Chapter 28: When She Was Bad Part 1

Xander and Willow walked toward home as they ate ice cream cones.

"Okay, hold on ..." Willow said.

"It's your turn," Xander reminded her.

"Okay, Um ..." Willow said as she thought for a second. "In the few hours that we had together, we loved a lifetimes worth."

"Terminator."

Willow smiled. "Good. Right."

"Okay. Let's see ..." Xander said as he tried to mimic Charlton Heston's voice. "'It's a madhouse! A m—"

"Planet of the Apes," she interrupted.

Xander sighed. "Can I finish, please?"

"Sorry," Willow said sheepishly. "Go ahead."

"Madhouse!"

Willow waited to make sure he was done before answering, "Planet of the Apes. Good. Me now. Um ..."

"Well?" Xander said impatiently.

"I'm thinking. Okay. Use the force, Luke."

Xander looked at his best friend and shook his head. "Do I really have to dignify that with a guess?"

"I didn't think of anything. It's a dumb game anyway," Willow answered.

"You got something better to do? We played rock-paper-scissors long enough, okay? My hand cramped up."

"Well, sure, if you're ALWAYS scissors, of course your tendons are gonna stretch –"

"You know, I gotta say, this has really been the most boring week ever," Xander said.

"Yeah, but on the plus side, no monsters or stuff," Willow said as she sat on a stone wall bordering the nearby cemetery.

Xander leaned on the wall next to her. "I know, but I'm so restless!"

"I know what you mean. With Dawn and Buffy visiting Dawn's dad in L.A. it just hasn't been the same," Willow agreed.

"Did they say when they were getting back?" Xander wondered.

"Dawn called last night and said they would be coming home today," Willow answered. "For a week or two. Then Buffy and Dawn will go to San Francisco to spend time with Leo."

"Hey," Xander said as he got an idea of a movie. "I got a movie for you." He dabbed his cone at her, leaving ice cream on her nose.

Willow stared at him wryly. "Xander ..."

"Come on," Xander said as he dabbed his cone on her nose again. "You're Amish, you won't fight back because you're Amish, I mock you with my ice cream cone, Amish Guy..."

"Witness. My nose is cold," Willow said.

"Let me get that –" Xander said as he made as if he was going to lick it off her nose.

Willow started back laughing. "Xander!"

"What can I say?" Xander asked. "It makes your nose look tasty." He daubed it with a napkin. As he did so they made eye contact and they began to lean in for a kiss. Then they stop and pull back from each other to find a vampire just on the other side of the wall.

They saw him as Willow clumsily jumped from the wall. The vampire easily vaulted it and came at them swaggeringly.

"Willow, go!" Xander said moving between her and the vampire.

"Xander –" Wiillow started as the vampire jumped him.

Xander took a step back and through a punch at the vampire, which didn't even phase it.

The vampire grabbed for Xander's neck and leaned in going for the kill.

Willow desperately searched about for some kind of weapon, finally she grabbed the vampire's arm, trying to wrench him off Xander –'

Suddenly someone grabbed the vampire and pulled him backward and spun him around as someone rammed their fist into his face which is then followed by a roundhouse kick.

Xander and Willow watched as they realized it was Buffy as she flipped the vampire and he landed on the ground.

"Hi guys," Buffy said.

Dawn stepped up between Xander and Willow and draped her arms around the shoulders. "Hey," she said. "You want to finish this vamp up, Buffy?"

Buffy nodded as the vampire reared up behind her and without looking back she slammed her foot into his chest, sending him flying back slamming onto a tree with a broken branch and dusting. "Miss us?" she asked.

"Buffy!" Willow shouted. "Dawn!"

"Hey, Will," Buffy and Dawn said simultaneously.

"Man, your timing really doesn't suck," Xander said.

"When did you two get back?" Willow wondered.

"Just now," Dawn said. "Dad drove us down."

"And I knew you losers would be getting into some kind of trouble," Buffy added.

"I think we had the upper hand. In a subtle way," Willow said.

"Do either of you even have a cross?" Dawn asked as Xander and Willow looked down guiltily.

"Very sloppy ..." Buffy said.

"Well, it's been a slow week," Xander said. "That was the first vampire we've seen since you killed the Master."

"It's like they knew we were coming back," Dawn said with a sigh.

"What about you two? How was your week?" Xander asked. "Did either of you slay anything?"

"Strictly R&R," Buffy said. "Hung out, partied ... shopping was also a major theme."

"Well, you haven't lost your touch," Xander said. "That vampire –"

"She kind of wailed on him, didn't she?" Dawn asked as her sister looked at her.

"So, how did you guys fare? Did you have any fun without us?" Buffy asked.

"No," Xander said, while Willow said, "Yes."

"The week has been a little yawnworthy," Xander said. "Our biggest excitement was burying the Master."

Dawn sighed as she looked at her sister and saw Buffy's face hardening.

"That's right, you two missed it! Right out by that tree," Willow said as she pointed toward a tree in the cemetery. "Giles and Paige buried the bones and we poured holy water and chanted and we got to wear robes! Though Paige kind of thought the robes were ridiculous, but she humored Giles. Have you seen Giles?"

Buffy who stared at the tree Willow had pointed at answered very crossly. "Why would I call Giles? I'm still on vacation. I'll see him at school when it starts back up."

"Man, I'm really glad you both are back," Xander said.

"Yeah," Dawn said as she noticed her sister continued to stare at the tree. "We are too."

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

In the Summers home Hank and Joyce were in Buffy's room unpacking.

"More clothes?" Joyce asked as Hank walked in with a suitcase."

"Uh, do shoes count as clothes?" Hank asked guiltily.

Joyce looked to the suitcase. "That's shoes? How much shopping did you let Buffy and Dawn do?"

"Oh, I'm spoiling them," Hank said. "Did I forget to mention that?"

Joyce sighed. "Are you trying to compensate for the fact you found out that …"

Hank too let out a sigh as he looked toward his ex-wife. "No. Well maybe a little. Joyce I have to ask, why didn't you tell me when Leo's spell was removed?"

"Honestly," Joyce said, "the money. Do you know how much it costs to feed two girls? One of whom is a Slayer and has a higher metabolism than we do? I was afraid you would cut off child support when you found out."

"I wouldn't have," Hank replied. "Buffy may not be my daughter biologically. But I did help raise her. That means something at least to me. You should have told me, Joyce."

"You're right, I should have," Joyce said. She decided to change the subject. "Did Buffy and Dawn behave themselves?"

"They did," he said, "though Buffy was … I don't know. Distant. Not brooding, or sulking, just ... there was no connection. All on the surface. The more time we spent together, the more I felt like she was nowhere to be seen."

"Hence the shoes," Joyce remarked.

"I may have been overcompensating a little for that as well," Hank told her. "It was strange. Before I found out that you, Buffy and Dawn were witches and Buffy was the Slayer. I knew what to say. But now ..." he sighed. "I think something is going on with her, Joyce. Dawn told me about the last day of school, the night of the dance and the vampire nearly killing Buffy and Paige healing her. I don't know, but I think there is something …"

"I'll talk to Paige and Rupert," Joyce said.

The next day Joyce somehow had managed to talk Buffy to go see Giles and get in some training. She had persuaded Dawn to go to the Bronze with Willow and Xander. She hoped with her daughters out of the house she might have a chance to talk to Paige, Piper and Phoebe.

Joyce paced in the living waiting, her patience beginning to wear thin as Piper, Phoebe and Paige orbed in.

"What is it, Joyce?" Paige asked with concern. Joyce was after all, alongside her daughters, her charge. And over the past few months she had found it rare that Joyce would call for her.

"Hank brought Dawn and Buffy home last night," Joyce told the sisters. "He said she seemed distant the entire week she and Dawn had been with him. Dawn told him about the Master drowning Buffy …"

"You think that maybe that near death," Piper said, "might have traumatized her?"

Joyce let out a sigh. "I don't know," she said as she sat down in a chair. "I think so. She knows about your mother's death and that Patty was a friend of mine. Before she went face the Master, she begged me to take Dawn and leave Sunnydale, to bind our powers again."

"I remember how she reacted to the news there was a prophecy," Paige said, "about all that and that the Elders had told me she might die in the future. She didn't take it well."

"No she wouldn't have," Piper said remembering when Buffy became the next Guardian of Pandora's Box. "I remember how she reacted when we told her she was the new guardian of Pandora's Box. She didn't want any more destinies thrust upon her. She already had two, with a third coming upon her somewhere down the road."

"Witch and Slayer," Phoebe said with a nod. "And in the future Whitelighter." She looked to her baby sister. "It was what you told Willow to tell Buffy that made her accept being the guardian of the box."

"And I broke that promise," Paige said with a sigh. "She faced the Master alone. Where is she now?"

"Training with Rupert," Joyce said. "Then she was going to meet Dawn, Xander and Willow at the Bronze."

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

Buffy rained blows on a training post as Giles watched with concern.

"Buffy ... I think that's enough ... Buffy!" he said.

She jerked back from the post and with all her might kicked it, easily snapping it in half. She looked toward Giles, breathing heavily, a trickle of sweat on her forehead.

"Safe to say, you're in good shape," he said.

"Well, I'm ready for anything those vampires want to throw at me," she told him. "If that's all I promised Dawn, Willow and Xander I would meet them at the Bronze."

"Yes, that's fine," Giles said as Buffy turned and walked out of the library. He moved to a phone and dialed.

"Summers Residence, Joyce speaking."

"It's Rupert," Giles said.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

At the Bronze the band Cibo Matto was just finishing a song as Dawn, Xander and Willow sat and watched.

"I just think something's up, is all," Dawn said.

"Dawn, you're paranoid," Xander said.

"I think Dawn's right," Willow said. "Buffy's different."

"Buffy's always been different," Xander argued.

"Not like this," Dawn said.

Just then Buffy walked through the door and immediately spotted Dawn, Willow and Xander. She made her way toward them as Paige appeared before her.

"Hi," Buffy said.

"Hi," Paige returned. "I called to see how your mom was doing. She told me you and Dawn were home and that you both had gone out to the Bronze. I thought I would come and see if you would like some company from your girlfriend?"

"Sure."

The joined the others at the table.

"Hi, Paige," Dawn, Willow and Xander said.

"Hi," Paige returned.

Just then the band started playing again. Buffy looked to Paige and took a hold of her hand. "Let's dance."

Paige nodded as she followed Buffy out onto the dance floor and they start to dance. She watched as Buffy did her own rendition of Dirty Dancing, up close and very intimate.

Buffy smiled at Paige. "Paige, did I ever thank you for saving my life?" she asked.

"No," Paige said confused on why Buffy was asking.

Buffy brought her body up close to Paige's. "Don't you wish I would?" she whispered. And with that she turned and left the Bronze.

Paige shook her head. Joyce had been right, something was definitely not right with Buffy. She moved over to Dawn, Willow and Xander. "I'm orbing over to your house, Dawn. Do you want a lift?"

"Sure," Dawn said as she stood up.

"Willow, Xander?" Paige asked. "I can drop you at your houses if you like?"

"Cordelia is supposed to be coming by," Xander said. "I'll wait."

"Alright, Willow?"

"Sure," Willow said as she moved next to Paige and Dawn. They said their goodbyes and walked out of the Bronze and around a corner out of sight of any curious onlookers and orbed out.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

Cordelia was brought down a set of steps by a pair of vampires and pushed into the near pitch black darkness dark. They turned and headed back up the stairs closing the door behind them with an audible click.

Cordelia looked around terrified as she took a step forward, her eyes slowly adjusting to the darkness. As she took another step forward her foot nudged something, a hand. She jumped back and then looked down at the person on the floor. As she knelt down she pulled the person into her lap and saw that it was Giles who groaned.

Cordelia looked him over and saw that not only was he unconscious but his face was bloody and bruised. "Giles? Oh God ..." She looked around at the dark, up the stairs. In a very small voice she said, "What do they want?"

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

Buffy walked through a cemetery completely lost in though and wandering aimlessly. That was till she noticed the tree that the Master had been buried under. She changed course and headed for it, as she drew near she slowed down and finally stopped at the empty grave.

Buffy took a faltering step back and for an instance she could swear the Master was standing right beside her as she spun around. She found that there was no one there. She looked back at the grave, shaking, whispering to herself, "He's dead, he's dead ... he's dead ..." And then she orbed out.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

In the Summers home Paige, Piper, Phoebe, Willow, Dawn and Joyce sat talking.

"So," Piper said. "Buffy is indeed acting very strange."

"Yeah," Paige agreed. "When I saw her at the Bronze she danced with me, up close and personal. Very intimate, kind of like that old movie Dirty Dancing. Then she asked me if I had said thank you for healing her and when I said no she asked if I wish she would."

"Maybe she's possessed?" Willow suggested.

"Possessed?" Joyce asked with a shake of her head.

Willow shrugged. "It's the only explanation that makes any sense. Paige is right, the way she danced. That wasn't Buffy."

"Possessed by what?" Piper wondered.

"A possessing thing!" Willow said excitedly.

"Willow," Phoebe said. "There are a lot of things out there that can possess you, that doesn't exactly narrow it down."

"It is possible," Willow suggested. "That when the Master killed her, some mystical bad guy transference happened."

"It's possible," Piper said. "But let's not rule out the fact that she may just simply have issues. She did well die for a minute."

"Well not completely," Paige said. "Or I wouldn't have healed her. Remember I can heal the dead."

"Well her spirit may not have left the body giving you time to heal her," Phoebe said. "But she was dead. You said she didn't even have a heartbeat or was even breathing. And to tell the truth, based off past events, she probably hasn't dealt with it on a conscious level. It's too painful."

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

Buffy orbed into the Sunnydale library and looked around. "Giles?" she called out. "Are you still here?" She walked into his office and she frowned at what she saw. Giles had left his briefcase. She moved back out into the library and made her way through the room. Near the back of the stacks at the rear door to the library she found Giles glasses.

"Paige!" she called out. A second later Paige orbed in with Piper, Phoebe, Joyce, Dawn and Willow.

"What is it, Buffy?" Paige asked.

Buffy picked up the glasses and handed them to Paige. "I found these and Giles briefcase is in his office," she said wondering why everyone was there and not just Paige. "Also the Master is gone. I went by his grave after I left the Bronze and they have a vacancy."

"What would somebody want with Master bones?" Willow wondered.

"They're gonna bring him back," Buffy said. "They're gonna bring the Master back to life and I seem to recall you all telling me he was history."

Paige sighed. "Giles told me there was a revivification ritual. But he had never heard of one being successful."

"But he heard of them and told you, Paige," Buffy said. "And you didn't even tell me, your girlfriend, thanks for the warning."

"Buffy, we did bury him in hallowed –" Willow offered.

"This is Slayer stuff, okay? Can we have less from the civilians, please?" Buffy said angrily.

"Okay, that's just about all I've had from you, Buffy Anne Wyatt," Joyce said.