"Prophecy Girl"
Based on the Episode Written by Joss Whedon
The following story is copyright © 2021 by Mark Moore.
Buffy, Tara, Amy, and Katrina were gathered in Buffy's basement after school. Buffy and Katrina were tuning their guitars. Katrina had bought a black 1986 Washburn B-2 bass guitar and a microphone and stand for herself. Tara was noodling on her synthesizer, a 1993 Roland JV-50, and Amy was noodling on her drum machine; each of them had bought her own microphone and stand. Cordelia and Harmony were also there. Harmony was setting up her video camera on her tripod, and Cordelia was waiting impatiently.
Buffy stopping messing with her guitar. "Okay, I think we're ready."
Cordelia sighed. "Finally! If I'd known this would take so long, I'd have gone to the park and made out with Kevin."
"Who's Kevin?" Buffy asked, confused.
"Kevin Benedict. My date for the Spring Fling."
"What happened to Angel?" Buffy asked her.
"He's being his usual Angelic self. Not sure if he wants to go. Doesn't wanna commit. Fuck!" Cordelia exclaimed in frustration.
Buffy crouched down and adjusted the volume on the amplifier. "Oh, thanks again for the amp, Cordy."
"Yeah, just put it to good use."
Buffy straightened.
Harmony smiled. "Ready whenever you guys are. Just tell me when to hit Record."
"You got a kick-ass song ready?" Cordelia asked them.
Buffy was uncertain if that was the right term, but she nodded.
Tara nodded. "Buffy selected it herself."
Cordelia shrugged. "Oh, well. Just be sure to kick ass extra hard, if you wanna have a shot at playing at the Spring Fling."
Buffy frowned, guessing Cordelia was insulting her taste in music. She switched on her microphone. "Okay, Harm."
Harmony pressed Record on her video camera.
Buffy nodded to Tara. Tara started playing her synthesizer. She carried the musical performance. The others came in as needed. Buffy sang lead on this song; the others contributed backing vocals.
"Grow up!
Gotta grow up!"
"Yeeeaaahhh!" Buffy yelled.
"Gotta grow up sometime. Ooh, ooh!"
"Dunno where I'm goin'.
My head is feelin' strange.
My heart is beating overtime.
My body's goin' through a radical change!
I'm feelin' new emotions.
I can't turn back now.
Standin' at the crossroads,
I'll get through somehow.
"Guess I gotta grow up. Oh!
I gotta...grow up.
I gotta grow up sometime.
Ooh, I wanna find a way...to grow up.
Oh, I gotta...grow up.
Gotta grow up sometime,
And I wanna have a say!"
"Gotta grow up."
"People say 'Don't hurry.
Enjoy it while it lasts.'"
"While it lasts..."
"Youth is wasted on the young.
I better slow down. I'm movin' too fast!
A scary kind of feeling,
A fear of the unknown.
Like wakin' in the darkness,
Have to face it on my own!
"Guess I gotta grow up!
Ooh, I gotta...grow up.
I gotta grow up sometime.
Wanna find a way...to grow up. Yeeaahh!
I gotta...grow up!
I gotta grow up sometime,
And I wanna have a say.
"Letting go of childhood things can sometimes make you sad,
Like hangin' out all day and playin' pretend."
"Ooh, ooh, ooh!"
"Givin' up all my toys hasn't been so bad,
'Cause the girl next door has become much more...than just a friend, oh!"
"Gotta!
Gotta grow!"
"Yes, I gotta grow up!"
"Grow up!"
"I gotta...grow up!
Gotta grow up sometime!
I wanna find a way..."
"...to grow up!"
"Grow up!
I gotta...grow up!
Gotta grow up sometime,
And I wanna have a say!"
"Gotta grow up!
Grow up!
Gotta!
Gotta grow!"
"Gotta grow up! Ooh, ooh!
Gotta grow up!
Gotta grow up sometime!
Yeeeaaahhh!
I gotta grow up!"
The band stopped playing and stared straight at the camera.
Harmony pressed Stop. "Okay."
The band members relaxed.
Cordelia raised an eyebrow. "That's the song that you went with?"
Buffy frowned. "Hey, you went with one of Minmei's songs during the talent show."
Cordelia was silent for a moment. "Okay, point."
Harmony took the tape out of her video camera, put it in its sleeve, peeled off a sticker, stuck it on the end of the tape, picked up her marker, and uncapped it. "Okay, um, what's the name of your band?"
Buffy, Tara, Amy, and Katrina looked at each other.
Buffy grinned as a name occurred to her. "Girls, I've got it! I humbly propose...Buffy and the Slayerettes."
"Are you serious?" Amy asked, frowning.
"What?" Buffy asked her.
"It's egotistical."
Buffy pouted.
Tara came to Buffy's defense. "It makes perfect sense, sweetie. You're the Slayer, and we're, like, the Slayerettes!"
Buffy grinned.
"What about Slayer?" Harmony suggested.
Katrina looked at Harmony. "I think that's taken."
"What about Kitten Feet?" Tara suggested.
"What about Nova Satori?" Cordelia suggested.
Everyone else looked at her.
Tara grinned. "I like it! The Latin word for new and the Japanese word for enlightenment. It's so meaningful."
Buffy made a face. "It's also the name of a Robotech character."
"Well, does anyone have any other suggestions?" Cordelia asked.
No one said anything for a while.
Katrina shrugged. "Buffy and the Slayerettes sounds good."
Amy was hesitant, but then she shrugged. "Yeah, okay."
Harmony wrote the band's name on the label.
Cordelia took the tape from her. "I'll deliver this to Principal Snyder tomorrow."
Buffy shook her head. "Oh, no, make a copy and give the copy to him. We should keep the original tape for ourselves."
"Okay."
Everyone started unplugging and packing up their gear.
After the other girls had left, Buffy and Tara went up to Buffy's bedroom. Tara had left her keyboard by the front door. Buffy closed and locked her door. She and Tara sat on Buffy's bed, hugged each other, and started making out.
Suddenly, though, Buffy flashed back to her nightmares, and she became less enthusiastic.
Tara noticed something was wrong. "What is it?"
"It's, um..." Buffy paused. "It's my nightmares. They're becoming more frequent. I confront the Master, and he kills me."
"It might be just a dream, sweetie."
"Or a prophecy." Buffy felt uncomfortable. "I mean...I usually don't believe in that kind of stuff, but...I just have this bad feeling."
Tara ran her hand through Buffy's hair. "It's okay, sweetie."
Buffy kissed Tara on the lips. "I love you so much." She kissed her again and then looked Tara in the eyes.
Tara tried to read Buffy's look. She pulled back, reached up, and slowly started unbuttoning her flannel shirt. For her part, Buffy took off her Straight Outta Swans Crossing T-shirt.
Tara reached back, unfastened her bra, and took it off, exposing her breasts to Buffy. Buffy stared at them, and then she unfastened her own bra and took it off, exposing her smaller breasts to Tara. Buffy felt a bit embarrassed.
Tara took hold of Buffy's hands and placed them on her breasts. Buffy enjoyed the feeling of Tara's breasts in her hands. They were very weighty but also very soft. Buffy cupped the breasts and squeezed them. She took Tara's nipples between her thumbs and index fingers and pulled on them.
Finally, Buffy removed her hands from Tara's breasts. Her hands suddenly felt agonizingly empty. Still, she waited.
Tara was confused. "Don't you wanna...?" She suddenly realized Buffy's intention. "Oh, you want us to fondle each other first."
"Yeah."
The two girls laughed in embarrassment. Some miscommunication was bound to happen. Buffy suddenly realized real-life sex didn't always go as smoothly as in the movies or on television. It made Buffy feel good to know that; she had no expectations to live up to.
Tara put her hands on Buffy's breasts, which weren't as big as Tara's but still filled her hands. She enjoyed the feel of Buffy's breasts in her hands. Tara cupped the breasts and squeezed them. She took Buffy's nipples between her thumbs and index fingers and pulled on them. She gave Buffy's breasts as much attention as Buffy had given hers.
Finally, Tara removed her hands from Buffy's breasts. "Okay, um, do you wanna suck them?"
"Oh, yeah, definitely." Buffy cupped Tara's right breast with her left hand, lowered her head, and kissed the nipple. Then she parted her lips and took Tara's nipple into her mouth. She closed her lips around Tara's nipple and sucked on it gently. She put her right hand on Tara's left breast and fondled it, so she could pleasure both of Tara's breasts at the same time.
Tara let out some delightful moans. "You can suck harder, sweetie. I like that. Just don't use your teeth too much."
Buffy hadn't considered using her teeth at all, but, now that she had permission, she sucked harder and lightly plucked at Tara's nipple with her teeth. The moans coming from Tara's mouth signaled her approval. Buffy switched to Tara's left breast, giving her nipple the same loving oral attention as she'd given its twin. Her left hand took over for her mouth at Tara's right breast. Tara removed Buffy's scrunchie, letting her hair fall free, and ran her fingers through Buffy's hair.
"Okay, let me suck your tits now."
Reluctantly, Buffy let Tara's nipple slip from her mouth. Tara gave Buffy's breasts the same loving attention as Buffy had given hers, sucking first her right nipple and then her left while stimulating the other with a hand. Buffy was able to get more enjoyment out of the sensation than when she sucked her own tits, because she didn't have to strain her neck. Buffy ran her fingers through Tara's hair.
Tara let Buffy's nipple slip from her mouth and stared at her for a moment. Buffy stared back at her. Tara reached down and unfastened her belt.
"Wait."
Tara stopped.
"I'm not ready for that yet."
"Okay."
That evening, Buffy walked into the park. She was chasing down a vampire that had eluded her in the cemetery. Buffy noticed Cordelia's car, a red 1995 Chrysler Cirrus with the license plate "QUEEN C", was parked in the distance with its windows all fogged up.
Buffy smiled. "Get it, Cordy."
Suddenly, the vampire landed in front of her and knocked her backward. Buffy fell, hit the ground hard on her back, and exhaled.
Inside her car, Cordelia was in the middle of a makeout session with Kevin. She broke off her kiss. "What was that?"
"What was what?"
Buffy propped herself up. The vampire approached her and growled.
"Someone's out there."
"That's silly! Who would be out there?" Kevin asked.
Cordelia frowned. "Oh, I have an idea."
Buffy rolled in a reverse somersault and came up standing, ready to fight. The vampire growled at her. She pulled a stake out from under her jacket behind her back and held it pointing out from her hips, so the vampire could see. He frowned at the sight of it as Buffy put on an evil smile. This infuriated the vampire, and he launched himself at her.
She hit him with an out-to-in crescent kick and then followed up with a high front snap kick, stunning him. She immediately plunged the stake home, and he fell over backward and hit the ground.
Buffy smiled. "Three in one night. Giles would be so proud."
In the school library, Giles was sitting at the table, researching. He got up and went into his office to get some tea.
He sat down at his desk with his cup of tea to read the text of the Codex. "'Ho korias phanaytie toutay...tay nuktee.' 'The Master shall rise...' Yes, yes, this is it! 'The Master shall rise, and the Slayer...'" Giles looked up in disbelief. "My God!"
He considered what he'd just read for a moment and then reached for his tea. The cup began to jiggle, and he looked at it curiously. A few seconds later, the whole building began to shake, and he realized he was experiencing his first earthquake. He got up and looked around at everything shaking. His teacup vibrated off the desk and smashed to pieces on the floor.
Giles went out of his office and saw several bookshelves fall over as the walls and the floor sustained severe damage.
In the park, Cordelia and Kevin held onto each other as they rode out the quake.
Buffy looked around her at the shaking trees. Car alarms were going off everywhere.
When the earthquake subsided, Buffy immediately walked over to Cordelia's car and knocked on the driver-side window.
Cordelia rolled down the window. "I figured it was you."
"I didn't do it!" Buffy protested.
"Not the quake, but I figured you were, y'know, doin' your thang." Cordelia made downward thrusting motions with her left hand.
Kevin raised his eyebrows in confusion.
Buffy smiled in amusement. "Yeah, that's me: jacking off in the park at all hours of the night."
"Are you okay?" Cordelia asked her, suddenly serious.
Buffy sobered as well. "Yeah. You?"
"Yeah."
The next morning, at Sunnydale High School, Giles came out of his office and walked over to the cage.
Buffy came into the library. "Morning!" She looked around at all of the damage.
Giles looked at her like he'd just seen a ghost.
"Wow. The damage looks fairly structural. Are we safe in here?" Buffy asked him.
"Buffy!" Giles exclaimed in relief.
"What? Do I have something on my face?" Buffy patted her face.
"No! Uh, and - and yes, we're - we're safe." Giles indicated the stacks. "Uh, but probably best not to go up there."
"How're you doin' there, Giles? Get much sleep last night?" Buffy asked.
"Um...I-I-I've been working."
"Me, too. I went hunting last night, and it is awfully sweet of you to ask. It's getting hairy out there, Giles. I killed three vampires last night, and one of them was practically on school grounds."
"Their numbers are increasing."
"And they're getting cockier. Look, I'm not loving it. Last night was a pretty close call. I got my ass kicked. Well, not literally, but I landed on my ass, and it's still sore - along with my back. And then there was that goddamn earthquake. Cordy was in the park, too. We both came out of it fine. Cordy then called Tara, Amy, and Katrina on her cell phone. They were all at home when it happened and rode it out just fine, but they were pretty shaken."
Giles was distracted. "Yes."
"Giles, care?" Buffy asked him. "I'm putting my life on the line battling the undead. Look, I broke a nail, okay? The least you could do is exhibit some casual interest. You could go 'Hmm'."
Giles was still distracted. "Hmm? Oh, sorry. Um, yes, I'm very glad that you're all right. Uh, I-I need to verify, um...I just can't really talk right now."
"Fine. That's okay. I can't put it off any longer. I have to meet my terrible fate."
Giles turned around quickly. "What?!"
"Biology."
The bell rang as Buffy left the library to go to class. Giles watched her go.
After class, Buffy, Tara, Amy, and Katrina went out the doors onto the balcony and headed down the stairs.
Buffy sighed. "Wow. That was boring."
Amy sighed. "I don't feel that boring covers it."
Buffy shook her head. "No, boring falls short."
Tara looked at them. "Even I was bored. And I'm a science nerd."
Buffy looked at her. "Don't say that."
"I'm not ashamed. It's the computer age. Nerds are in. They're still in, right?" Tara asked.
Katrina smiled. "Definitely. The nerds shall inherit the Earth."
They reached the bottom of the stairs.
Cordelia came over to them, grinning with excitement. "Guys, great news! Snyder approved you to play at the Spring Fling!"
The other girls grinned.
"That's great!" Buffy exclaimed.
"Yeah, so...here's the thing." Cordelia paused. "It's one song only."
"What?!" Amy asked, angry.
Tara looked at her. "Well, it's better than nothing."
Buffy nodded. "We can make it work. We just gotta pick the right song."
Cordelia nodded. "Damn right you do. Okay, so I called the Bronze to get you guys scheduled. You're sandwiched between Cunt Thrust and Rectal Warriors."
Katrina smiled in amusement. "Ooh, kinky."
In his office in the library, Giles called Angel on the phone. "Hello. Uh, this is Giles. Uh..." He paused. "Uh, Rupert Giles."
"Oh. Hey."
Jenny walked in and stood by his office door.
"I-I need to see you."
"It's daytime. Might be a problem."
"No, I-I realize that. Uh..." Giles paused. "Come after sundown."
"Okay."
"Good. I'll see you then." Giles hung up.
"You know, that outfit looks just like the one you wore yesterday. Only wrinklier. Were you here all night?" Jenny asked.
"Sorry, uh...I'm not really up to, uh, socializing just now."
"Something's going on, Rupert, and I'm guessing you already know what it is."
Giles turned around and got up. "What do you know?"
"Well, I have been surfing the 'Net, looking for unexplained incidents. You know, people are always sending stuff my way. They know the occult's my turf." Jenny smiled briefly, but she quickly sobered. "Now, here is the latest. A cat last week gave birth to a litter of snakes. A family was swimming in Whisper Lake when the lake suddenly began to boil. And Sunnydale Memorial Hospital last night, a boy was born with his eyes facing inward. I'm not stupid. This is apocalypse shit. And throw in last night's earthquake, and I'd say we've got a problem. I would say the end is pretty seriously fucking nigh."
"I don't know if I can trust you."
"I helped you cast that demon out of the Internet. I think that merits some trust. Look, I'm scared, okay? Oh, plus I've got this - this crazy monk e-mailing me from Cortona about some Anointed One?"
"The Anointed One?" Giles asked in surprise. "He's dead!"
"Someone's dead?" Jenny asked.
"Uh, who is this monk?" Giles asked.
"Uh, a Brother Luca something? Keeps sending out global mailings about a prophecy."
"I need you to talk to him, find out everything he knows."
"Look, Rupert, you haven't told me jack shit, so what's with the order?" Jenny asked.
"Just do it!" Giles yelled. "I'll e-explain later."
"You better."
Cordelia and Kevin were walking in the hallway.
"I'll get everything tonight after practice. The guys'll help me."
Cordelia looked at him. "Well, it's all in the A/V room. The sound system and the decorations..." She paused. "And, oh, Aura needs help, um, moving the coolers."
"Don't sweat it!" Kevin told her.
"Well, bring everything to the Bronze, and I'll meet you there in the morning!" Cordelia told him.
"Done!"
Cordelia giggled. "You're so sweet! Why're you so sweet?"
"I dunno! 'Cause I'm usually mean as a snake!"
Cordelia smiled at him. She spotted Tara. "Tara!" She looked at Kevin. "I'll see you in the morning."
"Okay." Kevin left.
Tara walked over to Cordelia.
"Tara! I really like your outfit!" Cordelia praised.
Tara smiled in amusement. "No, you don't."
"No, I really don't, but I need a favor."
"What kind?" Tara asked.
"Well, the Bronze won't let us use their sound system, and I need someone who knows how to hook one up. If you could just show up tomorrow morning, I'd be really, really grateful! I mean...I'd talk to you at the dance and everything."
"Sure."
"Great! Tomorrow at ten?" Cordelia asked.
"Sure."
That night, Buffy and Tara went to karate class and had a decent sparring session. Buffy was able to best Tara, but it was clear to Buffy that Tara was nearly her equal.
After class, they went into the women's locker room and changed from their gi back into their normal clothes. Buffy and Tara headed to the sinks and looked at themselves in the mirror. Buffy absently turned on the water. After looking in the mirror another moment, she looked down and saw blood was pouring from the faucet.
"Holy shit!" Buffy exclaimed.
Tara looked at her. "What?!" She looked down at the sink. "Ah, what the fuck?!"
"What the fuck's going on?!" Buffy asked.
Tara shook her head. "I dunno! That's some goddamn fucking Biblical shit right there!"
"I need to tell Giles about this. God damn it, I don't have my book on me." Buffy looked at her. "Babe, do you mind stopping off at the school on our way home?"
"Not at all."
Buffy walked into the library. "Giles, you are not gonna believe this."
She stopped when she heard Giles talking and looked into his office.
"It's clear. It's what's gonna happen. Uh, it's happening now!"
Angel moved into the light to read the Codex, and Buffy saw him.
"Angel?" Buffy headed toward the office.
"It can't be. You've gotta be wrong."
"I've checked it against all my other volumes. It's very real."
Buffy stopped at the door.
"Well, there's gotta be some way around it."
"Listen. Some prophecies are - are a bit dodgy. They're - They're mutable. Buffy herself has - has thwarted them time and time again, but this is the Codex. There is nothing in it that does not come to pass."
"Then you're reading it wrong."
"I wish to God I were! But it's very plain! Tomorrow night, Buffy will face the Master, and she will die."
Buffy was stunned.
"Well, have you verified the text?" Angel asked.
Unable to control herself or process this information, Buffy began to laugh hysterically. Angel and Giles saw her and exchanged a look. She slowly started to walk away from the office door. Angel came out of the office after her. She stopped by the table and faced them. Giles stood in his office doorway.
"So that's it, huh?" Buffy asked. "I remember the drill. One Slayer dies, next one's called! Wonder who she is." She looked at Giles. "Will you train her? Or will they send someone else?"
"Buffy, I-"
"They say how he's gonna kill me?" Buffy asked him. "Do you think it'll hurt?" Tears were flowing freely from her eyes.
Angel tried to put a hand on her shoulder.
Buffy put up her hands and quickly stepped away, repulsed by him. "Don't you fucking touch me!" She looked at Giles accusingly. "Were you even gonna tell me?"
"I was hoping that I wouldn't have to. That there was...some way around it. I-"
"I've got a way around it. I quit!" Buffy yelled.
Angel shook his head. "It's not that simple."
"I'm making it that simple! I quit! I resign! I-I'm fired! I am fucking done with this shit!" Buffy screamed. "You can find someone else to stop the Master from taking over!"
"I'm not sure that anyone else can. All the...the signs indicate-"
"The signs?" Buffy picked up a book and threw it at Giles, somewhat restraining herself and hitting the wall instead of him. "Read me the signs!" She picked up another book and threw it at him, missing him again by sheer force of will. "Tell me my fortune! You're so useful sitting here with all your books! You're really a lotta help!"
"No, I don't suppose I am."
"I know this is hard."
Buffy turned on Angel, enraged. "What do you know about this? You're never gonna die!"
"You think I want anything to happen to you?" Angel asked her. "We just gotta figure out a way-"
"I already did. I quit, remember? Pay attention!" Buffy yelled.
Giles stared at her. "Buffy, if the Master rises-"
Buffy yanked the cross from her neck. "I don't care!" She closed her eyes and took a few breathes. When she'd calmed down somewhat, she opened her eyes. "I don't care. Giles, I'm sixteen years old. I don't wanna die."
Giles was at a loss. Buffy threw her cross to the floor. Angel didn't know what to say either. Buffy turned and walked out of the library without looking back.
Buffy stormed out of the school and headed to the student parking lot. Tara was waiting on her scooter.
"Well?" Tara asked her.
"Drive me home." Buffy got on the scooter, behind Tara.
Tara saw Buffy's tears. "What happened?"
Buffy picked up her helmet and put it on. "I'll explain once we get there."
Buffy and Tara were sitting on the bed in Buffy's bedroom. They were looking through a photo album. The door opened, and Buffy's mother came in.
"Hi, honey. You all right?" Joyce asked.
"Sure."
Tara kept quiet.
"Probably just full from that bite of dinner you nearly had. Feel like telling me what's on your mind?"
Buffy turned to her mom. "Mom, let's go away!" She smiled.
"What?" Joyce asked, surprised.
"Anywhere, just for a while, all weekend!"
"Honey, I-"
"No, it'll be great! You and me, a mother-daughter thing. We can talk about all the embarrassing things you love to bring up."
"You know the gallery's open on weekends."
"Mom, please!" Buffy begged.
"Isn't the Spring Fling tomorrow night?"
Buffy hesitated. "I-I guess."
"Aren't you two gonna go?" Joyce asked them. "You've already gone through the fitting for your tux."
Buffy wasn't sure what to say.
Joyce went over to Buffy's closet. She opened the closet to reveal a beautiful black tuxedo. "I stopped by the store and picked it up this afternoon." She paused for a reaction from Buffy. "I already paid the rental fee. It would be a shame to let it go to waste."
Buffy got up. "Mom, we can't afford this."
"The way you've been eating, we can afford it."
Buffy went over to look at it. "It's beautiful."
"I think you should wear it. To the dance."
"No, I-I can't go to the dance."
"Says who? Is it written somewhere?" Joyce asked. "You should do what you want." She paused. "Homecoming, my freshman year of college. I didn't have a date, so I got dressed up, and I went anyway."
"Was it awful?" Buffy asked.
"It was awful. For about an hour."
"Then what happened?" Buffy asked.
Joyce smiled. "I met your father."
"He didn't have a date either?" Buffy asked her.
"He did. And that's a much funnier story that you will not get to hear. Oh, but it was a beautiful night!" Joyce sighed at the memory.
"And you had your whole life ahead of you."
"Yeah."
"Must be nice."
"Strongly consider going, honey. You might regret it if you don't."
Buffy didn't say anything.
"Well, good night."
"Good night."
Tara looked at Joyce. "Good night, Mrs. Summers."
Joyce looked at Tara and smiled. "Good night, Tara."
Joyce left the room, closing the door behind her.
Buffy looked from the tuxedo to Tara and then walked back over and sat on the bed. She put her left hand on top of Tara's right hand. "What do you think I should do, sweetie?"
"Well, we are scheduled to play. You don't wanna lose out on money and give the band a bad reputation, do you?" Tara asked her.
Buffy laughed despite how she was feeling.
Tara looked at the tuxedo. "And that's a really nice tux."
Buffy rested her head on Tara's shoulder. Tara lovingly stroked Buffy's hair.
The next day, after school, Cordelia and Tara walked down the stairs at school.
"Oh, Kevin said that he'd bring everything to the Bronze last night. He promised!" Cordelia complained. "We'll never get everything ready in time."
Tara looked at her. "He probably forgot. It's not that big a deal. We can just lug our amp over there, and everyone can use it."
"Uh, you don't understand. I'm not mad! He totally flaked on me. On me!" Cordelia exclaimed. "And I don't even care. God help me, I think it's cute! Oh..."
Tara smiled. They reach the A/V Club room. They saw Kevin and his friends through the windows.
"There they are! They're watching music videos. That's so cu..." Cordelia stopped herself. "That's not cute. That's annoying. I'm annoyed."
"Right. I'm furious." Tara didn't sound convincing, especially not to herself.
"Men. I don't know why I put up with them." Cordelia looked at Tara. "You've got the right idea."
Tara made a face. "It's not like I have a choice."
Cordelia smiled. "C'mon, Tara, gay me up."
"It doesn't work that way."
"Obviously, Kevin has underestimated the power of my icy stare." Cordelia opened the door.
Kevin's body fell out into the hall. He had a vampire bite on his neck.
Cordelia screamed in horror. "Oh, my God! Kevin!" She kneeled by him, lifted him up, and cradled his dead body in her arms. "No!"
Tara looked up and slowly went into the room. She saw the death and devastation. The room was trashed, and four boys were slumped over, all dead. There was a bloody handprint on the TV screen.
"Kevin!" Cordelia wailed, distraught.
Tara vomited onto the floor, repulsed and maddened by the scene surrounding her.
Principal Snyder ran over to them. "What's going on?!" He looked down and saw Kevin's corpse. "Oh, dear. Okay, um, Ms. Chase, would you please...?"
Tara turned around, refusing to look at the carnage any longer, yet she would see it for the rest of her life. She walked over to Cordelia and gently touched her shoulder. "Cordy."
Cordelia somehow managed to lay Kevin on the floor, and then she stood up. She and Tara walked away from the body, and then they hugged each other.
Cordelia sobbed. Tears ran down her cheeks. Tara just held her. Snyder was on his radio, calling to report the situation to the school deputy. Cordelia looked Tara in the eyes. Tara gently wiped away her tears and then kissed Cordelia on the forehead. It was all that she could offer, for she knew no words would bring comfort.
Snyder walked over to them. "When the deputy arrives, tell him what you know. Then go home. But I want you two to see the school counselor first thing Monday morning. Understood?"
Cordelia and Tara nodded.
In her room, Buffy was wearing her rented black tuxedo, black dress shoes, a white button-up dress shirt, and a black tie. She was looking at herself in the mirror.
Joyce came rushing in. "Buffy?! There's something on the news. Tara."
Buffy looked at her in shock. "Is she okay?!"
"She's..." Joyce paused. "She came across dead bodies at school. She and Cordelia did. Total massacre. They're pretty shaken."
"Where are they?!" Buffy asked frantically.
"Uh, I'm not sure. I assume they went home."
"I gotta go see them." Buffy put on her leather jacket, grabbed her keys off her dresser, and ran out of the room.
Buffy parked her van in Tara's driveway, got out, and walked up to the front door. It was sunset. She rang the doorbell.
Soon, the front door opened. Tara was standing there, crying.
Buffy swept her up in a big hug.
Buffy and Tara went to Tara's bedroom and sat on her bed. Buffy noticed Tara's rented tuxedo hanging in her closet. She sat and listened as Tara recounted what had happened.
Tara was hugging her knees and crying. "I've seen so much. I thought I could take anything. But, Buffy, this...this was different."
"It'll be all right."
"I'm trying to think how to say it...to explain it, so you understand."
"It doesn't matter as long as you're okay."
"I'm not okay. I knew those guys. I go to that room every day. And when I walked in there, it...it wasn't our world anymore. They made it theirs. And they had fun." A tear rolled down Tara's cheek. "What are we gonna do?"
"What we have to." Buffy got up but then made a decision and sat back down.
Tara looked at her, confused.
Without saying a word, Buffy lay Tara back, parted her legs, and unfastened Tara's belt. She unbuttoned and unzipped Tara's blue jeans. Tara lifted her ass off the bed. Buffy slid Tara's pants down her legs, and then she slid Tara's panties down, exposing Tara's pussy. Tara lay down again.
Buffy lay down between Tara's legs and gently touched Tara's pussy with her fingers. Buffy easily slid her left index finger into Tara's sopping, warm pussy. Her middle finger followed.
Buffy started slowly finger-fucking Tara. Tara let out a series of approving moans and felt her arousal building.
Buffy withdrew her fingers from Tara's pussy and looked at them. They were wet. Buffy took them into her mouth and sucked them. Tara stared at her.
Buffy kissed Tara's pussy, technically achieving her very first experience with oral sex. Then Buffy started licking Tara's pussy. She also pressed her lips against it and started eating it. She decided it was exactly what she should have expected: perfectly pleasant but also perfectly ordinary, no real taste to speak of. However, in this moment, she found it to be the most delicious thing that she had ever tasted. Tara watched her, and Buffy wondered whether Tara was getting any pleasure out of this.
Sensing Buffy's doubts, Tara smiled and ran the fingers of her right hand through Buffy's hair. "You're doing fine, sweetie."
Buffy paused her licking for a moment to insert her left index and middle fingers into Tara's pussy. She started masturbating her, built up a gentle rhythm, and then resumed licking her. She reached out with her right hand, took hold of Tara's left hand, and interlaced fingers with her. Tara let out a series of approving moans. Minutes went by, and then finally Tara felt her orgasm approach.
At last, Tara climaxed and cummed into Buffy's waiting mouth. Buffy withdrew her fingers and pressed her lips directly to Tara's pussy, drinking her squirting cum like it was mouth spray. Tara's moans delighted Buffy. Once Tara's orgasm had subsided, and her squirting had stopped, Buffy licked Tara's pussy of the remaining cum. She enjoyed the taste, it being very much like her own.
Buffy moved up, lay on top of Tara, smiled, and kissed Tara on the lips. The two girls french-kissed, and Tara tasted herself on Buffy's lips and tongue. It was a taste with which Tara was already very familiar, but she enjoyed having it served to her in this manner.
Buffy ended the kiss, pulled back, and swallowed the remaining cum that was in her mouth. Some of Tara's cum was still on Buffy's lips.
Buffy stared into Tara's blue eyes. "I love you."
Tara smiled. "I love you, too, sweetie."
Buffy got off the bed. "I'm gonna go and check on Cordy now."
"Oh, she's not at home."
"Where is she?" Buffy asked, surprised.
"She's moving the sound system to the Bronze. She asked me for help setting it up, but...I wanted to go home." Tara felt ashamed.
"Hey, you needed time to yourself. It's understandable."
Tara smiled weakly.
Buffy sighed. "Promise me you'll stay in tonight, okay?"
Tara nodded. Buffy started to go.
"Buffy?"
Buffy stopped and turned back.
Tara smiled through her tears. "I like your tux."
Buffy looked down at it and smiled weakly, then looked back up. "Take care." She turned and left Tara, wondering if she'd ever see her again.
Tara looked down sadly and stayed on her bed.
In the school library, Giles was getting weapons out of the cage and preparing them.
Jenny watched him. "Okay, so this Master guy tried to open the Hellmouth. But he got stuck in it, and now all the signs are reading that he's gonna get out, which opens the Hellmouth, which brings the demons, which ends the world."
"Yes. That about sums it up, yes."
"The part that gets me, though, is where Buffy is the Vampire Slayer. Why the hell was she chosen?" Jenny asked. "What criteria did...whoever...use?"
"You know how to get in touch with this, uh, Brother Luca chap?" Giles asked, ignoring the questions.
"Hmm. As far as I can tell, no one can. He's disappeared. Did send out one last global, though. A short one."
"What did it say?" Giles asked.
"'Isaiah 11:6', which I dutifully looked up."
"'The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf, the lion, and the fatling together, and the little child to lead them.'"
"That's kinda warm and fuzzy for a message of doom."
"Well, that depends where he's leading them to. Aurelius wrote of the Anointed One, 'The Slayer will not know him, and he will lead her into Hell.'"
"So Luca thinks the Anointed is a kid."
"If the vampire that Buffy killed was in fact not the Anointed, then it may well be."
"Well, then we need to warn her."
"I don't intend involving her at all."
"What do you mean?" Jenny asked.
"Buffy's not gonna face the Master. I am."
"No, you're not."
Giles and Jenny looked over and saw Buffy approaching.
"So...I'm looking for a kid, huh? And he'll lead me to the Master?" Buffy asked.
"Buffy, I'm not gonna send you out there to die. Now, you were right. I-I've waded around in these old books for so long, I've forgotten what the real world is like. I-It's time I found out."
"You're still not going up against the Master."
"I've made up my mind."
"So have I."
"I made up my mine first!" Giles insisted. "I'm older and wiser than you, and just...just do what you're told for once! All right?"
"That's not how it goes. I'm the Slayer."
"I don't care what the books say. I defy prophecy, and I am going. There's nothing you can say will change my mind."
"I know." Buffy pretended to turn to go, but then she threw a hard punch to his face, knocking him out.
Giles fell backward to the floor. Jenny scrambled to his aid. She lifted Giles' head in her hands and got under it with her knees. She looked up at Buffy.
"When he wakes up, tell him..." Buffy paused. "I don't know. Think of something cool; tell him I said it."
Jenny stared at Buffy. "You fight the Master, and you'll die."
"Maybe." Buffy picked up the crossbow. "Maybe I'll take him with me."
She left the library. Jenny turned her attention to Giles.
Outside the school, Buffy walked a short distance, looking all around, when she came upon a little boy with black hair.
"Help me..."
Buffy lowered the crossbow and walked over to him. She instinctively knew he was the Anointed One, probably remembering him from a flash in one of her nightmares. "It's okay. I know who you are."
He held out his hand. She took it, and he started to lead her away to the Master.
Tara sat in silence on her bed, thinking. Something about Buffy's behavior was bothering her. She suddenly had a suspicion of what was going on. She got off her bed, pulled up her blue jeans and panties, buttoned and zipped her jeans, and fastened her belt. She picked up her phone's handset and called a number.
"Hello?" Amy asked.
"Amy, it's me, Tara. What are you doing?"
"I was just about to take my drum machine to my car and head to the Bronze. Why?"
"Get to the library ASAP. Also, call Katrina and get her to come, too. We've got a situation. It's Buffy."
"What about Buffy?" Amy asked.
"I'll explain later. Hurry!" Tara slammed the phone handset down.
Tara arrived at the library first. Giles was sitting at the table, holding an ice pack to his jaw. Jenny was sitting next to him.
Giles looked at her. "Tara, Buffy-"
"I know. Hang on. Let's wait 'til everyone's here." Tara sat at the table.
Soon, Amy and Katrina arrived.
"Okay, what's this pow wow about?" Amy asked.
Amy and Katrina sat at the table.
Tara took a deep breath and let it out. "Buffy has gone to fight the Master."
"She what?" Katrina asked.
"There was something going on with her." Tara shook her head. "I could feel it, but I didn't do anything." She pounded a fist on the table. "I should have fucking stopped her!"
"Why would she do that?" Katrina asked.
Tara looked to Giles and stared pointedly at him.
Giles cleared his throat. "Yesterday, Buffy overheard Angel and me discussing a prophecy in which the Slayer confronts the Master and is killed."
Katrina was confused. "So...why did she go?"
Giles shrugged slightly. "Because she believed it to be the right thing to do."
"What do we do?" Amy asked him.
"We stay calm, first thing."
"How could you let her go?" Amy asked him.
"As the soon-to-be-purple area of my jaw will attest, I did not let her go!" Giles yelled.
"Well, how can we help her?" Tara asked.
Jenny looked at them. "Uh, I'm sorry to bring this up, but we also have an apocalypse to worry about. Once the Master gets free, the Hellmouth opens, the demons come to party, and everybody dies."
Tara looked at her. "We can't prevent that. Only Buffy can. We gotta help Buffy."
Amy nodded in agreement. "Save the cheerleader, save the world."
The others stared at her.
Amy shrugged. "What? It's true."
Giles shook his head. "We don't even know where she's gone."
Katrina thought about it. "No." She smiled. "But I can find out."
The Anointed One, who Buffy learned was named Collin, guided Buffy into the tunnels. She had the crossbow up and ready. He led her down some stairs and into a round side tunnel.
Katrina knocked on the door to Angel's apartment.
Angel opened the door. "Oh. Hey. Katrina, right?"
"Yeah. Mind if I come in?" Katrina asked him.
Angel stepped aside.
Katrina walked into the apartment.
Angel closed the door. "What's up?"
Katrina looked at him. "Buffy's gone."
"Whadaya mean?" Angel asked her.
"She's gone to fight the Master."
"He'll kill her."
"We're not gonna let it happen."
"Well, what do you propose we do about it?" Angel asked her.
"You can find this Master guy, right? He's underground, right?" Katrina asked. "Let's fucking go."
"You're way outta your league, kid. The Master'll kill you before you can even breathe. If you're lucky."
"Please!" Katrina begged him. "It's Buffy! Our friend! Cordelia's friend!"
Angel stared at her for a moment. "C'mon!"
Back in the library, Giles came out of the stacks with an armful of books. "The Master is as old as any vampire on record. There's no telling how powerful he'll be if he reaches the surface."
"Okay, here's my question: the Hellmouth opens."
Giles looked at Jenny. "Yes."
"Where?" Jenny asked. "If he's underground, and it's right where he is, where's it gonna open?"
"Good point. Uh, well, look, you have a look through the Black Chronicles..." Giles handed her one of the books.
"Okay."
"Uh, Tara? Amy?" Giles asked.
"Huh?" Tara asked, snapped out of her near-constant worry.
Giles sat down at the table. "Could you look through the local histories, please? Check for any common denominators, uh, locations of incidents and such."
Tara nodded. "Right, okay."
Amy nodded. "On it."
Collin stopped at the entrance of the Master's lair, and Buffy looked at him. He pointed down below, inviting her to enter, and left the way that they came. Buffy watched him go. Then she turned and made her way down to the floor below. She looked around. There were hundreds of candles burning everywhere.
"Welcome." The Master's voice seemed to be coming from all directions.
"Thanks for having me."
The Master stepped into the light. He looked just as grotesque as he had in her nightmares.
"Y'know, you really oughta talk to your contractor. Looks like you got some water damage."
"Oh, good. The feeble banter portion of the fight. Why don't we just cut to the-"
Buffy spun around and launched a bolt in the direction of his voice. With his lightning reflexes, the Master caught it in mid-flight right in front of him at chest level. Buffy quickly reloaded the bow.
"Nice shot. You're not going to kill me with that thing."
"Don't be so sure."
"You still don't understand your part in all this, do you? You are not the hunter. You are the lamb."
In the library, Giles, Jenny, Tara, and Amy were at the table, studying their volumes.
"Well, let's think about this, then. The vampires have been gathering; they know he's coming; they will be his army."
"Do you think they'll gather at the Hellmouth?" Jenny asked Giles.
Tara looked at her. "Well, the last time the Master tried to rise was the Harvest. He sent a bunch of vampires to get him fresh blood."
Jenny looked at her. "Well, where did that go down?"
Giles came to a realization. "The Bronze."
"The Spring Fling!" Amy exclaimed.
Giles started to stand up. "We have to warn them."
Jenny stopped Giles. "No! We'll go. You have to concentrate on demon killing. My car's in the lot."
Jenny, Tara, and Amy stood up.
Tara looked at Amy. "Amy, maybe stay and do some research on some magic that might help?"
Amy sat down. "Yeah, okay."
Tara and Jenny started walking toward the library exit.
"Stay close together! And for goodness' sake, be careful!" Giles told them.
Tara briefly looked back at him. "We will."
In the Master's lair, Buffy was slowly walking around, searching for the Master. She came upon a dead and rotted body. She winced and continued her search. "You know, for someone who's all powerful, you sure do like to hide."
"I'm waiting for you. I want this moment to last."
"Well, I don't."
She searched for a few moments longer, then the Master suddenly came to stand right behind her.
"I understand."
She turned around, and the Master knocked the crossbow out of her hands. He grabbed her by the neck. He had his hand around Buffy's throat. She swung up with her arm, knocked his hand away, and started to run. He held his hand out toward her, and she froze, caught by his hypnotic powers. She looked back at him and couldn't move. He approached her, making slow twisting motions with his hand. He came up behind her, gently took off her leather jacket, and let it fall to the ground. Buffy was panting hard with fear.
"You tried. It was noble of you. You heard the prophecy that I was about to break free, and you came to stop me. But prophecies are tricky creatures. They don't tell you everything. You're the one that sets me free! If you hadn't come, I couldn't go. Think about that!"
Buffy was frozen with fear. The Master waited a moment longer and then bent down and bit her at the base of her neck. He drank a few sips and let her go.
"Oh, God! The power!"
Buffy fell to her knees.
"And by the way..."
She fell face down into a pool of water.
"I like your tux."
That was the last thing that she heard before she drowned.
In the school's faculty parking lot, Jenny dug in her bag for her keys as she and Tara headed for her car.
"What if they get to the Bronze before we do?" Tara looked behind them.
Jenny looked up and stopped. "Don't need to worry about that!"
Tara caught up to her. "Why not?"
"'Cause they're not goin' to the Bronze."
They looked out onto the field and saw a hoard of vampires approaching. They looked across the parking lot and saw more of them. They turned to go back and saw even more of them blocking their way. They were surrounded.
In the tunnels, Katrina and Angel saw the light coming out of an adjoining tunnel.
"What was that?" Katrina asked him.
"It's too late. He's gone up."
They broke into a run for the Master's lair. Angel got there first, looked around, and spotted Buffy. He scrambled down to the floor and rushed to her as Katrina reached the lair's entrance. Katrina stopped and stared at Buffy in the pool. Angel reached her and quickly pulled her out of the water. He held her and tried to listen for breathing.
Angel looked up at Katrina. "She's dead!"
Katrina looked down at them and swallowed hard. She ran down to Buffy and Angel. "No. She's not dead."
"She's not breathing."
"But if she drowned, uh, there's a shot! CPR! Stand aside!"
Angel stood up and got out of the way.
Katrina kneeled down by Buffy's face, tilted her head back, put her mouth on hers, and blew into her lungs. She let go and began to pump her chest.
The vampires were advancing on Tara and Jenny.
"Why are they coming here?" Jenny asked.
"Not caring!" Tara yelled at her.
They heard a car screech to a stop behind them.
"Get in!" Cordelia yelled.
Katrina breathed into Buffy's lungs again and continued to pump her chest. She wasn't about to give up on her friend.
Suddenly, Buffy opened her eyes wide and drew a breath. She lay still for a moment as she looked around with her eyes.
"Buffy!" Katrina exclaimed in relief.
Buffy turned her head to the side and coughed out a bunch of water. Katrina and Angel looked at each other and smiled. Katrina put her hand on Buffy's forehead and stroked it gently. Buffy looked up at her, surprised to see her.
Katrina smiled at her. "Buffy."
"Katrina?" Buffy asked.
Katrina grinned. "Welcome back."
Katrina and Angel helped Buffy stand up.
Katrina tried to be as gentle as she could. "Easy. Easy."
Buffy fully stood up straight. "The Master?"
Angel picked up Buffy's leather jacket and offered it to her. "He's gone up."
Buffy took the jacket and started to go, putting it on as she walked.
Katrina shook her head. "No. You're still weak."
Buffy stopped. "No. No, I feel strong. I feel different." She looked back at them. "Let's go!"
Jenny and Tara got into the back seat of Cordelia's car and slammed the doors shut.
"I was sitting where Kevin and I used to park, and all of a sudden these vamps are coming at me!" Cordelia explained.
They all screamed as a vampire jumped on top of the car.
"What do we do now?" Jenny asked.
"We've gotta get to the library!" Tara replied.
"Library! Great!" Cordelia acknowledged.
Cordelia burned rubber and made a fast U-turn, throwing the vampire off the roof of her car, and headed toward the school building. The car's engine raced as Cordelia gunned it toward the doors.
Tara shrugged. "Of course, we generally walk there, but have at it, Speed Racer."
They crashed through the doors and into the hall. The car crashed through another set of doors and skidded to a stop in front of the library. Vampires were running into the hall as the ladies got out of the car, screaming as they ran into the library.
They pushed the doors closed just as the vampires got there. They leaned against the door.
"What's happening?" Giles asked.
"Guess!" Jenny replied.
A vampire punched through the small round window in one of the doors and grabbed at them. Giles grabbed a bookcase and carried it over to the door. Tara grabbed a sign and started hitting the vampire's arm with it.
Giles got the bookcase in place. He grabbed the copier and pulled it over, too. "Why are they coming here?!"
"Not caring!" Tara yelled at him.
They piled more things in front of the door. Giles looked at the back of the library and saw vampires trying to get in.
Giles pointed. "They're coming in through the stacks!"
Jenny looked at Tara and Amy. "C'mon!"
Jenny, Tara, and Amy ran to the back of the library.
"The bookshelves!" Jenny yelled.
They lifted a bookcase against the French doors that led to the stacks and leaned against it.
"My office..." Giles went to secure his office, leaving Cordelia alone at the main doors.
A green tentacle inched toward Tara's leg. A vampire punched through the other library door window and grabbed Cordelia's arm.
Cordelia screamed. "Somebody help!"
Outside, Buffy marched determinedly toward the school with Katrina and Angel close behind.
"So...how do you know where the Master's going?" Katrina asked Buffy.
"I know."
A vampire tried to block their way into the school.
Buffy was completely unimpressed. "Oh, look, a bad guy."
Buffy punched him on her way by, and he fell flat on his back.
The trio went inside the building and over to the stairs leading to the roof.
Buffy looked at Katrina and Angel. "Okay, you two wait here; keep the rest of the vampires off me."
Katrina nodded. "Right."
"Angel, you ready?" Buffy asked.
Angel bared his fangs. "I'm ready."
"One way or another, this won't take long." Buffy looked at them both once more and then headed up to the roof.
In the library, Cordelia hit the vampire's hand and then bit it. The vampire screamed and let go.
"See how you like it, asshole!" Cordelia yelled.
"This won't keep 'em out for long!" Tara yelled.
Tara looked down and saw the tentacle wrap itself around her ankle; she screamed loudly.
Jenny grabbed hold of her. "Giles! Giles!"
Giles ran out of his office in time to see a huge, green, multi-headed and multi-tentacled demon burst through the floor. "The Hellmouth!"
Cordelia couldn't believe what she was seeing. The creature had three heads and reached all of the way to the ceiling.
"What the fuck is that?!" Cordelia asked.
"Dinner." Amy concentrated and thrust her hands palms outward toward the creature.
Nothing happened.
Amy stared at it in dismay. "Well, fuck."
Buffy arrived on the roof of the school.
A short distance away, the Master looked in through the skylight and clapped his hands idly. "Yes. Come forth, my child. Come into my world."
"I don't think it's yours just yet."
The Master turned his head and stared at her in surprise. "You're dead!"
"I may be dead, but I'm still pretty. Which is more than I can say for you."
"You were destined to die! It was written!"
Buffy shrugged. "What can I say? I flunked the written."
The Master growled and reached his arm out to try his hypnosis on her again. "Come here!"
Inside the library, Tara screamed as the Hellmouth creature tried to drag her away from Jenny.
"Giiiles!" Jenny screamed.
Giles grabbed an ax from the table and rushed up the stairs to their aid.
"Giles!" Jenny screamed.
Giles swung the ax into one of the heads, and the creature roared in agony.
Buffy slowly approached the Master, faking being hypnotized. He grabbed her by the throat again.
"Did you really think you could best me here, when you couldn't below?" He let go of her neck.
Buffy looked at him curiously. "You have fruit punch mouth."
"What?"
Buffy swung a wide hard punch to his mouth, and he fell down.
Buffy stared down at him. "Save the hypnosis shit for the tourists."
As he got up, she did a swinging roundhouse kick that connected squarely with his face. He swiped at her, and she jerked back, but he managed to slice her with his fingernails across her upper-right chest, tearing her shirt and drawing blood. She punched him in the kidney. He punched her in the jaw. She tried to punch him again, but he blocked her and punched her in the face, sending her flying backward into the wall behind her.
Giles swung again with the ax and hit the creature. He tried again, but this time it knocked him off the mezzanine and onto the large table below. It broke when Giles hit it, and one side fell over onto its end, leaving a huge spike pointing upward.
One of the creature's heads hovered above Giles. Another one faced Tara and Amy and laughed.
At the bottom of the stairs, two vampires attacked Katrina and Angel. Angel started to fight one while the other jumped on Katrina's back. She elbowed him in the ribs, and he fell off her. Angel staked the one that he was fighting, and Katrina punched out the other. Angel offered her an extra stake. Katrina took the stake and plunged it into her foe's heart.
Buffy launched herself into a front tuck over the Master's head and landed between him and the skylight. She kicked him in the side with a side snap kick, but he quickly turned around and grabbed her by the neck again.
"Where are your jibes now?" he asked her.
She looked behind her and saw the upended table through the skylight.
"You laugh when my Hell is on Earth?" he asked her.
"You're that amped about Hell..." Buffy grabbed him by the neck. "Go there!"
Buffy lifted him up and flipped him over herself and through the skylight. He fell down and was impaled on the table. Buffy watched from above. Giles got up. The Hellmouth creature quickly disappeared back into the floor. The vampires were all gone. Buffy headed downstairs.
Cordelia pushed the last of the junk away from the main library doors and pulled the door open for Buffy, Katrina, and Angel, who walked into the library.
Cordelia hugged Angel, and he hugged her in return. Cordelia passionately kissed Angel on the lips. Tara ran over to Buffy and threw her arms around her in a tight hug. Without waiting, Tara passionately kissed Buffy on the lips. Buffy hugged Tara.
After a moment, they all walked over to the Master's body.
"The vampires?" Giles asked.
Cordelia looked at him. "Gone."
"The Master?" Angel asked.
Giles looked at him. "Dead. The Hellmouth is closed." He looked at Buffy. "Buffy..." He got no response. "Buffy?"
Buffy looked at him. "Oh, sorry. It's just been a really weird day." She smiled.
"Yeah! Buffy died and everything!" Katrina told them.
Giles looked at Buffy. "I should have known that wouldn't stop you."
Buffy smiled at him again.
Tara looked at Buffy in concern. "You died?!"
"Just a little. I drowned in a shallow pool of water. It was quite embarrassing, actually." Buffy looked at Katrina and smiled. "But Katrina brought me back to life."
Katrina smiled back at Buffy.
Amy noticed a wound on Buffy's neck. "Your neck."
Buffy touched the wound. "Oh. Yeah. The Master fed on me."
Angel looked at her in concern. "But you didn't feed on him, right?"
"I...don't know, actually. I lost consciousness soon after." Buffy suddenly felt uneasy.
"Well, what do we do now?" Jenny asked.
Giles looked at all of them. "I don't know about the rest of you, but I'd like to get out of this place. I don't like the library very much anymore."
"Hey!" Katrina exclaimed. "I hear there's a dance at the Bronze tonight. Could be fun."
"Yeah!" Cordelia agreed. "Especially since you're scheduled to play there."
Tara was concerned and looked at her girlfriend. "Buffy?"
Buffy smiled. "Sure! We saved the world. I say we party!" She looked down at her tuxedo. "I mean...I got all pretty."
"And what about him?" Jenny indicated the Master's body.
Buffy looked at it. "He's not going anywhere. Loser."
They all started to go and chatter. Buffy trailed the group.
Giles looked at Jenny. "I'm not dancing, though."
"We'll see."
Cordelia looked at Angel. "You can come with us, Angel."
"I..." Angel sighed.
"C'mon!" Cordelia insisted. "You are the May King, after all!"
Angel smiled. "All right."
Buffy felt pangs. "I'm hungry."
Katrina looked at Cordelia. "So what's the story with the car?"
Cordelia looked at Katrina and smiled. "Oh, that was me, saving the day!"
"Is anybody else hungry?" Buffy asked. "I'm really, really hungry."
Angel looked back at Buffy. "By the way, I really like your tux."
"Yeah, yeah. Big hit with everyone."
After picking up needed items at home, Cordelia, Amy, Katrina, Giles, and Jenny drove to the Bronze in their respective cars, Buffy drove her van, and Tara rode her scooter. Angel rode with Cordelia.
The Spring Fling was already somewhat underway. However, when Cordelia arrived, wearing her crown, everyone stopped and applauded for her. Cordelia smiled and waved to them, Angel on her arm. She had forced him to wear his crown. He timidly waved at the crowd for a bit, clearly uncomfortable.
Buffy, Tara, Amy, and Katrina set up their gear and then took to the dance floor while waiting for their turn to play. Buffy danced with Tara, Cordelia danced with Angel, and Amy and Katrina, who hadn't gotten around to getting dates, danced with each other. Giles stood in constant vigil at the punch bowl, ignoring Jenny's logical arguments in favor of dancing.
Finally, Cunt Thrust finished performing. The audience applauded.
"Way to go, Brett!" Amy cheered.
When the band had unplugged their gear and vacated the stage, Buffy and the Slayerettes took to the stage and plugged their gear into the sound system. Harmony set up her video camera on her tripod and pressed Record.
"Y'know, guys, I was thinking." Buffy looked at her bandmates. "Why don't we go to L.A. for the summer?"
"What?" Tara asked in surprise.
"Yeah. We can stay with my dad and Dawn. I just wanna get the fuck outta here for a while."
Cordelia overheard and walked over to the stage. "I'm in."
Buffy hadn't considered that. "Oh, um, sure, Cordy, you can come." She looked at the others. "Tara, Amy, Katrina?"
Tara looked at Buffy. "I'd like to, but I need to clear it with my parents. I'll, uh, I'll - I'll ask my mom."
Amy frowned. "Sorry, I can't go. I'm vacationing in Avalon."
Cordelia smiled. "France?"
Tara smiled. "Glastonbury?"
Amy shook her head. "Santa Catalina Island."
"Trina?" Buffy asked.
Katrina shook her head. "My sister's coming home from college. We're gonna hang."
Buffy was disappointed. "Oh. Well, tell Amelinda that I said hi."
"Have you guys decided on a song?" Cordelia asked them.
Buffy looked at her. "We were talking it over during the dance, and yeah."
They were done checking their instruments. Cordelia left to go dance with Angel.
Buffy looked at Amy. "Okay, Amy, you start with the drum machine." She looked at Tara. "Tara, you then come in on keyboard. I'll sing the first two verses; you'll sing the first chorus and third verse."
Tara nodded. "Okay."
Buffy looked at Katrina. "Katrina, you'll sing the fourth verse."
Katrina nodded. "Right."
Buffy looked at Amy. "Amy, you'll sing the second chorus."
Amy nodded. "Okay."
"I'll sing the third chorus. Okay, let's do it." Buffy faced the audience and turned on her microphone. "Hello. We're Buffy and the Slayerettes. I'm Buffy Summers, the lead guitarist. These are Tara Maclay, the keyboardist; Katrina Silber, the bass guitarist; and Amy Madison, the drummer."
The other three girls each waved in turn as Buffy introduced them.
"What kinda drum is that?!" a guy yelled from the audience.
Various other people laughed. Amy frowned.
Buffy ignored them. "This song is kinda old, but we hope you'll enjoy it. 3, 2, 1!"
Amy started playing a beat on her drum machine. Soon, Tara started playing her synthesizer. Buffy swallowed, nervous, and mentally prepared to sing to a large audience for the first time in her life.
"Now,
The mist across the window hides the lines,
But nothing hides the color of the lights that shine,
Electricity so fine.
Look and dry your eyes.
"We,
So tired of all the darkness in our lives,
With no more angry words to say, can come alive,
Get into a car, and drive
To the other side."
"Me, babe, steppin' out
Into the night,
Into the light.
You, babe, steppin' out
Into the night,
Into the light.
"We
Are young but getting old before our time.
We'll leave the TV and the radio behind.
Don't you wonder what we'll find
Steppin' out tonight?"
Cordelia stared into Angel's eyes. "So...I'm going away for the summer."
"Oh?" Angel asked.
"Yeah, to L.A.; me, Buffy, and Tara."
Angel was silent for a moment. "I'll miss you."
Cordelia grinned. "Yeah?"
"Uh-huh."
Cordelia kissed Angel on the lips. They kissed for the rest of the song, and then they turned and applauded the band when they were done.
Buffy, Tara, Katrina, and Amy took bows. Then Buffy and Tara hugged each other and kissed each other on the lips in celebration of getting through their first public performance.