Chapter 29: When She Was Bad Part 2

Buffy sat on the stairs of the library watching the others. Her mother had been angry with her, hence the use of not only her full name but her biological last name as well. And now she sat quiet thinking over things.

"All right, I've got something," Dawn said from the table as everyone looked towards her. "It's Latin, so bear with me. Um, to revive the vampire, they need his bones, which they have ... and, uh, the blood ... and I'm sure I am translating this right ... of the closest person, someone connected to the vampire."

"That'd be me," Buffy said.

"Perhaps ..." Piper said.

"I think Buffy might be right," Phoebe said. "After all they did kill each other."

"It really promotes togetherness," Buffy added.

"Well, is there anything on WHEN the ceremony might take –" Willow wondered.

Just then a rock smashed through the window as Buffy spun around and caught it in her hand. Wrapped around it is Cordelia's necklace, and a note.

"This is Cordelia's," Buffy said. "Xander got it for her." She took the note off the rock and opened it. "Come to the Bronze after it closes, or we make her, her boyfriend and your Watcher a meal."

"What do we do?" Phoebe asked.

"I go to the Bronze and save the day," Buffy said.

"I don't like this," Joyce said with a shake of her head.

"Well, you aren't going," Buffy told her mother.

"What do you mean?" Willow wondered.

"I can't be looking out for everyone while I'm fighting," Buffy said.

"What about the rest of the note?" Piper asked cautiously. "That this is a trap. You'll be playing right into their hands."

"And their hands are gonna get slapped," Buffy said.

"We should at least go in force. Stock up stakes," Phoebe suggested.

"I can handle it," Buffy said.

"Stop saying that! God, what's wrong with you?" Willow shouted.

"This is my fight," Buffy told her as she orbed out.

"I'll go with her," Paige said. "Find a way to stop this ritual." And then she too orbed out.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

Buffy orbed into the alley behind the Bronze followed shortly by Paige.

"You know, being stalked isn't really a big turn-on for girls," Buffy told Paige.

Paige sighed. "You need help. Someone to watch your back."

"What if I don't want or need you, Paige?" Buffy asked angrily.

"What are you so angry, especially to me?" Paige wondered. "I'm your girlfriend remember. And the way you've been treating me since you came back from Hank's … We'll deal with this later. Right now we're both going inside. Cordelia, Xander and Giles are inside, remember?"

A flash of guilt crossed Buffy's face as she replied, "I do. Alright, just stay out of my way."

They head inside looking around. Both Buffy and Paige pulled out a stake as they walked through the Bronze.

"Do you hear that?" Paige whispered at the sound of someone crying. They look in the direction of the sound and saw a girl huddled on her knees, her back to them, and wearing Cordelia's coat.

Buffy's eyes narrow suspiciously as she takes a slow step forward. "That's not Cordelia."

The girl stood up as she turned to face Buffy and Paige. They get a good look at her and realize Buffy was right. The girl was not Cordelia, she was a vampire.

"Cordelia ... she didn't come ..." the vampire said as she laughed.

"Where is she, Xander and Giles?" Buffy asked.

"I'm not supposed to tell ..." the vampire replied.

"I don't like this," Paige said as she looked around. Why was there just one vampire if this were a trap? Unless it wasn't for them. "This is a trap alright, but not for us."

Buffy's eyes went wide. "Can you …"

Paige nodded as Buffy tossed her stake and dusted the vampire. She frowned at what she had sensed. Neither her sisters, Dawn or Joyce were in the library any longer. "They are on the move. Give me a minute."

What seemed to Buffy to be hours was in fact only a few minutes before Paige looked at her again.

"They've stopped moving," Paige told her. "Now we're going to have a quick lesson."

"Lesson?" Buffy said shaking her head. "We don't …"

"Buffy we have just enough time," Paige said. "Besides if you do this, it might give us a way to work things to our advantage. Now close your eyes." Buffy sighed and did as she was told. "Now think about finding Dawn, your mom, even Piper, Phoebe, Giles, Xander and Cordelia. Wanting to know where they are. Concentrate."

Buffy nodded as she concentrated on finding her sister, her mother, her friends. Within moments she opened her eyes and there was a brief smile, very brief before her 'mask' clouded her features again. "I have them, they are in an abandoned factory. And I have an idea."

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

The Anointed One, the child that had led Buffy to the Master, walked past an old, rusted surgical table which held the Master's skeleton, holding a goblet in his hands. As he reached reaches the head of the table he stopped next to Absalom, who wore a black ceremonial robe. He handed the goblet to Absalom who looked at the balcony overhead.

On the balcony two vampires started pulling on a chain attached to a pulley. Piper, Phoebe, Dawn, Joyce, Giles, Xander and Cordelia were moved out over the skeleton. They had been hung from upside down from meathooks attached to the chain.

Absalom dipped his finger in the goblet and went to Willow, the first person on the chain, and made a small 'x' on her forehead as the other vampires formed a semi-circle around the side of the table. He continued to the next person and then the next repeating the marking on each of them, till everyone hanging from the chain had a small 'x' on their foreheads.

The Anointed One produced a curved knife and handed it to Absalom, who said a silent prayer over it.

"For the Old Ones, for his pain," Absalom said. "For the Dark."

"For the Dark," the vampire repeat.

Absalom brought the knife to Willow's throat just as a vampire dusted revealing Buffy behind him.

There's a moment of quiet as everyone looked at her. Then Absalom screamed, an inhuman shriek that galvanized the vampires into action. They effectively flank Buffy and two of them, a male and female vampire rush her simultaneously.

Buffy roundhouse kicks them both in the jaw, staggering them back as another male vampire tried to get her from behind, but received an elbow to his throat in response. As they try to surround her. She dodged about the boxes and machines of the Factory, quick and alert.

Absalom noticing that Buffy is occupied, roughly grabbed Willow's face and brought the knife to her throat. Before he can slice it, she and the others start moving toward the balcony. He looked up and saw Paige hauling on the chain that held her sisters and friend, pulling them closer. "The sacrifices! Stop her!" he shouted.

One of the vampires peeled off, leaving only one of the males and the female to face Buffy.

Buffy who stood on one side of the boxes, with the female vampire, kicked the female vampire. Then grabbing the top box she flipped herself over the pile, landing on her feet next to the male vampire and bought a box down smashing it into his head.

Buffy kicks out to the side, smashing through the box and sending the male vampire flying back into the corner.

The female vampire slammed into Buffy and they both went down.

Paige had managed to unhook her sisters and Cordelia and is currently working on Giles who is beginning to waken. Just then the male vampire from below charged Paige who orbed out and in behind him. She whipped out a stake and shoved it in the vampire's heart as he dusted. She returned quickly to the others and began freeing them again.

Buffy struggled to keep the female vampire from biting her. Her hand swept the floor, coming up with a box shard. She slammed it into the female vampire's back, pushing her off right before she's dusted.

The male vampire got the box of his head and seeing that he was now alone with just Absalom, the Anointed One had disappeared, tried desperately to escape. Buffy ran at him and kicked out low sweeping his legs out from under him, sending him flying to the ground. He landed hard.

Paige finally managed to get Willow free as Giles helped Joyce. "Are you all right?" he asked her.

"I think so. My head ..." Joyce said.

"Where's Buffy?" Piper asked.

Xander looked down at Buffy and then toward Paige who nodded. "She's working out her issues," he said as he and Paige watched Buffy pummel the male vampire.

The male vampire flew into the corner under the balcony from the force of a roundhouse kick by Buffy.

"Enough!" Absalom shouted as he stepped out of the shadows holding a sledgehammer. "Your day is done, girl. I'll grind you into a sticky paste. And I'll hear you beg before I smash in your face."

Buffy, who stood by a torch, listened to Absalom's boast. "So, are you gonna kill me? Or are you just making small talk?"

Absalom rushed her at Buffy, swinging back the hammer. At the same time, the male vampire rushed her as well, from the opposite direction. Buffy waited till they were close before kicking at the base of the torch, splintering it. She flipped it up, impaling the male vampire dusting him while catching Absalom on fire.

Absalom reeled back, and then came at Buffy. But he did not make it as the flams consumed him. As he dusted the sledgehammer dropped to the ground in front of her.

Buffy took a moment, breathing hard. She glanced at the Master's bones and as her expression changed she picked up the sledgehammer.

"It's over," Willow said.

Phoebe shook her head. "No, it's not."

Buffy approached the table staring at the Master's bones for but a moment. She then began swinging the sledgehammer again and again. She smashed the skull first, then other parts of the Master's skeleton as she ground them a powder.

Paige orbed in behind Buffy and slowly approached her. She touched her girlfriend's shoulder and Buffy dropped the hammer. As tears began to fall from Buffy's eyes, Paige folded her into her arms holding her close. "It's okay ... it's okay ..."

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

"I don't think I can face them," Buffy said as she looked at the front door of her house the next day from where she stood between Paige and Giles.

"Of course you can," Paige told her.

"I can't! What am I gonna say? 'Sorry I almost got your throats cut. What's the homework?'"

"Punishing yourself like this is pointless," Giles said.

Buffy sighed. "It's entirely pointy! I was a moron. I put my friends, my mom, my sister, you and Paige's own sisters in mortal danger!"

"What are you going to do," Paige wondered, "crawl into a dark cave for the rest of your life?"

"Would you be there and would it have cable?" Buffy asked looking at Paige.

Paige glanced at Giles as they stopped and turned toward Buffy.

"Buffy, you acted wrongly, I admit, but believe me, that was hardly the worst mistake you'll ever make," Giles said. "That wasn't nearly as comforting as it was meant to be."

"You think," Paige said.

"Well, points for effort," Buffy said. "I'll see you." She looked to Paige and took her hand as they walked into her home where Piper, Phoebe, Xander, Willow, Joyce, Dawn and Cordelia waited.

"Buffy," Willow said with a smile.

"Hey."

"So, are we bronzing tonight?" Xander wondered.

"Wednesdays it's kind of beat," Willow said.

"Well, we could grind our enemies into talcum powder with a sledgehammer, but, gosh, we did that last night," Xander said.

Buffy laughed as she looked at everyone; her friends, her family and realized they didn't hold anything against her. "I was thinking of maybe dinner, here, tonight, all of us."

Piper and Joyce looked at each other and nodded in agreement as they got up and headed toward the kitchen.

Author's Note: The Halloween episode will be probably in the next 10 chapters (15 probably on the outside) and I would like to know what you all think Buffy will dress as.