"Inca Mummy Girl"

Based on the Episode Written by Matt Kiene and Joe Reinkemeyer

The following story is copyright © 2021 by Mark Moore.

Buffy and Tara were walking past the rose gardens toward the Sunnydale Natural History Museum. Their class was on a field trip.

"This is so unfair."

Tara looked at Buffy. "I don't think it's that bad."

"It's the Ueber-suck. Mom could've at least warned me."

"Well, a lot of parents are doing it this year. It's part of this whole cultural exchange thing. The exhibit, the dance..." Tara grinned. "I have the best costume for the dance! I worked really hard on my costume. It's pretty cool."

"A complete stranger in my house for two weeks. I'm gonna be insane!" Buffy exclaimed. "A danger to myself and others within three days, I fucking swear."

"I think the exchange student program's cool."

Buffy gave Tara a look.

"I do!" Tara insisted. "It's a beautiful melding of two cultures."

"Have you ever done an exchange program?" Buffy asked her.

"No, but I've read about them. It'll be fun, trust me."

They climbed the steps to the building entrance and the cultural exchange exhibit.

Inside, Cordelia and two other girls were looking over the pictures of the exchange students.

"Ooh! There's mine! Sven. Isn't he lunchable? Mine's definitely the best." Cordelia walked past Buffy.

"What're you lookin' at?" Buffy asked her.

"Pictures of our exchange students. Look. 100% Swedish, 100% gorgeous, 100% staying at my house! So how's yours? Visually, I mean."

"I don't know. Guy-like?" Buffy guessed.

"Nothing more specific than that?" Cordelia asked her.

Buffy shrugged. "I was just told 'guy'."

"You didn't look at him first?" Cordelia asked her.

Buffy stared back at her, waiting for her to put it together.

"Right. I forgot who I was talking to. Well, he could be dogly. You live on the edge." Cordelia walked off.

Buffy rolled her eyes. She and Tara stopped at the end of a row of display cases, and Buffy noticed a boy scraping a mask.

"What's he doing?" Buffy asked Tara.

"Uh, that's Rodney Munson." Tara shrugged. "No fucking clue what he's doing."

Another student went up to Rodney and got growled at.

Buffy smiled. "I better stop him before he gets in trouble."

"I got it. The non-violent approach is probably better here." Tara went over to Rodney.

Buffy followed her. "I wasn't gonna use violence. I don't always use violence. Do I?"

Tara looked at her and smiled sweetly. "The important thing is you believe that."

"What're you-" Rodney looked up. "Oh. Tara, hi."

"That's probably not something you're supposed to be doing. You could get in trouble."

"Oh, no. And they might kick me outta school?" Rodney asked her facetiously.

Tara smiled. "Are we still on for our chem tutorial tomorrow?"

"Yeah. I think I got almost all fourteen natural elements memorized."

"There're over ninety."

Rodney suddenly looked worried.

"Welcome, students. We shall now proceed into the Incan burial chamber. The human sacrifice is about to begin."

Buffy and Tara looked at each other in amusement. They all walked into the entry to the Inca exhibit.

"Five-hundred years ago, the Incan people chose a beautiful teenage girl to become their princess."

They took the steps up to a platform where the Incan stone coffin and mummy were on display. Buffy and Tara looked into the coffin at the discolored, shriveled mummy.

"The Incan people sacrificed their princess to the mountain god Sabancaya, an offering buried alive for eternity in this dark tomb."

Buffy looked at Tara. "They could've at least wrapped her in those nice white bandages, like in the movies?"

"The princess remained there, protected only by a cursed seal placed there as a warning to any who would wake her." The museum guide pointed to the plate in the mummy's hands.

Cordelia and a few other girls were still looking at the exchange student pictures and laughing.

Tara looked at Buffy. "When's the exchange student making his appearance?"

"His name's Ampata. Gonna be at the bus stop near the Bronze tomorrow night."

"Now, if you'll follow me this way, please."

They all walked past the coffin and followed the guide to the next destination on the tour.

"Y'know, it occurs to me that this will be the last night for a while that I'll have my room to myself." Buffy paused for a moment and then looked at Tara. "My mom's working late tonight."

Tara looked at Buffy. Buffy was smiling seductively at her. Tara smiled back.

That evening, in Buffy's bedroom, Buffy and Tara were lying in Buffy's bed. Buffy was topless. Tara was naked and on her back, and Buffy was lying between her legs and eating Tara's pussy. Tara let out a series of quiet moans that were music to Buffy's ears. Buffy toyed with her for a while, occasionally kissing and licking Tara's anus. Tara found it to be a bit odd but still enjoyable. Buffy licked Tara's asshole and poked it with her tongue, and then she resumed eating her pussy. Finally, Tara had an orgasm and cummed into Buffy's waiting mouth. They released each other's hand, and then Buffy moved up, lay on top of Tara, and kissed her on the lips. Tara parted her lips. Having gained admittance, Buffy's tongue slipped into Tara's mouth, and Tara's tongue greeted it. The two ladies softly, gently, lazily french-kissed each other for a while. Tara tasted her own cum on Buffy's tongue. When their tongues parted, Buffy swallowed the rest of Tara's cum.

Buffy got off Tara. Tara sat up and moved aside, and Buffy lay on her back, resting her head on her pillow. Tara unfastened Buffy's belt and unbuttoned and unzipped her blue jeans. Buffy lifted her ass off the bed, and Tara pulled Buffy's jeans and panties off her. Tara gazed at Buffy's pussy for a moment, and then she lay between Buffy's legs, settling in for a long feast.

Buffy watched in anticipation. Tara started kissing and licking Buffy's pussy, soon realizing it was exactly what she should have expected: she was kissing and licking flesh, and there was no particular taste to it. Tara loved it nonetheless and licked Buffy eagerly. Buffy was mesmerized by the sight. Tara looked up at her and, grinning, licked the length of Buffy's pussy. She inserted her left index and middle fingers into Buffy's inner sanctum and masturbated her. This, combined with Tara's loving licks, brought Buffy great pleasure. Tara took hold of Buffy's left hand with her right hand and interlaced fingers with her. Buffy reached down with her right hand and ran her fingers through Tara's lovely blonde hair.

Soon, Buffy felt her orgasm approach. She let out a series of quiet moans that were music to Tara's ears. Tara withdrew her fingers from Buffy's pussy and sucked them clean, and then she pressed her lips directly to Buffy's pussy, frenching it, eating it. Finally, Buffy cummed hard, releasing all of her pent-up sexual desires directly into Tara's waiting mouth. The jets of cum came in short bursts, and Tara eagerly consumed it all. Then she licked up the rest from Buffy's pussy.

Tara moved up, lay on top of Buffy, and smiled. "How'd you like that?"

Buffy struggled to catch her breath. "Holy shit, that was fucking amazing."

"It was my first time eating a girl. I'm glad that you liked it."

Buffy smiled. "You're very talented."

"Thank you." Tara smacked her lips in appreciation. "You taste good, sweetie. Salty and sweet. Delicious and nutritious."

"I want a taste."

Tara obliged, passionately kissing Buffy on the lips. She shoved her tongue into Buffy's mouth, allowing Buffy to taste herself. It was a taste with which Buffy was already very familiar, but she enjoyed having it served to her in this manner.

Tara suddenly broke the kiss. "Do you - Do you wanna sixty-nine?"

Buffy grinned. "Of course."

"Turn around."

Buffy turned around and straddled Tara's head. She lowered her pussy down to Tara's waiting mouth. Tara put her hands on Buffy's ass. Buffy lowered her head to Tara's pussy. Tongues and fingers went to work, and each girl soon had another nice orgasm, though not nearly as intense as their first.

"All right, I wanna be on top now."

Buffy smiled in amusement, realizing Tara was pretty much insatiable. Still, she readily complied. She got off Tara, and Tara sat up and vacated her spot. Buffy lay back on the bed and lay her head on the pillow. Tara got on top of Buffy, facing her pussy. She straddled Buffy's head and lowered her pussy down to Buffy's waiting mouth. Buffy put her hands on Tara's ass. Tara lowered her head to Buffy's pussy. The two of them went at it. Buffy decided, in the case of sixty-nine, she preferred being on the bottom, because she enjoyed the feel of Tara's full, naked body on top of her, the weight pressing down upon her. She guessed Tara probably had similar feelings, so they would alternate. Still, she greatly enjoyed being beneath Tara.

After their latest orgasms and helpings of cum, Tara got off Buffy and sat on the bed. Buffy sat up. They gently kissed.

Tara smiled. "I love you."

Buffy smiled back at her. "I love you, too."

The next morning, at Sunnydale High, as students were arriving for school, Buffy and Tara were sparring in the library. Giles was sitting at the table and observing.

Buffy smiled. "Oh, I've got my costume for the dance."

"You're not going."

"Excuse you?" Buffy asked Giles, not taking her eyes off Tara.

"You are the Chosen One."

"Mm. Just this once, I'd like to be the Overlooked One."

"Well, I'm...afraid that is not-"

He was interrupted by Tara being kicked back against the table.

Buffy frowned. "Oh! Sorry, babe!"

Tara regained her footing and grinned. "It's okay. I kinda liked it."

Giles tried to remember what he was saying. "You have responsibilities that other girls do not."

"Oh! I know this one!" Buffy exclaimed. "Slaying entails certain sacrifices, blah, blahbitty blah, I'm so stuffy, gimme a scone."

"It's as if you know me. Your secret identity is gonna be difficult enough to maintain while this exchange student is living with you."

"After last week, what secret identity?" Buffy asked him. "Besides, I think going to the dance like a normal person would be the best way to keep that not-so-secret secret. Giles, come on, budge! No one likes a non-budger."

Giles didn't say a word. Buffy stopped fighting Tara, faced Giles, stepped back, and went at him for an especially hard kick.

"Fine!" Giles exclaimed, terrified.

Buffy stopped her kick at the last instant.

"Go."

Buffy smiled. "Yay! I win."

She and Tara took off their protective gear.

Tara suddenly remembered something. "Oh! Rodney's missing."

"Trouble with Mr. Munson again?" Giles asked her.

"His parents say he never came home last night."

Buffy thought about it. "Y'know, I don't think I remember seeing Rodney on the bus back from the field trip."

Tara shook her head. "I didn't either. I hope he didn't get in trouble at the museum."

Buffy chuckled. "Hey, maybe he awakened the mummy."

Tara giggled. "Right, and it rose from its tomb."

Buffy smiled. "And attacked him." She nodded in delight.

Their smiles faded as they realized that may not be so far-fetched.

After school, Buffy, Tara, and Giles went to the Inca exhibit at the museum. They climbed the steps to the platform where the coffin was on display.

"There was a seal?" Giles asked.

Buffy stepped up to the coffin and looked in. "It was right here. And it's broken." She picked up the largest piece.

"Does that mean the mummy's loose?" Tara asked her.

"No, comfy as ever." Buffy handed the piece to Giles.

Giles looked at it. "Look at this series of pictograms."

Suddenly, a man came out of nowhere and yelled, jumped up behind Giles, and swung at him with a knife. Giles ducked the blow and got behind him. The man swung back the other way again blindly, looked into the coffin, and was surprised by what he saw there. Buffy jumped onto the man's back. He knocked Buffy off and ran off the platform and away.

Buffy quickly got up. "Who the fuck was that?"

Giles shook his head. "I haven't the faintest idea. Let's just get out of here before he comes back."

Buffy and Giles hurried down the steps to leave.

Tara noticed something about the mummy. "Mr. Giles, were the Incas very advanced?"

"Yes, yes, very."

"Did they have orthodontists?" Tara asked him.

Buffy and Giles walked back up the steps and looked into the coffin at the mummy. There were metal braces on its teeth.

Buffy felt the blood drain from her face as she came to a horrific realization. "Holy shit. Rodney."

They returned to the school library.

"Rodney looked like he had been dead for five-hundred years. How could that be?" Tara asked.

Buffy shrugged. "Maybe we should ask that crazy man with the big old knife."

Tara looked at her. "I don't think he seemed overly chatty. Besides, the way he bolted when he saw Rodney, I'd say he was as freaked as we were."

"My resources on this subject are extremely limited. I-I gather that this particular mummy was from the Sabancaya region of southern Peru. It's very remote. Now, if there's an answer, then it's - it's locked in the..."

Buffy looked at Giles. "In the seal."

Giles looked at the seal. "It's gonna take me weeks to...translate these pictograms. Well, we'll start tonight with-"

"Ampata!" Buffy suddenly exclaimed.

"I was gonna suggest hunting."

"No, I'm late. I told my mom I'd pick him up. Ampata's there alone. And I-I don't know how good his English is. He's here from South A...South America." Buffy paused in thought. "Hey, y'know, maybe he could translate the seal."

Giles shrugged. "Maybe."

Buffy and Tara arrived at the bus stop and looked for him.

"Forty minutes late. Welcome to America!" Buffy exclaimed sarcastically.

"What if he left already?" Tara asked her.

"Then my mom's gonna fucking kill me. Ampata? Ampata Gutierrez?" Buffy called. "Ampata?"

"Here!"

Buffy and Tara turned around and saw a young teenage girl walking toward them.

"Hello." She came over and stood before them. "I am Ampata."

Buffy and Tara were surprised to find Ampata was a girl.

Buffy was showing Ampata around the Summers house. Tara was tagging along.

"Dining room..."

They went into the kitchen from the dining room.

Buffy turned on the light. "And this is the kitchen."

"It's very good!" Ampata exclaimed.

"Yeah, you got your stove, your fridge; it's fully functional. We're very into it. Would you like a drink?" Buffy opened the fridge. "Uh, let's see, we've got milk and, uh, oh, older milk..." She paused. "Juice?"

"Please."

Buffy got the carton of orange juice out and closed the fridge. "So...have you ever been to America before?" She got out three glasses and set them on the island.

"Uh, I-I have toured."

"Where did you go?" Tara asked her.

Buffy poured the juice.

"I was taken to Atlanta, Boston, New York."

"New York!" Tara exclaimed in delight. "That's exciting. What was that like?"

"I did not see so much. I listened much."

After Tara had gone home, Buffy and Ampata went up to Buffy's room. Ampata sat down on her bed, which had been brought into the room, and was surprised at the springiness of it.

"Hey! Sorry about the teeniness of the room."

"My old one was much smaller."

Buffy sat on her own bed. "What's it like back home?"

"Cramped and...very dead."

"Well, you'll feel right at home in Sunnydale."

"Oh, no! Ohhhh!" Ampata got up. "But...But you have so much here!" She picked up a picture.

"How 'bout friends?" Buffy asked her.

"They are..." Ampata put the picture down. "It is just me."

"I've been there. But hey! You'll meet lots of people tomorrow."

"Thank you." Ampata went back to her bed. "You must teach me everything about your life. I want to fit in, Buffy. Just like you. A normal life."

Buffy resisted the urge to laugh. "One normal life. Comin' up." She reached over to turn off her light.

The next morning, outside the school, Cordelia and Devon MacLeish went down some stairs to the van that was used by his band, a zebra-striped 1980 Volkswagen Transporter Type 2 (T3) Kombi.

"Devon, I told you I'd be at the dance tonight, but I am not one of your little groupies. I won't be all doe-eyed looking up at you, standing at the edge of the stage."

"Got it." Devon looked over at another guy. "Who's that guy?"

Cordelia looked also. "Sven! Momento! Needa!" She looked at Devon. "This whole student exchange thing has been a horrible nightmare. They don't even speak American." She sighed. "Bye!"

She started back up the stairs toward the school. She turned back when she noticed Sven wasn't following.

"Sven!" Cordelia yelled. "Come?"

Sven started to follow her.

Buffy and Ampata arrived for school.

"Your first day of school. Nervous?" Buffy asked her.

"It is just more people than I have seen in a long time."

"Ah, don't worry. You will have no problems making friends. As a matter of fact, I know someone who's dying to meet you."

Giles shook Ampata's hand and smiled. "How do you do?"

"Hi."

"I was - I was wondering if you could, um, translate this?" Giles showed her the seal.

Buffy smiled and rolled her eyes. "That was in no way awkward."

Ampata took the seal and looked at it in disbelief.

"Something wrong?" Buffy asked her.

"Uh, no! Uh, it is..." Ampata paused and looked at Giles. "Uh, why are you asking me?"

"Well, uh, uh..." Giles coughed. "It's, well, it's an artifact...from - from, uh, your...region. I-It's, uh, from the tomb of a-an Incan mummy, a-a-actually. We were trying to translate it, uh, um, as a-a project for our, um..."

"Our archaeology club."

Giles briefly looked at Tara, impressed with her quick thinking. "Very good."

"It is broken. Where are the other pieces?" Ampata asked.

Buffy gestured at it. "That's all we found."

"Hmm. It is very old and valuable." Ampata held the seal out to Giles. "You should hide it!"

"Is - Is, uh, anything you recognize here? Um, um, this - this, um..." Giles paused and pointed out a figure. "This ch-chap here with the knife, for instance?"

"Well, I-I do not know exactly, but...I-I-I think this represents, I believe the word is...'bodyguard'?"

Giles took the seal. "Bodyguard? Interesting."

"Legend has it that he guards the mummy against those who would disturb her."

"Well, uh, yes, well, that's, um, that's a very good starting point for our, um...club." Giles looked at Buffy. "Um..."

"Oh, and, uh, a-as club president, I have, um, lots to do. Lots of...stuff. Dull stuff. Uh, oh, Tara, maybe you could stay with Ampata for the day?"

"I'd love to."

Giles looked at Tara. "Tara, it'd help to have you for additional research. We'd cover more ground that way."

Suddenly, a short boy with short black hair walked into the library.

"Who is that?" Ampata asked.

Buffy and Tara looked at him.

Tara looked at Ampata. "Jonathan Levinson. I tutor him sometimes."

Ampata stared at him. "He is a god."

Buffy and Tara looked at each other skeptically.

"You must introduce me to him."

Buffy shrugged and walked over to Jonathan. "Jonathan, there's someone that I want you to meet."

Jonathan looked at her skeptically. "Me? Why?"

"Just trust me."

Jonathan held up a book. "But I just came in to return this."

Buffy took the book from him and tossed it on the counter. They walked over to Ampata.

Buffy gestured. "Jonathan, Ampata. Ampata, Jonathan." She looked at Jonathan. "Listen, we're gonna be doing...archaeology club shit, so I need someone for Ampata to hang with for the day."

Jonathan was confused. "We don't have an archaeology club."

Buffy stomped on his foot.

"Ow!" Jonathan yelled.

Buffy leaned down, close to his ear. "She thinks you're a god."

Jonathan looked at Ampata in wonder. "It'll be my pleasure."

Ampata smiled. "Yes! That will be fun."

Jonathan gestured for Ampata to go ahead of him. As she walked out, he turned to Buffy and Tara, let out a breath, and followed her.

"Right. I'll, uh, continue with the translation. Buffy and Tara, you research this, uh, bodyguard thing." Giles headed toward the stacks.

Later, Buffy was inspecting the seal under a magnifying lamp. "Ha! Or possible ha." She looked at Tara and Giles. "Do you think this matches?"

Giles inspected the seal. "Good Lord!" He looked at Buffy. "Good work!"

"My work?" Buffy asked him.

"Yes. This is most illuminating. It seems Rodney's killer might be the mummy."

"Where does it say that?" Tara asked him.

"Well, here. It implies that the mummy is capable of...feeding on the lifeforce of a person, effectively freeze-drying them, you might say. Extraordinary."

"So...then we just have to stop the mummy. Which leads to the question: how do we a) find and b) stop the mummy?" Buffy asked him.

"Well, the answer to that is somewhere still in here. Or in the rest of the seal."

Suddenly, Ampata and Jonathan ran into the library.

"Help!" Jonathan cried.

Buffy, Tara, and Giles looked at them.

"What's wrong?" Giles asked them.

"We were attacked!" Ampata exclaimed.

"On the bleachers out at the football field!" Jonathan added. "Big guy with a knife!"

Buffy, Tara, and Giles looked at each other in concern.

Giles came out of his office with a cup of tea and set it on the table in front of Ampata. "Here you are."

"Thank you."

"Why's this guy so into us? I mean...what's he want?" Tara asked.

Jonathan looked at her. "He said 'Give me the seal.'"

Giles looked at him. "Apparently, this is more popular than we realized. I just don't know what we - we should do with it."

"Destroy it."

Giles gave Ampata a surprised look.

"If you do not, someone could die."

"I'm afraid someone already has."

"You mean the man with the knife killed someone?" Ampata asked him.

Buffy looked at her. "Uh, no. Well, not exactly."

"You are not telling me everything." Ampata looked at them all.

Buffy looked at her. "You're right, Ampata. We're not. But please believe me when I say we're trying to help."

"Please understand me. That seal nearly got us killed. It must be destroyed!" Ampata got up and ran from the library.

A moment later, Jonathan got up and ran out after her. "Ampata!"

Buffy and Tara looked at each other, a bit surprised and confused. Buffy stood up and walked out of the library to look for them.

In the hall, Ampata was drinking at the water fountain. Jonathan was standing back at a distance and watching her.

"Is she okay?" Buffy asked him.

"Wigged. I'm tryin' to convince her that our lives aren't just danger and peril around here."

Buffy looked over at Ampata sympathetically, then back to Jonathan. "You should take her to the dance."

Jonathan looked at Buffy in surprise, then he smiled and went over to Ampata.

Buffy walked back into the library.

"How is she?" Tara asked her.

"Wigged. I suggested Jonathan take her to the dance." Buffy sat back down at the table. "I don't get it. Why would the bodyguard have such a jones for a broken piece of rock?"

Giles thought about it. "Well, um, perhaps...he needs to put it together with the other pieces."

Buffy shrugged. "If he has them. I mean...we didn't find them."

Giles nodded. "And if he didn't, then - then they'd still be at the museum."

"So...maybe we should go there and find them. And odds are he'll show up, too, right?" Buffy suggested.

Giles nodded. "And hopefully we'll be ready."

Buffy grinned. "Hey! Look at us! We came up with a plan. A good plan."

Giles nodded. "All right. We'll meet there tonight after it closes."

"No!" Buffy exclaimed. "Bad plan. I have other plans. Dance plans."

She got a stern look from Giles.

Buffy sighed. "Delayed plans."

That evening, in Buffy's room, Buffy got dressed in her Sailor Moon costume.

Ampata came in, wearing her Inca Princess costume. "Buffy, I do not have any lipstick."

She saw a trunk, a large suitcase, and a backpack in the room.

"Oh! You can borrow one of mine. There should be some on the desk."

"What is that?" Ampata indicated the trunk.

"The station sent the rest of your stuff."

"Oh. Of, of course. I-I forgot all about it. Uh, I will unpack it later."

"No worries. I can do it."

"Uh, but...it is almost time for the dance!" Ampata exclaimed.

"I'll be late."

"Why?"

"I have work to do. It's really nothing for you to worry about." Buffy sat on her bed.

"Oh, I am not worried, thanks to Jonathan." Ampata went to the desk.

"He seems very happy around you."

Ampata sat at the desk. "I am happy, too." She opened a lipstick and held it up for an opinion. "Mm, this one?"

"Ooh, no, that clashes. There should be a gold one in there somewhere."

"Thank you. You are always thinking of others before yourself. You remind me of someone from very long ago: the Inca Princess."

Buffy grinned. "Cool! A princess."

She got up from her bed and opened Ampata's backpack while Ampata tried out a lipstick.

"They told her that she was the only one. That only she could defend her people from the netherworld."

Buffy pulled out a pair of boy's briefs and looked at them in confusion.

"Out of all the girls in her generation-"

Buffy looked over at Ampata and saw she was about to open the top-left drawer where she kept her Slayer stuff. She rushed over.

Ampata pulled open the drawer and looked in curiously. "-she was the only one-"

Buffy quickly pushed the drawer closed. "-chosen."

Ampata looked up at Buffy. "Do you know the story?"

"It's fairly familiar." Buffy handed her the gold lipstick.

"She was sixteen, like us. She was offered as a sacrifice and went to her death. Who knows what she had to give up to fulfill her duty to others? What chance at love?"

"Who knows?" Buffy went back to Ampata's trunk. "I'll just unpack the rest of your stuff for you." She lifted the lid.

"No, really, let me-"

The doorbell rang and distracted Buffy.

"Oh!" Buffy let the lid fall back down as she got up to get the door. "That's either Tara or Jonathan. Possibly both. I'll get it."

Buffy left her room, hopped down the stairs, and opened the door.

Jonathan came in, dressed as Luke Skywalker. He turned on his toy lightsaber. "I've come for the dance."

"And, uh, what culture are you?" Buffy asked him.

"I'm a Jedi, a force of good in the galaxy and part of the resistance against the evil Galactic Empire." Jonathan looked Buffy up and down. "Care to battle?"

Buffy smiled. "Sorry, I'm too busy fighting evil by moonlight. Speaking of which, new line-up. You and Tara are taking Ampata. Giles and I are hunting mummies."

Tara arrived, dressed as Sailor Mars. She had even dyed her hair raven black.

Buffy grinned. "Hey, babe! Wow, are we in sync or what?!"

Tara grinned. "The red thread of fate binds us."

"Anyway, Giles and I are on mummy duty." Buffy offered her keys to Tara. "Take Ampata and Jonathan to the dance in my van. I'll be along when I can."

"Okay." Tara took Buffy's keys and offered her own keys to Buffy. "Here, take my scooter."

Buffy took Tara's keys. "Thanks."

Ampata appeared on the stairs and smiled down at Jonathan. "Hello, Jonathan."

"Hho hee ze thee ai uh..."

Buffy laughed. "I can translate American salivating boy talk. He says you're beautiful."

Jonathan looked at Buffy. "Hyav su."

Buffy looked at him. "You're welcome."

Ampata reached the bottom of the stairs and stood next to Jonathan, beaming a huge smile.

Joyce came in to have a look. "Ampata, don't you look wonderful?!"

"Thank you. Well, good night, then."

Jonathan paused a moment and looked at Buffy. "Be careful."

"I will."

Jonathan turned to go.

"Hey!" Buffy called.

He turned back.

Buffy smiled. "You look good."

Jonathan gave her a smile and then left.

Joyce came over to the door to watch them go, too. "Look at that. Two days in America, and Ampata already seems like she belongs here. She's really fitting in. Hmm!" She turned and headed up the stairs.

Buffy paused in thought. "Yeah. How 'bout that?"

Dressed in a skimpy midriff-baring outfit and a lei, Cordelia followed a group of girls into the Bronze. Dingoes Ate My Baby were playing tonight. The place was packed.

Cordelia stopped to look around. She spotted Tara. "Oh! Near faux pas! I almost wore the same thing."

"Ha, ha."

"What do you think of the band?" Cordelia asked her.

Tara shrugged. "Not really my style."

Cordelia nodded in agreement. "I had tried to get you guys booked for the dance, but Dildos Ate My Baby beat us to it."

Tara laughed. "Dingoes, Cordy, not Dildos."

"Whatever, like there's a difference."

Tara nodded. "There's a big difference. You wouldn't want your partner to shove a dingo up your ass."

Cordelia looked at her in surprise.

Tara shrugged. "Well, most people wouldn't. Some might be into that sort of thing."

Cordelia stared at her.

Tara felt a bit embarrassed. "I'll shut up now."

Cordelia rolled her eyes and continued on her way, leaving Tara standing there alone. Tara watched Ampata and Jonathan dance.

Cordelia found her friend Gwen Ditchik, a girl with long blonde hair. Gwen was dressed in a kimono and a black wig.

Cordelia smiled. "Hey!"

"Where's Sven?" Gwen asked her.

"Ohhh, I keep trying to ditch him. He's like one of those dogs that you leave at the Grand Canyon on vacation? It follows you back across four states."

Suddenly, Sven arrived.

"See?" Cordelia asked Gwen. "My own speechless, human boomerang."

"He's kinda cute. Maybe it's nice skippin' all that small talk."

"Small talk? How 'bout simple instruction?" Cordelia looked at Sven. "Get punchy." She pointed at him. "You! Fruit drinky!"

"He can follow me." Gwen took Sven's hand and led him away.

Back at the Summers house, there was a knock on the front door. Buffy went to the door and opened it. Giles was standing outside.

"Thank heavens you're home." Giles walked in.

"Yup! Not at the dance. Not with my friends. Not with a life." Buffy paused in confusion. "What are you doing here? I thought we were gonna meet at the museum to find the bodyguard."

"No, he's already been found. In a school restroom. Mummified."

"Okay, I don't get it. Why would the mummy kill her own bodyguard?"

"Well, I've cross-referenced, and, uh, I've looked at the pictograms anew. He was a guard, all right. But it was his job to ensure that the mummy didn't awaken and escape."

"So...Ampata translated wrong."

"Perhaps."

Buffy thought for a moment. "Hold on a sec. She was wiggy about the seal from minute one."

"Yes, I suppose she was."

"Her trunks!" Buffy ran up the stairs.

"I beg your pardon?" Giles followed Buffy upstairs.

Buffy ran into her room and dug through the items in Ampata's backpack and suitcase. "Look! What girl wears boys' undies?"

Giles went through Ampata's things. "It's certainly all boys' clothes. Why would a girl pack these?"

Buffy tore open the lock on the trunk and lifted the lid. She nearly vomited. "How 'bout this one? What kind of girl travels with a mummified corpse? And doesn't even pack a lipstick?"

Giles looked. "Dear Lord."

"Tara's with her. I had sent her with her..." Buffy abruptly dashed out of the room and headed downstairs. "If anything happens to her..."

Giles followed her. They went outside. Buffy closed the front door. They walked to Giles' car and Tara's scooter, which were parked on the street.

"I should've guessed. Remember Ampata wanted us to hide the seal?" Buffy asked him.

"And then she wanted us to destroy it becau..." Giles paused. "Oh, wait!"

He didn't say anything.

Buffy was confused. "Uh, waiting..."

"Well, we already know that the seal was used to contain the mummy. If breaking it freed her-"

"-reassembling it will trap her."

"I'll go to the museum. I'll try to piece together the fragments there."

"Okay, I'll get Tara. Oh, and Jonathan. Before he gets smoochy with Mummy Dearest."

At the Bronze, Tara's mind had wandered.

Jonathan came over to her. "Have you seen Ampata?"

Tara looked at him and shrugged.

"What was that?" Jonathan asked her.

"I shrugged."

"Next time, you should probably say 'shrug'." Jonathan walked off.

Gwen and Sven walked by in front of her.

"I thought this exchange student thing would be a great deal. But look what I got stuck with! 'Momento!' 'Punchy fruity drinky!' Is Cordelia even from this country?" Sven asked Gwen.

At the museum, Giles was reading from a book while assembling the seal. "'Incan Cosmology unites the bird head with its paler twin.'" He looked around for the proper piece. "Um..." He found it. "Oh! Here. Its paler twin."

He tried the fit of the piece, and it was a match.

Buffy rode into the parking lot of the Bronze, parked Tara's scooter, took off her helmet, stored it, got off the scooter, and ran into the Bronze.

Buffy searched through the crowd and finally found Tara. "Where's Jonathan?"

"He's looking for Ampata."

"We need to find him. Ampata's the mummy."

Tara frowned. "Oh, shit."

"Where'd they go?" Buffy asked her.

"Backstage, I think."

They rushed off to find Jonathan. They ran backstage and found Jonathan on the floor, leaning against the wall in the hall.

"Are you okay?" Buffy asked him.

"I think so. Boy, that was some kiss!"

"Where's Ampata?" Buffy asked him.

"She said something about the seal."

"The seal! Giles!" Buffy realized. "C'mon."

She and Tara helped him up.

"What's goin' on?" Jonathan asked them.

"He doesn't know?" Tara asked Buffy in surprise.

"We'll tell him on the way."

In the museum, Giles was trying to put the last pieces of the seal together. "There, that's it." He sniffled. "Just one more piece."

Suddenly, Ampata reached around his shoulder from behind and pulled him up. She took the seal from his hand and threw it to the floor, smashing it to pieces. She grabbed him by the neck and lifted him onto the rim of the stone coffin.

Buffy arrived. "I'll say one thing for you Incan mummies."

Ampata looked at her.

"You don't kiss and tell." Buffy made a long, high leap onto the platform and adopted a fighting stance. "In the name of the moon, I'll punish you!"

"Looks like you've been keeping secrets from me!" Ampata shoved Giles into the coffin. "You're not a normal girl."

"And you are?" Buffy asked her.

Buffy did a roundhouse kick to Ampata's face and another kick to her side. She threw a punch, but Ampata was strong, too, and caught Buffy's fist and swung her around onto the rim of the coffin. She grabbed Buffy's neck and tried to choke her. Buffy headbutted Ampata, making her stagger back. She tried to kick, but Ampata ducked it. Buffy lunged for her, and Ampata grabbed her by the shoulder and diverted her into the coffin. She closed the stone lid on the two of them.

Tara came running in as Ampata started to leave.

Ampata grabbed Tara by the neck and picked her up. "This won't hurt!"

Tara began to choke. Ampata moved in to kiss her.

"Let her go!" Jonathan nervously walked in. "If you're gonna kiss anybody, it should be me."

"Jonathan, we can be together." Ampata looked at Tara. "Just...Just let me have this one."

"No. You leave her alone."

"I must do it. I must do it now! Or it is the end for me and for us!" Ampata tried to kiss Tara again.

Jonathan jumped in to stop her. "No!" He pulled Tara away from her. "You want life? You're gonna have to take mine. Can you do that?"

Ampata looked into his eyes as she considered. Her skin had mummified up to her neck. "Yes!"

She grabbed his neck and tried to pull him to her as he held her away by her arms. Tara pulled Ampata away from him and turned her around to face her. Ampata hissed at her and gripped her arms.

Tara held up an omamori and pressed it to Ampata's forehead. "Akuryo Taisan!"

Ampata's skin started burning. Buffy kicked at the lid of the coffin and got it open. Tara kept holding Ampata at bay with her magic and watched as she turned back into a mummy.

Buffy came up behind Ampata and pulled her off Tara. Ampata's grip on Tara's arms was so tight that Ampata's arms were torn from her hands at the wrists. Tara was freaked out and shook the dead hands off herself. Buffy looked at Ampata's body and dropped it, too. The head broke off the body as it hit the floor. Buffy was grossed out and vomited onto the floor.

Tara just stared at what was left, then looked at Jonathan and went over to him. She crouched down next to him. "Thank you. That was really brave of you."

Jonathan was holding his arm and rubbing his shoulder. He looked up at her a moment, then back down at his hands. "Well, I kinda figured, if you died, who's gonna tutor me?"

Tara stared at him in surprise. Jonathan looked up at her and then suddenly laughed. Tara laughed as well. They stood up. Giles was out of the coffin now. The four of them started to go. Giles looked back briefly as they left the exhibit.

Buffy dropped Jonathan off at home, and then she and Tara returned to the Bronze to enjoy what was left of the dance. They walked onto the dance floor, hugged each other, and started dancing.

Cordelia walked by, having a conversation with Gwen on her cell phone. "Gwen, I can't make out a word that you're saying. Don't talk with your mouth full. Just...are you having a good time?"

"Mmmm-hmmm..."

"Good. I'm glad. See ya at school tomorrow."

"Mmm-hmm."

Cordelia ended the call and looked at Buffy and Tara, who were looking back at her.

"What happened to Sven?" Buffy asked Cordelia.

Cordelia shrugged. "Gwen took him home with her. His dick is currently in her mouth."

Buffy smiled. "Go, Gwen."

Cordelia forced a smile. "I'm happy for her. It isn't often that she gets laid." Then she sighed.

Tara looked at her. "Plus you have a boyfriend."

"Theoretically. However, theories require proof."

"Yeah, well..." Tara pointed.

Cordelia looked behind her. Angel was standing in the distance, wearing a white-and-gold charro suit and sombrero.

Cordelia stared at him. "Oh, my God."

Angel walked over to her. "May I have this dance?"

"Uh-huh."

Cordelia and Angel hugged each other and started dancing.

Tara lay her head on Buffy's shoulder, completely content. Buffy hugged her girlfriend and realized just how lucky that she was. It was a good night for both of them.