Shadow Over Hellmouth Chapter 82: Listening to Fear, a buffy: the vampire slayer fanfic

"Listening to Fear"

Based on the Buffy the Vampire Slayer Episodes "Listening to Fear" Written by Rebecca Rand Kirshner, "Into the Woods" Written by Marti Noxon, and "Triangle" Written by Jane Espenson and the Angel Episodes "The Trial" Written by David Greenwalt, Douglas Petrie, and Tim Minear and "Redefinition" Written by Mere Smith

Joyce and Dawn were sitting in the hospital bed while Buffy sat beside the bed. Joyce had a bandage on her forehead. Dawn picked up a piece of green Jell-O off a tray of hospital food and ate it.

"Listen, you two, I know this creamed spinach is pretty delicious, but I promise I won't be offended if you go out for some real food."

"You kidding me?" Buffy asked. "This is the good life. Relaxing in bed while people bring you food on trays."

Dawn licked her fingers. "I like the Jell-O."

Joyce laughed. "Help yourself. There's something about food that moves by itself that gives me the heebie-jeebies."

"It's good and wiggly." Dawn shoved more Jell-O into her mouth. "This girl at school told me that gelatin is made from ground-up cow's feet and that, if you eat Jell-O, there's some cows out limping with no feet."

Joyce and Buffy grimaced.

"But I told her I'm sure they kill 'em before they take off their feet." Dawn was suddenly nervous. "Right?"

Buffy looked at Joyce. "You're the one who insisted on teaching her to talk."

Dr. Kriegel entered the room.

"Oh, hello, Dr. Kriegel; um, you know my girls, Buffy and Dawn." Joyce gestured to them.

"Yes, of course. You two are becoming part of the regular crew around here."

Buffy smiled. "Just keeping her company."

"Good. Just be careful you don't wear her out."

"Oh, don't worry about that. I woke up exhausted; there's really no more exhausted to get."

Dr. Kriegel took Joyce's chart and looked at it. "Well, maybe some good news will help. The blood work's come back from the lab, and everything seems fine. So we've scheduled your surgery for tomorrow at ten in the morning."

Buffy and Joyce sobered up at this.

"How's that sound to you?" he asked.

"Oh, well, I think they had me scheduled for volleyball, but, uh, we can work around it."

Dr. Kriegel laughed. "All right. Joyce, you take care. Make sure you get some good, solid rest. And I mean that." He left.

"Uh, tomorrow. I don't think I can stand to stay here another day, just waiting."

"Waiting?" Buffy asked. "Gimme a break; we got - we got tons to do."

Dawn nodded. "We have soap operas to watch and trashy magazines to read."

Buffy smiled. "And an adjustable bed to fiddle with. That alone will keep me busy for four hours or so."

"Oh, I really don't need you to stay here, Buffy. I know you've got patrolling to do."

"Not tonight. Tonight, I have Mom-taking-care-of to do. And besides, I'm sure the others have everything under control."

Cordelia and Wesley were standing in front of the closed door leading down into the Hyperion's basement.

"Don't you think we should check on him?" Cordelia asked. "He's been in that cellar a long time."

"I keep hearing a 'chucka-chucka' sound. What's he doing down there?" Wesley asked.

"How the fuck should I know?" Cordelia asked. "He barely says 'Good morning' and 'Get me a glass of blood' anymore."

"I know. He's just so distraught about-"

"Don't say Darla! I'm sick and tired hearing about Darla. If I hear the name Darla one more time! And he is not distraught; he is obsessed! And I thought you were gonna be a man and talk to him about this!"

"I was a man! I said...things."

"Like what?"

"Like...did he prefer milk or sugar in his tea. It's how men talk about things in England."

"Shh! Listen. It stopped."

"He's coming!"

Both of them ran away from the basement door. Cordelia hopped onto a stool behind the counter and looked down at some papers. Behind her, Wesley picked up a file and pretended to be reading as the door opened.

Angel came out, carrying an armful of clothes. "Hi, guys. What's up?"

"Nothing." Cordelia paused. "So you were...doing your laundry?"

Angel folded his laundry. "Yeah. There is an old washer and dryer in the cellar." He held one piece up to his face. "Hmm, don't you just love it when they're still warm from the dryer?" He shook it out and looked at it. "Wrinkle-free - right, after you iron it for about fifteen minutes!"

"It's good to see you taking a domestic tack."

"Yeah, you seem all calm and homey." Cordelia paused as a thought came to her. "Are you on drugs?"

"I know I've caused you a lot of grief about this whole Darla situation, and I apologize. Darla may never need my help. All I can do is be there for her if and when she decides to come around. But I can't do it for her, and I know that now."

Wesley smiled at Cordelia. "We had tea."

"In the meantime, there is nothing I can do but...let go."

Gunn burst in, holding a file. "I found Darla."

Angel walked over to look through what he had.

"It wasn't easy, but you said to keep looking, and my wide-ranging knowledge of L.A.'s low-rent hotels finally paid off."

"You lied to us!" Cordelia yelled at Angel.

Angel looked at some pictures. "I did. I know."

"Why?" Wesley asked.

"I figured you'd nag."

Cordelia and Wesley exchanged a look.

"The Royal Viking Motel."

"Conveniently located mere steps from scenic skid row. I guess she's not living off Wolfram & Hart no more."

"They'll be looking for her, too."

"What do you think they'll do if they find her?" Gunn asked.

"Well, let's get there first and not find out."

Angel grabbed his coat and walked towards the door, Gunn following.

"Listen up, mister! If you expect us to go with you on some wild goose chase, then guess again! We're not going to enable you in your addiction!" Cordelia yelled.

"Didn't we learn anything from the tea?" Wesley asked.

Joyce was reading in bed while Buffy and Dawn played Uno at a nearby table.

Tara entered the room, holding a few magazines and a book. "Hey."

Buffy smiled. "Hey. How'd patrol go?"

Tara smiled. "Good. I went with Sandy, and Amy went with Harmony. Simple freeze-and-stake method."

"Isn't that kinda cheating?" Dawn asked.

Buffy smirked. "Who gives a fuck?"

"Buffy!" Joyce yelled.

"Sorry." Buffy smiled wickedly at Dawn. "Cheating is awesome. Just think of all of the times that I kicked your ass in LORD or Doom."

"Is that why our phone bill was always so high?" Joyce asked Buffy angrily.

"Uuuhhh..."

"These are for you to read." Tara put the magazines and book on the table.

Joyce put her hand to her head and grimaced.

Buffy was concerned. "Headache?"

"Just a little one." Joyce smiled. "A biggish little one. I'm fine!"

Buffy looked down at the large textbook titled World History and pouted. "Homework?"

Tara reached into her jacket and pulled a Game Boy Color out of her pocket, smiling. "And your Game Boy."

Buffy took it, smiling. "Thank you."

"The book is just in case you get a chance to look it over. We're doing World War I now. The last exam was really pretty easy, so it should be no hassle to make it up-"

Buffy sighed. "I don't even know if I'm gonna take that exam."

Joyce scowled. "I'd rip it in half and stick it in bed with me!"

The girls were confused.

"Mom?" Buffy asked tentatively.

Joyce looked confused. "You know, I think I'm gonna take a little rest now." She lay back in bed.

Buffy nodded. "Okay. We'll be right outside if you need us."

Tara, Dawn, and Buffy left the room.

Dawn was anxious as Buffy closed the door behind herself.

"What was she talking about?" Dawn asked Tara. "I mean...that was weird."

Tara gave her a small smile. "She's gonna be fine."

Buffy joined them. "It's okay. I'm sorry, the doctor spoke to me, and, uh, I should have told you. Um, the - the thing that's pressing on her brain, sometimes it - it might make her say weird things."

"Does she know she's saying them?" Dawn asked her.

"Not really. It's sort of like a flash, you know, but you saw her two seconds afterward. She was normal."

Tara nodded. "And after the operation, no more pressing. She'll be all normal all the time."

Buffy and Tara took Dawn's arms, and they began to walk down the hall.

Tara looked at Buffy. "Oh, Amy invited me to do some stargazing on the roof of her dorm later tonight. You're welcome to come with."

Buffy smiled. "Thanks, sweetie, but I'm needed here. You go, have fun."

A man passed them, going the other way with three women. He brushed Buffy.

Buffy looked at him. "Oh, excuse me."

"Careful, the facts say a-a picnic is in order."

His wife came forward.

He turned to his wife. "I'm going home?"

His wife nodded.

"Home? Home, home, home."

His wife and daughters escorted him away.

"What's wrong with him? Is it like Mom? A thing in his head?"

Buffy stared after him. "I don't think so. I-I think it's - it's different. Don't - Don't worry about it." She brushed hair back from Dawn's face.

Gloria approached. "I guess I missed that; was he bothering you?"

"Hey, Gloria, uh, this is my wife, Tara."

Gloria smiled. "Hi."

Tara smiled. "Hi."

They shook hands.

"And, uh, yeah, the crazy man was a little...you know, crazy, but it's okay. Are they really gonna send him home?" Buffy asked.

"Don't get me started. The mental ward's booked beyond capacity, literally nowhere to put them, so the ones with families, they're letting 'em go home. Like his family's gonna be able to take care of him. He has to have someone to watch him 24/7!"

At the Viking Motel, Gunn walked into Darla's room. Angel was standing in the open doorway.

"She ain't here, bro."

"No. But she was, not long ago." Angel sniffed. "Scent's still fresh. A lot of fear."

"Don't envy you that particular talent. Not based on what I'm getting with just my standard-issue human smeller." Gunn looked around the room.

Behind him, Angel entered.

"Man, not even for free cable, you know what I'm sayin'?" Gunn asked.

"She chose this neighborhood for a reason."

Gunn looked from Angel to the door and back. "Bro, how'd you...?"

"Oh, motel, public accommodation. She didn't live here."

"Yeah? I wouldn't call it living either." Gunn picked up Darla's cross from the dresser. "Hey, looks like maybe she was expecting company in the form of you."

Angel looked around the room. "No blood. Nothing new, anyway."

"You smellin' that, too?"

"This room's seen a lot of it."

"No doubt. Big step down from her last digs, that's for sure."

"When you're desperate...you do what you have to do."

On the roof of Amy's dorm building at UC Sunnydale, Amy and Tara were laying side by side on their backs on sleeping bags - with pillows under their heads and another sleeping bag covering them.

"You know what's weird?" Amy asked Tara.

"Japanese commercials are weird."

"Yes. And also, you know some of the stars we're looking at...don't even exist anymore? In the time that it takes for their light to reach us, they've died. Exploded."

Tara turned her head to look at Amy.

"You know, I used to love to look up at them when I was little. They're supposed to make you feel all insignificant, but...they made me feel like...like I was in space...part of the stars." Amy pointed. "There's...Canis Minor...and..." She pointed. "...and Cassiopeia."

Tara smiled and pointed. "And the big pineapple."

Amy frowned. "Hmm. You know, I'm not sure I remember that one."

"Oh, it's - it's a major one." Tara pointed. "See those three bright stars right over there?"

Amy looked along Tara's pointing arm. "Yeah."

Tara pointed. "And see those stars along there? That's the bottom of the pineapple."

"It's big."

"Hence the name." Tara paused. "The real ones never made sense to me; I...sort of have my own."

"Teach me."

Tara pointed. "See those stars over there? 'Cow with three udders'." She pointed. "And that's 'Short man looking uncomfortable'."

They both giggled.

"Uh..." Tara pointed. "'Moose getting a sponge bath'. Umm..." She pointed. "'Little pile o' crackers'."

Amy frowned.

"Tha-That was a bit of a stretch."

They both laughed.

"You do it. What would you call...mm, that one?" Tara pointed.

"Hmm, let's see."

One of the stars suddenly enlarged and streaked toward the Earth, trailing a golden tail.

"A huge flaming meteor about to crash into something!" Amy replied.

They scrambled to their feet as the thing flew past them and landed somewhere in the distance. A burst of light momentarily flashed from behind trees.

At the Hyperion, Cordelia heard someone open the doors and turned to Wesley, who was reading a newspaper.

"Angel's back."

Wesley glanced up.

"And he has Darla with him!"

Wesley got up, and he and Cordelia walked around the counter to confront Angel and Darla.

"Hi." Cordelia saw the bag that Darla was carrying. "You're...planning on sleeping over?"

Darla put down the bag. "I'm dying."

"So just for the one night then."

"Dying?" Wesley asked Darla.

"He doesn't believe it."

"Angel, what's going on?" Wesley asked.

"Wolfram & Hart showed her some medical files supposedly proving that she's only got a few months left to live."

Cordelia nodded. "So maybe more than the one night."

"And you believe it's some kind of trick."

"We're talking about Wolfram & Hart!" Angel exclaimed. "Of course, it's a trick. They're trying to play some kind of mind game."

"To what end?" Wesley asked.

"I don't know, but we're not gonna take the bait."

Darla looked at Angel. "No, you just don't wanna believe it, that's all."

"I don't wanna believe anything from them."

Wesley nodded. "It's true. They can't really be trusted."

"I don't trust them, but I know a thing or two about mind games." Darla looked at Angel. "So do you. We played them together for over a century."

Cordelia smiled. "Yes, but you were just soulless, bloodsucking demons; they're lawyers."

Angel shrugged. "She's right. We were amateurs."

"And if you're wrong?" Darla asked him.

Angel paused. "I'm not. And I'm gonna prove it to you." He stepped closer to Cordelia and Wesley. "Can you guys just watch over her for a while? I'll be back soon."

Wesley nodded. "Of course."

Cordelia nodded. "Don't worry about a thing."

Angel turned to leave. "Thanks."

Darla crossed her arms. "You can't force me to stay here."

Angel looked back at her. "You're not a prisoner."

"I've been hearing that a lot lately."

"Just give me a chance. Okay?" After a moment, Angel turned and left.

Cordelia looked at Darla. "So first up...you're a prisoner."

Wesley nodded. "I'd have to concur with that, yes."

"See, you've got our friend...all...in knots."

"Can't say we like you much."

"So sorry about the dying, but, if you try to escape...we will hit you."

"On the head."

"With very large and heavy objects. Okay?" Cordelia asked.

Joyce was in her hospital bed, holding the nurse call button, pushing the button again and again. "This thing doesn't work! It isn't working!"

"I'm sure they heard you." Buffy took the call button from Joyce and put it aside.

"I bet it's not even hooked up to anything. Just like the push buttons at the crosswalk that are supposed to make the signal change."

"I'm sure someone's on-" Buffy frowned. "What, the push buttons aren't hooked up to anything?"

Dr. Kriegel entered the room.

"Oh, tell him, Buffy. Tell him, okay?" Joyce asked.

Buffy looked at him. "Look, Dr. Kriegel, we wanna go home."

"Well, of course. You can come back and visit your mother first thing in the morning."

"No. We. I-I mean...all of us. My mom, too."

Joyce looked anxiously at the doctor and nodded.

"Oh. Well, I understand that, but it's not necessarily the first thing I'd recommend."

"I can't!" Joyce yelled. "I-I can't stay here, waiting for this operation; I just can't."

Dr. Kriegel sighed.

"It makes my head hurt to be here; can't you tell that?"

"Joyce, there's no reason to get upset."

"No reason to get upset? Oh, right, sorry, I must just think there is because of my brain tumor!"

Dawn was upset. Joyce calmed down slightly.

"Here, Dawn, why don't you get something from the machine?" Buffy handed Dawn some money.

Dawn took it and left, apprehensive.

Joyce looked at Buffy. "I-I'm sorry I said that; I'm just tired."

"I know. Listen, Doctor, I don't see why we can't take her home, you know, just until..." Buffy gestured. "I-I mean...wouldn't it be better for her to rest someplace where she felt safe and comfortable?"

"Even if it would mean some work for you, taking care of her?"

"I'll do it, anything."

Joyce sighed and leaned back in bed. "Oh, thank God."

Dr. Kriegel sighed and shook his head. "There are medications to administer; I'd have to go over those with you, and I'd need for you to check her vitals, watch her pretty closely. I'm afraid you won't get a lot of sleep."

Buffy shrugged. "I'm not much of a sleep person, anyway."

"Can we go now?" Joyce started to get out of bed. "Let's go now!"

"Oh, hold on!" Buffy stopped her. "Lemme get all the medications and all the instructions on how to do everything."

"She's right. Let's do this right. We don't wanna forget anything."

Joyce sighed.

Darla was outside in the garden court at the Hyperion. Cordelia and Wesley were in the lobby, holding cups of tea.

"I mean...not only is she putting his life at stake - but ours! I'm sorry, but, after four-hundred years of death and destruction, seems to me you get voted off the island. Am I right?" Cordelia asked.

They noticed Angel standing in the lobby, hands buried in his pockets, staring straight ahead.

Cordelia smiled. "You're back."

Angel didn't move.

"Was it...good news?" Wesley asked.

They looked where he was staring and saw Darla through the glass doors, smelling a flower out in the court.

"Just give me a minute, will you, guys?" Angel slowly walked out into the court.

"Hmm, jasmine. It blooms at night. I remember what that was like." Darla looked over at Angel and got up. "I told you. I told you it was the truth."

"Darla-"

"No, I have to go." Darla tried to walk past him.

Angel blocked her way. "We'll find a cure. We'll do something."

"You'll do something! Now, I've been around long enough to know when something is a lost cause...unless..."

"That's exactly what they want us to do, Darla. We'd be playing right into their hands."

"I don't care. I don't wanna die."

"I can't give you what you want."

"It's what I need."

"No, it's not what you need, Darla. Really, it's not. I don't know what you need. I wish I did."

Darla turned away. "I don't know either."

Angel paused. "No. You do. You're the only one that could. You just can't see it, that's all. You need a little help."

Amy and Tara were walking through the forest. Jenny and Giles were walking behind them. Giles had a flashlight.

"Everyone stay close." Giles looked at Tara. "I'm glad you called me in on this. Look, there it is." He pushed past Amy and Tara.

They approached a long trench in the ground. It was about four feet deep, ten feet wide, and several hundred feet long. At its end, there was a large chunk of what looked like rock. They all ran up to the edge of the trench. Jenny jumped down into it as Giles moved his flashlight over the rock.

Amy looked at it in awe. "Wow. We have meteorite. Hope it doesn't try to take over the world."

The rock at the end of the trench was smoking.

"Is it hot?" Amy asked.

Jenny put her hands toward it and touched the rock carefully. "No, it's not hot. It's warm. And broken." She kneeled to look at it. "It's sort of-"

"Hollow."

Jenny looked at Giles. "Yeah."

"So, uh, we're all thinking the same thing, right?" Amy asked. "Something evil crashed to Earth in this and then broke out and...slithered away to do badness."

Tara looked at everyone. "Let's look around. Maybe we can figure out where it went."

They moved off. Jenny climbed out of the trench to join them. They all went a little way into the woods.

Amy moved around some trees and found a man laying on the ground. "It went here!"

The others rushed over.

Jenny kneeled by the body and felt its neck. "No pulse."

Giles joined Jenny by the man's head. "I don't see any marks on him."

"I-I know him!" Tara exclaimed. "He - He was at the hospital, a mental patient. They released him today."

Everyone leaned down to look at the body. Jenny took out a pen and brought it toward the man's mouth.

"Uh, Jenny, what are you doing?" Giles asked.

"I'm not sure, there's something..."

She stuck the pen in the man's mouth and took it out; it was covered with a clear, slimy substance. Everyone reacted at the same time, making disgusted noises and covering their noses as it smelled bad.

Jenny looked at the others. "Oh, that might be toxic; don't touch it."

Tara straightened up. "Shit, does that smell."

"So what do we do now?" Amy asked. "Call Buffy?"

Tara looked at her. "We can't. She's got life stuff. That has to come first."

"So - So we'll just figure this out ourselves. We're experienced." Amy smiled.

Tara smiled. "Yes, 'cause it seems like we're always dealing with creatures from outer space. Except that we don't ever do that."

Jenny got up. "This is definitely new territory."

Giles looked at her. "Perhaps we should explore a bit more, head into the woods a bit."

They all looked into the woods. It was dark and scary-looking.

"Who votes research?" Amy asked.

Everyone raised their hands and walked away.

Jenny nodded. "Yeah, I think that's a good call. There could have been some other cases like this."

Darla sat on the stage at Cordy's while Angel stood beside Cordelia at the bar.

"Blow, ill wind, blow away. Let me rest today. You're blowing me no good..."

Cordelia watched her. "Ooh!"

"What is that? What does that mean, ooh?" Angel asked her.

"It means you may not be able to save her."

"I'm gonna save her, and you're gonna help me."

Cordelia looked at Angel. "I sense pain and anger. Are you still testy from the last time?"

"When you sent me to that swami who was dead, and his imposter tried to kill me? Why would I be testy about that? Can we get back to Darla?"

Cordelia stared at him. "If you shut up and listen to the bridge."

"You're only misleading the sunshine I'm needing. Ain't that a shame? It's so hard to keep up with troubles that creep up from out of nowhere when love..."

Cordelia watched Angel watch Darla.

"Aren't you supposed to be reading her?" Angel asked her.

"Look, you wanna save the girl. I can see why. But you're missing the crucial point here. Things fall apart. Not everything can be put back together, no matter how much you want it."

"She's not gonna die."

"Why do you care so much? She had more than most of us already."

"As a vampire. Before that, she was..." Angel paused. "She...She never had a chance."

Darla finished her song to big applause.

"Okay, I know I'm probably going to regret this. There is one way. It-It's a bit of a quest...and...it will probably kill you."

"I'll take it."

Cordelia wrote down an address. "All right, you asked for it. You're about to face the hell and the high water. Go to this address."

"What is it?"

"It's where you find out if you're really ready to take the plunge."

At the hospital, Dr. Kriegel stood in the hall, checking some paperwork, as Joyce stood behind him, dressed. Buffy and Dawn stood on either side of Joyce.

"Well, I guess we're all set then." Dr. Kriegel turned and handed Buffy a piece of paper and three pill bottles. "You've got my home phone number, pager number, and here, these are the medications I talked to you about. The sedative and so forth, painkillers."

"Right. No problem."

"Now, if this is gonna be too much for you, we can make your mom perfectly comfortable here."

"No. No, no, I-I got this. We really, really appreciate-"

"You look just like your father when he cries."

Buffy looked at her mother, then back at the doctor. "I-I told you she's been-"

"I know. Joyce?"

Joyce was staring dazedly at Buffy.

"Joyce."

She looked at him.

"We're all done here. Why don't you let your daughter take you home now?"

"Yes. Yes, thank you. Thank you for all your help, doctor."

"I'll see you in a couple of days." He walked off.

The Summers women turned away, Buffy and Dawn flanking Joyce and linking their arms through hers.

Joyce looked at Buffy. "Oh, let's get the hell outta here."

Buffy unlocked and opened the front door and entered the house, followed by Joyce and Dawn.

"Here we go."

Joyce smiled. "Oh, it's nice to be home."

Buffy closed the door and turned on the lights. Joyce winced and put her hand to her eyes.

"Do you wanna go to bed, Mom?" Dawn asked.

"Buffy, no, that light is too bright. It's too bright."

"Oh, okay, okay!" Buffy rushed to turn the lights off again.

Dawn rubbed Joyce's shoulders.

"It's too bright. Buffy, it hurts. It hurts; it hurts my eyes."

"It's off, it's off. You know what?" Buffy looked at Dawn. "Why don't you turn off the lights in the living room?" She looked at Joyce. "And I will take you upstairs, and we'll shut off all the lights up there. Okay? Come on."

Buffy led Joyce upstairs as Dawn moved into the living room.

Buffy and Dawn were sitting on the living room sofa, watching TV. Dawn rested her head on Buffy's shoulder. There was a noise from the kitchen as of dishes clinking together. They both looked up. Buffy picked up the remote control and turned off the TV.

"Mom?" Dawn asked.

More crashing noises. Buffy and Dawn got up and walked into the kitchen.

The kitchen was dark. Joyce, in her nightgown and robe, was bending over and looking in the refrigerator. There was a sizzling noise. Dawn went to Joyce.

"Oh, my God." Buffy rushed to the stove and turned it off, moving a pan off the burner and coughing as the contents gave off smoke.

Joyce straightened up, holding the fridge door, and turned to give Buffy an annoyed look.

"Mom, wha-what are you doing?" Buffy asked.

"I'm making breakfast." Joyce closed the fridge and looked Buffy up and down. "And you shouldn't eat any more; you're disgustingly fat."

Buffy was hurt.

Joyce looked confused. "Oh, Buffy, I don't know what I'm doing."

"You just need some rest. We'll put you back to bed."

She and Dawn took Joyce's arms and led her out.

In Joyce's bedroom, Buffy was closing a pill bottle as Joyce swallowed some water.

"Okay, here we go." Buffy took the glass from Joyce. "That will help you sleep. Come on, let's get you all tucked into bed."

Buffy and Dawn stood on opposite sides of the bed and pulled the covers over Joyce as she lay down. Buffy picked up Joyce's bathrobe and moved away as Dawn leaned over to caress Joyce's forehead.

Suddenly, Joyce gasped and sat up, staring at Dawn. "Don't touch me! You - You thing!"

Dawn backed up. "Mom, please!"

"Get away from me!"

Buffy ran over, and Dawn gave her an anxious look.

"You're nothing; you're - you're a shadow!"

Buffy looked at Joyce. "Mom-"

"I don't know what you are or how you got here!"

"Mom, it's Dawn."

Dawn backed away, upset, and ran out of the room.

"Dawn? Honey, what's wrong?" Joyce asked.

The door slammed behind Dawn.

Buffy turned to Joyce. "She's...just tired. We all are."

She coaxed Joyce to lie down, which Joyce did, looking worried.

"Come on, go to sleep. I'll check in on you in a little bit."

Buffy left her mother's room and entered Dawn's room.

Dawn was sitting on the bed, teary. "She hates me."

Buffy kneeled beside the bed. "No."

"She called me a thing."

"She loves you. Okay? She's not herself." Buffy put her hand on Dawn's. "I told you what the doctor said about the tumor."

Dawn shook her head. "What's wrong with me?"

"Nothing. It's not you. I think there's something that happens in people's brains when there's something wrong. It's - It's like a short circuit...and it makes them feel like nothing's real except for them. That's all it is."

Dawn was unconvinced.

"Look, it is not you." Buffy got up and sat next to Dawn on the bed. "Okay? And if Mom says anything like that to you again, don't listen."

Dawn stared at her, then shook her head. "I hate it."

"I know." Buffy put her hand on Dawn's shoulder. "Just don't listen."

At the UC Sunnydale library, Giles, Jenny, Tara, and Amy were researching in the Astronomy section. Jenny and Giles were sitting at a table covered with books. Jenny was working on her laptop computer. Amy and Tara approached.

Tara looked at Jenny and Giles. "We've been scouring all the international periodicals for any other meteorite landings in the last week."

"Nothing." Amy sat at the table and started flipping through a book.

Giles gave a faint smile. "Well, then it would appear that the world is not being invaded."

Tara smiled. "I'm pretty pleased about that."

"Uh, guys?" Jenny asked. "I've got some shit."

Everyone looked at her. Giles got up to come behind her and look at the screen.

"The most recent meteoric anomaly was the Tunguska blast in Russia in 1908. Some witnesses claimed the meteor was hollow."

"How far back does this list of anomalies go?" Giles asked her.

"Pretty far. Back to the Queller impact in the twelfth century."

"The what?" Tara asked.

"Queller. I-I don't know why they call it that; it didn't hit a place called Queller or anything. It landed just outside of Reykjavik in Iceland."

"Wait, I just saw..." Amy flipped pages. "Queller. Quell...here, here! 'Primitive people used to believe that the moon was a cause of insanity. Sometimes, they would pray to the moon to send a special meteor to fix the problem the moon had caused. These meteors were expected to quell the madmen.'"

Tara looked at Amy. "The man in the woods. He was a mental patient."

Amy nodded. "And he got pretty well...quelled."

Jenny briefly looked at them. "Okay, I'm looking in history right now. It says, in the Middle Ages, there were these sweeping plagues of madness. People were losing their marbles everywhere. But then it would suddenly subside. And these dates look pretty close. Like - Like maybe it happened after each one of the meteor events."

Giles thought about that. "So something emerged from the meteors...and quelled the madmen."

"Amy's book made it sound like this Queller thing had to be summoned. So...who summoned it?" Tara asked.

Amy thought about it. "Buffy's mystery bitch?"

Tara stood up, worried. "I'm gonna call Buffy." She headed toward the payphone, picked up the handset, put in a quarter, and called the hospital. She waited through the menu options and pressed 0.

"Thank you for calling Sunnydale Memorial. How may I direct your call?"

"Joyce Summers' room, please."

There was a moment of silence.

"I'm sorry, she was discharged."

"Oh. Uh, thank you." Tara hung up, picked up the handset again, put in another quarter, and called Buffy's house. She waited. "C'mon, pick up, sweetie."

Dawn was in her room, laying in bed. She could hear Joyce talking. Dawn hugged a stuffed animal and listened unwillingly.

"I wish that someone had bothered to tell me that there would be tennis being played! I just didn't know. Those eyes...Those eyes, they're like gasoline puddles! Tell me. Tell me, because I need to know why; why are you staring at me like that? What are you asking me? You are asking me, aren't you? Is this a test? And if this counts for the final grade, I need to know now!"

Dawn made faces, not wanting to hear this.

"Okay, there are teachers, and they put this on the syllabus, but they do not stare down at you; they do not cling; they do not look down on you."

Dawn grabbed her pillow and pulled it over her ears, trying to blot out the sound, but she could still hear it.

"You know there are people who are nice, and they give you presents - even when you are bad. Does someone know you're here? Because they should have told you that at the gate. You are not supposed to be here. I need to rest now. I-I don't like the way you're staring at me! Did they tell you that at the gate? Stop staring at me; I don't like it!"

In the kitchen, cheerful Spanish music was playing on the radio. Buffy turned up the volume and began washing dishes. She bit her lips as she worked, trying not to cry, but, after a few dishes, she began to sob. She wiped her nose with the back of her hand, tried to compose herself, then broke down in tears, putting her hand over her face.

"I'm going to close my eyes, and, when I open them, you are going to go away."

Dawn heard Joyce scream and got up. She opened the door to her room.

"Get off me!"

Dawn went into the hall, opened the door, and saw a demon on top of Joyce. Its eyes were red, and its mouth was like a big circle ringed with long yellow teeth. It was hairless. Dawn gasped. The Queller looked at her as she grabbed a coatrack and shook the clothing off it. She attacked the demon with it, shoving it off the other side of the bed. Most of the slime seemed to have hardened on Joyce's face. She pulled it away, gasping and panting. Dawn looked around, scared. The Queller arose from behind the bed and launched itself at Dawn, squealing. She screamed and ran back into the hall. The Queller chased her, crawling along the floor.

Dawn ran into the bathroom and slammed the door. "Buffy!"

Buffy was still crying in the kitchen. The radio and the running water from the sink were loud, so she didn't hear Dawn yelling. She wiped hair back from her face and sniffled.

Dawn ran into Joyce's room from the other door. Joyce was sitting up on the bed, clawing at her face and gasping. Dawn closed the door, grabbed an exercise bike, pushed it in front of the door, ran to the other door, and slammed it shut, too.

Buffy splashed water on her face, reached for a towel, and dried her face.

Dawn opened the door leading into the hall. "Buffy!"

Buffy heard the scream and whirled around, dropping the towel.

Dawn slammed the door shut again.

Buffy raced out of the kitchen, through the dining room, into the living room, and up the stairs. She opened the door to Joyce's room and found Dawn and Joyce on the bed, still wiping slime off Joyce's face.

"What? What is it?" Buffy asked.

"There's something out there, Buffy. It's after Mom!" Dawn cried.

"You guys stay in here. Don't leave this room."

As Buffy closed the door, the Queller dropped from the ceiling and landed on her face. She grabbed it, and they struggled, slamming against a wall and then tumbling down the stairs. The Queller squealed and crawled away. Buffy rubbed her neck and looked around in confusion.

Dawn and Joyce were sitting on the bed in the dark bedroom, hugging each other tightly.

"It's okay, my baby. It's okay."

Dawn stared at the door over her mom's shoulder, scared.

Buffy walked slowly through the dark house, looking around for the Queller. She went into the kitchen, went over to the knife rack, and took out the largest knife. She spun around and continued looking around, moving back toward the hallway. The Queller attacked from the left. Buffy grimaced and raised her knife. The Queller knocked Buffy's hand, and the knife flew away. Buffy winced in pain and made an exasperated face. The Queller squealed and attacked her as she moved toward it. They slammed against a wall and fell down with the Queller on top. Buffy punched it and threw it off her, then started to scramble backward on her ass into the hallway, toward the front foyer.

The front door burst open. Tara and Amy ran into the house. Amy raised a hand and psychically froze the Queller in place, but she struggled to maintain the hold.

Tara took a stake out of her jacket. "Buffy!" She threw the stake to her.

Buffy caught it just as the Queller knocked her down again and climbed on top of her. She stabbed the stake into its back. It screamed. Buffy stabbed it again and again until it stopped screaming and fell still. Buffy gasped and made a pained face, rolling the Queller off her, then laying back with a sigh. Tara held out her hand. Buffy took it, and Tara pulled her to her feet. They hugged.

Buffy smiled. "Perfect timing, sweetie."

"Are you okay?" Tara asked her.

"Yeah, but..." Buffy frowned, then rushed to the stairs.

Buffy ran upstairs and burst into Joyce's bedroom. "It's gone. I killed it."

Joyce sighed in relief. "Oh, God."

"It's gone? You promise?" Dawn asked.

"I promise."

Both Dawn and Joyce hugged her, putting their heads on her shoulders.

Buffy put her arms around them. "Everything's all right. Everything's all right."

Faith was working the late shift at Helen's Kitchen. The place was currently empty of customers, so she was spending the remainder of her shift cleaning up. She was currently wiping down the tables when she noticed headlights outside. She dropped the rag on the table and walked over to the window. A car was parked across the street. A man in a suit opened the back door, and a pale woman with long black hair got out. Faith immediately suspected the woman was a vampire. The woman walked across the street, heading toward the diner. Faith got a pair of cheap sunglasses out of her jeans pocket and put them on.

The door opened. The woman walked into the diner.

Faith grinned. "Welcome to Helen's Kitchen. My name is Faith. I'll be your waitress this evening. Please have a seat wherever you like."

The woman looked at Faith oddly. "You...are a Slayer."

"And you're a vampire. We gonna have a problem?" Faith asked.

"You're not afraid of me?"

"No."

"You should be."

"That's, like, your opinion."

The woman walked right up to Faith and raised her right hand. She tried staring into Faith's eyes.

"That ain't gonna work on me."

"No mortal can resist me, not even a Slayer."

"Maybe not, but this Chinese-made BluBlocker knockoff can."

The woman reached for Faith's sunglasses. Faith grabbed the woman's hand and snapped her fingers back. The woman cried out in pain.

Faith shoved the woman down on her knees. "Hands off the shades, Dru."

"You know who I am?" Drusilla asked in surprise.

"Yeah, B showed me an old photo of you. Y'know, in a weird, wacky way, I suppose I oughta thank you. You made me. Think about that while I kill you." Faith kicked Drusilla in the face.

Drusilla fell backward, hitting her head on the floor, but Faith immediately pulled her to her feet and did a roundhouse kick, sending Drusilla crashing into a wall, shattering the glass on a tacky vintage Pepsi ad.

"Aw, great, that's comin' outta my pay." Faith ran at Drusilla; put her hands under her arms; did a backflip, kicking off the wall, lifting Drusilla into the air; lifted her over her head; and slammed her into the floor.

Faith then straightened herself and casually walked behind the counter. Drusilla got to her feet, blood all over her face, and gave Faith a death stare. Faith smiled sweetly and motioned with her middle finger for Drusilla to follow her.

Faith walked into the kitchen and turned on all four burners on the gas stove. She got a pot, put it on one of the front burners, grabbed a bottle of vegetable oil, opened it, and dumped the entire contents into the pot. She dropped the bottle on the floor and started taking off her clothes.

Drusilla entered the kitchen.

Faith dropped her jeans on the floor. "I hope you don't mind being killed by a naked person, but this is gonna get ugly, and clothes cost money, and I'm saving up for a PS2."

Drusilla approached her. "Stupid girl."

Faith walked over to the stove. "Okay, now, you've hurt my feelings."

Drusilla lunged at her. Faith grabbed the pot and got out of the way. Drusilla hit the stove, then straightened herself and turned around. Faith splashed her in the face with the vegetable oil. Drusilla screamed in pain as the scalding oil burned her face. Faith then whacked Drusilla in the head repeatedly with the pot and slammed her head back onto the stove. Drusilla screamed again as her hair caught fire. Faith pulled her up, turned her around, grabbed hold of her arms, and put Drusilla's hands on the two front burners. Faith held them in place. The fire burned all of Drusilla's hair and started burning her scalp. Then the sleeves of Drusilla's dress caught fire. Faith let go of her and stepped back. She assumed a fighting stance in case the vampire would put up a fight. Drusilla stood up and frantically tried to get her burning dress off, but she burned up entirely before that could happen.

Faith bent over and picked her jeans up off the floor.

Wearing her clothes again, Faith walked across the street and knocked on the driver's window.

The window rolled down.

Faith smiled at Lindsey. "Your bitch is dead. Can I interest any of you fine gentlemen in our soup of the day?"

Lindsey frowned. "What have you done?"

"My fucking job. Good night." Faith turned and went back to the diner.

Angel and Darla were sitting on the couch in the Hyperion's lobby. Cordelia was standing behind the counter, listening.

"Maybe it would be different. We don't know. Maybe, uh...because, you know, I have a soul...if - if I did bite you-"

"No."

"We don't know what it would do to you."

"Angel, I've seen it now: everything you're going through, everything you've gone through. I felt it. I felt how you care. The way no one's ever cared before - not for me." Darla gave him a tiny smile. "That's all I need from you."

"That's not enough."

"It is."

"How could the Powers allow you to be brought back and dangle a second chance and take it away like this?"

"Maybe this is my second chance."

"To die?"

"Yes. To die - the way I was supposed to die in the first place."

They looked at each other for a moment before Darla turned away, drawing a shaky breath.

"I'm not gonna leave you."

Darla looked at him, trying not to cry.

"Every moment you have left, I'm gonna be by your side. You're never gonna be alone again."

He draped his right hand around her shoulder and pulled her close as she began to cry.

The next morning, Buffy took her mother back to the hospital.

A nurse put an IV in Joyce's arm as Buffy sat by her on the bed, holding her other hand. Joyce winced as the needle entered her arm. The nurse finished and left. Buffy sighed.

Joyce cleared her throat. "Buffy, uh, I'm gonna tell you something, a-and I need you to take it to heart, okay?"

Buffy nodded.

"Buffy, promise me. If anything happens, if I don't come through this-"

"Mom-"

"No, listen to me. I have to know that you'll take care of Dawn, that you'll keep her safe. That you'll love her like I love you."

Buffy was getting teary. "I promise."

"Good. Good."

They hugged.

"Oh, my sweet, brave Buffy. What would I do without you?"

Buffy hugged her mom tightly, considering asking her the same question.

Joyce was laying on a gurney, being wheeled away. She had one arm up behind her head, and she smiled down the hall as she was moved backward. Buffy and Dawn, with arms around each other, watched. Behind them were Tara, Jenny, Giles, Amy, Harmony, Sandy, and Julie. Joyce looked very calm as the nurses took her away.

Anne was sitting at her desk in her office at East Hills Teen Center, on the phone. "Yes, I know the rent is late, but-"

"Ms. Steele, I've already given you a grace period, and you've reached the end of it. Unless you can come up with the money by the close of business today, you're out."

Anne was desperate. "Please. My kids."

"I'm sorry." The owner hung up.

"Shit." Anne slammed the handset back on the cradle. She took a deep breath and tried to calm down.

There was a knock on the door. Anne looked. Faith was standing in the doorway.

"Hey, I gotta go. I got a late afternoon shift."

"Okay."

"Can I borrow your car? I'll be back before evening."

"Yeah, sure." Anne dug in her pocket, then she had an idea. "Actually, no, I need it. I'm going out for a bit."

"Well, who's gonna watch the place?" Faith asked.

Anne stood up and headed for the door. "Uh, call Cordy. See if she can come here."

Faith stepped aside and watched her leave. "'Kay..."

Anne walked into the lobby of a car dealership.

A man walked over to her, smiling. "Hi! Are you looking to buy a new car?"

"Uh, no, actually, I'm looking to sell my current car."

"Well, you can trade it in toward the purchase of another vehicle. You'll get more that way."

"No, I just wanna sell it, thank you."

The man frowned. "Are you in some kind of trouble?"

"No, but my kids are." Anne sighed. "I run a shelter for runaway teens on Crenshaw. Our rent is due today, and I don't have all of it."

"Oh. Well, uh, let's have a look at your car, shall we?"

As Anne led the man toward the doors, a man stepped in her path.

"Excuse me, I couldn't help but overhear. I think I may be able to help you."

"Who are you?" Anne asked.

"Lindsey McDonald." He took a business card out of his jacket pocket and offered it to her. "I'm an attorney with Wolfram & Hart."

Anne took the card and looked at it, then looked at him. "I can't afford a lawyer."

"Oh, that's okay, we'll do it pro bono."

Anne was confused. "Does this have something to do with porn? Because I swore I'd never again-"

"What? No. It means for free."

"What's the catch?" Anne asked.

Lindsey shook his head. "No catch. It's just some good PR is all."

Anne smiled. "Okay."

"Okay?"

Anne nodded. "Yeah. If you can help, that'd be great."

Lindsey smiled. "Trust me, I'll have this fixed up within the hour."

Dawn was laying across several waiting room chairs, asleep, with her head in Buffy's lap as Buffy stroked her hair. Tara sat next to Buffy, dozing off. Buffy sighed. Various personnel came and went. Tara woke up as someone walked over to them.

"Just me. Sorry. Can I get you anything?" Giles asked Buffy.

"No, thank you."

"Tara?"

"No, I'm fine."

Giles nodded, fidgety, and walked off. Buffy leaned her head back and sighed loudly. Tara put her hand on Buffy's knee.

"I can't stand this. What's taking so long?" Buffy asked.

"It doesn't mean anything."

"You think?"

"I'd worry more if your mom was out of surgery quickly. Might mean that, you know, they couldn't do much."

Buffy frowned, looked down at Dawn, and looked up. Seeing Dr. Kriegel walking toward them, Buffy suddenly put her hand over Tara's, which was still on her leg. Dawn woke up as Buffy slid out from under her. Everyone stood up. The doctor walked closer. Buffy nervously waited for the news with Tara and Dawn behind her.

"Okay, your mom's in Recovery."

"What happened, is she all right?" Buffy asked.

"It was possible to visualize the tumor completely, which means I was able to get all of it. So, barring complications in recovery...I think your mother's going to be fine."

Everyone reacted with relief.

"Of course, we're still going to have to watch your mother carefully and, uh, have her back in here for some follow-up testing..."

Buffy nodded.

"...but, uh, overall, I'd consider the procedure a complete success."

Everyone hugged each other, smiling.

Buffy hugged Tara. "Oh, my Goddess, doctor, thank you, thank you so much."

"Please, it's my pleasure."

Buffy hugged him, and he yelled in pain as she forgot her Slayer strength.

Buffy gasped and pulled back. "Sorry. Sorry!"

The doctor put a hand on his back and gave Buffy a funny look.

The next day, in her hospital room, Joyce held a hand mirror and was looking at her reflection. There was a large bandage on her head. "I don't know, Buffy. I think I'll look like I have a cat on my head."

Buffy was holding a wig. "But a very well-groomed cat - like Miss Kitty."

"I think maybe I'll...stick with a scarf."

"Come on, wigs are fun. We can get you a whole bunch of different ones. You know, you can be, like, Sixties Mom, Action Mom..." Buffy wiggled her hips suggestively. "French Maid Mom..."

Joyce smiled. "I must be getting better, 'cause you're making fun of me."

"Well, you know." Buffy sat on the bed. "Got a lot of time to make up for."

"You have more important things to make up. I know you've been missing a lot of school."

"I may have to take a few incompletes, but I will make it through the semester."

"Well, what about slaying and your friends? I want you to have your life back."

"Right now, I'd rather be here, styling your beautiful new plastic dream hair."

"Fair enough, but you don't have to keep me company all night. Go out, have fun, go to a movie or something."

Buffy got up, turned away, and put the wig on a stand. "You sure?"

"Absolutely."

At the Magic Box, Giles was hanging up a large banner that read "Don't Forget! Winter Solstice Hanukkah Christmas Kwanzaa & Gurnenthar's Ascendance Are Coming!" Jenny was behind the counter, unpacking merchandise.

"And so it begins." Giles stepped down from his footstool. "No longer a victim of crass holiday commercialization, I'm...a purveyor of it."

Jenny took a jar out of a box. "Rupert, why did you order more chickens' feet? The ones we have aren't moving at all." She opened the jar. "Maybe we could do a...holiday promotion." She took out a chicken foot. "One free with every purchase."

On Christmas Eve, in the Summers' dining room, Christmas lights were lit around the walls, and candles were burning all around. On the left side of the table were Buffy and Tara. On the right were Dawn and Jenny. Giles sat at the foot, Joyce at the head. Buffy and Joyce stood up.

Joyce smiled. "I think we're just about ready for pie."

She and Buffy began clearing dishes.

"Everything was delicious." Giles stood to help clear.

Joyce smiled as she carried a pile of dirty dishes toward the kitchen. Giles followed.

Tara frowned in concern. "You don't look too good, Buffy."

Buffy groaned. "I had too much nog."

Tara smiled sympathetically. "Oh, baby, want me to rub your tummy?" She looked at the others. "She likes it when I...stop explaining things."

Dawn licked her lips. "My nog tastes funny. I think I got one with rum in it."

Buffy grinned. "Cool. Enjoy."

Dawn smiled. "Yellow feather, short, and small, you appear when I don't call. Using you is a mistake; always fights with a headache. Psy-yiyiyiyiyi-yiyiyiyiyi-yiyiyiyiyi-duck, in your Pokéball, I wish you were stuck."

Buffy, smiling, carried dishes into the kitchen. Giles was opening a bottle of wine by the counter, and Joyce was taking a sweet potato pie out of the oven.

"Damn it! I hate this oven. It burnt." Joyce put the pie on the kitchen island.

"Oh, no, it's just blackened, you know, it's - it's Cajun pie." Buffy smiled.

Giles turned to Joyce, holding the bottle of wine. "Shall I open another?"

"Oh, do you think we dare?" Joyce asked.

Buffy smiled. "As long as you two stay away from the band candy, I'm cool with anything."

Joyce and Giles looked embarrassed. Giles cleared his throat, grabbed the bottle opener, and moved off. Buffy began examining the burnt pie.

Joyce leaned over to Buffy. "You are a demon child."

Buffy grinned. "I live to torment you; is that so wrong?"

"A daughter's duty, I suppose." Joyce kissed Buffy on the forehead.

"Look, all we have to do is just cut off a little bit of the burnt-" As Buffy began trying to cut the pie, it fell off the island and onto the floor. "Shit!" She looked at her mother. "I'm sorry."

Joyce sighed.

Kennedy was attending her parents' corporate Christmas party in the Grand Ballroom of the Waldorf=Astoria New York. She was incredibly bored as her father droned on at his business associates. Her mother similarly was chatting with her friends. Kennedy sipped her Champagne.

Emma walked over to her. "Hey, Ken, Paris is looking for you."

Kennedy looked at her. "Really?"

Emma giggled. "No. Sorry."

Kennedy sighed and drank the rest of her Champagne.

Emma sipped her own Champagne. "Sorry. Are you bored?"

"I would rather be training with Ramón."

Emma smiled. "You sure you wouldn't rather be fucking me?"

Kennedy smiled. "You offering?"

Emma drank the rest of her Champagne, set her glass on a nearby table, took Kennedy's glass, and set it down as well. She put her hands on Kennedy's cheeks and kissed her on the lips for a while. "Let's go borrow a room."

The two girls grinned, joined hands, and left the room.

The next morning, Cordelia was in the Hyperion's kitchen, checking on the food.

The door opened, and Wesley walked in.

Wesley smiled. "Happy Christmas, Cordelia."

Cordelia looked at him and smiled. "Happy Christmas, Wesley."

"Where's the kitchen staff?"

"Oh, I gave them the day off."

"So you're...cooking this meal yourself?"

"Yes, I'll have you know. Not to worry, they left detailed instructions for me. I'm not gonna fuck this up." Cordelia paused and breathed in the aromas. "Mmmm, don't that turkey and stuffing smell fantastic?"

Wesley smiled. "They sure do."

The door opened, and Gunn walked in.

"What up, guys?" Gunn asked. "Raise your hands if this is the best Christmas you ever had." He raised his hand.

Wesley raised his hand as well. Cordelia hesitated, then she raised her hand as well.

"Where's the kitchen staff?" Gunn asked.

Cordelia smiled. "I'm it today - the it girl, if you will."

"I don't will. Can you cook?" Gunn asked her.

Cordelia was offended. "I'm learning!"

The door opened, and Angel walked in.

Cordelia grinned. "Merry Christmas, Angel!"

Angel was staring blankly into the distance.

Cordelia frowned. "What's wrong?"

"Darla...died...sometime overnight."

"Oh, I'm so sorry." Cordelia walked over to Angel and gave him a big hug.

Eleven days later, at night, Buffy walked through the courtyard of a convent. It was filled with nuns. She was stalking a vampire, who was backing away from her. He bumped into a nun, turned around, and grabbed her, holding her in front of him. The nun screamed. The vampire pushed her aside as Buffy ran up and kicked him in the face. He fell backward, then flipped upright again. Buffy kicked him again. They continued fighting as the nun watched in amazement. Buffy hit the vampire, he kicked Buffy twice, then she hit him a few times, kicked him a few times, and thrust with her stake, but he grabbed her arm and pushed her away. Buffy ducked as he leaped at her, then she straightened up and staked him.

Buffy went to the nun, who was still on the ground. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I think so."

"Here." Buffy helped the nun get up.

The next day, Buffy and Giles were sitting at the table in the Magic Box, looking through books.

"So you really think they might be able to help us?" Buffy asked him.

"Uh, if you mean are they gonna help us find out something about your mystery woman, uh, the resources that the...Watchers Council has at their disposal..." He stared wistfully into the distance. "I mean the Central Library alone is just-"

"Don't talk about the books again. You get all..." Buffy imitated Giles' wistful look. "...and sometimes there's drool."

"I'm sorry, but we-we've really exhausted the materials I have here, and we're coming up empty. Knowing her goal is - is crucial. I mean, i-i-if anything helps them uncover her origins, her - her plans-"

"I know. It's just I trust these Watchers about as far as...you could throw them."

"Thank you very much."

Buffy sighed. "I'm just freaked about the idea of asking them for information. I don't like being indebted to them."

"Truly, Buffy, if I saw an alternative..."

"It's okay. Look, if it helps you find out something about the mystery bitch, I'm thrilled to have you gone." Buffy patted him on the back, then stood up and walked away.

Later, at the Magic Box, Jenny, Tara, and Buffy sat around the round table, looking at books and papers. Giles stood next to the table, fastening his tie.

"You're going away for a week?" Jenny asked.

"Yes." Giles picked something up to read.

"I'm envious, Mr. Giles. A trip to England sounds so exciting and exotic." Tara realized something. "Un...less you're English."

Giles grinned.

"So...how goes the slaying?" Jenny asked Buffy.

"I killed something in a convent last night. Pretty standard. Vampire staking."

That night, Buffy entered Joyce's bedroom, saw a light blue bathrobe laying on the bed, frowned, and looked up. "You!"

Joyce was wearing a striped sweater and dark pants. She had a scarf over part of her head.

"You with the actual clothing, who are you?" Buffy turned toward the hallway. "Dawn, come look at this."

"It's hard to recognize me, huh?" Joyce asked.

Dawn entered. "Whoa."

Buffy looked at her. "No more bathrobe."

Joyce nodded. "Hmm. I looked at it today, and there it was, all fuzzy and blue, and I just couldn't stand it anymore."

Buffy smiled. "I don't think the rest of us will miss it much either."

Dawn nodded. "It was getting a little ripe, Mom."

Buffy looked at Dawn. "Maybe we should burn it."

"It would keep the bugs away."

"It doesn't smell! Fine, fine, make your funny jokes at the expense of the woman with the hole in her skull." Joyce sat on the bed.

"Let's go. I think we've tired her out." Buffy walked out of the room.

Dawn followed.

Buffy walked into her room, sat on the bed, and began flipping through a magazine.

Dawn stood in the doorway, watching. "Whatcha doin'?"

"Playing with myself."

"Can I hang out in here?"

"Don't touch anything."

Dawn walked into the room and looked at a corkboard where several photos were hanging.

Dawn sat on the end of the bed. "Are you feeling okay?"

"No. It hurts. In all kinds of horrible ways."

"It'll get better." Dawn frowned. "Won't it?"

"I hope so. Yes. It has to."

Dawn lay down and put her head in Buffy's lap.

Buffy stroked her hair. "I'll just keep going like I have been, and, every day, it'll get a little bit better."

"Really? Every day?"

"Not really. But it'll be better soon."

"It still feels all sudden to me."

The next day, at the Magic Box, Jenny was working at the cash register. Amy stood behind her, holding a book. They were standing by the shelves behind the register, where there were jars of magical supplies.

Amy smiled. "Good, and - and hellebore. It's up and to the right."

Tara took down a vial and gave it to Amy. "Hellebore, one of my favorites."

Amy grinned. "It's powerful shit."

She and Tara walked out from behind the counter. They approached the table, where a variety of magical supplies were laid out. Amy put the vial into a rack with some others.

"What are you two doing?" Jenny asked.

Amy smiled. "Oh, we're gonna try out a few spells."

Tara smiled. "There's this thing you can do where you create light, and we thought: what if you could make, like, simulated sunlight?"

Amy nodded. "Yeah, so then, you know, there Buffy is, middle of the night, and she finds this whole nest of vamps, a-and then she just goes 'Presto!'"

Tara shrugged. "Only it won't be 'Presto' exactly."

"And - And voom!" Amy exclaimed. "There's a-a floating ball of sunlight. Vamps get dusty."

Tara nodded. "You don't wanna look right at it, though."

Amy walked to the counter, where she had a large cauldron and a bunch of vials and containers laid out. "Fleabane..." She measured some into her mortar. "Salamander eyes..." She put them into the mortar. "Bindweed..." She put it in. She mashed the ingredients together with the pestle. "Okay, here we go." She poured the mixture into the cauldron. Then she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Spirits of light, I invoke thee. Let the gloom of darkness part before you."

A small circlet of yellow-orange light arose out of the cauldron and began to spin.

"Let the moonlight be made pale by your presence. Spirits of light, grant my wishes."

The circle of light grew bigger and brighter.

Tara grinned. "Amy, you did it."

Amy opened her eyes and grinned. Jenny smiled as well.

The next day, Buffy and Tara were in a classroom, surrounded by other students. Tara held some books. A professor handed Buffy a piece of paper.

Buffy sighed. "New semester, new classes."

She and Tara began to walk out into the hallway.

"Whole new vistas of knowledge to be confused and intimidated by."

Tara laughed. "I think this one's gonna be kind of fun. Greek Art's gonna touch on so many things - mythology, history, philosophy..."

"The professor spit too much when he talked. It was like being at Sea World. 'The first five rows will get wet.'"

Tara laughed. "That was just, you know, um, enthusiasm."

"It seemed very much like saliva."

"We'll sit farther back next time."

"Good plan." Buffy stopped walking, folded the paper, and put it in her bag. "I need to keep this course. The only other thing that fits into my schedule is Central American Geopolitics."

Tara grimaced. "Hmm."

"And no, thank you." Buffy resumed walking. "What do you say we go indulge ourselves in a little after-school bacon triple cheeseburger?"

Tara smiled. "Sure."

Five days later, at night, Buffy and Giles were sitting at the table in the Summers' dining room.

Joyce entered with a tray holding a teapot and several mugs. "Rupert, I still don't understand-"

Giles got up and took the tray.

"-oh, thank you - why the other Watchers made you go all the way to England when they don't know anything."

She and Giles sat down on either side of Buffy.

Giles passed out the mugs. "Well, they don't know it...yet. I mean...they have no record of - of this woman or anyone like her, but, uh, based on the information that I've given them, they're gonna look into it. Um, they might have something soon." He poured tea. "They're interested, certainly, and, uh, full of theories." He sat back, lifting his cup. "Most of them...nonsensical."

Cordelia, Gunn, Wesley, and Virginia were sitting at a table in Cordy's.

"You got to be kidding me. He's still in his room?" Virginia asked. "You're on a mission to protect the innocent. You can't do that with your boss MIA. What did he say, exactly?"

Wesley looked at her. "'Leave me alone.'"

"Oh. Well, can you file a grievance with the union?" Virginia asked.

"Virginia, I'm not in a union. I'm a...I don't even know what the name of my job is!"

"You're a renowned specialist in - in supernatural aid and rescue."

"No, I'm just..." Wesley paused. "Renowned?"

"Well, to me, you are. You saved my life. Although, you should be in a union. My father always used union conjurers."

"I didn't know that."

"Oh, the wizard community is very progressive."

"Your father tried to sacrifice you to Yeska."

"Yeah, one of the many reasons why I'll never talk to him again. Although, I'm healing, thanks to a lot of therapy...and a gigantic trust fund."

"So...Cordy...how 'bout a vision, huh?" Gunn asked.

"Or have those stopped?" Wesley asked.

Cordelia rolled her eyes. "Oh, heavens forfend! Earth to retards: the Powers send me visions when they want to!"

Wesley smiled. "Underachiever."

"Ass-pansy!" Cordelia yelled.

"Don't call me that!" Wesley yelled.

Cordelia threw her head back with a scream as she got hit by a vision.

"Cordy?" Wesley asked.

Cordelia saw blurred flashes of a green demon and a girl.

"Are you all right?" Wesley asked.

"No!" Cordelia yelled.

"What'd you see?" Gunn asked.

"Ooh. Alley. Not too far from here. A demon is dragging a girl. She's hurt - bleeding..."

Wesley got up. "Let's go."

Cordelia, Gunn, and Wesley hurried down a dark alley.

"I don't get it. Are we late?" Cordelia asked. "We didn't feel late in my head."

Gunn pointed. "Over here."

There were splashes of blood on the ground.

"It's hers. It's got to be hers. But where is she?" Cordelia asked.

Gunn sighed. "If we had Angel, we could track her."

"He'd also kill the big, spiny demon that took her. Did I mention that its teeth are about three inches long?" Cordelia asked.

"And us with no weapons?" Gunn asked. "Man, I wish Angel was here."

"So how do we find her?" Cordelia asked.

"We start with basics." Wesley walked over and crouched down by the blood. "First, we examine the area for any tell-tale signs for a particular kind of...eew."

"There's different kinds of yuck?" Gunn asked.

Wesley pulled his hand away from where he had used it to brace himself against the wall. It was covered with blood. "No, look."

There was a streak of blood going up the wall next to a drainpipe, leading to a busted window.

Gunn looked. "He took her up there."

Cordelia looked. "But the building is abandoned. The front door was all chained up. How are we supposed to...?"

They all looked at the drain pipe, then up at the window.

Gunn helped Cordelia climb into the building through the window.

"Uh, it's always the same. A smelly, old, abandoned building. Are there no demon hideouts in Beverly Hills?" Cordelia asked.

Wesley watched the room. "Several in matter of fact. Look. Over there."

They saw a body laying motionless on the floor.

"That's her. But where is the-"

Cordelia screamed as the demon of her vision dropped down from overhead, right in front of them.

The demon knocked Wesley to the floor, then jumped on Gunn.

Wesley looked at Cordelia. "Get her out of here." Wesley picked up a 2x4 and knocked the demon off Gunn.

Cordelia helped the girl to her feet. "Come on, we got to get you-"

The demon turned towards her, and Gunn jumped on its back. The demon threw itself back against the wall, smashing Gunn in between, and Wesley took the chance to hit it in the stomach. The demon retaliated with a hard right punch to Wesley's jaw, then threw Gunn over its head into the opposite wall. Wesley whacked it across the back, dropping it to the ground. The demon pulled Wesley's leg out from under him, then jumped on his back and sunk its teeth into Wesley's right shoulder. Wesley let out a scream of pain. Gunn got back up, grabbed a chair, and knocked the demon off Wesley with it, shattering the chair in the process. Gunn picked up one of the splintered chair legs and rammed it into the back of the demon's head, killing it.

Wesley picked himself back up and looked over at Cordelia and the other girl. "We need to get her to a hospital."

Cordelia nodded. "Yeah."

"What about you?" Gunn asked Wesley.

"I'm fine, it's just..." Wesley looked at the hole in his shoulder. "We should go before I pass out - or possibly during."

Gunn shook his head. "This thing nearly ripped us to shreds."

"Yeah, but, out of everybody here, which one of us is the dead one?" Cordelia asked.