Remember, Mr. Trick is not in town to organize the Slayer hunt during the dance as Faith never had an interaction with his boss.

Chapter 8: Homecoming

*****Two Days Before Homecoming*****

Buffy could not believe how insane her school had gotten. The twins had created an item for Cordelia to pass out to get votes, and it had turned the school into complete and utter chaos. Inspired by watching the movie Willie Wonka's Chocolate Factory, they made chewing gum that allowed the chewers to float a few feet off the ground when they blew bubbles with it. Naturally, Cordelia told her classmates where it came from, so the Weasley's shop was bombarded with high school kids. The twins had anticipated it, of course, making tons of it.

Tara was thrown into the fire at the register, however, as they came in groups.

"Who knew helping Cordy would be so lucrative?" Fred said with a grin.

"Teenage boys are so predictable," George said, snickering.

"How did you make the gum do that?" Larry asked. He had a few of his football player friends with him.

"It's magic," George said.

"Really?" Larry asked.

"Or advanced science," Fred said, grinning.

"Does it matter?" George asked.

"I don't think so," Larry said. "It's just the coolest thing. I was going to vote for Cordelia anyway 'cause she's always been my friend, and I'm too afraid of her not to."

George laughed. "I understand completely," he said.

Larry went up to the register and tried to flirt with Tara, who just smiled shyly and rang up his order. She could tell from his aura that he didn't really like girls, but he wasn't ready to face that about himself yet.

Faith and Draco came in as she was about to leave.

"Who's the new girl?" Faith asked, looking at Tara.

"That's Tara, our new employee. Thank Merlin, we hired her because I don't think we could've gotten through the past two days without her," Fred said, smiling at her.

"It has been crazy," Tara agreed.

"Tara, this is Faith and Draco," Fred introduced. "Draco is like us."

"Nice to meet you," Draco said, holding out his hand.

Tara gave him a shy smile as she took his hand. His accent was exactly like the twins, so she wondered if Fred meant British or magical. Then she touched his hand and knew that he, too, was magical. His girlfriend, however, was like a beautiful panther full of power and energy.

"Faith is the other vampire slayer," Fred said.

"Hey," Faith said. She frowned at Fred. "Should you be blabbing our business? Diane won't like that."

"She's our employee, and she works at a magic shop," George said, defending his brother.

Tara felt the need to share something that she hadn't yet shared with her bosses. "I'm a witch," she blurted out.

"Really?" Fred asked in surprise.

"N-Not like you," Tara said. "I'm W-Wiccan. M-My mother taught me. S-she was very powerful. I-I'm not really, but I p-practice."

"Oh, that's cool," Faith said. "Buffy's best friend, Willow, can do some wandless magic, I hear. Giles told us in his last letter to my watcher that the Devon coven was teaching her and two other girls from their school that wanted to learn."

"Probably loony Luna and Granger," Draco muttered.

Tara was relieved that they were so accepting. She knew that they would be, but it was still nice.

"Well, you better close out the register," George said as he turned the sign to close.

"Let's get some dinner before patrolling," Faith said. "I'm starving. Do you want to eat with us, Tara?"

"Oh, well, I-I don't really budget for eating out," she admitted.

"Don't worry about that. Draco is filthy rich. He'll pay," Faith said with a grin.

Tara's face reddened as Draco shrugged and nodded.

"My pleasure," he said. "No way you eat as much as my lady here." As he said that, he wrapped his arm around her, pulling her close so that he could kiss her neck.

"More of me to love," Faith said with a grin.

"Okay," Tara said, wanting to learn more about the interesting couple.

The twins whose conversation style Tara never thought she would get used to could not agree on Chinese or pizza.

"It's settled then," Faith said. "We're having Mexican."

Tara smiled, enjoying the interaction between the group. Clearly, the twins and Draco were not that close even though they seemed to know each other very well. It was a bit odd. Draco seemed to be a bit of a snob, but he could not be too bad, or he wouldn't be with a girl like Faith.

"So, tell us about yourself, Tara," Faith asked after they ordered and were munching on chips and salsa. "Got a boyfriend?"

"N-no," she said, wondering how honest she should be.

When Faith gave her a wicked grin and asked, "Girlfriend?"

Tara decided to tell the truth. "Not yet," she admitted.

All three Brits looked at her in surprise.

Faith glared at them. "Chill, guys," she told them. "If she wants to ride the carpet instead of the stick, that's her choice."

George looked confused at her analogy while Draco snickered.

"Stick, I get," Fred said. "I am not sure about carpet."

"Have you ever heard the expression, 'does the carpet match the drapes?'" she asked as Draco took a drink of his soda.

He choked on it, and it came out his nose.

"That is really gross," George said, curling his lips.

Faith pounded him on the back.

"Stop! You're going to kill me!" Draco choked out. His girl forgot her own strength sometimes.

"Are you okay?" she asked in concern.

Tara handed him a napkin.

"Stop being so outrageous," Draco said. "Especially when I am taking a drink."

Faith grinned. "They have only one sister, who's miles away. Someone needs to educate these poor boys."

Draco groaned. "You are bonkers," he said. "Luckily for you, I like my women a bit bonkers." He winked at her.

Faith grinned.

"Drapes is a woman's natural hair color. So the expression 'does the drapes match the carpet' is asking if her pubes match her hair color. Does she dye her hair," Faith graphically explained. This time, Fred was taking a bit of chip and choked. George was pounding his back.

Tara was torn between laughter and embarrassment. How did they get on this conversation?

"Why are we discussing this?" Draco asked as if reading her mind.

"Because the twins didn't understand me when I asked if she liked carpet over stick," Faith said with a smirk.

"How about we t-talk about s-something else?" Tara suggested.

"Yes, let's," Draco said. "Do you have any family nearby?"

She shook her head. "N-no," she said.

"That's too bad," Fred said.

"Not necessarily," Faith said. "Some families aren't worth having. My dad took off when I was two, and mom wasn't much better than a prostitute. I mean she didn't have sex for money—just drugs. She was about to try and trick me out when I took off."

All three British boys looked horrified at her revelation—Draco hadn't heard this about her family before. Tara felt an instant kinship with the girl.

"I understand. M-my dad was s-sometimes abusive," she admitted, shocked that she dared.

"I saw we go find both your families and hex them," Fred suggested.

"I second that," George said.

"Nah," Faith said, taking a bite of her food. "People like that live miserable lives. Our happiness is revenge enough."

Draco looked at his girlfriend in awe for a moment. Then he kissed her cheek, whispering in ear, "You are the most amazing woman alive."

Tara thought they were very sweet and could not believe how fast her life had changed. She had been alone since her mother died almost three years ago, and now she had made some friends.

******A Few Hours Later*****

They were about done patrolling when they ran into Cordelia and Buffy. Tara did not go with them since she had an early class the next morning. Unlike Draco and Faith, she was not used to the nightlife. Of course, Draco had a nifty potion to keep him energized if he needed it.

"Hey, guys," Buffy said. "You run across anything interesting?"

"Not really. Just a demon and some vamps," Faith said. "Why is Angelus hiding again?"

"I don't know," Buffy said, frowning. "I just know that I don't like it. He's up to something. When he's quiet, he's planning something."

"George, can I talk to you?" Cordelia asked.

"Of course," he said.

He followed her away from Buffy.

"What can I do for you?" he asked her.

"Will you be my date to the homecoming dance this Friday?" she asked.

"No one has asked you?" he asked in surprise.

"Well, of course, they have," she said. "I just haven't accepted them. You're the only one I want to go with."

George looked down at the most beautiful woman of his acquaintance. She had already broken his heart once. Dare he let her have a chance to do so again?

"I am not a student," he said, trying to put up some sort of protest.

She grinned. "All the students know and adore you and Fred," she said. "Your gum has made Principal Snyder insane, by the way. He tried to say students could not float on campus, and I pointed out that it was not in the school rule book. I also happened to know that all new rules had to be approved by the school board. His glare was particularly dark."

George snickered. "Yes, he did show up at the shop and yell at Fred. I came from the back, and he saw that there was too of us and said, 'Twins. I should've known.' Then he left muttering."

"So will you come with me?" Cordelia asked.

"If you really want me to, I guess I can," he said.

She gave him a beaming smile and hugged him. "Thanks, George. It will be fun," she told him.

George hoped so and when the girls left, he told his twin.

"Well, now, I am going to ask Snape if I be a chaperone," he said.

"What?" Geore asked.

"There is no way I am missing that dance!" he told his twin.

George sighed. He really hoped that the dance turned out to the Cordelia wanted it to go because he didn't know if he could handle another disappointment.

******The Dance******

Buffy wore a white dress that made her feel like a princess. Oz had asked her to the dance the week before, and she hadn't felt so normal in a very long time. It was so weird to have the threat of Angelus hanging over her and yet feel butterflies in her stomach every time she saw the adorable redhead that was waiting at her locker every school morning. He handed her a wrist corsage.

"It's not prom," she told him. "That wasn't necessary."

"It's a dance, and I wanted to buy you something pretty," Oz said. It had a splash of pink in the white ribbon as he had asked her what color her dress was.

"What do you think your cousin will do if she doesn't win prom queen?" Oz asked.

"After that twins' magical gum, do you really think there's a chance anyone else could get it?" Buffy asked.

He shrugged. "Faith might," he said.

Buffy looked surprised. "Really? I didn't know that people really knew her," Buffy said.

Oz gave her an affectionate smile. "You really don't pay attention to school, do you?" he said.

"I pay attention to you," she told him, squeezing his hand.

"Faith is a cheerleader, too, since Cordelia talked her into joining the team," he said.

"That's 'cause she wasn't here my sophomore year when Amy's mom put hexes on all of us who tried out. Cordy nearly died when she was struck blind. I had to save her life for like the tenth time," Buffy said. "The insane witch nearly killed me before I vanquished her by reflecting her own spell on her with a mirror."

"That is a crazy tale," Oz remarked.

"But true," Buffy said. "No cheerleading for Buffy. It's too cutthroat for me."

Oz laughed. "Well, Faith has the look and those acrobat skills that you have. Plus, she has the British boyfriend. Draco will definitely be prom king," he said.

They entered the very decorated gym and saw the couple in question.

"Faith, you look gorgeous," Buffy said, giving her a look of approval. She had her hair with a bit more curl than normal. Her dress was a dark green satin that clung to her curves with a slit up one leg and a very low back.

"I know," she said, grinning. "You look damn fine yourself."

"We are lucky men," Draco said.

"We are," Oz agreed, smiling at Buffy.

Buffy looked at her godcousin. He was wearing all black. Black silk shirt and tie that he was so fond of since Cordelia had introduced him to it with his slacks.

"I see you convinced Faith to wear your favorite color," Buffy to him.

"It didn't take much convincing since Cordy forbid us to wear red. I almost wore this silver dress that I saw, but I knew his house color back home was green," she said, smiling at her boyfriend. He was always so sweet to her that it was no big deal to wear a color that she knew he would love.

"Oz was just telling me that you might steal prom queen from Cordelia," Buffy said.

Faith winced. "I better not. I told those bitches and their boyfriends not to vote for me," she said, looking cross.

Draco laughed. "Like that is going to work," he said, amused.

"Let's dance," she said, grabbing him, refusing to think about it.

The girl in question was entering the dance on the arm of George. They posed for pictures, and he put his arm around her. She looked up at him and saw him looking down at her.

Why did being in his arms feel right all of a sudden? What had changed?

The photographer snapped the picture.

"Now look forward and smile," he said.

They did.

"Dance with me," Cordelia told him.

George cursed himself for being a fool, but she was beautiful in her red dress. He felt powerless to resist her.

They danced together for an hour, fast and slow—it didn't matter.

"I think you've cast a spell on me," he told her, frowning down at her.

Cordelia put her arms around his neck. "No. I just woke up," she admitted. "I didn't want to be some prize that you and your brothers fought over. I didn't think I really mattered to you—not me as a person. When I realized that I did, I knew that I messed up. I saw you, and I didn't mean to hurt you. That was the last thing that I wanted, and I felt awful that I did."

George smiled. "Fred and I are a lot alike, so we do think the same things much of the time and often are attracted to the same girls, but I knew you were special from the beginning."

Cordelia didn't want to talk anymore and pulled his head down, kissing him.

Fred was guarding the punch bowl and saw her make the move and grinned, happy for his twin.

Harmony came up to him. "So you're the twin of Cordy's date, right?" she asked.

"I am," he said. "We met at the Bronze, right?"

She smiled, glad that he remembered. "I'm Harmony," she said.

"I remember," he said. "So who's your date?"

"Larry. But I don't think he's really into me," she admitted. "He's nice, but we have been out a few times, and he's never even tried to kiss me."

"Maybe he prefers blokes," Fred suggested.

Harmony's eyes widened. "Oh, you think?" she asked. "Why is he dating me? Am I his beard?"

"Do you think he is leading you on purpose, or maybe he just hasn't figured things out yet," Fred said. "School can be tough. I know mine was." He thought about losing his brother, and how many times Harry nearly died and his sister almost once also.

Harmony was thoughtful for a moment and nodded. "Larry is a pretty nice guy, so maybe he is just confused," she said. Then she gave him a bright smile. "I bet he won't mind if you dance with me."

Fred smiled. "I would be delighted," he said. Sure, she was a muggle, but she was lovely.

When it came time to name king and queen, Jonathan took the stage.

"Homecoming king is Draco Malfoy," he announced.

Draco was surprised as he did not really believe students would vote for him as he had barely been in the school.

"I told you American students were superficial," Cordelia said with a grin.

Faith whistled and clapped as her boyfriend walked toward the stage. The student body joined in, happy to see him win. It was clear that most people did vote for the newcomer.

"Our homecoming queen is Faith Lehane," he said, smiling at Faith.

Faith glared and looked at Cordelia, who smiled and said, "That's okay. I'll get Prom Queen."

Faith was relieved that her new friend wasn't angry and joined her boyfriend on stage.

George, though, was upset. "I'm sorry, Cordelia," he said, his arm around her as she stood in front of her.

She looked up and smiled. "It's okay. Watching the insanity of your gum this week was a blast. Draco is new, and Faith is his hot new girlfriend. She's a cheerleader, so I get it. I was gone all last year. I win Prom Queen, though," she said confidently.

Buffy was dancing with Oz when someone tapped him on the shoulder. "Can I cut in?"

Buffy looked up and braced herself for violence when she saw Angelus. At first, Oz didn't see him. He just stepped aside, willing to let someone dance with Buffy. Then he looked up and saw who was asking.

"I don't think so," Oz said, standing in front of Buffy.

"Oh, how cute," Angelus said, grinning. "Wolf boy thinks he can defend your honor. Doesn't he know that I've already had you?"

"You haven't had me. No part of you has ever had me. I belonged to Angel," Buffy said coldly.

Angel chuckled. "That's the thing, sweetheart. I know everything that Angel knows," he said. "That means I know what you look like naked. Does wolf boy? I know what you taste like, and even the sounds you make when you come."

Buffy cursed the fact that she did not have a stake on her as her purse was at the table they were using to put their drinks on, and she had even left her wand at home. Her father would kill her when he found out her rookie mistake.

Oz didn't want to leave her, but he knew that Buffy could take care of herself. Plus, the twins were both present. He moved to get the closest one.

"How dare you say all that if front of Oz!" Buffy hissed at him, stepping closer to him.

"Dance with me and maybe I won't kill him before I leave," Angelus ordered.

Buffy didn't want the dance ruined with violence, so she let him touch her and took his hand. Naturally, a slow song was playing.

"Why are you working with the mayor? It's not like you to be someone's bitch," Buffy said. "First, Voldemort and now the mayor. It's like you enjoy being the lacky."

Angelus scoffed. "I just know how to play the game," he said. "The Dark Lord made me powerful with his gift, and the mayor, well, let's just say, when he transforms, I'll be his right-hand man."

"Transforms into what? And when exactly will that be?" Buffy asked.

"Like I'd tell you and make it easy for you," he said, snickering. "But you could try to seduce it out of me. I'm game!"

The twins came up to Angelus. "We are here to escort you off the premises," George said.

"I have a vial of holy water that I am prepared to douse you with if you try to cause a scene," Fred warned. He had worked on a multiplicity spell to expand the amount. It might even work to kill Angelus, but he wasn't sure as he hadn't yet tested it.

Angelus held up his hands. "I just wanted to dance with my girl here," he said.

"I am not your girl," Buffy bit out, glaring at him. Oh, how she wanted to throw down with him.

"Let's go," George said, grabbing his arm.

Oz came up to Buffy. "Are you okay?" he asked, concerned.

Buffy nodded as he hugged her. She knew that she needed to end him.

Faith, Draco, and Cordelia came up to her and asked what was going on. Buffy filled them in.

"God, what a creep," Cordelia said after she recounted what happened.

"Wait, he said the mayor is going to transform," Faith said. "Transform into what?"

"I don't know. I asked him. He wouldn't say, but whatever it is, it can't be good," Buffy said.

"We need to talk to Giles," Cordelia said.

Buffy nodded. She loved her father, but he was not a real watcher.

"Hey, I have a watcher, too, you know," Faith reminded them.

"Well, we'll talk to her, of course," Buffy said. "Next weekend, we're going to Hogwarts. Hopefully, between your watcher and Giles and Professor Wyndham-Price, they will be able to come up with some theories for us."

"I just can't imagine that anything that will keep Angelus by his side is good for our side," Cordelia said as George and Fred joined them.

"What happened?" Buffy asked them.

"Nothing," George said.

"He practically whistled as he left," Fred said.

"He was way too happy," George said.

"That can't be good," Draco observed. "Whenever Father was particularly happy about something, he was plotting something very bad.

"I guess we should just be glad that no one was killed at the dance," Buffy said.

Someone screamed.

"You just had to say that, didn't you?" Cordelia said, glaring.

Buffy sighed.

******Chapter End******