Chapter 16: What's My Line Part 2
November 20, 1997 – Thursday
Angel's Apartment
Buffy and Dawn stared.
Kendra stared back.
Buffy and Kendra continued to circle each other, fists raised and ready. For a long moment there was only the ragged sound of their breathing.
"Let's start again," Dawn said at last. "You're who?"
"I'm the Slayer," Kendra replied.
Buffy and Dawn were speechless. The young woman across from Buffy radiated poise and intensity. There was a faintly regal air about her. And it was way obvious she didn't take anything from anybody. Still, the whole thing was totally ridiculous.
"Nice cover story," Buffy told her. "Here's a tip—try it on someone who's not the real Slayer."
"You can't stop me," Kendra returned. "Even if you kill me, another Slayer will be sent to take my place."
"I'd advise you to stop with the Slayer thing," Dawn countered seeing that Buffy was running out of patience. "Buffy is the Slayer!"
"Nonsense," Kendra objected. "Boys can't be Slayers only girls—and I am she."
Buffy and Dawn glanced at each other and then laughed. "I am a girl," Buffy countered. Still Kendra was so annoyingly earnest, she couldn't help but wonder… "Okay," Buffy relented, almost reluctantly. "Scenario: I back off. You back off. You promise not to go all wiggy until we go to my Watcher and figure out what this is all about."
Kendra frowned. "Wiggy?"
"Buffy means you and she don't fight," Dawn informed Kendra.
Kendra paused, considering. Then she stood back, folding her arms across her chest. "I accept your scenario." She looked at them though in puzzlement. "But how can you even possibly be…"
"I'm transgender," Buffy answered a little reluctantly as they let down their guard, but they both continued to silently assess the other.
At last Kendra asked, "You are what?"
"She's transgender," Dawn said.
"You do know what that means, right?" Buffy asked keeping her eyes on Kendra.
"I have read about past Slayers who were born male who were actually female," Kendra admitted. "Is that what you mean?"
"That's exactly what I mean," Buffy informed her. "I'm a girl trapped in the body of a boy."
Kendra nodded as she accepted that. She would have more questions later though. "Your English is very odd, you know," she said.
"Yeah, well so is yours," Dawn quipped.
"It's something about being woken by an axe," Buffy added. "Makes us talk all crazy." She paused, then added. "So, you were sent here?"
"Yes, by my Watcher."
"To do what, exactly?" Dawn wondered.
"To do my duty," Kendra informed the sisters. "I am here to kill vampires."
The Alibi Room
Angel looked up at the window high on the wall of the storage area.
Sun was streaming through the barred glass, spilling light into the room.
He could hardly breathe now.
Huddled in a corner, he tried to draw into himself, tried to put even an inch more distance between himself and the morning. He thought of primarily of Buffy, but also of Dawn. He wondered if they were both safe.
The sun angled across the floor, leaving him only a small patch of safety. With every passing minute, it crept closer.
Angel was sweating. His body was wracked with pain.
He closed his eyes and tried to envision the darkness.
Sunnydale High School
Giles paced restlessly, trying to make sense of the situation, in front of Kendra, Buffy and Dawn. Buffy hadn't felt safe, with the assassins about, at Dawn at her baby sister's school. After all there was still two of them out there. So, when they had gotten to the school, Buffy had called to Dawn's school and said Dawn was sick.
"Your watcher is Sam Zabuto, you say?" Giles asked Kendra.
Buffy and Dawn watched with interest. Kendra seemed strangely subdued in Giles's presence, almost subservient.
Even Kendra's voice held a touch of reverence as she answered his question. "Yes, sir."
"We've never met," Giles went on, "but he is very well respected."
"What?" Buffy broke in. "So, he's a real guy? As in, nonfictional?"
Giles ignored Buffy. "What are you called?" he asked Kendra.
"I am the Vampire Slayer," Kendra replied.
Dawn sounded irked. "We got that part. He means your name."
"Oh." Kendra nodded. "They call me Kendra, only. I have no last name, sir."
Buffy rolled her eyes. "Can you say—stuck in the eighties?" she quipped as Dawn giggled.
"Buffy, please." Giles frowned. "There has obviously been some kind of misunderstanding here."
Everyone turned as Willow came into the library. She stopped just inside the door and smiled. "Hey—" Before she could finish her sentence, Kendra advanced on her, ready to attack.
"Identify yourself!" Kendra ordered.
"Back off, Pink Ranger," Dawn's look was withering. "This is mine and Buffy's friend."
"Friend?" Kendra demanded.
"You know," Buffy said. "Person you hang with? Amigo?"
Kendra looked annoyed. "I—I don't understand."
Again, Buffy rolled her eyes, turning this time to Giles. "You try. I'm tapped."
"Ditto," Dawn agreed as she moved to the table and sat down.
"Kendra," Giles said patiently. "There are a few people, civilians if you will, who know Buffy's identity. Both as the Slayer and that Buffy is transgender. Willow is one of them. And they also spend time together. Socially."
Kendra was taking all of this in. She understood what was being said, but she was still very much puzzled by the concept. "And you allow this, sir?" she finally asked.
"Well," Giles stammered, "you see—"
"But the Slayer must work in secret," Kendra broke in. "For security—"
"Of course. With Buffy, however, it's . . ." Giles looked momentarily at a loss. "Some flexibility is required."
"Why?"
"Hi, guys," Willow said quickly, putting an end to the discussion. "What's going on?"
"There's been a big mix-up," Dawn replied looking at her sister protectively.
"It seems that somehow, another Slayer has been sent to Sunnydale," Giles added.
Willow looked from the sisters to Kendra. "Is that even possible? I mean, two Slayers at the same time?"
"That's what I've been wanting to know," Dawn admitted.
"Not that I know of." Giles took off his glasses, gazing down thoughtfully. "The new Slayer is only called after the previous Slayer has died—" His head came up. He shoved his glasses back onto his nose. "Good Lord," he mumbled. "You were dead, Buffy."
"No, she wasn't," Dawn countered defensively.
"Dawn, technically speaking I was gone for a minute," Buffy reminded her sister. "When you pulled me from the pool I wasn't breathing remember?"
"Oh, right," Dawn said sadly as she moved back beside her sister and wrapped her arms around Buffy.
"Buffy's right, Dawn," Giles concluded. "She was physically dead, causing the activation of the next Slayer."
"She…died?" Now Kendra really did look lost.
"Just a little," Buffy insisted as she rubbed Dawn's back soothingly.
"Yes, she drowned," Giles explained. "But she was revived."
"So there really are two of them?" Willow stared at Giles, who finally managed a nod.
"It would appear so. Yes." He sat down, stunned. He pressed one hand to his forehead. "We have no precedent for this," he mumbled. "I'm quite flummoxed."
"What's the flum?" Buffy piped up. "It's a mistake. She isn't supposed to be here. She goes home." Turning to Kendra, she added, "No offense. But I'm not dead, and it's a teeny bit creepy having you around."
Kendra stood her ground. "I cannot simply leave. I was sent here for a reason. Mr. Zabuto said all the signs indicate that a very dark power is about to rise in Sunnydale."
"He's quite right," Giles admitted. "I'll need to contact him."
"So, what was your plan for fighting this dark power?" Buffy asked Kendra. "Just sort of attack people till you found a bad one?"
Kendra sounded indignant. "Of course not."
"Why the hell did you jump me?"
Kendra hesitated. Then sheepishly she said, "I thought you were a vampire and that your sister was your victim."
A silent look passed around the room.
"Ooh," Buffy quipped, "a swing and a miss for the rookie." She smiled as she heard Dawn laughing.
"I had good reason to think you were a vampire and that she was your victim," Kendra justified herself. "Did I not see you kissing a vampire?"
Willow burst to Buffy's defense. "Buffy would never do that! Oh—" Flustered, she turned to Buffy. "Except for—that sometimes you do that." She stopped again, this time looking at Kendra. "But only with Angel," she insisted. She thought a minute. She looked at Buffy. "Right?
"Yes," Dawn agreed.
"Right," Buffy added. She tried to explain to Kendra. "You saw me and Dawn with Angel. He's a vampire, but he's good."
"Angel?" Kendra echoed. "You mean Angelus? I've read of him. He is a monster."
"No," Giles broke in mildly, "no, he's good now."
"Really." Willow and Dawn agreed as they both gave an emphatic nod.
"He had a gypsy curse," Buffy added.
"Oh." Kendra stared at Buffy. "He had a what?"
"Just trust me," Buffy informed her. "Angel's on the home team now. Wouldn't hurt a fly."
"I cannot believe you," Kendra argued. "He looked to me like just another animal when I—" She stopped.
Noting Kendra's strained expression, Dawn instantly moved beside Buffy and wrapped her arms around her big sister. "What did you do?" Dawn asked worriedly.
Kendra didn't answer right away. "I…"
"What did you do?" Buffy stated echoing Dawn's question.
The Alibi Room
Angel's patch of shadow had dwindled down to a mere sliver.
As he lay there moaning softly, he tried to rearrange his jacket over his head, taking what little protection it provided. In spite of that, he was literally smoldering now, and the pain was almost more than he could bear.
The stench of scorched flesh hung in the room.
As sunlight flooded the storage area, Angel prepared to die.
He was too far gone to notice when the door slammed open . . . too weak to look up when a pair of hands grabbed his legs and began to pull.
Willy dragged Angel through the dirt of the stockroom. He pulled him away from the light and into the next room, then lifted a trap door hidden in the floor.
Leaning down, he pushed Angel's nearly lifeless body down into the sewer. Angel collapsed in the water, and as Willy lowered himself down, Spike and his minions stepped out of the shadows to meet them.
"Here you go, my friend," Willy announced proudly. "A little singed around the edges maybe, but he'll be good as new in a day or so."
Helplessly weak, Angel was almost unconscious. Spike reached for him, but Willy tugged Spike's hand away.
"Hey, now," Willy reminded him. "We had a deal."
Spike gave Willy a look. He pulled a wad of money from his pocket and started to peel off several bills, handing them over to Willy as he did so.
"What's the matter, Willy?" Spike asked him. "Don't trust me?"
Willy was quickly counting the bills. He gestured to Spike for more.
"Like a brother," Willy responded.
Spike held the last bill up. He made Willy reach for it. And then he struck him hard across the face.
"Talk," Spike warned, "and I'll have your guts for garters."
Willy got the message. "Wild horses couldn't drag it."
Spike unfolded one more bill. He crumpled it in his hand and dropped it into the filthy water.
"Oops," he grinned. "Sorry—friend."
It didn't bother Willy to fish for his money. As a matter of fact, there was very little that ever bothered Willy. Still, after all the trouble he'd just gone to, he couldn't help but be curious about this particular outcome. He paused and looked up, watching Spike's minions gather up Angel.
"What're you going to do with him, anyway?" Willy asked.
Spike looked deep in thought. "I'm thinking…maybe dinner and a movie. I don't want to rush into anything. I've been hurt, you know." He thrust his hands in the pockets of his black coat. And then he strode confidently away, disappearing from view around a bend in the tunnel.
The minions followed with Angel, leaving Willy behind.
Summers Home
"Do you have this in raisin?" Cordelia held a lipstick out to Mr. Pfister. "The person I want to get this for is both a winter and a summer—" She broke off at the sight of the weird little salesman.
He was standing there beside his open satchel of cosmetics and creams, and he was just looking at her. Not moving, not answering. Just unblinking and totally creepy.
Cordelia took a step back.
"Nine ninety-nine," Mr. Pfister spoke at last. "Tax included."
"You—you said that already," Cordelia reminded him. "Do you have anything in the berry family?"
The salesman didn't respond. He simply took the lipstick away from her and dropped it back into his bag. "Are there more ladies in the house?" he asked politely.
"They aren't home," Cordelia said. His fixed expression was making her nervous, everything about him was making her nervous. "Nothing personal," she offered, "but maybe you should look into selling dictionaries."
She stopped as a single worm suddenly appeared from under his coat. It fell to his feet and squirmed across the floor, while Cordelia backed away with a gasp. She looked back at Mr. Pfister, who was looking back impassively at her. No emotion, no expression.
At that moment Xander came back downstairs, seeing Mr. Pfister for the first time. "Hey," he said amiably. "What's up?"
Cordelia grabbed Xander by the arm. "He's a…salesman," she babbled. "But he was just leaving." Feeling strangely freaked, she hid behind Xander, then looked hopefully at Mr. Pfister. "Right?"
The salesman just stood there.
"Okay," Cordelia ran on. "Bye-bye. Thanks."
Nothing. Xander moved to hustle him out. "Come on, Mary Kay. Time to—"
But as Xander approached him, Mr. Pfister's face began to ripple. To slither and squirm in the most hideous way, as though there were creepy crawly things under his skin.
Xander was appalled. He couldn't quite believe what he was seeing. "Time to . . ." He turned to Cordelia. His voice remained calm. "Run."
Mr. Pfister was standing between them and the front door. As the two of them bolted in the other direction, the little salesman suddenly began to shift, his human form falling away as he decomposed into thousands of slimy worms. The worms immediately streamed after Xander and Cordelia.
The twosome ran past the stairs for the back door, but now Mr. Pfister had reformed as a human and was blocking their path. They had no choice but to duck into the cellar, bolting the door behind them. At once worms began flowing through the crack underneath. Cordelia screamed in panic.
Xander grabbed an old broom and attempted to beat them off. "Find something to block the crack under the door!" he shouted.
Frantically, Cordelia began to search. She could feel worms crawling over her, and she screamed again, trying to brush them off. At last she spotted a roll of duct tape on a shelf. She grabbed it and shoved it at Xander. "I—I don't—do worms," she shuddered.
Xander shoved the broom back at her. "Cover me." Grimacing, he quickly ran some tape around the cracks in the door while Cordelia tried to kill worms. When the door was finally secure, the two of them finished off the rest of the worms that had made it through, then waited to see if the tape would hold.
To their relief, nothing came in. For the moment, at least, the worms seemed thwarted.
Descending into the basement, Xander realized then that the door was their only way out. The windows down here weren't large enough to escape through. Which meant there were no other possible exits.
Xander scowled and plopped down in a chair. "You know," he said disgustedly, "just when you think you've seen it all. Along comes a worm guy."
The Alibi Room
Breathlessly, Buffy burst into the storage room. Her frantic eyes scanned the walls, the corners, the puddles of liquor, the shards of broken glass…
To her dismay, Angel wasn't there.
"Angel…" she murmured.
Kendra came in behind her, moving slowly about the area, carefully inspecting the floor. "No ashes," she announced.
Buffy looked up at her. "What?"
"When a vampire combusts, he leaves ashes."
"Yeah, I know the drill," Buffy returned dryly.
"So, I did not kill him."
Buffy got right into Kendra's face. Her voice was cold. "And I don't have to kill you."
Once again, the two of them glared at each other. They didn't notice Willy as he stepped quietly into the room.
"Whoa," Willy greeted them. "There's a lot of tension in this room."
Before he could utter another word, Kendra charged him. She slammed him to the floor and drew back her fist for a mighty blow.
Buffy caught Kendra hand mid-strike. Exasperated, she asked, "Doesn't anyone just say 'hello' where you come from?"
"This one is dirty," Kendra replied, maintaining a merciless grip. "I can feel it."
"So, can I, percepto girl. But we're not going to get anything out of him if he's oh, say, unconscious." Buffy grabbed Willy away from Kendra. She helped him up, then she slammed him into the wall. Hard. "Where's Angel?" she demanded.
Willy's voice was strident. "My bud Angel? You think I'd let him fry? I saved him in the nick. He was about five minutes away from being a crispy critter."
Buffy shot Kendra a vicious look. "Where'd he go? Home?" She tightened her hold on Willy, and he squirmed nervously
"Uh, he said he was going to stay underground," Willy told her. "You know, recuperate."
"Are you telling me the truth?"
"I swear!" Willy could feel sweat trickling down his brow. "I swear on my mother's grave…should something fatal happen to her, God forbid."
"Then he is all right," Kendra assured Buffy. "We can return to your Watcher for our orders."
"Orders?" Buffy looked at Kendra as though she'd lost her mind. "I don't take orders. I do things my way."
"No wonder you died," Kendra said.
"Let's go."
As they started out, Willy ran an appreciative gaze over Kendra's strong, slender figure. And then he had an idea. "I have to ask if you have considered modeling," he called out to Kendra. They stopped abruptly, and he added, "I got a friend with a camera, strictly high-class nude work—art photographs, but naked."
Buffy marched back toward Willy and with the look of pure disgust on her face she hit him with ever ounce of Slayer strength she had. She turned and followed Kendra out the door.
"He was dirty," Kendra reminded the other Slayer.
"I know," Buffy said. "That's not why I hit him. Being trans, I know what it feels like to have people look at women like he was looking at you."
"It must be tough, to know you are a girl living in a boy's body," Kendra said.
"It is," Buffy admitted.
The Factory
Drusilla was wasting away; Spike could see it each time he looked at her. He looked at her now as he sat down quietly on the edge of her bed. Very gently he stroked her brow, coaxing her awake.
"Ah." Drusilla's voice was hazy. She tried to focus on Spike's face. "I was dreaming—"
"Of what, pet?"
"Beautiful," she murmured. "We were in Paris. You had a branding iron…"
Spike smiled. "I brought you something."
Drusilla nodded, but there was no comprehension in her eyes. She stared at the place where Spike had been, not realizing he'd stepped out of the room. "And there were worms in my baguette," she whispered to herself. She looked up, frowning, as Spike suddenly reappeared. This time he had someone with him.
Spike smiled a slow, triumphant smile. "Your sire, my sweet."
"Angel?" Drusilla's expression brightened. She watched as Spike threw Angel roughly into a corner.
"The one and only," Spike assured her. "Now all we need is the new moon tonight. Then he will die, and you will be fully restored." He moved eagerly back to her bed. He helped her up and held her against him. "My black goddess," he murmured, reverently kissing her hand. His lips trailed slowly up her arm. "My ripe, wicked plum. It's been—"
"Forever," Drusilla whispered. She smiled now, pressing him closer. Their lips locked in a ravenous kiss.
Angel couldn't watch. Turning his head, he felt a turmoil of emotions raging inside him—the shame and disgust of what he'd done to Drusilla, the loathing of what she, and he himself, had become. The helplessness of his present situation. The fear and terrible resignation now of what his fate would surely be.
At last Spike and Drusilla drew apart. Drusilla fixed Spike with a coquettish stare. "Let me have him," she said. "Until the moon."
Spike glanced immediately at Angel, his jaw tightening in annoyance. Angel and Dru had a past. This wasn't something he liked at all, yet he couldn't deny Drusilla anything. "All right then," he finally agreed. "You can play. But don't kill him. He mustn't die until the ritual."
"Bring him to me."
Spike obligingly yanked Angel off the floor. He grabbed him by the neck and thrust him at Drusilla, who fixed Angel with a slow, cunning smile.
Gently she touched Angel's face, she ran her fingertips deliberately down Angel's cheeks. Angel refused to look at her, but Drusilla grabbed his chin and snapped his head around, forcing him to make eye contact. She frowned, purring softly. "You've been a very bad daddy." And she gave him a vicious slap.
Sunnydale High School
Dawn walked beside her sister; arm wrapped around Buffy. She knew her sister was desperately worried for Angel. They were in the school colonnade with Willow, Kendra and Giles.
"Kendra," Giles said, "I've conferred with your Watcher, Mr. Zabuto. He and I agree that until this matter with Spike and Drusilla is resolved, you two should work together."
Dawn rolled her eyes. "Oh, that'll be a treat," she whispered to her sister who nodded in agreement.
"So, you believe that Spike is attempting to revive this Drusilla to health?" Kendra asked solemnly.
Giles had removed his glasses. He cleaned them off with his handkerchief, then stuffed the handkerchief into his pocket. "Yes," he answered. "That would be the dark power your Watcher referred to. Drusilla is not just evil. She's also quite mad." He took his handkerchief out again. He wiped his glasses. He put his glasses back on. "Restored to her full health there is absolutely no telling what she might do."
"Then we will stop Spike," Kendra decided.
"Good plan!" Buffy cheered falsely. "Let's go! Charge!"
Giles gave a tolerant sigh. "Buffy—"
"It's a little more complicated than that, okay, John Wayne?" Buffy chided Kendra, and this time Giles agreed.
"Yes, I'm afraid it is. Spike has called out the Order of Taraka to keep Buffy out of the way. That is why Dawn is currently here instead of at school as she is supposed to be. She could be used to get at Buffy."
"The assassins?" Kendra stiffened. "I read of them in the writings of Dramius."
The look Giles gave her was slightly incredulous. 'Really? Which volume?"
'I believe it was six, sir."
Buffy thought back to when Merrick had been her watcher. She had read his books, as he had said it was required. But she didn't remember reading about the Order of Taraka. She knew that Giles had taken a different route than Merrick had with her because of her situation, as a Slayer who was also transgender.
"Kendra, perhaps you could show me the bit in Dramius six about the Order of Taraka," Giles said delightedly. "I must admit, I could never get through that book."
"Yes, it was difficult," Kendra agreed. "All those footnotes!"
The two of them actually laughed. Kendra and Giles moved off, but Giles suddenly stopped, turning back to Buffy. "Oh, Buffy. Principal Snyder came snooping around for you."
"Eeee," Buffy grimaced. "The Career Fair."
"You'd best make an appearance, I think."
"Right."
Kendra looked curiously at Giles. "Buffy's a student here?"
"Yes."
Kendra paused, taking this in. Then coolly she added, "Right. Of course. I'd imagine she's played American football, too."
"No, she was briefly a cheerleader though," Giles admitted. "Given that she is transgender I have given her latitudes so that she can find who she is meant to be. The same latitudes that you yourself were given to you by birth." He quickly resumed his proper demeanor. "Let's go find that book," he said. "Shall we?"
They headed off to the library.
Dawn, Buffy and Willow turned off in the other direction, moving out into the courtyard.
"I wonder if it would be so bad. Being replaced," Buffy admitted out loud.
"What are you talking about?" Dawn wondered.
"Letting Kendra take over," Buffy informed her sister. "It would be wild if, after this thing with Spike and the assassins is over, I could say 'Kendra, you slay.' That you and I are going to Disneyland, Dawnie."
"But not forever, right?" Willow questioned.
"No." Buffy cast her friend a teasing look. "Disneyland would get boring after a few months. But Dawn and I could do…other stuff. All kinds of sisterly bonding stuff we've been denied."
Summers Home
Cordelia couldn't stop pacing.
As Xander sat glumly in a chair, she walked back and forth across the cellar floor, arms clamped about her chest, nerves ready to explode.
"Think you could sit down or change your pattern or something?" Xander asked sarcastically. "You're making me queasy."
"Because you're just sitting there." Cordelia turned on him. "You should be thinking up a plan."
"I do have a plan. We wait. Buffy saves us."
"How will she even know where to find us?"
Xander gave a deep sigh. "Cordelia. This is Buffy's house. Odds are she'll find us."
"What if she doesn't?" Cordelia burst out. "I'm supposed to just waste away down here with you? No, thank you." She moved quickly toward the stairs.
Xander leapt up. "What are you doing?" he demanded.
"Checking to see if he's gone—"
"That's brilliant. What if he isn't?"
Cordelia's eyes were blazing. "Oh, right. You think we should just slack here and hope that somebody else decides to be a hero. Sorry, I forgot I was stranded with a loser—"
"And yet," Xander broke in, "I never forgot that I was stuck with the numb-brain who let Mr. Mutant into the house in the first place!"
"He looked normal!" Cordelia shouted. "Besides I was doing Buffy a favor for Buffy." Xander raised an eyebrow in question. "I only invited him in because he was giving away free makeup samples. I thought…"
"Since Buffy's trans," Xander said in understanding that Buffy might like some makeup, even if she couldn't wear it on a daily basis till after she started her social transition.
"Anyways I'm gone. I'd rather be worm food than look at your pathetic face—" she told him.
"Then go. I won't stop you."
With tempers flaring, Xander and Cordelia moved closer. They were standing toe to toe now, their faces only inches apart, and both of them were seething.
"I bet you wouldn't," Cordelia threw back at him. "I bet you'd just let a girl go off to her doom all by herself—"
"Not just any girl." Xander was deliberately patronizing. "You're special."
"I can't believe I'm stuck here spending what are probably my last moments on earth with you!"
"I hope these are my last moments! Three more seconds of you and I'm going to—"
"You're going to what?" Cordelia challenged him. "Coward!"
"Moron!"
"I hate you!"
"I hate you!"
Furiously they paused, emotions out of control.
Then they grabbed each other wildly and began to kiss.
Bodies clinging, lips burning, they kissed with reckless passion, as neither had ever kissed before. The room seemed to vibrate around them, the floor seemed to shake. They kissed without stopping, without coming up for air. They kissed desperately . . . on and on and on.
At long last they broke apart.
And then they leapt apart, as if they had been electrocuted.
For a long moment they stared at each other.
"We so need to get out of here," Xander said, heading for the stairs.
Without hesitation, Cordelia bounded up the stairs and ripped the tape from the door.
"He's gone," she announced thankfully, and they bolted.
They managed to make it through the kitchen. But as Cordelia followed Xander into the dining room, hundreds of worms suddenly rained down on them from above. Shrieking, Cordelia raced out the front door and into the yard. She was covered with worms, and Xander ran up to her, trying to brush them off.
"Help!" Cordelia screamed. "Help me!"
Xander dashed to a nearby garden hose. He turned the pressure up as far as it would go, and then he aimed it straight at Cordelia.
This time she shrieked even louder. As the water hit her full force, she flailed her arms and hopped around, her clothes and hair hopelessly soaked. But the tactic worked—as the last of the worms washed away, Xander shut off the hose and hurried Cordelia to her car.
Sunnydale High School
Dawn, Buffy and Willow stood in the school lounge amid the hubbub of Career Week. The three of them were looking at a large schedule of events that had been posted on the wall.
"Okay," Buffy sighed. "My tests say I should be looking into law enforcement—duh—and environmental design."
"Environmental design?" Willow raised an eyebrow. "That's landscaping, right?"
Buffy shrugged. "I checked the shrub box. Landscaping was yesterday—so law it is."
"Look on the bright side, Buffy," Dawn said. "At least you would be paid to protect people."
Buffy looked at her sister and nodded, Dawn did have a good point. They began shouldering their way through the noisy crowd.
As Buffy looked around, she suddenly noticed a familiar face—the guy she'd attacked in the hallway recently. She noticed that his hair had changed color, from light to dark, and she noticed that he was watching them—and she especially noticed that he was staring at Willow.
"Don't look now, Will," Buffy informed her, "but that guy over there is totally checking you."
Dawn and Willow followed Buffy's gaze across the room. "Oh," Willow said casually. "That's Oz. He's just expressing computer nerd solidarity."
"Really?" Dawn asked. "Then why is he on his way over?"
Oz was indeed coming toward them now. With eyes that were only for Willow.
"Hi," he said.
Buffy smiled and kept moving Dawn. "Told you." She and Dawn headed over toward the Law Enforcement booth, leaving Willow and Oz alone. They stopped at the Law Enforcement booth.
The same stern policewoman was still there, and she gave Buffy a curt nod, handing her a sign-in sheet. Obligingly, Buffy added her name. The policewoman took the paper.
"Listen up," the officer ordered, "and answer when I call your name!"
Buffy and several other seminar attendees gathered around.
"Rutherford Summers!" Police Lady bellowed.
"Here."
In one swift movement, the officer drew a gun and aimed it at Buffy's head.
Buffy pulled Dawn down as she dove for cover and shots rang out through the room. "Get down!" she shouted.
Utter panic broke loose. As the policewoman fired again, people screamed and scattered. Bullets flew everywhere, ricocheting off walls, whining through the air.
"Look out!" Oz yelled.
Flinging himself over Willow, he knocked her to the floor. Almost at once he felt a hot, searing pain as a bullet grazed his arm. The two of them landed hard. Oz lay on top of Willow, bleeding.
"Stay down and here," Buffy ordered her sister. She tried to maneuver through the chaos. Keeping close to the floor, she crawled up behind Police Lady, grabbed her legs out from under her, and knocked her down. The two of them wrestled viciously.
At last Buffy managed to twist the gun from her hand and toss it away.
The policewoman drew another gun. She pointed it right at Buffy's forehead.
Before either of them could react, a foot came down on Police Lady's hand, kicking the gun out of reach. Buffy looked up to see Kendra towering over them, her face cold with determination. Taking advantage of the distraction, Buffy immediately began pounding the officer's face.
The policewoman twisted free. Throwing Buffy off, she grabbed a student before anyone could stop her.
She pointed the gun at his chest and slowly began to back up.
"Don't!" Buffy cried.
With her hostage in tow, Police Lady continued on through the lounge. Reaching the door at last, she tossed the student to the floor and beat a hasty retreat. Kendra took out after her while Buffy ran over to Dawn.
Buffy looked her sister over. "Are you hurt?"
Dawn shook her head. "I…I don't…think so," she said haltingly.
Buffy could tell her sister was obviously dazed at what had just happened. "You'll be okay," she said soothingly as she pulled Dawn to her feet and they hurried over to Willow and Oz.
Willow looked pale and shaken, and Oz was sitting next to her, one hand pressed to his wound. "He's…he's shot," she stammered. She looked over at him, her voice trembling. "Are you okay?"
"I'm shot," Oz said. He paused a moment, then looked mildly incredulous. "I'm shot. Wow. It's very…odd. And painful."
Kendra ran back into the room. Spying Buffy, she quickly came over. "She's gone," she announced.
Slowly people began emerging from their hiding places. Everyone looked as dazed as Dawn did. The unfortunate hostage walked over to Buffy in total bewilderment.
"Was—was that a demonstration?" he asked.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
"She was definitely one of the Taraka gang, Giles. And way gun happy." Buffy sounded solemn as she recounted this latest calamity. In fact, Willow, Kendra, Giles, Buffy and Dawn had gathered in the library afterward for a detailed post-siege analysis.
"And this Oz," Giles said worriedly to Willow, "he's all right?"
Willow managed a shaky smile. "The paramedic said it was only a scrape, thank goodness."
"What about you, Dawn?" Giles asked with a touch of concern as he looked at the younger Summers sister.
"Getting better," Dawn said as she rest her head against Buffy.
"She was dazed like everyone else," Buffy admitted. "And I am debating my decision of keeping her here with me. After all their apparently not using her to get to me. Thankfully."
Just then Xander and a very wet Cordelia trudged in. Both of them seemed agitated and upset; Cordelia was close to hysteria.
Buffy glanced at Kendra. "Down, girl," she warned before Kendra could attack.
But Kendra was totally rooted in place. And gazing at Xander like a deer caught in headlights.
"Who sponsored Career Day today?" Xander dead-panned. "The British Soccer Fan Association?"
Giles sounded weary. "We had a rather violent visit from one of the Order of Taraka."
"You want to talk Order of Taraka?" Xander shot back at him. "We met the king freak of the Order of—" He stopped talking. He stared at Kendra.
"Forgive me." Giles remembered his manners. "Xander, Cordelia, this is Kendra. It's very complicated, but she is also a Slayer."
Cordelia wasn't the least bit fazed by this news. She barely even glanced at Kendra as she passed her and sat down. "Hi," she flashed a thin smile. "Nice to meet you."
"A Slayer?" Xander turned to Buffy with a knowing wink. "I knew this 'I'm the only one, I'm the only one' thing was just an attention getter."
"Just say hello, Xander," Buffy sighed.
But Xander was staring at Kendra now. Totally captivated, he moved next to her, but Kendra immediately lowered her eyes to the floor. She looked strangely ill at ease and completely mortified by his attention.
"Welcome," Xander greeted her. "So you're a Slayer, huh? Ilike that in a woman."
Kendra's eyes were fixed on her shoes. Buffy could see that she was totally flustered.
"I—I hope…" Kendra stammered. She took a breath and tried again. "I thank you. I mean, sir…I will be of service."
Xander paused. He looked questioningly at Buffy, who only shrugged. "Good," he said, backing away again. "Great. It's good to be a giver."
Giles was deep in thought. He steered the conversation back to the important matter at hand. "This assassin you encountered, Xander. What did he look like?"
Before Xander could answer, Cordelia let out a shriek. She jumped up, beating at her hair, then shrieked again as a dead worm fell out and landed on an open book.
"Like that," Xander said.
Cordelia's voice was shrill and shaky. "That's it! I'm showering." She turned abruptly and marched from the room.
"The important thing is," Giles went on, "everybody's okay. Still, it is quite apparent that we are under serious attack—"
"Yeah," Buffy interrupted. "These Taraka guys are Uberbad. If Kendra hadn't been there today both Dawn and I would have been toast."
Silently Kendra looked at the sisters, the thanks duly noted.
Giles's face was troubled. "I fear the worst is yet to come. I've discovered the remaining keys to Drusilla's curse. The ritual requires her sire and must take place in a church on the night of the new moon—"
"The new moon?" Kendra repeated. "But that is tonight."
"Exactly. I'm sure the assassins are here to kill Buffy before she can put a stop to things—"
"They need Drusilla's sire?" Buffy interrupted; her voice urgent. "You mean the vamp that made her?"
Dawn saw the fear on Buffy's face. "What is it, Buffy?"
Buffy turned away from them. She took a moment to compose herself, and then she faced them once again.
"It's Angel," she said softly. "He's Drusilla's sire."
"Man!" Xander burst out. "That guy got some major neck in his day—"
Willow punched him. Xander shut up. Kendra looked annoyed but managed to hold her tongue.
"This thingy," Buffy peered earnestly at Giles. "This ritual. Will it kill him?"
Giles hesitated. He met her eyes reluctantly, his tone gentle. "I'm afraid so."
"We have to do something," Buffy choked. "We have to find the church where this ritual will take place—"
"Agreed. And we must work quickly. There are only five hours to sundown."
"Don't worry, Buffy," Willow tried to console her. "We'll save Angel."
Kendra couldn't keep quiet any longer. "Angel?" she exclaimed. "Our priority must be to stop Drusilla."
Angrily Dawn turned on Kendra. "Angel is my friend," she snapped.
"Look." Buffy faced Kendra now, her voice defiant. "You've got your priorities, and I've got mine. Right now, they mesh. You going to work with me, or are you going to get out of my way?"
Their eyes locked and held.
The tense silence stretched out.
"I am with you," Kendra said at last.
"Good," Buffy replied furiously. "Because I've had it. Spike is going down. You can attack me; you can send assassins after me…that's just fine." She drew herself to her full height. Her eyes smoldered. "But there are two things nobody messes with…my sister and my boyfriend."
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Night had fallen beneath a full moon, and somewhere in Sunnydale a macabre ritual was about to take place.
"There are forty-three churches in Sunnydale?" Giles watched over Willow's shoulder as she scrolled through the computer. "That seems a bit excessive."
"It's the extra evil vibe from the Hellmouth," Willow explained sitting next to Dawn, who was reading her textbooks. "Makes people pray harder."
"Check and see if any of them are closed or abandoned."
Willow obligingly did so. As Giles carried a large book over to where Xander and Cordelia were sitting, he couldn't help noticing how tense they both looked. Their chairs were pulled together side by side at the table, yet they seemed to be deliberately avoiding eye contact. Both sat ramrod straight. As they diligently searched through a volume of demon pictures, he could only wonder at their odd behavior.
"We got demons," Xander told him. "We got monsters. But no Bug Dude or Police Lady."
Giles handed over the book he was holding. "You should have better luck with this. There's a section devoted entirely to the Order of Taraka."
Xander began leafing through the pages.
In Giles's office, Kendra was gazing quizzically out at the others. Then she glanced over at Buffy, who was in the process of checking and rechecking her weapons. Buffy's face was tight and drawn—she was clearly in a silent panic about Angel.
"And those two," Kendra said, indicating Xander and Cordelia. "They also know you are the Slayer?"
Buffy kept her attention on her battle gear. "Yup."
"Did anyone explain to you what 'secret identity' means?" Kendra challenged, lifting an eyebrow.
"I've lived my whole life with a secret," Buffy countered. "Always afraid of what people would think. Dawn was actually the first one I told I was trans. I told her after I was called in hopes to protect her from what you and I deal with. I didn't want to lose my little sister."
"What about them?" Kendra asked motioning toward Buffy's friends.
"On the Slayer I didn't tell Xander or Willow. Xander overheard Giles and I talking," Buffy admitted. "And Giles told Willow along with Xander after I saved their lives. Cordelia was let in on the me being the Slayer when I went to face the Master. She happened to be at school when the Hellmouth opened."
"If I may ask, what about the other thing," Kendra asked sympathetically.
"It took me two months to tell Willow and Xander I was trans," Buffy admitted. "That secret was easier to keep, though I loathed to do it. I was simply afraid of how they would react. As I said I told Dawn. Giles knew from the start because as you know, Slayers are always girls. Angel knew from the start also, again because Slayers are always girls. After I went to face the Master, both Angel and Dawn let slip to Xander that I was trans by calling me she and Dawn even called me Buffy. I decided at that point to go ahead and tell them. It took them part of the summer to get used to it. Then during Halloween this guy cast a spell over the Halloween costumes he sold. The spell transformed everyone into who they dressed as. For me it transformed me into an eighteenth-century woman and Dawn well she was transformed into me. Cordelia questioned Dawn why I wore a dress for Halloween and she told Cordelia that I was trans."
"I can't imagine how hard that must be for you," Kendra admitted as she picked up a crossbow and inspected it closely.
"Careful with that thing," Buffy warned.
"Please. I am an expert in all weapons—"
Without warning the crossbow went off in Kendra's hand, firing an arrow straight into Giles's lamp, which toppled. Startled, Kendra tried to recover herself.
"Is everything all right?" Giles called.
"It's okay," Buffy called back. "Kendra killed the bad lamp."
Kendra shot her a look. "Sorry. This trigger mechanism is different." She paused, then added in a more conciliatory tone, "Perhaps when this is over, you can show me how to work it."
Buffy sighed. "When this is over, I'm thinking of pineapple pizza and teen videofest—possibly something from the Ringwald oeuvre." She smiled. "Dawn's favorite."
"I'm not allowed to watch television," Kendra told her. "My Watcher says it promotes intellectual laziness."
Buffy stared at her. "And he says it like that's a bad thing?"
They both turned as Xander yelled to Giles. "Here we go," Xander said excitedly, pointing to his book. "I am the Bug Man, coo-coo coo-chu."
It was indeed an ancient drawing of the creature now known as Mr. Pfister. Round-faced, meek, not even very scary looking. But a magnified detail of the drawing showed every squiggle of his wormy composition.
Xander made a face. He ran a finger down the page and added, "Okay. Okay. He can only be killed when he's in his disassembled state."
Cordelia looked up at him. He leaned over, addressing her as if she were a three-year-old.
"Disassembled," he pronounced each syllable slowly. "That means when he's broken down into all his buggy parts—"
Cordelia snatched the book from him. "I know what it means, dork-head."
"Dork-head?" Xander tried to grab the book back. "You slash me with your words."
Their tension was almost palpable. Willow and Giles stared at them, and then at each other, completely in the dark.
Kendra looked over at Buffy. "Your life is very different than mine."
"Yeah, I expect it is," Buffy agreed. "I heard what Giles told you. If I had been born a girl, things might have gone differently. But since…well…"
"The things you do and have," Kendra tried to explain, "I was taught distract from my calling—friends, school, even family."
"What do you mean—even family?"
Kendra moved slowly about the room, her face grave. "My parents—they sent me to my Watcher when I was very young."
"How young?" Buffy asked.
"I don't remember them, actually. I've seen pictures, but that's how seriously the calling is taken by my people. My mother and father gave me to my Watcher because they believed that they were doing the right thing for me—and for the world." Kendra paused. "You see?"
"Oh. I'm—" At a loss, Buffy stared back at Kendra.
As Kendra read the shock and sympathy in her eyes, she shut down tight. "Please," she said firmly. "I don't feel sorry for myself. Why should you? Yes, we had two different upbringings. But for you I think what you have to go through makes it hard in its own rights. Your calling shouldn't make it harder."
"Thanks," Buffy said.
At that moment Xander walked in and grabbed a book from Giles's desk. Kendra instantly froze, her eyes shyly aimed at the floor. "'Scuze me, ladies," he said smoothly.
As Xander left, Buffy regarded the tongue-tied Kendra with sympathy. "I'm guessing dating isn't big with your Watcher."
"I am not permitted to speak with boys," Kendra admitted.
"Then how come your talking to me?" Buffy wondered. "After all even though we know I'm a girl. I look exactly like a boy."
"When we were fighting, I thought you were a vampire," Kendra reminded her. "But since I see you as you are, Buffy, a girl."
Buffy couldn't help but smile. And then her eyes widened with a sudden thought. "Wait a minute."
"What?"
"That guy," Buffy said. "The sleazoid I decked in the bar."
Kendra was puzzled. "You think he might help us?"
"I think we might make him."
The Factory
Angel was reeling from the pain.
As Drusilla knelt before him, one knee wedged between his long legs, he could see the dreaded bottle of holy water in her hand. She dangled it over him teasingly.
"Say uncle . . ."
Weakly, he looked away from her.
"Oh, that's right." A sly smile curled the corners of her lips. "You killed my uncle." She splashed him again, delighting in his cries of pain.
Spike entered the room behind her, his eyes fixed at once on their compromising positions. He wasn't pleased. "That's it then," he said firmly. "Off to the church."
Drusilla looked up at him, all childlike innocence. She held out her bottle of holy water. "It makes pretty colors," she smiled. She got up to kiss him, but Spike scarcely seemed to notice.
Right now, he was interested in only one thing, and more than eager to get it over with. He moved to untie Angel. "I'll see him die soon enough," Spike went on, untying Angel's hands. "I've never been much for the pre-show."
"Too bad," Angel mumbled to Spike. "That's what Drusilla likes best, as I recall."
Spike froze. He straightened very slowly. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Angel looked over at Drusilla, his tone leering. "Ask her," he nodded. "She knows what I mean."
Drusilla did know what he meant. She couldn't help but smile at the memory.
"Well?" Spike demanded, turning to face her.
Drusilla shook her finger at Angel. She gave a playful growl. "Shh. Bad dog."
"You should let me talk, Dru," Angel taunted, grimacing through his pain. "Sounds like your boy could use some pointers." He shifted a sidelong glance at Spike. "She likes to be teased—"
"Keep your hole shut!" Spike yelled. He'd had enough, more than enough. No need to be reminded of Angel and Dru's past together. He yanked Angel up by the throat and slammed him against a bedpost.
Angel could hardly stand, and he was in no condition to fight. Yet stubbornly he kept on, gasping out the words. "Take care of her, Spike. The way she touched me just now, I can tell when she's not satisfied—"
"I said shut up!" Spike shouted.
"Or maybe you two just don't have the fire that we did—"
"That's enough!"
Spike's hand tightened around Angel's neck. His other hand reached for a standing candelabra, smashing it into pieces, fashioning one of them as a stake. Swiftly he drew back his arm.
Angel could see the stake clutched there in Spike's hand, and he steeled himself bravely, a mere heartbeat away from death . . .
"Spike, no!" Drusilla cried.
And then Spike stopped. For a long silent moment, he glared at Angel. And then, slowly, he smiled. "Right," he mumbled. "Right, you almost got me." He put the stake down. He tried to compose himself. "Aren't you a 'throw himself to the lions' sort of sap these days?" he laughed. And then he roared like a beast into Angel's anguished face. "Well, the lions are on to you, baby. If I kill you now, you go quick and Dru hasn't got a chance. And if Dru dies, your little Rebecca of Sunnyhell Farm and all her mates are spared her coming-out party."
Drusilla nudged him gently, her eyes glowing with anticipation. "Spike, the moon is rising. It's time." She melted against him as he wrapped a protective arm about her.
"Too bad, Angelus," Spike said smugly. "Looks like you go the hard way—along with the rest of this miserable town."
The Alibi Room
Buffy slammed Willy into the bar while Kendra paced restlessly nearby.
"Honest!" Willy insisted. "I don't know where Angel is!"
"How about this ritual tonight?" Buffy said sharply. "What have you heard?"
"Nothing. It's all hush hush—"
Kendra was growing more impatient. "Just hit him, Buffy."
"She likes it when I hit," Buffy reminded the bartender.
"You know," Willy held up a tentative hand, "maybe I did hear something about this ritual. Yeah, it's coming back to me. But I'd—I'd have to take you there."
Buffy let him drop to the floor. She started dragging him toward the exit. "Let's go."
But Kendra hesitated "First, we must return to the Watcher."
"Excuse me?" Buffy stopped in disbelief. "While we run to Giles, the whole thing could go down—"
"But it is procedure—"
"It's brainless, you mean! If we don't go now, Angel could be history."
"Is that all you're worried about?" Kendra drew herself up indignantly. "Your boyfriend?"
"He's not all. I worry about Dawn to," Buffy threw back. "But right now, Angel is enough."
Kendra looked disgusted. "It's as I feared. He clouds your judgment. We can't stop this ritual alone—"
"He'll die—"
"He's a vampire. He should die! Why am I the only person who sees it?" Kendra's patience was at an end. As she squared off with Buffy, she saw the look of pure coldness on Buffy's face. The facts had hit her hard, and Kendra knew it.
Without another word, Buffy grabbed Willy by the scruff of the neck and shoved him ahead of her out the door.
Frustrated, Kendra watched them leave. "Are you that big a fool?" she called.
Buffy looked back at her one last time. With hatred and murder in her eyes.
"Good riddance, then," Kendra muttered.
Buffy didn't hear the parting remark. Her thoughts, her heart, her entire focus was on Angel.
Streets of Sunnydale
Buffy followed Willy through a maze of dark streets. They were in the oldest section of town now, a veritable graveyard of condemned buildings, forgotten neighborhoods, and deserted shops. Leading her several more blocks, Willy suddenly stopped in front of an old abandoned church. He looked back at Buffy, then led her inside.
Buffy found herself in a shadowy vestibule. Her footsteps echoed hollowly across the floor, and her breathing whispered harshly into the shadows.
Willy guided her forward toward a thick bank of shadows in the corner.
"Here you go," Willy said. "Don't ever say your friend Willy don't come through in a pinch."
Buffy was right on his heels. She wasn't expecting the shadows to part, wasn't expecting the four strange figures who suddenly materialized from the darkness.
Xander's Mr. Pfister, the Police Lady, two of Spike's henchmen . . .
Before Buffy could react, they surrounded her.
Willy turned to one of the vampires with an oily grin.
"Here you go," Willy said. "Don't ever say your friend Willy don't come through in a pinch."
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
The ritual was nearing its peak.
Torchlight flickered through the church, reflecting eerily off grimy stained-glass windows. Shadows crouched in silent benediction across the floor. And as Spike swung the censer, breathing in its mystical smoke, he read grandly from the decoded manuscript.
"Eligor, I name thee," Spike intoned. His ghoulish vampire face was transfixed, enraptured with the evil of the spell. "Bringer of war, poisoners, pariahs, grand obscenity!"
Angel and Drusilla stood before him. In the center of the high altar they stood swaying, face to face, tied tightly together by leather straps. Drusilla was gowned in regal black. Tilting her head, she gazed up into Angel's face, her expression wild and dreamily expectant.
"Eligor, wretched master of decay, bring your black medicine. Come restore your most impious, murderous child."
With black-gloved hands, Spike lifted the relic. He pulled at the base of the cross, unsheathing a hidden dagger. Stepping up to the altar, he bestowed a malevolent smile on the couple. He grabbed Angel's hand, which was bound to Drusilla's. He lifted both hands into the air, and his voice grew louder now, trembling with unrestrained passion.
"From the blood of the sire she is risen! From the blood of the sire shall she rise again!"
With one swift movement, Spike plunged in the dagger. The blade sliced completely through both their hands, binding them with a rush of blood and a supernatural force that flowed powerfully, frighteningly between them.
Angel let out a tortured scream. Drusilla writhed in exquisite agony, savoring her wound.
Joyfully, Spike clapped his hands, watching the magick sparkle and lance the air around them.
"Right then!" he announced. "Now we let them come to a simmering boil, then remove to a low flame—" He whirled around as the doors behind him crashed open. To his dismay he could see Willy coming toward him and Buffy being dragged, surrounded on all sides by his evil minions. Spike stared at them in appalled silence.
"It's payday, pal," Willy swaggered up. "I got your Slayer."
Spike snapped out of his shock. He advanced on Willy, seething. "Are you tripping? You bring her here—now?"
While the two of them argued, Buffy frantically searched the shadows. At first, she thought Angel wasn't here at all, but then she spotted the altar with its grisly display. She felt sick inside.
Angel was so far gone; he didn't even know she was here.
"You said you wanted the Slayer—" Willy began, but Spike cut him off.
"In the ground, pinhead! I wanted her dead!"
Willy was getting nervous. "Now—now that's not what I heard. Word was, there was a bounty on her, dead or alive—"
"You heard wrong, Willy."
"Angel," Buffy whispered.
In the momentary lull, Spike heard her. He followed the direction of her gaze. "Yeah," his voice dripped with false sympathy, "it bugs me, too, seeing them like that. Another five minutes and Angel'll be dead though, so I forbear." He paused for a moment. His face was mocking. "But don't feel too bad for Angel. He's got something you don't have."
"What?" Buffy asked.
"Five minutes. Patrice?"
Immediately the policewoman raised her gun to Buffy's head. Buffy steeled herself for the blast, but the explosion she heard came suddenly, unexpectedly, from another part of the room.
The church doors burst open, one flying from its hinges as Kendra did a handspring across the floor.
Before anyone could react, she smashed into the policewoman and knocked her down, dislodging the gun so it skidded away.
"Who the hell is that?" Spike demanded.
As his henchmen glanced around in confusion, Buffy shook them off. "It's your lucky day, Spike," she said.
Kendra attacked him from behind. "Two Slayers!" Her punch sent Spike spinning toward Buffy.
"No waiting." Buffy punched him harder, spinning him back again.
Kendra moved in for another blow, but this time Spike ducked, distracting her with fisticuffs as the policewoman headed for Buffy. Stilettos popped out from the sleeves of her uniform, gleaming wickedly in the torchlight.
The other vampires closed in.
As they made a grab for Buffy and Kendra, one of them pitched forward with an arrow in his back.
Behind him stood Giles, crossbow in hand, flanked by Willow and Xander who were both armed.
Xander let out a yell. "Hey, larva boy!"
Mr. Pfister turned around. He fixed Xander with a bland smile.
"That's right," Xander taunted. "I'm talking to you—you big cootie."
As Mr. Pfister started toward him, Xander raced for the foyer and shut the heavy oak door. Immediately Mr. Pfister shed his human form and collapsed into a squirming mass of worms.
Xander, Cordelia and Dawn were ready.
As the worms began streaming under the portal, Cordelia jumped up to admire the handiwork. She and Dawn had spread a thick layer of liquid adhesive across the floor, and the worms stuck fast.
"Welcome, my pretties," Xander gave a mad cackle. "Mwa haa haa!"
Immediately he began stomping. Cordelia hesitated, then began stomping, too—gingerly at first, but finally with unabashed enthusiasm.
"Die!" Cordelia shouted, stomping her cross-trainers into the adhesive. "Die! Die!"
Xander gazed down at the squishy floor. "I think he did, Cordy."
They could hear the fierce sounds of battle coming from the other side of the door.
"We need to help Buffy!" Dawn cried as they stomped harder.
Not far from the altar Kendra was holding her own against Spike. She'd always been fast, but Spike was much more powerful. After several crippling blows he had her on the defensive, while Buffy was too busy with Police Lady to help. Buffy was using all her best moves but only narrowly escaping the slash of those deadly knives. She looked over at Kendra and yelled.
"Switch!"
The two Slayers moved back to back. As though some secret signal had been given, Buffy grabbed Kendra by the arms, and the two of them did a tandem flip. Kendra flew straight into the policewoman; Buffy landed right in front of Spike.
"Rather be fighting you anyway." Spike smiled.
"Mutual."
The remaining vampire took a swing at Giles, knocking the crossbow from his hands. As the two of them started wrestling, Willow jumped on the vampire's back.
Buffy hurled Spike into the wall. As Willy tried to escape that way, Spike reached out and grabbed him.
"Where are you going?"
Willy's mind raced. "There's a way in which this isn't my fault."
"They tricked you," Spike guessed.
"They were duplicitous!" Willy agreed, outraged.
"Well," Spike soothed him, "I'll only kill you just this once." But then he saw Buffy.
She had climbed up onto the altar and was clasping the handle of the knife. She was trying desperately to pull it from Angel's and Drusilla's hands. Spike tackled her from behind. The two of them crashed to the floor.
Seeing his chance, Willy bolted. He ran past Giles and Willow, who were finishing off a victim of their own.
"Hold him steady!" Willow insisted. As Giles obligingly held the struggling vampire, Willow drove a stake through its heart. The vampire promptly exploded all over Giles. Willow hastily wiped the dust off Giles's clothes.
Willy heard the vampire scream as he died, but he kept on running. He nearly collided with Xander, Dawn and Cordelia as they raced in to join the others.
Beneath the organ loft, Kendra and the policewoman were still at it, full force. As Kendra once more managed to sidestep the knives, Police Lady shoved her, sending her back into a wooden beam. Kendra scrambled up again quickly. A fine sifting of dust settled down on her shoulders, and she glanced up at the loft. She could see now that the beam was supporting the entire organ loft, and that the whole thing was wobbling dangerously.
In that split second of distraction, Police Lady lunged. She sliced Kendra's arm, drawing blood.
Kendra stared down at the sleeve of her shirt. "That's my favorite shirt," she said angrily. Then, thinking a moment, "That's my only shirt!" She came at Police Lady in a hail of blows, finally knocking her under the organ loft at the back.
Up on the altar, Spike was about to get in a good, hard punch when he felt something punch him from behind. He spun to face his new attacker and found Dawn standing there.
"Do you remember, Halloween?" Dawn asked. "The night I became a Slayer? Well guess what, I remember that night vividly. I may not have the strength anymore but I still remember how to fight as a Slayer."
Spike looked from Dawn to Buffy and then at everyone else. He was clearly outnumbered. He shoved Dawn into her sister and sent them both sprawling. Then he grabbed the dagger and pulled it out. Then he cut the bonds and caught Drusilla as Angel fell to the floor.
"Sorry, dear, we got to go." Spike swept Drusilla into his arms. "Hope that was enough…" Seizing a torch by the altar, he hurled it at Buffy's pals. The torch missed but fell to the floor, landing on a pile of old curtains. The pile instantly burst into flames.
He had to get Dru out. Moving swiftly, Spike carried her to the rear of the church, back behind the fire and toward the organ loft.
The sisters furiously sprang to their feet. Buffy grabbed the censer and swung it over her head, round and round. She threw it as hard as she could, clear across the room.
It slammed into the back of Spike's head.
Stumbling forward, he hit the beam beneath the organ loft. A long, low groan vibrated through the air. And then the loft crashed down, burying Spike and Drusilla beneath it.
Buffy stared at the spot where Spike had been standing. "You're good…" Dawn said proudly.
"She's good," Kendra echoed, as though Buffy's friends needed convincing.
Buffy glanced at her sister. "What are you doing here?" she asked as they turned back to the altar.
"I told you, Buffy, I was not going to let you die, remember?" Dawn said.
As the others watched through the thickening smoke, the sisters knelt beside Angel. Buffy cradled him in her arms. She lay one hand gently upon his cheek. She stroked his face, his neck, his hair, trying to comfort him, even though she wasn't sure he could even hear.
"It's gonna be okay," Buffy promised, over and over again. "It's gonna be okay . . ."
Angel's eyelids fluttered open. "Buffy?" he whispered.
Buffy's eyes filled with tears. Kendra moved in next to her and Dawn.
"Let's get him out," Kendra said quietly.
Together Buffy and Kendra supported Angel and headed for the door, Dawn following right behind them. The fire blazed behind them, growing in intensity, creeping slowly toward the rubble of the organ loft.
November 21, 1997 – Friday
Sunnydale High School
Dawn, Buffy and Kendra were walking toward the street. Buffy had called Dawn out sick again so that her sister could say goodbye to Kendra with her. They had also sat Kendra down and explained everything about Buffy being trans.
"Thank you for the shirt," Kendra said. She was wearing one of Buffy's tops. "It is very generous of you."
Buffy smiled at her. "Well I'm going to eventually purge anyways when I finally begin my transition."
There was ease between Buffy and Kendra now, a comfortable sort of camaraderie.
"Now, when you get to the airport—" Buffy started, but Kendra knew the drill.
"I get on the plane with my ticket. And sit in a seat. Not the cargo hold."
Dawn smiled. "Very good."
"That is not traveling undercover," Kendra reminded the sisters.
"Exactly," Buffy affirmed. "Relax. You earned it. You sit. You eat the peanuts. You watch the movie, unless it's about a dog or stars Chevy Chase."
"I'll remember."
They paused at the curb where a taxi was waiting. Buffy gazed long and hard into Kendra's face. "Thank you," she said at last. "For helping me save Angel."
Kendra looked amused, "I am not telling my Watcher about that. It is too strange that a Slayer loves a vampire."
"Tell me about it."
"Still," Kendra relented, "he is pretty cute."
"Well, then, maybe they won't fire me for dating him."
Kendra seemed to be studying her. "You always do that."
"Do what?" Dawn asked.
"She talks about slaying like it's a job," Kendra told Dawn quietly. "It's not. It's who she is. Who you will eventually be."
"Huh?" Dawn and Buffy said in confusion.
Kendra looked up at Buffy. "You did not know?" she asked in surprise. "Dawn is a Potential."
"But…" Buffy started to object.
"It could be a result of the Halloween event where she became you for the night," Kendra explained. "But Dawn has the potential to be called as the next Slayer." She smiled at her fellow Slayer. "Train her well, Buffy, and I hope for your sake that she is never called."
Buffy looked at Dawn for a moment and then nodded. "I guess that means I'm not the only freak."
"No," Kendra disagreed. "You are not a freak, Buffy."
"She's right, Buffy," Dawn agreed. "You are not a freak. As I said before you are not any of those hurtful things people say because they don't understand."
"She's smart," Kendra said.
Instinctively Buffy moved to put her arms around Kendra, but the other Slayer stiffened and stepped back.
"I don't hug."
"No," Buffy echoed, embarrassed. "Good. Hate hugs."
"Buffy, what did you decide about my memories from Halloween?" Dawn wondered as she and Buffy watched Kendra climb into the taxi.
They watched until there was nothing left to see.
"I'm going to keep them," Buffy said.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
"You're sure?" Giles asked looking at the sisters.
"Kendra confirmed it," Buffy admitted. "Dawn has the potential to become a Slayer. Kendra believes that it is possible it could be a result of Halloween. Remember for that night, Dawn was a Slayer."
Giles nodded as he looked at the younger Summers sister. "And to make her a Slayer, either she had to be a Potential already or something transferred over when your personality possessed her."
"Right," the sisters agreed.
"It will be difficult because of your mother to train her like you and I do, Buffy," Giles said. "After all Dawn is only eleven years old."
"I was thinking about that," Buffy admitted. "What if I talked mom into letting me teach Dawn self-defense? That would get Dawn over here for some of my sessions with you and then I can train her at home the rest of the time."
"That could work," Giles agreed. "Assuming of course your mother agrees."
