight?" Aunt Joyce asked.
"Tonight, then. Yes," Giles voiced before opening the door and leaving.
At the high school, Willow, Xander, Cordelia, Oz, Elijah, Finn and Klaus showed up and started researching. Willow and Finn were engrossed in research as Oz and Xander were fascinated with the zombie cat.
"It looks dead," Oz said as he inspected it. "It smells dead." Xander nodded in agreement. "Yet it's moving around. That's interesting."
"Nice pet, Giles. Don't you like anything regular? Golf, USA Today, or anything?" Cordelia voiced as she sat opposite Willow and started helping with research.
"I'm trying to find out how and why it rose from the grave. It's not as if I'm going to take it home and offer it a saucer of warm milk," Giles responded as he came down from the stacks.
"Well, I like it. I think you should call it Patches," Oz suggested.
"What about the welcome home dinner tonight? I had told her mom we'd help out. Bring stuff," Willow voiced.
"I'm the dip," Cordelia randomly said.
The group looked at her, but she didn't notice.
"Uh, you gotta admire the purity of it," Xander chuckled.
"What?" Cordelia said as she looked at everyone before continuing. "Onion dip. Stirring, not cooking. It's what I bring."
"We should figure out what kinda deal this is. I mean, is it a-a gathering, a shindig or a hootenanny?" Oz said as he leaned back in his chair.
"What's the difference?" Cordelia questioned.
"Well, a gathering is a brie, mellow song stylings; shindig," Oz replied as he nodded to Cordelia. "... is the dip..." Cordelia smiled. "...less mellow song stylings, perhaps a large amount of malt beverage; and a hootenanny, well, it's clock full of hoot, just a little bit of nanny."
"Well, I hate brie," Xander voiced.
"I know. It smells like Giles's cat," Cordelia returned.
"It's not my..." Giles started to say.
"And what'll we talk about at a gathering anyway? 'So Buffy, Aurora, did you meet any nice pimps on your travels? And oh, by the way, thanks for ruining our lives for the past two months.'" Xander interrupted.
"Xander..." Willow hissed.
"You know what I mean. They don't want to talk about it. We don't want to talk about it, so why don't we just shut up and dance?" Xander voiced.
"Well, Buffy said she wanted to loosen up... you know, have some kid time. Persephone will be asleep tonight when we get there," Willow said as she turned to Oz. "Aren't you guys rehearsing tonight? Why don't you play at the party?"
Persephone's nursery had protection spells over it.
"Yeah, I think I could supply some Dingo action," Oz said.
"Uh, I-I'm not sure that a...a... um... shindig..." Giles started to say.
"Hootenanny," Oz interrupted.
"A Hootenanny isn't really the order of the day. Maybe something more intimate. We just got home, and Persephone will be sleeping, and the noise wouldn't be good. Plus, they're probably still feeling disorientated," Elijah brought up.
Due to Buffy, Aurora, Kate, Kyra & Jeremy fighting in the Hell dimension two days before.
"All the more reason to make them feel welcome, a-and a big party, saying, 'Welcome home.' And, we'll keep it down for Persephone to sleep," Willow voiced.
"Okay, four votes from the old guys for a smelly cheese night, and how many votes for actual fun, huh?" Xander stated as he slapped Giles on the back.
Giles turned and gave him a look.
Everyone but Elijah, Klaus, Finn & Giles raised their hands and smiled.
"Alright. Have it your way but keep it down for Persephone," Finn voiced.
"I'm just glad to have them home," Giles stated as the zombie cat meowed again before Giles continued to look at the book in front of him. "Now things can get back to normal."
Giles flipped the page but looked over at the cat instead, missing the page of the drawing of Joyce Summers's mask. He flipped another page before turning his attention back to it.
Time Skip Later...
After lunch, I laid Persephone down for a nap while the girls and I worked on this past summer's vacation album. After Persephone's rest, we played in the upstairs playroom before heading outdoors to the backyard for some fresh air. We were outside for a bit before heading for a snack/dinner.
"What's for dinner for Persephone tonight?" Kate asked as I sat Persephone in her high chair and did the straps.
"I picked the Cauliflower Mac & Cheese with Butternut squash and Chickpea Pasta," Jenna said.
"Thanks, Jenna," I replied.
"I just went by what you wrote for the menu for her," Jenna responded.
"Oh, I forgot. I wrote that," I stated.
"It's okay," Jenna said before telling me. "It's not too hot to feed her."
"Can I feed her?" Kate asked.
"Okay," I replied before handing the baby plate and fork over.
"I wanted some practice, even though I won't be doing this for a while," Kate voiced as she fed Persephone.
"Why don't you pick the snacks and drinks for pre-dinner?" Kyra suggested.
I went to the snack pantry and picked out Healthy popcorn for Buffy and me, Granola bars for Kate and Prezetls for Kyra. I grabbed organic Lemonade for us to drink. I sat the drinks and food types next to each other before taking my popcorn and drink.
"Good choices," Kate said as she looked up from Persephone.
"Thank you," I replied as I started eating my popcorn.
Twenty minutes later, Persephone was done with dinner. We were done snacking, and it was time for Persephone's bath. I headed upstairs to mine, Persephone, Kate, Kyra's and Jeremy's bathroom, where I found Cole getting the bath water ready.
"Hey," I said as Cole turned around.
"Hey, Elijah warned me that Xander, Willow, Oz, and Cordelia are planning a party with music and everything," Cole told me.
"What?" I said as I got Persephone undressed for her bath before handing her to Cole.
"Yeah. But I placed some extra charms and protections on Persephone's nursery and I shimmered Lady up into her room for extra protection because of your vision," Cole replied.
"Thank you," I returned.
"You're welcome. You and Persephone are what keeps Elijah, me and now Samuel alive, and what kept Angel alive," Cole voiced as he washed Persephone.
"How did you know about Sam?" I asked.
"He, his brother and Jo are now living at Mikaelson Manor because they were living motel with no protection," Cole answered.
"Cole, do you think we'll find a way for Angel to return to us?" I asked.
"I hope we will," Cole voiced as he started on Persephone's hair.
I helped him wash the soap out of her hair before we dried her off. We headed into the nursery and placed a clean diaper on her before putting her into a clean sleeper.
"Here is her bottle," Kyra said as she walked into the room with the bottle. "Hey, Cole."
"Good evening, Kyra," Cole replied as Cole took the bottle from her before turning to me and taking Persephone. "I'll feed Persephone and finish her bedtime routine. Go get ready."
"Okay," I responded before kissing Persephone goodnight on her forehead.
I patted Lady's head before walking out of the nursery. I headed toward my bedroom.
When I walked into my room, I found my outfit lying on my bed for me with a note.
Wear this tonight
- Kyra
I undid my shoes before taking them off and placing them in my spelled shoe box in my closet. I took off my top and pants before putting them into my hamper. I got into what Kyra laid out before doing my hair and putting on my heeled shoes. I added a little make-up before looking in the mirror when I heard.
"Don't you look beautiful," Elijah said as I turned and saw him.
"Thank you," I replied as I got up.
"You ready for tonight?" Elijah asked.
"I don't know," I responded.
"Why is that?" Elijah questioned.
"I think my vision is going to happen tonight," I answered.
"We'll protect you and the others," Cole said as he walked into the room.
"Persephone asleep?" I questioned.
"Yes, and Lady is on guard until one of us arrives," Cole replied before saying. "Let's head downstairs."
We headed out of my room and down the hall to the stairs.
When we got downstairs, Buffy was setting the last setting, unknowingly that something was going to change. I heard the doorbell ring before walking towards it and opening it. Pat was standing there with a large plastic food container before Buffy walked over to me.
"Hey, there you are!" Pat said as she came in before saying. "Not thinking about any more flights of fancy, I hope."
We couldn't believe her comments but closed the door.
"Joyce said there was room for one more, so I said forget facial night and let's party! I bet you like empanadas," Pat continued as she smiled.
Kyra and Kate joined us as she held out the container. Kate took it as we gave her a fake smile.
"Do you want to see aunt Joyce?" Kate asked.
"Please," Pat responded.
"MOM!" Buffy whined loudly.
"Oh, Pat!" Aunt Joyce said as she appeared at the top of the stairs. "God. Girls, Jeremy, I hope you don't mind."
Jeremy joined us with Rebekah and Kol as the two women embraced.
"Hi! You look great!" Pat voiced as the doorbell rang again.
Kyra opened the door to see Oz's friend Devon and his band.
"Hey, Kyra. So, where do you want the band to set up?" Devon asked as he walked into the living room and looked for a good spot.
"Wh-the band?" Buffy responded as two girls followed him carrying parts of a drum set.
A Slight Time Skip Later...
The supposed party was in full swing. Oz's band played in the background as people we didn't know crowded the house. Sam, Dean and Jo had arrived with Rebekah and Kol. They had been talking with Andy and Leo about the gang. Buffy, Kyra, Kate and I were looking for Willow before spotting her.
"Hey!" Kyra said as we walked up to her.
"Hey!" Willow said as she smiled and listened to the band.
"This is large!" Buffy yelled.
"You like?" Willow questioned as she looked at us.
"Yeah. It's great," Kate voiced as she looked at the band. "W-we just sort were hoping it would be... us."
"Sorry. What?" Willow responded as she indicated that she couldn't hear us.
"This is amazing, but we sort of hoped we could just hang together, the gang," I loudly said.
We could tell she still couldn't hear us as Willow turned her attention back to Oz and smiled at him. We decided to leave her alone but were having second thoughts. I headed over to Willow and lightly touched Willow's arm before leading her away from the loud noise.
We found a quiet spot in the dining room as we stopped and turned towards Willow.
"Is everything okay?" Buffy asked.
"You... You seem to be avoiding us, i-in some sense," Kate voiced.
"What? This isn't avoiding. See?" Willow responded in surprise before saying. "Here you all are, and here I am."
"So we're cool?" Kyra questioned.
"Way! That's why, with the party, 'cause we're all glad you're back," Willow voiced.
I could tell she was trying to convince herself and us, but it wasn't working.
"Okay," Buffy said as we accepted for now.
"Okay. Good," Willow replied as she headed back into the living room to watch Oz.
We could tell that not everything was good with the gang.
What the gang downstairs didn't know was that trouble was coming. In Joyce Summer's room, the Nigerian Mask had started to glow a deep red again. Across town, there was an accident. A Sunnydale police car with its red and blue flashing lights was parked next to a dead body. One officer walked past it as another interview witness before Emergency Medical Technician that was tending to the body got up and went to get a gurney. The dead man's body had a severe laceration on his forehead before his eyes snapped open. His eyes flashed red with blood as the man immediately sat up without anyone realizing it.
Back at the party...
A different song played in the background as Kate, Kyra, Buffy, and I searched for Elijah, Cole, Sam, Dean and Jo. We spotted Xander and Cordelia making out by the stairs as we tried to walk by without being noticed, but we were seen by Xander.
"Hey, uh... what are you doing?" Xander asked as he noticed us.
"We were just taking a break from all this wacky fun," Buffy answered.
"Some kind of party, huh?" Xander responded before saying. "I guess people are to have you all back."
"It seems like people we didn't even know missed us," Kate stated as we looked around the crowd.
"Did Giles say he was going to be late?" Kyra asked.
"Uh, he was Library Man with Klaus and Finn last time I saw him. But they'll be here. He wants to celebrate your homecoming," Xander voiced as he smiled before saying. "We all do. I mean, it's great to have you all back." Xander tried to get Cordelia's attention. "Isn't it?"
"Totally!" Cordelia said as she smiled and nodded before telling Xander. "Except you were kinda turning me on with that whole Boy Slayer look."
"Was I now?" Xander questioned.
"You bet, Nighthawk," Cordelia returned before they smiled and went back to kissing.
"Well, we'll just be, uh..." I said but gave up, and we left them.
Back upstairs in the bedroom, the mask continued to glow red as trouble went through Sunnydale. Across town at the hospital, a trauma team tried to revive a burn victim. One nurse held a pair of defibrillator paddles ready as another bagged him.
"Breathe," The doctor said as she pumped the victims. "Breathe."
The man flatlined as the heart monitor beeped loudly before stopping.
"Alright, look. These are too extensive. It's 8:43 pm," The Doctor added before saying. "Let's call it." She walked off.
The nurse pulled the bag away while the other put away defib pads. The dead man had severe second and third-degree burns all over the right side of his face and body. The man's eyes snapped open as he sat up on the bed, leaving a puddle of blood on the pillow and gunnery.
"Oh, my God!" The nurse yelled as the dead man violently hit people out of his way and walked away.
Back at the Party...
Buffy was at the snack table gathering up empty cups as I was talking to Sam about the vision I had seen. A guy reached in front of Buffy and grabbed a bit of party mix before dumping it into his mouth. Buffy and I could hear two talking and overheard their conversation.
"What's the deal with this party anyway?" A guy asked.
"This party? Heard it was for some chicks that just got out of rehab," Another guy said as he took a drag from a joint.
"I'll be right back," I told Sam as I touched his hand.
"It's okay. Go help Buffy," Sam said before I headed towards Buffy as she headed off towards the kitchen.
When we got closer to the kitchen, Kate and Kyra joined us as we saw Aunt Joyce, her friend Pat and Jenna in the kitchen. They had poured drinks into their cups before raising them, clinking them and taking a good sip.
"Whew!" Aunt Joyce said.
"Now, how you holding up, Joyce, hmm? Really," Pat asked as she smiled and nodded.
"Really? I'm... I don't know," Aunt Joyce responded before saying. "While the girls and Jeremy were gone, all I could think was getting them home." She took a breath before continuing. "I just knew if I could put my arms around them and tell them how much I loved them, everything would be okay."
"But?" Pat questioned as we took a step closer.
"Having them home, I-I thought it was gonna make it all better, but in some ways, it's almost worse," Aunt Joyce told them.
"Joyce, you don't mean that. It will take some time for us all to get back to normal," Jenna told her.
"Buffy headed back to her room. I think she'll try to leave," Kate whispered.
"Let's go," I responded before heading upstairs with Kate and Kyra behind me.
When we got upstairs, Buffy had tears in her eyes and was sniffling as she grabbed a bag from underneath her bed.
"Buffy, you don't want to do this," Kate told her.
"Everyone is doing fine without us here," Buffy returned as she put clothes in her bag.
"We are still needed here. I believe my vision is happening tonight," I voiced.
She continued packing. I could feel something was happening in this house. Something dangerous.
Back inside Joyce's room, the Nigerian mask's eyes continued to glow red as it drew dead towards the house.
Across town at the school library, the zombie cat continued to meow as Giles, Finn & Klaus continued to look through the books.
"Oh, Lord!" Giles exclaimed as he found something.
"Giles, what is it?" Klaus asked as Giles ran to his office, and they followed.
Finn & Klaus looked at the book, that Giles was reading as Giles grabbed the phone and quickly dialled the house phone. He impatiently waited for them to pick up.
Back at the house...
The phone was ringing, but no one answered until a stoner picked up the phone and answered it.
"Party Villa, can I rock you?" the stoner said as he plugged his free ear with his finger.
"I-I-I need to speak with Buffy or Aurora. Um, immediately! I have some extremely important information," The stoner heard Giles say.
"Yeah! Fiesta foul! You gotta do a shot!" The stoner said as someone broke a glass.
"I need to speak to Buffy or Aurora! Now!" The stoner heard Giles reply.
"Bunny or Laura?" the stoner questioned before turning to his friend. "See? That guys gotta do a shot."
"Buffy or Aurora!" Giles yelled through the phone.
"Hey! I need to talk to a Buddy or Laura!" the stoner said as he held the phone to the crowd. "Is there a Buddy or Laura here?" Before saying into the phone. "Sorry. They're not here. You got the wrong casa, Mr. Belvedere." He hung up.
Back at the library, Giles was still on the phone as Klaus and Finn grabbed their things.
"H-Hello? Hello?" Giles said before realizing they hung up.
He slammed the phone down before quickly gathering up his things.
"We'll take our car," Klaus voiced before they headed out the door as the zombie cat snarled and hissed.
Back at the house...
Buffy was still packing as we tried to convince her to not leave. While she tried to convince us to go with her.
"You're leaving again?" Willow questioned as she showed up at the door.
Buffy gave her a quick glance before going back to packing.
"What, you all just stopped for lint brush, and now you're ready to go?" Willow added as she started to get upset.
"It's not like anyone will mind," Buffy told her.
"Oh, no. Have a great time. Oh, oh, and don't forget to not write. Even though you wrote that one time, Aurora," Willow said with heavy sarcasm.
"Why are you attacking us? We're trying," Buffy replied as she sobbed.
"Wow, and it looks so much like giving up!" Willow voiced.
"I'm just trying to make things easier," Buffy stated.
"For who?" Willow questioned.
"You guys were doing just fine without us," Buffy returned.
"We were doing the best we could! It's not like we had a lot of choices in the matter," Willow responded.
"Sorry that we had to leave, but you don't know what we were going through," I told her.
"Well, I'd like to," Willow replied.
"You wouldn't understand," Kate stated.
"Well, maybe I don't need to understand. Maybe I..." Willow responded as she considered before saying. "I just need you to talk to me."
"How could we talk to you when you were avoiding us?" Kyra questioned.
"This isn't easy! I know you're going through stuff, but... so am I," Willow returned.
"I know that you were worried about us, but..." I started to say.
"No! I don't just mean that. I mean, my life! You know? I, um... I'm all sorts of... I'm dating, I'm having serious dating with a werewolf," Willow told us. "...a-and I'm studying witchcraft and killing vampires, and I didn't have one..." She started sobbing. "...to talk to about all this scary life stuff, and you were my best friends."
Outside with Giles, Klaus and Finn, Finn was driving with Giles in the passenger seat and Klaus in the backseat towards Sommers/Gilbert/Forbes/Lockwood/Summers Household. Giles was looking left and right in anger and fear.
"Unbelievable," Finn muttered.
"'Do you like my mask? Isn't it pretty? It raises the dead!' Americans!" Giles said as he mocked Joyce.
"Jesus!" Klaus voiced as Finn looked ahead.
Finn slammed on the brakes and began to skid before hitting the man, who fell on the hood of the car, and he then bounced off of the windshield and slid off as the car came to a stop. The man rolled a few times on the pavement before coming to rest. Finn and Giles stared at the man in shock.
"My God," Giles said as he, Klaus and Finn got out.
"Are you alright?" Finn asked as he rushed over to the man and felt for a pulse on his neck.
"Are you hurt?" Giles questioned as the man rolled over before they noticed the advanced state of decay.
"Good God," Klaus voiced as the zombie grabbed Giles by the coat and lifted him.
The zombie got to his feet as other zombies started approaching from a nearby alley.
Back at the house...
The girls and I were still talking to Willow.
"You have no idea how much we missed you. Everyone," I voiced. "Each of us wanted to call every day."
"That doesn't matter. It just doesn't make it okay that you didn't," Willow responded.
"What is this?" Aunt Joyce questioned as she walked by the room and saw Buffy's bag on her bed. "Is this some sort of a joke?"
"Mom, please, could, could you just..." Buffy started to say.
"No, I can't just! Girls, what is this?" Aunt Joyce interrupted.
"She was running away again, and she's trying to convince the others," Willow told her.
"No, I wasn't," Buffy said before pausing and saying. "I'm sure."
"Well, you better get sure and explain yourself right away! If you think you can just-just take off any time you feel like it..." Aunt Joyce responded.
"Stop it! Please! I don't know! I don't what I'm doing," Buffy yelled before she rushed from the room and headed downstairs.
We followed after her.
When we got downstairs, we saw Buffy trying to head outside but couldn't because of Xander and Cordelia kissing.
"Don't you leave this house, young lady!" Aunt Joyce yelled as Buffy tried to find a way out. "You know what? That's it." She ran behind Buffy, grabbed her arm and turned Buffy around to face her. "This family is going to have a talk."
The band stopped playing as the people stopped talking and were staring.
"Mom, please..." Buffy voiced as she tried to stop Aunt Joyce from yelling at her in front of everyone.
Xander and Cordelia came into the living room as Aunt Joyce interrupted.
"You know what? I don't care. I don't care what your friends think of me or any of you, for that matter, because you all put me through the wringer," Aunt Joyce interrupted as she inhaled. "I mean it." she exhaled before inhaling again. "And I've had schnapps." She admitted before exhaling again. "Do you have any idea what it's been like?"
"Aunt Joyce, this isn't the time..." Kate started to say as Willow looked around in worry before Oz came up next to her.
"You can't imagine months of not knowing. Not knowing whether you all were lying dead in a ditch somewhere or, I don't know, living it up..." Aunt Joyce interrupted.
"But you told us! You're the one who said we should go. You said if we left the house, don't come back. You found out who Buffy and Aurora really were, and you couldn't deal. Don't you remember?" Jeremy interrupted her.
Some of the people started leaving as the arguing continued.
"You didn't give me time. You all just dumped this thing on me, and you all expected me to get it. Well, get what? Mom's not perfect? I handled it badly, but that doesn't give you all the right to punish me by running away," Aunt Joyce voiced.
"Punish you? We didn't do this to punish you!" I told her.
"Well, you did. You should've seen what you put her through," Xander stated.
"Great. Thanks. Anybody else, want to weigh in here?" Buffy questioned as she looked around. "How about you by the dip?"
"No, thanks. I'm good," the boy by the snack table said.
"You know, maybe you don't want to hear it, but taking off like you all did was incredibly selfish and stupid," Xander voiced.
"Okay! Okay. We screwed up. We know this. But you have no idea! You have... you have no idea what happened to me or what I was feeling!" I yelled.
"Did you even try talking to anybody?" Xander asked.
"There was nothing that anybody could do. Okay. We just had to deal with this on our own," I responded.
"Yeah, and you see how well that one worked out. You can't just bury stuff, Rory. It'll come right back up to get you," Xander returned.
Across town, the zombie had Giles bent back on the hood of Finn's car. Giles kicked his foot underneath him and kicked the zombie off as Finn and Klaus knocked two of the incoming zombies before they all got into the car and locked the doors. The zombies started pounding on the vehicle as Finn reached for the ignition and discovered the keys weren't there. He searched for them but found nothing before seeing them in the street.
"Oh, good show, brother," Klaus voiced. "But you don't need the keys. Only a button." Klaus reached from the backseat and pushed the button for the car to start.
Just as the car started, a zombie punched through the window and reached for them.
"Let's get going," Klaus voiced as Finn put the car in gear.
They drove off as they left the zombies behind.
Back at the house...
We were still arguing about us leaving.
"As if I could've gone to you, Xander. You made your feelings about Angel and me perfectly clear," I voiced before adding. "Even though you accepted Elijah and Cole."
"Look. I'm sorry that one of your honeys was a demon, but most girls don't hop a Greyhound over boy troubles," Xander returned.
"Time out, Xander. Put yourself in Aurora's shoes for just a minute. Okay? I'm Aurora, a freak of nature, right? Naturally, I pick a freak for a boyfriend, and then he turns into Mr. Killing Spree, which is pretty much my fault..." Cordelia interceded.
"Cordy! Get out of Aurora's shoes!" Kyra interrupted.
"I'm just trying to help, Kyra," Cordelia replied.
"Aurora, Buffy, you never..." Willow started to say.
"Willow, please. We can't take this from you, too," Buffy said as we were nearing a breaking point.
"Let her finish! You at least owe her that," Xander stated.
"God, Xander! Do you think you could at least stick to annoying us on your own behalf?" Buffy snapped.
"Fine! You stop acting like idiots, I'll stop annoying you!" Xander responded.
"Oh, you wanna talk acting like an idiot, Nighthawk?" I returned as I stepped toward Xander.
"Okay. I'm gonna step in now," Oz said as he and Cole got between us. "... being Referee Guy."
"No, let them go, Oz," Willow replied as she got a look from Oz before continuing. "Talking about it isn't helping. We might as well try some violence."
One second after Willow was done speaking, a zombie smashed through the living room window and came in as others followed behind.
"I was being sarcastic!" Willow yelled as two zombies gabbed Xander and Jeremy and started wrestling.
Another grabbed a boy and violently broke his neck as Xander and Jeremy got the upper hand and threw the slow-moving zombie through the broken window. Willow, Sam, Dean, Jo, Oz and Elijah scrambled to help out as Cole, Andy, and Leo tried to protect us. Another two zombies smashed through the kitchen windows as the remaining party guests tried to drive the zombies out. Xander and Jeremy broke away from the crowd.
"Xander, Jeremy Kitchen!" Buffy and I yelled as we threw them andiron each from the fireplace.
"We got your back!" Xander yelled as they headed towards the kitchen with Dean, Rebekah and Cordelia behind them.
Two zombies attacked Buffy and me. We launched ourselves into a hopping sidekick to his gut. Then, we stepped up with a punch and a swing under his arm with an uppercut to his jaw, but they weren't fazed. The zombies swung at us with both arms before knocking us aside into Cole and Elijah. Buffy and I got back up and punched the zombies before ducking past them towards Kate and Kyra as they lunged at us. They around and tried to grab us before Jenna and Aunt Joyce came up behind them and smashed vases over their heads. Buffy and I swept the zombies and knocked them down before Elijah checked on the baby and me. He gave Cole a look saying, 'the baby was okay'.
"Are these vampires?" Aunt Joyce questioned.
"Uh, I don't think so," Buffy responded.
"Aurora, Buffy, heads up," Willow said as she and Sam tossed a piece of the broken window frame each towards us.
Buffy and I caught them before trying to stake the zombie.
"No, not vampires," I said as the zombies looked at us as though we pinched them before I muttered. "My vision is coming true."
The zombies got back to their feet as I wondered how Jeremy and Xander were doing.
In the kitchen, Xander and Jeremy swung their andiron at the zombies, which made them stagger. Cordelia looked around and found a stake as Dean swung a bar at a zombie. Cordelia jammed the stake into the zombie's gut before it stumbled back. Joyce's friend Pat was looking into the kitchen from the hall, not realizing that a zombie was coming behind her. The zombie grabbed her by the jaw and the back of her head. Pat screamed as she was dragged off. Back in the kitchen, the zombies came at the boys again. While another tried to crawl through the window over the sink.
"Man, this sucks wobbles," Xander yelled.
"But they won't fall down!" Dean replied.
"I wonder what's making them come here," Jeremy questioned as he swung the andiron at the zombie's legs and knocked him to the floor.
In the living room, Aunt Joyce and Jenna kept hitting two zombies' heads with a broken piece of wood. While a boy was holding a guitar and was ready to smash it over another zombie.
"We got to get them back outside!" Kate yelled.
"On three!" Aunt Joyce said as each of the boys grabbed a zombie.
"One... Two... Three..." Jenna replied as they dragged the zombies to the front door where Buffy and I were waiting.
They threw the zombies out before Buffy slammed the door shut.
"Okay! We're gonna have to barricade this door! And find a way to keep them out from the window," Buffy ordered.
In the kitchen, Xander, Dean, Jeremy and Cordelia had their zombies pinned face down to the floor with their arms behind them as they heard Aurora yell.
"We need some help out here!" Aurora yelled
"We got them. Go help Aurora and the others," Xander told Cordelia before she rushed into the living room to help.
In the front hall, some of the people scrambled to get something to barricade the door while others leaned against it to keep it closed.
"Grab that table!" Oz ordered as his friend Devon took his place while he grabbed a small table.
Oz dragged the table back before positioning it against the door and leaned against it as his friend went to grab another. Xander, Jeremy, and Dean showed up and helped as a zombie punched through the door and grabbed Oz's shoulder.
"Upstairs!" Kyra yelled as we ran up the stairs with the others following.
At the top of the stairs, Aunt Joyce's friend was lying unconscious on the floor further down the hall.
"Oh, Pat!" Aunt Joyce exclaimed as she rushed over to Pat with Willow, Buffy and Jenna running over to help as the boys guarded us.
"Oh, God..." Aunt Joyce muttered as Pat awaked.
"Careful!" I said as Wilow, Jenna and Aunt Joyce helped her up.
"Hurry, hurry, hurry," Xander told us as Pat moaned as Elijah, Jeremy, Dean, and Xander watched the stairs.
"We got you. Okay," Aunt Joyce whispered to Pat as they dragged her into Aunt Joyce's bedroom.
The boys ushered us, girls, in before following us in.
Downstairs, the stand at the door had been abandoned as Devon ran out the back door. Cordelia helped Oz, Kol, and Sam away from the zombies outside the door before trying to run towards the stairs. Oz was grabbed from behind and was pulled to the floor as Kol and Sam got to the stairs.
"Oz!" Cordelia exclaimed as she reached out towards Oz before he waved her off.
"Go! Go!" Oz yelled as she started towards the back before Kol and Sam followed her.
Oz scrambled out of the zombie's reach before running behind them.
Upstairs in Aunt Joyce's room, Aunt Joyce, Willow, and Jenna dragged Pat the rest of the way and laid her down on the padded wicker chair and footrest. While Kate, Kyra, Rebekah and I were being grouped by Elijah, Cole and Jeremy as Buffy, Dean and Xander tried to get the door close to keep a zombie out.
"She's..." Willow said as she felt a pulse on Pat's neck.
"Oh, God! Pat! She's dead!" Aunt Joyce exclaimed as the zombie banged against the door, sending Xander and Dean flying into the far wall.
The impact knocked the mask from its hook as Kate shoved the zombie back with her powers. Willow, Jenna and Joyce ran to help as Kyra, Kate, Rebekah, and I tried to go and help, but the boys wouldn't let us. What we didn't know was that the eyes of the Nigerian mask began to glow red again. Xander and Dean got back up as Jeremy headed over to help them keep the door closed.
"What do we do if they get in?" Aunt Joyce questioned.
"I kind of think we die," Xander responded as the mask kept glowing without us knocking before Pat's eyes snapped open.
Downstairs in the closet, it was dark as Cordelia, Sam and Oz were inside it.
"I don't hear anything. Should we check?" Cordelia asked them.
"Let's go for it," Oz responded as Sam opened the door and looked out.
There were no zombies at all. The coast was clear as they heard noises coming from upstairs. Oz and Sam glanced at Cordelia before looking around again to be sure nothing was going on downstairs before Cordelia saw six pairs of ski poles in the closet.
"Here," Cordelia said before handing Oz and Sam a ski pole each.
"Thanks," Sam replied as they started down the hall towards the stairs.
They reached the kitchen doorway as Cordelia looked in and was startled to see Giles, Klaus and Finn coming through the back door.
"Cordelia, it's me! It's me!" Giles voiced as she held her ski pole up to his neck.
Sam and Oz held their ski pol pointed at Klaus and Finn.
"How do we know it's really you and not zombie Giles, Finn and Klaus?" Cordelia questioned.
"Cordelia, do stop being tiresome," Giles voiced as Finn responded.
"We can't be turned into zombies," Finn responded.
"It's them," Cordelia returned.
Cordelia, Sam and Oz withdrew their weapons as the noises upstairs got louder.
"I think the Dead Man's Party's moved upstairs," Oz stated as they moved towards the stairs.
"That makes sense. It's the mask in Joyce's bedroom they're after," Giles told them.
"Mask?" Cordelia and Sam questioned.
"The mask holds the power of a... zombie demon called Ovu Mobani... Evil Eye. I don't think we can get past them," Giles responded as they crouched by the stairs and tried to look upstairs.
"Well, what happens if they get the mask?" Sam asked.
"If one of them puts it on, they become the demon incarnate," Finn answered.
"Worse than a zombie," Cordelia voiced.
"Yes, worse," Klaus returned.
Upstairs in the bedroom, zombie Pat sat up on the footrest as a zombie overpowered the others. One zombie punched Buffy, sending her into the wall as zombie Pat looked over at us and at the fight before being drawn to the Nigerian mask on the floor. I noticed the eyes of the mask glowing a bright red as Pat walked towards it.
"Oh, God! We thought you were..." Aunt Joyce started to say as she got up from the floor and started her way towards zombie Pat.
She tried to hug Pat before Pat pushed her hard onto the bed. Aunt Joyce rolled off next to Xander and Dean as Pat bent down to pick up the mask and held it to her face before standing back up. The eyes of the mask glowed a very bright red as the mask integrated itself into Pat's face. The zombies that were fighting Willow and Jeremy stopped before falling to their knees, screaming and cowering before the zombie PAt.
"Generally speaking, when scary things get scared: not a good thing," Xander voiced.
"I live, you die," Zombie Pat said as Willow looked at her.
Buffy and I tried to get between them before the zombie Pat looked at us. Its eyes flashed before it backhanded us, sending us into Elijah and Cole. Buffy and I were slightly dazed before getting back up as Willow and Jeremy backed away from zombie Pat.
"Willow, don't look!" Buffy, Kate, Kyra, and I yelled.
Zombie Pat's eyes flashed again at Willow and she froze. I got out of Elijah's arms before lunging at Zombie Pat as she went for Willow. Zombie Pat and I were out the window. We fell from the upstairs window before zombie Pat landed on the bushes and I somehow shimmered to the ground. Buffy jumped out of the window and joined us in the backyard.
Inside by the stairs, Cordelia, Oz, Giles, Klaus, Finn and Sam heard the crash through the upstairs window.
"Out back!" Giles yelled as they ran back down the stairs before a zombie appeared from the kitchen dining room and took Giles by the neck.
Outside, the zombie Pat got to her feet as Buffy got between us, and we looked away. We kept a distance between ourselves and the demon zombie Pat.
"Not looking," Buffy and I muttered as we shielded our eyes.
"Not looking," Buffy and I repeated as the demon zombie followed us.
Upstairs in Joyce's bedroom, with the zombie Pat no longer in the room, the zombies quit cowering and began attacking the people there. Xander, Willow, Jeremy, Elijah, Cole and Dean went after the zombies as Joyce, Kol, and Jenna swung baseball bats at the zombie's backs. The zombies screamed and flailed their arms as they tried to shake them loose before they turned to Joyce, Kol and Jenna, who kept swinging their bats. The zombies blocked its blows as they moved their arms, but the three didn't stop.
Outside, the demon tackled Buffy to the ground and turned her over as its eyes flashed but had no effect on her. I snap-kicked her off of Buffy before the zombie demon flew across the yard and landed on its back.
Back inside, the boys and Cordelia tried to keep the zombie at bay but it didn't work.
"Tell Aurora and Buffy, that Mobani's powers lies in his eyes!" Giles yelled as Oz kicked the zombie twice in the shoulder.
Oz and Sam kept trying to force him back so they both could get downstairs. The zombies were fazed, but Oz and Sam hopped over the stair railing.
"They have to go for the eyes to defeat him!" Giles told them as Oz and Sam ran towards the backyard.
Back outside, we were scrambling for a weapon. I found it as I picked it up and turned around, but the demon's eyes froze Buffy and me as we heard Oz and Sam come running out of the kitchen door.
"Buffy! Aurora!" Oz and Sam yelled.
Which distracted the demon and brought Buffy and me out of our trance. The zombie demon turned and flashed its eyes at Oz and Sam, making them freeze.
"Hey, Pat!" I exclaimed as I raised the shovel.
The zombie demon looked at us just in time for me to shove the shovel deep into the demon's eyes. The zombie demon grabbed the shovel handle but couldn't pull it out.
"Made you look," Buffy stated as the brilliant white light made the zombie demon disappear.
Upstairs in Joyce's bedroom, the group was still fighting the zombies as a flash of light made them disappear. Joyce was still wildly swinging the bat before stopping and realizing they were safe. Downstairs, Cordelia was helping Giles, Klaus and Finn keep two zombies at bay when they disappeared in a flash of light. Which made Cordelia fall forward before she steadied herself against the wall.
Back outside, we were staring at where the demon zombie was before looking at Oz and Sam.
"Never mind," Oz said before shrugging.
"Let's get inside," Sam voiced as he ran towards me and placed a hand on my belly.
We headed inside.
When we were inside, we headed for the living room to see Giles, Klaus, Finn, and Cordelia as we heard people coming downstairs. We turned to see Aunt Joyce and everyone else behind her quickly running down the stairs.
"Honey! Girls!" Aunt Joyce exclaimed as she embraced Buffy and me.
We hugged her back before hugging the others. Elijah checked on the baby and kissed my head before Cole followed suit.
"Oh!" Aunt Joyce said as Buffy released from her embrace.
Willow came into the room before Oz walked over to her.
"Are you all right?" Jenna asked.
"Yeah," I replied.
"So, is this a typical day at the office?" Aunt Joyce panted.
"No. This was nothing," Buffy responded.
I saw Willow and Oz join hands before they turned to face us. Xander came into the room through the kitchen as Cordelia joined him.
"Nice moves," Xander said to Buffy and me as we looked around at the mess.
"You, too." Buffy and I replied.
We smiled as the high schoolers of the scooby gang hugged each other.
"Let's board of these windows," Cole voiced as he, Klaus, Finn, Dean and Kol came in with supplies.
We got to work.
An hour later, we were done, and everyone went home. The girls and I showered and got ready for bed before I headed to the nursery. I opened the door to see Lady on the floor in front of the crib. I walked over and saw Persephone still asleep.
"Goodnight, my love," I whispered before heading out of the room to my room.
I opened the door and walked into my bedroom before turning down my bed and getting in. I turned out the light before pulling the covers over me and fell into a deep sleep.
Time Skip
It was the next day at the high school. Principal Snyder was getting some files from his cabinet when there was a knock on the door before the door opened it. It was Giles.
"Do we have an appointment?" Snyder asked as he glanced at Giles before heading to his desk.
"I'd like to have a word with you," Giles voiced.
"If that word is Buffy, then I have two words for you: 'good' and 'riddance'," Snyder replied as he dropped the files on his desk before turning to Giles and saying. "Now, if you don't mind, I have an appointment with the Mayor."
"You can't keep her out of this school," Giles returned.
"I think you'll find I can," Snyder stated as he pulled his jacket on.
"You had no grounds for expelling her," Giles stated.
"I have grounds, I have precedent and a tingly kind of feeling," Snyder responded.
"Buffy Summers is a minor and is entitled to public education. Your personal dislike of the girl does not legally entitle you to..." Giles told him.
"Why don't you take it up with the city council?" Snyder interrupted as he grabbed his files and briefcase before starting for the door.
"I thought I'd start with the State Supreme Court," Giles answered.
Snyder stopped and faced him as Giles continued.
"You're powerful in local circles, but I believe I can make life very difficult for you, professionally speaking," Giles continued before saying with confidence. "And Buffy will be allowed back in."
"Sorry. I'm not convinced," Snyder replied before he tried to go again.
"Would you like me to convince you?" Giles questioned as he grinned and grabbed Snyder by the lapel before shoving him back into the filing cabinet.
Snyder shook his head slightly as he looked back and forth nervously in agreement.
Time Skip
School time was over for Willow, and we met up at the Expresso Pump and cafe. We sat at a group of tables with drinks and food. I poured some baby snack puffs on Persephone's stroller tray for her to eat as we talked.
"I mean, I'm not a full-fledged witch. That takes years. I just did a couple of pagan blessings and... a teeny glamour to hide a zit," Willow told us.
"Does it scare you?" Buffy asked.
"It has. I tried to communicate with the spirit world, and I so wasn't ready for that. It's like being pulled apart inside," Willow answered before telling us. "Plus, I blew the power for our whole block. Big scare."
"Well, with us back, we can learn together," Kate voiced.
"I wish we could've been there with you," Kyra stated.
"Me too. I really freaked out," Willow returned.
"We are sorry," I voiced.
"It's okay. I understand you all having to bail. I can forgive that. Mm, I have to make allowances for what you're going through a-and be a grownup about it," Willow replied before giving us a smug look.
"You're really enjoying this whole moral superiority thing, aren't you?" Rebekah responded with a smile.
"It's like a drug!" Willow stated.
"Fine! Okay," Buffy returned before saying. "We're bad. We can take our lumps... for a while."
"Alright. I'll stop giving you a hard time," Willow responded before pausing and saying. "Runaway."
"Will!" Buffy gasped in surprise.
"I'm sorry! Quitter," Willow responded with a smile and giggle.
"Whiner," Kate stated as she widened her eyes at Willow.
"Bailer," Willow returned.
"Harpy," Kyra blurted out.
"Delinquent," Willow replied.
"Tramp," Rebekah voiced.
"Bad see," Willow said in a mocked offence.
"Witch," Buffy returned.
"Freak," Willow responded.
"Okay, enough. Before we continue, can you hand these to the others?" I asked as I handed over invites.
"What is it?" Willow questioned.
"Invites to Persephone's Wiccaning," I answered.
"According to the book of shadows, wiccaning is like a witch's christening after the baby is born to welcome the baby into the family," Kate voiced.
"And I wanted to do it with our family here," I told her.
"When is it?" Willow asked.
"Tomorrow," I voiced. "No need to bring presents. We are having food and fun."
"Okay," Willow replied before we went back to eating and drinking as we talked about other things.
