Chapter 31: Death Becomes Them Part 2
"Honey, you're gonna be okay," Paige said as she talked with Joanna. "You're gonna pull through this."
Joanna shook her head. "I'm not. This always happens just when I think I've found the right guy, it all falls apart."
"But Karl might not be the right guy for you," Paige suggested. "I mean, you might really be better off without him."
"Why?" Joanna asked. "So I can just be alone forever? As if my life isn't bad enough already."
Paige sighed. "You can't talk like that," she said. "You can't just give up on yourself."
"Says who? Sometimes I think maybe the world would be better off without me."
"No," Paige said shocked that Joanna would even think that. "That is absolutely not true. You're gonna have to believe me on that one." Just then her cell rang and as she checked it she saw it was home. "Ugh. Now what? Uh, just give me a second, okay?" She stood and moved across the room. "Hey. I thought you said you can do this without me."
"You should know I can never do anything without you, beautiful."
"Buffy?" Paige asked and heard her girlfriend's laughter.
"Sorry, we got some new information. Piper just heard from your friend Darryl. It seems Tim's body is missing."
"Missing?" Paige said suddenly concerned. "Oh, I guess Phoebe wasn't dreaming after all."
"Piper and I are working on the vanquishing potion to get rid of the alchemist. Piper hopes it will reverse his magic and Tim can rest in peace."
"But we still don't know why the alchemist is even doing this or who he's working with," Paige argued.
"We know," Buffy replied. "We're hoping before we vanquish him, he'll reveal who it is. Piper wants you to go get Phoebe and Dawn and orb them back here."
"I kinda don't wanna leave Joanna right now," Paige said.
"What's wrong?"
"She just needs me."
"Okay," Buffy said with a sigh. "We need you too though. I need you. Besides the faster we vanquish this demon, the faster you can get back to your new girlfriend."
Paige let out a sigh as she heard the phone slammed down and then the dial tone. "Uh ... I'm gonna have to go. I've got a bit of a family emergency and maybe even a girlfriend emergency."
"But what if Karl comes back?" Joanna asked. "I don't wanna face him alone."
Paige smiled. "You won't have to. All right, just call me. I will be here in a second."
"But what if you're far away?"
"If you really need me, just yell my name loudly," Paige told her.
"But –"
"No buts," Paige interrupted. "It's okay. All right? You have to trust me. I'm always watching out for you. I promise." She turned and walked over to the door. "Lock the door behind me, and if Karl comes by, do not open the door, all right? I'll be back as soon as I can."
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Phoebe sat at her desk at the Bay Mirror as Dawn talked on the phone.
"Alright, Buffy," Dawn said as she hung up.
"Can you send these priority mail?" Phoebe asked her assistant as she handed the woman a stack of letters to be mailed. "Actually, overnight them. These people need help right away."
"What are they?" the assistant asked.
"Advice for my readers," Phoebe said.
"Wait, you're answering them directly now?"
"We can only print so many in the paper," Phoebe said. "I don't wanna let anybody down. Also, you can send all my e-mails through. You don't have to sort through them, okay? Great, thanks."
Dawn reached for the door and pushed the assistant out before closing it behind her. "Paige should be here in a second." She dialed her phone. "It's clear."
Paige orbed into the office and sighed as Dawn hung up her phone. "I thought she'd never leave."
"Yeah, I'm sorry," Phoebe said. "It's just really busy here today. These letters don't answer themselves, you know." She looked down at the letters still on her desk.
"Well, great, you're feeling better then," Paige said.
"She is," Dawn said.
"Yeah," Phoebe agreed. "I know I didn't wanna come in, but you guys were right. It's really helped me a lot."
"Well, fantastic. Uh, okay. We should go. Because you told me to come get you when we have something, and, uh, we have something," Paige said. "Besides I need to see Buffy. I think she is feeling a little jealous of Joanna. So the faster we get this done …"
"Uh, can it all wait?" Phoebe asked.
"What?" Dawn asked confused on why Phoebe would want to wait.
"Well, it's just I have all these letters that I have to answer, not to mention e-mails and phone messages and faxes," Phoebe explained.
"So ..." Paige and Dawn said as they glanced at each other.
"These people need me. I can't just let them down, you know?"
"I see what's going on here, missy," Paige said as she realized what was going on. Phoebe was feeling guilty.
"What do you mean, what's going on?" Phoebe asked. "Nothing's going on. I'm just helping innocents in need, that's all."
"No, you are feeling guilty about what happened with Tim, and you're over-compensating," Paige explained.
Phoebe scoffed at the idea she was feeling guilty. "That is ridiculous. I am not."
"You are," Dawn said as she realized Paige was right. "You feel guilty that Tim died."
"I'm not," Phoebe objected. "I'm just doing my job. Besides, I thought I was the one studying psychology."
"Okay, I may not have studied psychology, but I have studied you, and this is classic Phoebe," Paige said.
"I don't know you as well as Paige," Dawn said. "But even I can see it, Phoebe."
"You're running away from your pain," Paige continued. "Honey, you can not run away from this."
"Well, I can try, can't I?" Phoebe asked. "He was just helping me with a flat tire. That's all. He didn't do anything wrong. He was just ... with me. And I'm supposed to deal with that? "
"Well, I think you deal with it by vanquishing the demons responsible," Dawn said. "You know, making Tim's death count for something."
"Yeah, but we don't even know who's responsible or why they're doing this," Phoebe reminded them.
"I'm starting to think there's only one demon who could be responsible for this," Paige said with a sigh.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Later back at the manor Piper and Buffy are working on the potion that bubbled in a pot on the stovetop.
"Zankou?" Buffy asked after everyone was filled in on who could be responsible for bringing Phoebe's friend Tim back.
"An upper level demon," Piper said noting the distance that Buffy was keeping from Paige.
"One that's certainly powerful enough to help the alchemist," Paige added before looking at her sisters, "and he knows us well enough to try something like this. Maybe he's finally going after us."
"Yeah, but why kill an innocent?" Phoebe asked. "Why not just come after me?"
"Maybe he's trying to break you down," Dawn suggested.
Phoebe sighed. "I'm beginning to like it better when I thought I was cursed."
"And you know you're not, right?" Piper asked.
"Right, I do. Now," Phoebe replied. "I should've just listened to you."
"What do you mean?" Piper wondered.
"You know, the talk we had in the attic."
"Phoebe," Buffy said. "Piper was with Dad, Dawn, Chris, Wyatt and I at the store."
"It was probably Zankou," Paige added. "He shape shifted into one of us before."
Phoebe slid down from her perch on the sink. "Okay, well, how do I know this is you all now? How do I know any you are not Zankou right now?"
"She has a good point," Buffy said before anyone could say they weren't. "All it would take is one of us alone. And he could impersonate us. That said though, maybe we should put Phoebe's mind at ease."
Piper nodded. "Jake Singer, back seat, tenth grade. Can Zankou tell you all about that?" she asked.
"You know how I hate you meddling in my life," Paige said. "But I'm glad you meddled in mine and Buffy's."
Buffy motioned outside and everyone moved to a window but herself. She went out the back door and round into the driveway and up to Piper's car. She put her hands under the bumper and lifted. The front wheels lifted about a foot off the ground before she set it back down and came back inside. "Any questions?"
Dawn squinted an the refrigerator door opened and closed on its own. "Remember I just found out I had the power of telekinesis about the time Paige was possessed by the Hyena."
Phoebe sighed. "I think I'm losing my mind," she said as she headed for the door.
"Where are you going?" Piper asked.
"To the book to find a way to vanquish Zankou before I really do lose my mind," Phoebe replied as she walked out of the kitchen.
Paige sighed. "What are we gonna do about her?"
"The only thing we can do - help her vanquish Zankou," Piper said.
"Sounds like a plan," Buffy agreed.
"Okay," Paige said. "Well, then, I guess we won't be needing that potion."
"Don't you?" Dawn asked. "Won't you need to get to the Alchemist who can lead you to Zankou?"
"Yes," Piper said, "and then, hopefully, when we get rid of both of them, Phoebe will be able to sleep again."
"Where's Phoebe going?" Leo asked as Phoebe entered the kitchen.
"Probably to a mental institution," Paige said.
"Did you put the kids down for their nap?" Piper asked.
Leo nodded. "Yes, and I started calling all our friends to postpone Chris' party."
"Oh, I'm sorry you guys had to do that," Paige said with a sigh.
"At least we are just postponing it," Buffy said, "not cancelling it like Piper originally wanted. I still want to celebrate my little brother's first birthday."
"And we will," Piper agreed. "Once we've vanquished Zankou."
"In the meantime, I have to go check on Joanna, make sure she's okay," Paige said.
"Okay," Piper agreed. "Hurry back."
"I will," Paige said as she orbed out.
Piper turned to Buffy. "Buffy, before we get back to the potion. Can you tell me what is going on with you and Paige?"
Buffy sighed. "With how much Paige has been seeing Joanna …"
"You get the feeling she might be cheating on you," Piper said in understanding. "She's not, trust me. But it's alright to be jealous, just don't let your jealousy get out of hand."
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Paige knocked on Joanna's apartment door. "Hey, Joanna, it's me, Paige. I'm back," she said she knocked again. "Joanna, open up. Are you okay?" She opened the door with a frown as she remembered she had told Joanna to make sure it was locked. "I told you to keep the door locked."
The moment Paige stepped into the apartment she found Joanna on the floor dead. "Oh, god," she said as she slowly sank to her knees next to her charge's body. She reached down and lightly stroked Joanna's hair with her hand while tears came to her eyes. "So sorry. I'm so sorry."
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Back at the Manor Buffy frowned as she began to sense something.
"Buffy?" Leo asked as he noticed the look on his daughter's face.
"I know from what you said that a Whitelighter can sense their charge and even their family. Can they also sense others?" Buffy asked.
"What do you mean?" Piper wondered.
"I get this feeling that Paige is in trouble. No not quite in trouble but something bad happened," Buffy told her father and Piper.
Piper looked to Leo as she thought of something. "Is it possible that Buffy's Whitelighter side has connected to Paige's somehow since they admitted they were in love?"
"It is possible," Leo said as he looked at his daughter. "You better go check on Paige."
Buffy nodded as she orbed out.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Buffy orbed into Joanna's apartment and found Paige still leaning over Joanna's body. "Paige?" she said as she rushed to Paige and knelt down next to her girlfriend. "What happened?"
"I think …" Paige said between tears, "that Karl killed her."
"Oh, Paige," Buffy said as she pulled Paige into an embrace. She looked over Paige's shoulder at Joanna's body and all the jealousy she had been feeling simply evaporated. "Okay. We need to call that cop friend of yours and report this before someone else finds out."
Paige slowly pulled away from Buffy and pulled out her cell phone and dialed. After a couple minutes she hung up, frustrated. "Daryl's not answering. How can he not answer?" she asked angrily.
"I don't know," Buffy said. "But we do need to call the police. We can't let this scumbag get away with this."
Paige sighed. "I … no … we should've been there with her. She should not have been left alone."
Buffy smiled and she knew that Paige still loved her and that Joanna had just been Paige's friend. "You can't blame yourself. Just as I don't blame you. I was jealous, Paige."
Paige nodded. "I can sense when you, Dawn, or Joyce are in trouble. Why I couldn't I sense her?"
"Because just like it did with me, Dawn and my mom. The bond had to be formed. It takes time. "
"That's not good enough, because I promised her that I was gonna be there and I failed," Paige said clearly upset.
"No, you didn't, sweetie," Buffy said. "I think this Zankou wants you to think you did."
"Zankou?" Paige asked.
Buffy nodded. "You all said that he's been targeting you, Piper and Phoebe. First there was Phoebe's friend and now Joanna. I don't think that's a coincidence."
"What, you think Karl's working with Zankou?" Paige asked.
Buffy shook her head. "I think he is Zankou. Think about it. He knew exactly what he was doing. He's targeting the people in your guys lives."
"What good would that do?" Paige wondered.
Buffy shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe he thinks he can make you vulnerable somehow?"
"Wait," Paige said. "Piper hasn't been targeted."
"Not yet," Buffy said, "but that doesn't mean no one will be though."
And then something occurred to Paige. "You, Dawn and even Joyce need to be careful also," she said as she looked at Buffy.
Buffy sighed. "I know. I intend to orb Dawn back to Sunnydale with instructions that she and Buffy spend the rest of the summer with Aunt Arlene."
"That is Joyce's sister, right?" Paige asked.
"Yeah," Buffy said. "Since our powers were unbound we found out that Aunt Arlene and Aunt Lolly were witches also. Aunt Arlene lives in Chicago. Three witches in the same house should hopefully turn Zankou off."
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Buffy and Paige orbed back to the Manor and quickly filled Piper, Dawn and Phoebe in. Piper then asked Paige to take Leo, Wyatt and Chris to Magic School.
Buffy took her sister's arm and led Dawn into the bedroom they had been sharing while staying at the Halliwells. "Dawn," she said. "I'm going to orb you to mom. I need you and mom to go to Aunt Arlene."
"Buffy?" Dawn said confused on why her sister was saying all this.
"Paige's charge, Joanna, is dead. I think Zankou did it. You, me and mom could be targets. Hopefully Zankou will think twice about attacking you two at Aunt Arlene's."
"What about you?" Dawn wondered.
"I'm staying here, I have to help Paige and Piper and Phoebe."
Buffy orbed Dawn home and Dawn headed straight for the stairs and to her room as Buffy walked into the living room where she found her mother watching TV. "Mom?"
"Buffy?" Joyce said as she stood up, she was instantly confused on why her daughter was home.
"I need you to take Dawn and head to Aunt Arlene," she explained. "Paige's new charge is dead and I'm afraid the demon that killed her will come after me, you or Dawn. I'm hoping that if you and Dawn are with Aunt Arlene that this demon will think twice."
"What about you?" Joyce asked.
"I'm going back to help Paige, Piper and Phoebe. And before you try and talk me out of it, mom. You know what Paige means to me and what I mean to her. I don't think I could be on the sidelines while Paige is trouble. Besides you remember the message Paige gave to Willow for me when I had to put the sorrows back in Pandora's Box. It goes both ways mom. I want to be beside her through everything."
Joyce let out a sigh and nodded. "Be careful. And you call when it's all over."
"Promise," Buffy said as she orbed out.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Buffy orbed into the attic of the Halliwell Manor to find Piper and Phoebe there.
"Are you sure?" Phoebe was saying.
Buffy was sure she was just coming in on the middle of the conversation. "What's going on?" she asked.
"Pretty sure, unless they're invisible," Piper replied before looking toward her step-daughter. "Phoebe possibly saw someone new from our past."
"You think they could be invisible?" Phoebe asked as Piper turned and walked out of the attic.
"No," Piper said as Phoebe and Buffy followed her. "Come on, we've got to find the alchemist and hopefully Zankou. Buffy why didn't you …"
"You should already know the answer to that," Buffy said. "What was the message Paige gave to Willow when I put back the sorrows?"
"That she would stand by you through everything," Piper said in understanding. "And you intend to do the same, don't you."
"Wouldn't you," Buffy answered. "If it were Dad?"
Piper smiled and nodded. "Why don't you call for your girlfriend?"
"Paige!" Buffy called out seconds before Paige orbed in.
"What? I was just getting Leo and the boys settled in at magic school," Paige said.
"I need you to see if you can find Joanna, quickly," Piper said.
"Joanna?" Buffy asked. "Why? She's dead. She's gone on to the afterlife, she's effectively no longer Paige's charge."
Piper sighed. "Yeah, I know. But I don't think she will stay dead for long."
"Wait, you think Joanna's gonna come back, too?" Phoebe asked.
Piper nodded. "I'm counting on it. So you need to see if you can sense her."
Buffy wrapped her arms around Paige from behind. "I'm right here, I'm not leaving you."
Paige looked over her shoulder and smiled before focusing on Joanna.
"Anything?" Phoebe asked.
Paige shook her head. "No, but like with Buffy. The bond doesn't form right away. And you have to remember I had only been Joanna's Whitelighter for a few days."
Piper sighed. "Okay, then we're gonna have to scry for her the old fashioned way," she said as she walked over to the table and picked up the map and scrying crystal.
"Do you think she's even gonna turn into a zombie?" Paige asked.
"It fits the pattern," Piper said as she put the map down on the table, then started clearing it.
"And trust me, you don't want to be surprised once it happens," Phoebe said.
"Just concentrate. She was your charge. If anybody can find her, you can," Piper said.
Buffy picked up the crystal and smiled holding it out to Paige who reluctantly took it. Buffy then cupped her hand over Paige's and together they began moving the crystal over the map.
"You know, I'd really rather not find her, considering I'm the reason she's dead," Paige said.
"Join the club," Phoebe said.
"Look, the faster we find Joanna's body, we'll find the alchemist and hopefully Zankou before he kills anybody else in our lives," Piper said as she glanced specifically at Buffy.
Paige looked at Buffy and then at her sisters and nodded. If Zankou were to go after anyone next it would be Buffy. It surprises her that he hadn't already. "Maybe …"
"No," Buffy said heading off Paige's suggestion that she either go with her mother and Dawn to Aunt Arlene's or go to Magic School where Leo was. "Do you remember what you told Willow to say to me when I went to put the sorrows back."
"Of course," Paige said.
"You told me you would stand by my side," Buffy continued. "And I want to do the same, Paige. Just as I wouldn't stop you from being by my side through it all. I don't want you to stop me being by your side through it all."
Paige nodded as the crystal hit a spot on the map. She looked down. "Found her. Cemetery."
Phoebe shook her head. "Not good. Never good."
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Paige, Piper and Phoebe orbed into a mausoleum not to a concrete slab on which lay Joanna.
"Oh, god, that's her," Paige said as Joanna opened her eyes and looked at Paige.
"Miss me?" Joanna said as she stood up.
Piper gasped as she and her sister took a step backward.
Reece Davidson, a former Inspector for the San Francisco Police Department and now deceased, came up behind Piper and Tim moved behind Phoebe.
"Looks like it's time for payback," Reece said as the girls turned around to face him and Tim.
"Look, we don't want to hurt you," Phoebe said.
"It's a little late for that," Tim replied.
"Paige, maybe you should orb us out of here," Phoebe suggested as Joanna stepped up behind Paige.
Piper shook her head hoping Buffy's plan worked. "No, the alchemist has to be around here somewhere."
"I see my reputation precedes me." They turn and saw the Alchemist step out of the shadows. "But if you want to get to me, you have to get through them."
"Do they?"
The Alchemist turned at the sound of the voice and found Buffy standing behind him. "Call them off," she said holding the vial that would vanquish him. "Where are you Zankou? Show yourself, or are you afraid to face a Slayer."
Zankou smiled as he stepped out of the shadows. "Interesting, very interesting," he said as he threw a fireball at the Alchemist vanquishing him. "I knew I should have gone after you instead of the new charge."
"Maybe you should have," Buffy replied with a smile.
"What do you have to gain?" Piper wondered.
Zankou shrugged. "You'll soon find out," he said as he flamed out.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
"Well, why can't we try to vanquish Zankou the same way we vanquished The Source?" Paige asked when they returned to the Manor.
"He'll be ready for that. That's why we need something new," Phoebe said as she, Piper, Paige and Buffy stood in the center of the attic.
"Why did he vanquish the Alchemist himself?" Piper wondered.
"I don't know. Maybe there's something in the Book," Paige said as she looked at the bookstand and found the Book missing. "Where's the Book?"
Buffy let out a sigh. "That's what he meant about finding out soon. Zankou took it."
"Yeah, but how did he get it?" Phoebe asked.
Piper looked around the attic. "Doesn't matter. He's got it now."
"The question is, what's he gonna do with it?" Paige wondered.