"Beauties and Beasts"

Based on the Episode "Beauty and the Beasts" Written by Marti Noxon

The following story is copyright © 2022 by Mark Moore.

Tara and Buffy walked through the cemetery, holding hands.

"Are you sure you're ready for this?" Buffy asked her.

Tara shrugged. "I gotta do it sometime."

"But why on your birthday?" Buffy asked her.

"Because it's hers, too."

Buffy stopped walking. Tara walked by herself past many graves before coming up to a tombstone. She put a handful of opals on the headstone and kneeled in front of it. The following text was carved on the stone: "Aine Maclay" and "Oct 16, 1961 - September 17, 1998".

"Hey." Tara touched her mother's name on the headstone. "It's me. I'm sorry that I didn't visit earlier. Dad didn't invite me to your funeral." She sighed. "I wasn't surprised. I expected nothing less of him. I've moved in with Buffy, and we've started our senior year. I decided to come and visit you on our birthday. That seemed best. Buffy's not throwing me a party. At least, I hope she isn't. She knows I don't care for them." She grinned. "But we'll have our own little party later tonight." She cackled in glee, but then she grew sad again. "I really miss you, but I trust you're in a better place and watching over me. I love you." She took a small silver pentacle out of her pocket and put it on her mother's headstone. "Be at peace." Then she bent forward and kissed her mother's name. "Happy Birthday, Mom."

Tara stood up, swatted the dirt off her blue jeans, and walked back over to Buffy. They joined hands and silently walked out of the cemetery.

Two days later, Faith, Buffy, and Cordelia were strolling through the cemetery on patrol.

"Nice place. Do you ever catch kids doing the diddy out here?" Faith asked.

Cordelia shook her head. "No. There's a smooch spot up by the woods. That's usually where kids go."

"Yeah? Bet you and Scott have been up there, kicking the gearshift." Faith grinned.

Cordelia gave her a look. "Hardly. Only been on a few dates."

"But you like him. And when you think about him, you get that good, down-low tickle, right?" Faith asked her.

Cordelia smiled. "Yeah, I guess, but..." She realized what she may have meant and gave her some side-eye. "How low?"

Faith grinned broadly. "You tell me."

"How about not?" Cordelia looked around dreamily and sighed. "But he is...nice, and he's funny."

"And quite a muffin." Faith gave Cordelia a smile.

Cordelia smiled back. "Blueberry. That crunchy, munchy stuff on top. But my most favorite thing so far is that he doesn't seem to be any kind of Hell Beast."

"All men are beasts, Cordy."

"Okay, I was hoping to not get that cynical till I was at least forty."

"It's not cynical. I mean...it's realistic. Every guy from...Manimal down to Mr. I-Love-The-English-Patient has beast in him. And I don't care how sensitive they act. They're all still just in it for the chase."

Cordelia had to tacitly admit that Faith may have had a point.

"So either of you gotten laid yet?" Faith asked.

Buffy and Cordelia looked at her in surprise.

Faith shrugged. "Just making conversation."

Cordelia nodded. "I have."

Buffy nodded. "Me, too."

Cordelia shook her head. "Buffy doesn't count. She's a lesbo."

Buffy playfully backhand-slapped Cordelia on the arm.

"So, B, you've never sucked dick?" Faith asked Buffy.

Buffy was surprised at Faith's bluntness. "Not in this universe."

"You've never been curious?" Faith asked her. "The wonderful feeling of having a warm, hard, pulsating cock between your lips?"

Buffy felt a bit embarrassed. "Well..."

Faith grinned. "Ooh, do tell."

Buffy shook her head. "No, it's embarrassing!"

"C'mon, B!" Faith pleaded.

"C'mon, Buffy!" Cordelia begged. "Spill!"

"Okay, okay." Buffy took a breath and let it out. "Sometimes, I would take a piece of sausage out of fridge and give it a blowjob."

Faith and Cordelia stared at her in shock.

"I warned you." Buffy shrugged. "I guess I like the feeling of my mouth being filled but just...don't like men."

Cordelia rolled her eyes and shook her head. "On that pathetic note, let's change the subject. Celebrity crush. Mine is still James Spader, of course."

Buffy frowned. "I still don't know who that is."

"What about yours, Faith?" Cordelia asked.

Faith thought about it. "Gina Gershon."

Buffy smiled. "Ooh, nice."

"What about you, Buffy?" Cordelia asked.

Buffy grinned. "Sarah Michelle Gellar. I've had a crush on her since Swans Crossing. I even sat through the nonsense of All My Children just to watch her scenes."

There was silence for a moment.

"Ooh, favorite music!" Faith suggested. "For me, it's Freak Wharf. Also, Darling Violetta and anything with Marc Ferrari."

Cordelia grinned. "Ooh, I'm right there with you on Darling Violetta. Also, Backstreet Boys, NSYNC, and 98 Degrees. Oh, have you heard '...Baby One More Time'? It's by this new artist named Britney Spears."

Faith shook her head. "No, but I'll check her out."

Buffy smiled. "I doubt you'd like her. My kid sister's into her."

"Thanks for the warning. So who are you into, B?" Faith asked.

"Let's see. Divinyls, Jennifer Paige..." Buffy thought for a moment. "Oh, 'Til Tuesday, Madonna, Katrina and the Waves, Billy Idol. And my favorite singer ever is Belinda Carlisle."

"Really? So I guess you must really be into the Go-Go's, huh?" Faith asked her.

Buffy thought about it. "Eh, not really. I've always been more of a Bangles girl."

Faith found that a bit odd but just shrugged.

The next day, at Sunnydale High School, Tara, Cordelia, and Buffy climbed the outside stairs from the quad up to the balcony.

"Hey, Cordy!"

She looked along the balcony to see Scott approaching at a quick pace.

"That's what I stopped you for, basically. Hey."

"Okay." Cordelia smiled. "Hey."

Scott's friends, Debbie Foley (a beautiful girl with short blonde hair and blue eyes) and Peter Clarner, approached the group. Tara noticed them and held up her hand in greeting. Debbie was holding a bouquet of flowers.

Tara smiled. "Hi, Debbie."

Debbie smiled. "Hi, Tara."

Buffy saw Debbie's bouquet. "Those are pretty flowers."

"Thanks. Pete brought them for me." Debbie smiled at him.

Pete smiled. "Yeah. Only the best for my girl."

"What time is it?" Buffy grabbed Scott's watch. "Oh, shit, I have to go see Mr. Platt today."

"Platt? The school counselor?" Debbie asked her.

"I get to convince him that I'm Little Miss Stable, so I can stay in school."

Scott nodded. "Stable. Okay. Topics to avoid. The little men that live in your teeth...your compulsion to paint circus clowns..."

Buffy smiled. "But if God keeps telling me to kill, it just seems snotty not to, you know?"

"Platt creeps me out. I would totally quit going, but I'm flunking senior bio, and my teacher says I have success issues." Debbie giggled.

"Senior bio?" Tara asked her. "If you want my notes, they're yours. I can even tutor you."

Debbie grinned. "Thanks! That'd be great!"

The bell rang.

"We'd better go." Cordelia looked at Scott. "I'll see you."

"Yep."

They kissed lightly on the lips. Buffy kissed Tara on the lips, turned, and headed into the building. Tara gave Debbie, Pete, and Scott a wave, and she and Cordelia followed Buffy.

Tara and Cordelia walked into the library.

Giles was standing behind the counter, reading an article in the paper. He looked up and smiled stiffly. "It's good to see you. Um, no need to panic."

Cordelia stared at him, suspicious. "Just a thought: poker: not your game."

Tara was worried. "Is something wrong, Mr. Giles?"

Giles walked out from behind the counter and started to pace. "There was, uh, p-possibly a murder...last night. A male student was - was found i-i-in the woods."

"Which student?" Tara asked.

"Jeff Orkin. I'm afraid he was - he was, um, terribly mauled. Now, uh, much as I hate to think it, i-i-it could be the handiwork of - of...a werewolf...or some such creature."

Buffy opened the door and entered the school psychologist's office. She closed it behind herself and stepped up to the desk.

Mr. Platt was sitting in his chair, facing away, looking out the window while his cigarette smoldered in his fingers. "Two o'clock. Miss Summers." He made no move to turn around to face her.

Buffy smiled. "Buffy Summers, reporting for sanity."

Her smile faded when she realized he still wasn't going to turn around. Instead, he just blew out a huge cloud of cigarette smoke.

"Look...I know that I have to do this, and I-I'll cooperate, and I'll look at your ink blots and everything, but...I don't wanna talk about my life or my childhood or...anything, for that matter, actually. And, uh...I don't wanna be friends here."

Mr. Platt finally turned. "We're not gonna be friends." He smiled at her. "You have friends already, I hope." He waved his hand at her. "Friends are a good thing." He took another drag from his cigarette. "Mm-hm." He crushed it out. "They like you, agree with you, tell you what you wanna hear." He reached into his desk drawer. "That's not what you need right now." He pulled out a can of deodorizer. "What you need is a trained, not-too-crazy professional who will always give you his honest opinion."

He popped the top off the aerosol can and gave a couple of sprays around himself. Buffy just gave him an odd look and said nothing.

"Which I offer." He looked back at her for a moment before gesturing to a chair. "Have a seat."

He capped the can and put it away as she sat in the chair.

"Not too crazy? Those are your credentials?" Buffy asked him doubtfully.

He stood up and started to walk around his desk. He sat on it. "Look, Buffy, any person - grownup, shrink, pope - any person who claims to be totally sane is either lying or not very bright. I mean...everyone has problems. Everybody has demons, right?"

Buffy averted her eyes. "Gotta say I'm with you on that." She looked down at her hands.

"Excellent. So...the hope I bring you is: demons can be fought."

Buffy looked up at him in surprise.

"People can change. You can change. Now. Your turn." Platt crossed his arms. "Let's start with why you ran away."

Buffy looked up for a moment, then began to fidget and lean back in her seat. She smiled weakly. "That's a long story."

"Mm." Platt shrugged. "Bore me."

"You know, I'm - I'm really over it. I-I'm moving on; I feel good; I-I even made a new friend last month."

"All good things." Platt gestured widely with his arms. He inhaled and leaned back. "But still, you're - you're bringing me in at the end of the movie."

Buffy felt awkward. "I have long had issues with my mother, starting from her divorce. Our family was separated. She took me away from my sister and moved us out here to Buttfuck, Nowhere."

"That last part was because you'd been expelled from your old school."

"Yeah, but still...it was tough not being with my sister."

"Divorce is ugly. I get it. What happened once you got here?"

"Well, I found out that I'm a Vampire Slayer. The Chosen One. I didn't want the fucking job." Buffy looked him in the eyes suddenly. "Sorry."

Platt waved it off.

"I eventually grew into it, though. Mom didn't wanna hear about it at first, but she eventually grew to accept it."

"When you saved the day during Parent-Teacher Night last year?"

Buffy looked at him in surprise. "How'd you know?"

Platt shrugged. "Had a feeling that was the turning point."

"Anyway, my life was good until ten months ago, when..I discovered my mom was dating someone."

"You killed him."

Buffy gave Platt a dark look. "You're goddamn right I did."

"Why?"

Buffy paused for a moment. "There are certain things that I can't say. And besides, I'd already gone over it with the police and with my lawyer."

"Well, then tell me things that you can say."

"He hit me first. I hit him back. There was a fight, and it ended with me taking his life. My mom and I didn't have a relationship after that, but we managed to work our way back to one. But then, near the end of the school year, we had another fight about...what I'd done and my role as a Slayer. Uh, it - it ended badly, she kicked me out of the house, and I...took off...for the summer...to clear my head."

"And then?"

Buffy shrugged. "I came back home."

"Why? Did you miss your mother?"

Buffy shrugged. "A bit, but mostly I missed my friends and my job. My mom accepted me back, but we soon got into another fight."

"How did that end?"

"Inconclusively. There was an attack on our house, and later my girlfriend's mom died, and that...brought things into perspective. Life is short. Tomorrow, you might be dead. I mean...I've always known that, but seeing my girlfriend being so devastated by her mother's death..." Buffy paused. "She suggested I work things out with my mom."

"Did you?"

Buffy shrugged. "I guess. It's been around a month, and we haven't fought since. I think we've come to a kind of agreement to let the past be the past. I mean...I can't guarantee she doesn't think 'That filthy murderer' whenever she looks at me, but...it's been peaceful."

"Does it bother you...how your mother and friends and teachers and schoolmates see you?"

Buffy shrugged. "I think about it. It's hard not to. I see their stares, hear their whispers...every fucking day."

"Do you feel any shame?"

"Of course."

"Remorse?"

Buffy hesitated and then just shrugged.

"Well, tell me more about this guy."

Buffy looked up at him for a long moment before letting out a breath and looking down at her hands again. "He was my first...human kill. A-As it turned out, he was a serial killer, so I probably saved my mom's life."

"So it was okay that you killed him."

"I-I didn't say that."

"But you believe it."

"A little. I know I shouldn't, but...it does ease the pain somewhat."

"Do you love yourself, Buffy?"

Buffy looked up at him, surprised and unsure how to respond.

"Look, lots of people lose themselves in depression. It's - It's no shame. They write songs about it. The hitch is...you can't stay lost. Sooner or later, you...you have to get back to yourself."

Buffy considered that. "And if you can't?"

"If you can't..." Platt inhaled. "Well, depression becomes your master, and you're just its dog."

She didn't expect to hear it put quite that way.

Buffy walked into the library and found Giles pacing and Tara and Cordelia sitting on the steps.

Buffy set her bag on the table. "What's up?"

Giles looked at her. "Dead student. There's a werewolf roaming the woods, or perhaps it's something else entirely."

Buffy nodded. "It's okay. We'll work together, and we'll figure this out."

"Yes. Um..." Giles thought. "Buffy. You and Faith patrol the cemetery."

Buffy nodded.

"Cordelia, you, uh, you patrol the woods."

"Why do I get the creepy old woods?" Cordelia complained.

"Well, you are a Potential Slayer, are you not?" Giles asked her.

Cordelia shrugged. "Potentially."

"But not an activated Slayer. Therefore, you probably shouldn't be patrolling the cemetery, where you'd likely find something, on your own. Better to patrol the woods, where you'll likely find nothing."

Cordelia nodded.

"Uh, Tara, um, check out the morgue."

Tara nodded. "Right."

Buffy looked at Tara. "I'll call them and ask them to let you examine the body."

Giles nodded. "Well, I have some research materials at home I need to look up. Good luck to you all."

Later that night, Cordelia patrolled through the woods by herself, looking around and listening carefully. Cordelia thought she heard something and raised her stake. She saw a figure dash by. She ran after it through the bushes. Suddenly, she stopped in her tracks when she saw it come straight for her. She stared in disbelief as the man rushed her and knocked her down as he ran by. Cordelia steadied herself on the ground and looked up as he went. He stopped and looked back at her. It was Angel, and he growled and snarled at her. There was blood around his mouth. She could only stare at him in complete surprise.

Angel continued to growl at Cordelia. He charged her as she got up. She grabbed him and threw him to the ground but also fell under his weight. Angel rolled to a stop and crawled quickly back to her before she could get back up. He lunged at her, and she used his momentum to flip him over herself and onto his back. She rose to one knee and punched him as he tried to regain his footing. He took the blow in the head but just spun around and delivered a solid backhand punch to her face, making her fall onto her back. Angel jumped on her again, but she used her leverage to send him onto his back once again. He twisted his body, reached over, and punched her in the gut. She quickly rolled away and got to a standing position. She did a full spinning low hook kick, hitting him in the head as he tried to stand. He slumped down on all fours, and, as he looked up at her, she punched him solidly in the face, making him slump to the ground, badly beaten. After a few breaths, he lost consciousness, and his body relaxed. Cordelia breathed hard as she looked down at him, still not believing what she saw.

Cordelia drove Angel to the mansion and brought him inside. She looked around, found a trunk, and knocked a bunch of dolls from it. She threw open the lid and dumped the contents out onto the floor. There, she found a heavy chain and shackles.

She went back into the main room, and she threw one end over an iron bracket holding up the high marble fireplace mantel and locked the shackles on Angel's wrists. She stepped back as he lay unconscious on the floor, with one arm held high by the chain. He woke up and got to his knees.

Suddenly, he lashed out at her, but she jumped back in time, and he missed. He leaned against his bonds and growled at Cordelia, then crouched down and cowered like a trapped animal. She walked around him in a wide arc and stopped when she noticed the place where he fell from the dimensional portal. There was a silhouette of him on the floor surrounded by scorch marks. Angel continued to growl and struggle with the chain. Cordelia cringed to see him like this. She kneeled down by the silhouette for a closer look. Angel made another attempt to grab her, and she jerked back, but he was too far away to do any harm. She looked back down at the scorch marks and winced at the sound of Angel struggling behind her. He soon stopped and slumped to the floor with one arm raised high by the chain.

Jenny woke up, heard the doorbell ring, groaned, got out of bed, put on a robe, tied it up, and left her bedroom. In the living room, Faith was oblivious as she moved around to "Teenage Hate Machine" by Marc Ferrari on her portable CD player.

Jenny rolled her eyes. "Don't trouble yourself; I'll get it." She walked over to the door, looked through the peephole, and unlocked and opened the door.

Buffy was standing there. "Hi."

Jenny smiled. "Buffy, hi."

"How's our new Slayer fitting in?" Buffy asked her.

Jenny gestured toward Faith and stepped aside. Buffy walked into the apartment. Jenny closed and locked the door.

Buffy walked up behind her and tapped her on the shoulder. Instinctively, Faith spun around and landed a swinging backhand punch to Buffy's face.

"Oh!" Buffy stumbled backward and steadied herself against the couch.

"Oh, shit! Uh, Buffy! Are you okay? What are you doing here?" Faith asked, pulling her headphones from her ears and letting them hang from her neck.

Buffy held her jaw. "Uh, bleeding internally, but I'll live."

"God, I'm sorry." Faith shrugged with the CD player. "I guess I didn't hear you."

"Figured as much. Ow. Again." Buffy took a breath and arched her back. "Uh..." She paused. "Actually, I-I-I came to pick you up for patrolling."

"How come?"

"Dead student. Possible werewolf attack." Buffy shrugged. "Or something else. Not sure yet."

"Werewolf? Shouldn't we hit the woods?" Faith asked.

"Cordy's got that. Giles wants us on the cemetery."

"That's cool. I was going kinda crazy in here, but I can get in a few stakings before sunrise." Faith headed for the door.

Buffy followed her. "Knock yourself out. Not literally, though."

"Yeah. Later, J. Be back in a while."

Jenny waved. "Take your time."

Faith unlocked and opened the door and walked outside. Buffy followed her and closed the door behind her. Jenny walked over, locked the door, went over to the couch, lay down, and soon fell asleep.

Cordelia walked into the library and turned her attention to the card catalog. She pulled out the first drawer and began to search through them.

The next morning, Giles arrived with a cup of coffee in his hand. It was overcast today, and the weather report had said there might be a thunderstorm later in the day. He took a sip from his cup and headed over to where he saw Cordelia in the stacks, curled up and asleep in a chair with a book on her lap and a drawer from the card catalog next to her on a step stool. Other books were lying on the floor around her. He quietly took the steps to the upper level and reached down for one of the books. As he did so, Cordelia stirred from her slumber and looked up at him.

"Hey."

"Hmm. Hello." Giles sipped his coffee.

Cordelia quickly realized what it must look like, her surrounded by all of these books, and tried to play it off. "Oh. Shit." She stood up. "Those vampires were after some nutty books."

"Vampires?" Giles asked.

"Yeah, a whole gang of them. A lot of crazy shit went down." Cordelia forced a grin. "But I managed to kick their asses!"

"Exploring Demon Dimensions and Mystery of Acathla."

"Yeah!" Cordelia walked toward the stairs. "Freaky deaky."

"Cordelia..."

She realized he hadn't bought it and leaned against the railing. He gave her his attention and slowly came over to her as she spoke.

"What if...I told you that...I had a dream about Angel...and, um...it brought up some questions?" Cordelia asked him.

"I'd say it was to be expected. Must have been some dream. I didn't think you knew what a card index was for." Giles sipped his coffee.

"I dreamt that he came back." Cordelia sat down on the steps.

Giles came down to sit with her. "Of course. It's perfectly understandable."

"This was vivid. Really vivid. Three-dimensional, Sensurround, the hills are alive..."

Giles took off his glasses and considered for a moment. "Do you believe it was a prophecy?"

"No. I-I don't know. I..." Cordelia inhaled deeply. "I guess it just...it made me wonder."

Giles looked away in thought.

"Is there a chance even? Could it happen?" Cordelia asked.

"Well, there's no record of anyone returning from a demon dimension once the...gate was closed. I-I-I can't imagine how it could happen or - or why."

"Let's just pretend for a second that...Angel somehow found his way back to Sunnydale. What would he be like?"

"I really can't say. From what is known about that dimension, i-it would suggest a world of...brutal torment. And time moves quite differently there, so...he would've been down there for hundreds of years." Giles looked up at her.

"Of torture."

"It would take someone of extraordinary...will and character to survive that and, uh, retain any semblance of self." Giles swallowed hard. "Most likely, he'd be - be a monster."

Cordelia felt hopeless. "A lost cause."

"Maybe. Maybe not. In my experience, there are...two types of monster. The first, uh, can be redeemed - or, more importantly, wants to be redeemed."

"And the second type?"

"The second is void of humanity, cannot respond to reason...or love."

Cordelia looked down in despair.

Later, in the cafeteria, Cordelia had a plate of various flavors of Jell-O and looked for a place to sit.

Scott waved to her. "Cordy. Over here."

Cordelia walked over to him, sitting with Debbie and Pete, and set down her plate. "Hey." She sat down.

Scott saw what was on her plate. "Hey. Uh...I can't - I can't back you on that lunch. Nutritional demerits."

"Oh. My stomach doesn't want hard food today." Cordelia pointed at the green Jell-O. "But there's fruit in it."

"Those are marshmallows."

Cordelia looked at it. "Oh."

Debbie and Pete gave her curious looks.

Cordelia sighed. "I'm...I'm really out of it today. I didn't sleep well last night."

Scott turned to face her completely. "So...I, uh, I wanted to tell you that you look great today. But now I wanna raise that to amazing, because you didn't sleep well."

"Uh..." Cordelia gave him a weak smile. "That's really sweet. Um..." She stood up. "And I-I wish I didn't have to, but I just remembered that I do, so, uh, I'll see you later." She patted him on the shoulder as she walked around him on the way out, leaving her Jell-O behind.

"Uh, yeah."

Debbie and Pete followed her briefly with their gazes. Then Debbie shrugged and took the Jell-O for herself.

"Check out Scotty liking the manic-depressive chick."

Cordelia walked out of the cafeteria and paused for a moment to reflect on Pete's comment before continuing down the hall.

Cordelia walked into the mansion through the heavy drapes hanging across the side entrance. Angel crouched against the wall, whimpering. Cordelia stopped at the wall opposite him and looked at him suffering. Slowly, she walked toward him. Angel just remained hunched over in his crouch, not looking up or giving any indication that he knew she was there.

"Angel?" Cordelia asked.

He didn't seem to hear her.

"Do you understand me?"

Still nothing from him. She walked even closer. The tattoo on his back beckoned to her. Slowly, she reached out and touched him lightly on the shoulder. He suddenly and very violently lashed out at her and roared. She instantly took several steps backward away from him. He went back to his pathetic whimpering. Cordelia looked at him, terribly hurt, and rushed from the mansion.

Buffy opened the door to Mr. Platt's office, walked in, and closed it behind her. She found him turned away again, looking out of the window, his cigarette smoldering between his fingers.

"'Two o'clock. Buffy Summers, right?'" Buffy asked, anticipating would he would say.

She received no response.

"Mr. Platt?"

Nothing.

She noticed his cigarette now. It was burned completely down to the filter, not once having had the ashes tapped off. She realized something was very wrong. She didn't dare check, though. She couldn't bring herself to. She simply turned, opened the door, and left to go get Principal Snyder.

Tara was at the quad, waiting for Debbie, and then gave up and started to head for the library.

Just then, Debbie ran up to her. "Sorry I'm late." She smiled. "Did you bring the notes?"

"Yeah." Tara noticed her black eye. "Oh, shit. You okay?" She handed her the notes.

"What? Oh, yeah!" Debbie laughed. "I'm such a klutz! I, um, oh..." She paused to think. "Doorknob." She laughed. "Um..." She paused again. "Thanks." She started to go.

Tara gently raised her hand, concerned. "Hey, um..." She paused for a moment. "If you wanna talk..."

Debbie shook her head and smiled. "Thanks again for the notes." She left.

Tara stared after her, worried, and then headed for the library.

In the library, Giles paced and talked while Buffy, Faith, and Tara listened.

"This creature is especially brutal. I believe the phrase coined by the coroner when describing Mr. Platt was 'pureed'. But he did confirm that Platt was killed shortly before Buffy found him. Our task now is to determine what sort of killer we are dealing with. Clearly, we're looking for a depraved, sadistic animal. We have two victims: Jeff Orkin and, uh, now Platt. Uh, maybe there's something they had in common."

Faith raised her hand. "Missing internal organs."

"Besides that."

Tara thought for a moment. "Debbie."

Giles looked at her.

"Well, victim number one, Jeff. He was in computer class with us last year. They used to horse around."

"They were fucking?" Faith asked her.

Tara shook her head. "I don't think so, but he hid her textbook once."

Buffy thought for a moment. "And we know that Debbie knew Platt. I mean...she was seeing him and way vocal about not having love for the guy."

Tara was concerned. "I just saw Debbie a while ago sporting a nasty black eye."

Faith thought for a moment. "Okay, so pretend Debbie wanted Platt dead. Maybe he fought back."

Buffy shook her head. "No. Platt was dead in an instant." She sighed. "He didn't even drop his cigarette." She had a thought. "Now, what if boyfriend Pete's the one doling out the punishment?"

Giles nodded. "We should find them both immediately."

He and Buffy grabbed their coats.

Tara looked at them. "Well, Debbie was in the quad."

"All right. We'll split up. Um, Faith, you and I team. Tara, stick with Buffy."

They all headed out.

Buffy opened the door to the girls' locker room, and she and Tara entered. Debbie was trying to hide her black eye with makeup.

"Debbie?" Buffy asked her.

"What?" Debbie put away her makeup.

Buffy walked up to Debbie at the mirror. "What's going on, Debbie? I'll bet you know."

Debbie shook her head. "You're wrong. I don't know anything."

"People are dying."

Debbie looked at her and Tara. "It...It's not his fault. I mean...he's not himself when he gets like this."

Buffy stared at her. "You mean Pete."

Debbie was upset. "It's me. I make him crazy. He - He just does what he does, because he loves me too much."

Tara was confused. "But weren't Mr. Platt and Jeff murdered by an animal?"

"Pete's not like other guys, is he, Debbie?" Buffy asked.

Debbie realized they knew more than they were letting on. "I-I've gotta go." She grabbed her purse and started to leave.

Buffy took her by the arm and stopped her. "You have to talk to us."

Debbie shook her head.

"We can't help you until you do."

"I didn't ask for your help!" Debbie yelled at her.

"Well, when are you going to?" Tara asked Debbie. "I mean, if Pete kills you, it'll be too late."

"Debbie, we're running out of time. Where can we find him?" Buffy asked.

"I-I don't know."

"You're lying."

"What if I am? What the fuck are you gonna do about it?" Debbie asked her.

Buffy took her by the arm again and pushed her up against the sink in front of the mirror. "Look at yourself. Why the fuck are you protecting him? Anybody who really loved you couldn't do this to you." She took a few steps away.

Debbie turned around to face Buffy. "Would they take him someplace?"

"Probably."

Debbie shook her head, sobbing. "I could never do that to him."

Tara sighed.

"I'm his everything."

Buffy was disgusted. "Great. So...what? You two live out your Grimm fairy tale? Two people are dead."

Debbie just shook her head and said nothing.

"Who's gonna be next?" Buffy asked her.

Debbie went and sat on a changing bench, hugging herself and looking off into space. "He does love me. He does love me."

"This is useless." Buffy sighed. "I have to go. I have to find Pete."

"He does love me."

Tara tried to get Debbie to stand up and go with her. "Come on."

Debbie resisted. "He does love me. He does love me. He does love me."

Buffy sighed and looked at Tara. "Stay with her."

Tara nodded. Buffy left the restroom.

Tara sat to Debbie's left on the bench. "Talk to me."

Debbie shook her head. "He does love me."

"No. He doesn't. This isn't love, Debbie. It's abuse."

Debbie shook her head. "You don't know what the fuck you're talking about."

Tara paused, hesitating. "I do. I've seen it. I've seen my mother receive it...at the hands of my father."

Debbie looked at her. "I didn't know. I'm sorry."

"No, no, I didn't mean to..." Tara sighed. "I'm only telling you this, because...I know it's not m-my place, but..." She paused. "There's things...thoughts and reactions I had that...I couldn't...understand...or even try to explain to anyone else."

Debbie looked down, pensive.

"Thoughts that...made me feel like I was losing it...or...like I was some kind of ho-horrible person. I know it's different for you...because it's always different, but...if you ever need..." Tara trailed off. "I wish I'd spoken up. I wish I'd done something!" She started crying.

They sat there, looking at each other. Then they both looked down at the floor.

Debbie looked back up at Tara. "Pete talked me into going into a supply room to make out just before I was to meet you in the quad. We sometimes do that. Sometimes, I give him blowjobs. Anyway, Pete was drinking some kind of concoction that he'd made. I-I was trying to get rid of it...to help him. I know how he gets. He noticed and got mad at me. He said he didn't need it anymore; he was 'way, way past that now'. He started getting violent and blamed me and my 'stupid, grating voice' for how he got. Then he...transformed in front of me. I don't know what the fuck he was taking, but it scared the shit out of me. He said I was the reason he started the formulas in the first place: to be the man I wanted. He accused me of 'whoring around with other guys' and 'taunting' him. That's when he backhand-punched me in the face and shoved me to the floor. After I stood back up, he swung another backhand punch at me, and I fell to the floor again. This time, I stayed down and cowered. I think...I think he killed Mr. Platt."

"He did."

Debbie started crying. "I was very afraid."

Tara shook her head, rubbing Debbie's shoulder. "There's no shame in that."

"He then calmed enough that he changed back to his regular self. He tried to be gentle with me."

"Let me guess: he apologized and said he'd never do it again."

Debbie shook her head, sobbing. "He said 'Hey, Debbie. Hey, listen. You know you shouldn't make me mad. Huh? You know what happens.'"

Tara sighed. "Fucking Christ."

"He did ask me if I was all right."

Tara rolled her eyes. "Oh, la-dee-da. Don't try to justify his behavior. He's the asshole, Debbie."

Debbie kept crying.

"Please help us stop him. Please."

Debbie nodded. They stood up and left the locker room.

Buffy was searching for Pete in a hall. Debbie and Tara ran up to her.

"Any luck?" Tara asked Buffy.

Buffy shook her head. "Nada."

Suddenly, they heard a scream coming from the lounge. The three of them began running toward the lounge. Faith and Giles arrived, running from another hall.

"What was that?" Giles asked.

"Someone that needs help!" Buffy replied.

"Get the dart gun!" Tara told Buffy. "We need some heavy shit to put him down!"

Buffy turned and ran toward the library.

Faith, Tara, Debbie, and Giles ran into the lounge. Pete had Cordelia cornered.

Giles ran over to Pete, waving his arms. "Hey, you! Over here!"

"Are you suicidal?!" Faith asked him.

Buffy arrived with the dart rifle. "Got it!" She cocked it and took aim past Giles.

Debbie couldn't help herself and shoved Buffy aside to protect her boyfriend. "Pete, watch out!"

The gun went off, and the dart hit Giles in the hip.

"Ow!" Giles exclaimed in pain.

Tara shoved Debbie in anger.

Buffy couldn't believe she shot Giles. "Oh! Sorry!"

"Oh, right. Bloody priceless."

The drug took effect quickly, and Giles staggered and fell to the floor.

Buffy tried to take aim again but couldn't get a clear shot. She tossed the rifle to Faith. Pete was near the stairs. Buffy ran toward Pete and up the stairs. She stopped halfway up to deliver a roundhouse kick to his head. He stumbled up the stairs and onto the upper-level floor. Buffy pursued him as he got to his feet. She punched him with a right, followed by a left. He staggered over to the table, grabbed it, and threw it onto her. It landed on top of her with a loud thud, dumping its contents all around her. Pete roared, leaped down, and stopped by the vending machine. Faith rushed over to him. He jumped on her, and she dropped the gun as she was pulled down to the floor.

Faith struggled to keep Pete at bay. "Where's the gun? Where's the gun?!"

Tara got behind Pete and punched him in the back of the head. "Get off her!"

She started to run toward Cordelia. Pete released Faith and started to run after her.

"Get the gun! Get the gun!" Tara yelled back at Faith.

Faith scrambled to her feet with the rifle.

"Hurry!" Cordelia yelled.

"Cordy, follow my lead!" Tara called.

Cordelia got ready. "Okay!"

Tara did a roundhouse kick to Pete's face. Cordelia did a roundhouse kick to the back of Pete's head. The two girls alternated for a while. Faith took aim and shot, hitting Pete in the ass. He yelped and whimpered. At first, it didn't seem to affect him much, but then his features slowly returned to normal.

Pete ran out the door. Buffy moaned and finally managed to walk down the stairs.

Tara put a hand on Buffy's arm. "Are you okay, sweetie?"

"I'll live. Where's Pete?" Buffy asked.

"He ran out the door."

Suddenly, Cordelia grabbed the dart rifle from Faith and ran out the door as well.

Tara looked at her and then back at Buffy. "Aaannnddd...so did Cordy."

Debbie ran out the door as well.

"And Debbie."

Faith ran out the door as well.

"And Faith."

"Shit. Okay, Tara, stay with Giles. Make sure he's okay." Buffy ran out the door.

Debbie found Pete out in the quad and ran over to him. "Pete! You're all right! God, you're all right."

She threw her arms around him and hugged him close, but he didn't hug her back.

"Buffy almost shot you. Did you see? I stopped her." Debbie let go of her hug and looked at him.

"How did she know, Debbie? Did you run your big mouth?"

Debbie was frightened. "No! She just knew. It seemed like she just knew."

"So you filled in the blanks!" Pete shoved her to the ground.

"No!" Debbie screamed and looked up at him. "No!"

"But what did I expect from a fuck-up like you?" Pete asked her.

Debbie shook her head. "I-I didn't...Pete..."

"You're nothing but a waste of space." Pete moved to grab her.

"No!" Debbie yelled.

Cordelia shot Pete in the ass with a dart. Distracted, he turned around. Cordelia performed a front snap kick to Pete's face. Buffy arrived and tried to get Debbie away from the battle. Pete grunted and grabbed her from behind. He threw her, and she hit the ground, dazed. Pete smiled as he came for her.

Faith arrived, grabbed Debbie by the arms, and pulled her to her feet. "C'mon!"

Debbie shook her head. "No, I can't leave! They'll kill him!"

Faith stared directly into Debbie's eyes. "If you stay, he'll kill you!"

Without waiting for a response, Faith pulled Debbie back into the school building.

Pete grabbed Buffy by the arm and backhand-punched her. "All the same!" He punched her again. "You're all the same!"

He backhand-punched her a third time, and she fell from his grip. As he advanced on her, she push-kicked him off and away from her. Sensing someone, Buffy and Cordelia looked and saw Angel standing there. He roared deeply and attacked Pete. Pete came to meet him. Angel swung his chains at him and got him in the face. He swung the chains the other way and got Pete in the face again. Pete lunged at Angel and bent him backward with his hands around Angel's throat. Buffy stood up and stepped back, next to Cordelia; the two girls watched them fight. Pete pulled Angel up and threw him to the ground. Then he turned his attention back on Buffy and Cordelia and started to advance on them.

Behind him, Angel got up and came at him, wrapping the chains around his neck. He lifted Pete over his back and slammed him down on the ground. Angel pulled at the chain, choking Pete. Cordelia winced when she saw. Angel gave Pete's neck a twist and broke it. He let go, and Pete fell dead to the ground. Angel looked down at his kill and began to calm down. Pete had changed back to his normal state. Angel breathed heavily as he looked up and over at Cordelia. They just stared at each other for a moment while Angel caught his breath. He slowly started to go to her. He stopped in front of her. She looked at him, not knowing what to expect.

He gave her a long and intense look. "Cordy?"

He fell to his knees and held her tightly. Cordelia was surprised by this turn of events and wasn't sure what to do.

Angel just kept holding her even tighter and started to sob into her jacket. "Cordy..."

She finally seemed to accept he was back and shed a few tears. Her head was too heavy with thoughts and emotions for her to speak.

Buffy observed them, unsure what to do. Finally, she walked over to them. "Cordy..."

Cordelia looked at her. "I, uh, I came across him last night while patrolling the woods. I took him back to the mansion and chained him up until I could look into it and...figure out what to do. He must have gotten loose."

Buffy didn't say anything.

"Please don't tell anyone. Not yet. I don't know how they'd react - especially Giles."

"You're asking me to cover for him - and for you."

"I know. Please?" Cordelia begged. "I'll tell everyone eventually; I just gotta figure out how."

Buffy sighed. "Yeah, okay, get outta here. I...I killed Pete as far as anyone knows."

"Thank you." Cordelia turned her attention to Angel and helped him to his feet.

Buffy watched as the two of them ran away.

Later, at the mansion, Cordelia watched as Angel lay asleep on the floor. He moved slightly, and his face contorted in anguish and pain as he dreamed.

Cordelia was sitting on the floor, leaning against the wall, watching him sleep, and contemplating her life.

She eventually stood up and left.

Cordelia arrived at Buffy's house and went to the backyard. Slayer School was in session. Debbie was there, sitting on a bench and crying.

Cordelia walked over to Buffy, Faith, and Tara. "Hey. So...what's the story? What happened?"

Tara looked at her. "Well, we got a hold of, uh, Pete's lab books and shit. He was afraid Debbie was gonna leave him, so he mixed this potion to become super macho; basically, it was a bunch of steroids mixed with who-knows-what-else."

Buffy nodded. "The only thing was, after a while, he didn't need the potion to turn into a bad guy. He did it just fine on his own."

"So those were, like, real killings. He wasn't under the influence of anything?" Cordelia asked her.

"Just himself."

"Great. Now, I'm gonna be stuck with serious thoughts all day."

Buffy stared at her for a moment and then saw Debbie sitting by herself. "Uh...we'll end break in a bit. Just give me a while."

Tara nodded. "Take your time, sweetie." She gently kissed Buffy on the lips.

Buffy walked over and sat down next to Debbie on the bench. "I don't know what to say that's not gonna sound stupid or obvious."

"I've been friends with him since before we started school."

"Is there anything I can do?" Buffy asked her.

Debbie looked at her for a long moment. "You never really know what's going on inside somebody. Do you? I mean...you think...if you care about them...but you never really do."

Buffy briefly looked at Cordelia and thought of her and Angel. Then she turned her attention back to Debbie. "No, I don't suppose we do. I, uh, I want to apologize for earlier. I came off sounding like an insensitive ass."

Debbie shook her head. "Lives were at stake. I understand that now."

"But still...I'm sorry."

Debbie gave her a weak smile, but it quickly faded. "It's partly my fault, isn't it? Those deaths?"

Buffy thought back to Cordelia sparing Angelus in the previous school year. "Maybe. But you loved him, and love...can be very powerful, overriding sound judgment." She thought about how she agreed to cover for Cordelia and Angel recently.

"Am I gonna go to jail?" Debbie asked her.

Buffy shook her head. "No. I kept you out of it in my official report."

Debbie was confused.

"Long story. Anyway, you're free."

"Am I?" Debbie asked her, feeling more weighed down than ever.

Buffy gave Debbie a smile. "It'll take time. And counseling. And courage. People will talk, gossip, spread rumors based on either half-truths or complete bullshit. They'll try to cast you as the villain, drown out your voice, make sure you aren't heard. I've seen it happen, both in the media and in my own life. But you can put that ass behind you and reclaim your life. This is a good first step. We're all here to help you. That's what we're all about."

Debbie smiled. Buffy hugged Debbie, and Debbie hugged Buffy back. They sat in silence for a while, embracing each other. Then they released each other.

Buffy motioned with her head. "C'mon."

She stood up, and so did Debbie. Buffy went over to join Tara and Faith at the front of the class, and Debbie went over to join the other students. Buffy nodded, and she, Faith, and Tara faced the students.

"Yoi!" Tara commanded.

The entire class gave Tara and Buffy their attention.

Buffy smiled. "Let's give a warm welcome to our newest student, Debbie Foley."

Everyone applauded for Debbie.

Buffy suddenly grew serious. "Heiko Dachi!"

The ladies stood at attention; their feet shoulder-width apart, facing forward; their arms alongside their bodies; their backs and necks straight; their pelvises tilted upward. Debbie copied their stance.

"Tsuki!" Faith commanded.

The ladies punched.

Faith repeated the command for a while, and the ladies kept punching. Debbie concentrated on just doing as she was told. It was all that she knew how to do at the moment, but Buffy knew, in time, that would change.

She had potential.