Author Note: I don't own anything but parts of the plot and the OC characters. Everything else belongs to its owners.
It was a new day at Sunnydale High School. Everyone who wasn't already taking college classes was getting their SAT scores. Cole, Sam and I were walking with Xander and Willow as they complained about their scores.
"This is a nightmare. This is... My world is spinning," Willow voiced.
"It's not that bad, Willow, really," Xander responded.
"7400? Verbal?! I'm-I'm..." Willow exclaimed as she searched for the word before finding it. "Pathetic! Illiterate! I'm Cletus, the slack-jacked yokel."
"That's right. And the fact that your 740 verbal closely resembles my combined scores in no way compromised your position as the village idiot," Xander said as he shrugged.
"Willow, it's still a good score, and Xander, you better work with your hands. You're more hands-on," I told her as I watched them fold their scores.
"I just..." Willow said as she sat on a bench in depression. "Where did I go wrong?"
"You did amazing, Willow. As usual," Cole told her.
"You guys get your scores?" Cordelia asked as she and Oz came over.
"Cordelia!" Xander exclaimed as he hopped up and rushed to meet her. "Willow was very sad by her academic failure."
"How did you do?" Sam asked as Xander reached for Cordelia's scores.
"This is not good," Xander said as he read Cordelia's scores.
"What's not good?" Cordelia asked.
I watched as Oz stroked Willow's hair in reassurance as she handed him her report.
"Well, I'm just worried it may hurt my standing as a campus stud when people find out I'm dating a braid," Xander voiced.
"Please. I have some experience in covering these things up," Cordelia responded as she yanked her scores away from his hands.
"Well, I can see why you'd be upset," Oz muttered to Willow.
I spotted Willow giving him a hurt look before taking her report back and looking down at the ground. I could partially feel her sadness about her scores coming through her.
"That was my sarcastic voice," Oz added.
"You know, it sounded a lot like your regular voice," Cole stated.
"I've been told that. But we should celebrate, do something," Oz replied.
"Like all of us?" Cordelia questioned as she gave Xander a pointed look before mouthing, 'No'.
"A group date! It could have potential," Xander suggested as Buffy, Kate, Kyra, Jo, Dean, Andy, Leo, and the Mikaelson siblings came over.
"Buffy! Guys! Hey! Did you get your SAT scores?" Willow questioned as she stood up.
Buffy weakly nodded.
"By the look on your face, I'm guessing you and I are gonna be manning the drive-through window side-by-side," Xander voiced.
Which isn't true. I had seen Xander working as a contractor and construction worker.
"They're just test scores, right?" Buffy asked as she handed Willow the scores. "What do they really mean, anyway?"
"1430! Buffy, you kicked ass!" Willow exclaimed as she read Buffy's scores.
"Okay, so academic achievement makes me a little excited," Willow told us as Buffy raised her eyebrows.
I took it from her and read the scores.
"Buffy, this is amazing," I voiced as I handed it to Kate.
"These are really good scores," Kate responded as she handed the scores to Xander.
"Buff, that's amazing," Xander told me.
"Let me see that," Cordelia stated as she yanked Buffy's scores from Xander's hands.
"Yeah. With scores like that, you can apply pretty much anywhere you want," Oz voiced.
"Buffy, this could change your whole future," Kyra told her.
"The thought had occurred to me," Buffy muttered as she was unsure what to make of it.
"Then why the sour puss?" Sam asked.
"I don't know. I guess... my future. I never really thought about it. I wasn't even sure I was going to have one," Buffy responded.
I could tell Buffy had forgotten that I had a life with being a slayer as well.
"Well, I think this is great! Now, you can leave and never come back!" Cordelia exclaimed with a huge smile.
We gave her a look before Xander handed Buffy back her scores.
"Well, I mean that in a positive. Get out of Sunnydale. That's a good thing. What kind of moron would ever wanna come back here?" Cordelia added as I got vision flashes of the car with blackout windows coming and a bleach-blonde man falling out the door.
I shook my head as it was time to head home for the day.
Time Skip...
It was nighttime time as the slight moon was shining over the park as a classic 1958 Dodge Desoto FireFligte crashed through the Welcome to Sunnydale sign before screeching to a halt. A door of the car flew open as an empty liquor bottle fell out and smashed on the pavement while the bleach-blonde Spike fell out of his seat and hit the pavement where the glass bottle had shattered.
"Home, swee..." a Drunken Spike said as he chuckled. "Home." He lifted his head and tried to raise himself to his elbows.
He passed out for a moment before getting up and heading off.
Twenty minutes later, Spike strolled into the old burned-out factory as he sang a song.
"And more, Much more than this. I did it my way," Spike sang as he strolled through the factory.
Moments later, Spike merrily hopped down the stairs toward what used to be the bedroom in the basement.
"Drusilla! I'm home!" Spike exclaimed as he reached the bottom before breaking into pathetic giggles which turned into sobs.
He sniffed a few times and wiped his nose as he looked at the remnants of the burned bed. Steadying himself against the pillar, he felt a wave of despair wash over him. In a moment of frustration, he tossed the liquor bottle onto the bed. As he moved around the column, he noticed Drusilla's doll collection on the dresser. The dolls had barely survived the fire and were badly scorched. He reached for one and picked it up, staring at the features that still remained, despite the paint, hair, and dress having been burned away.
"Why did you do it, baby? Why did you leave me? We were happy here," Spike muttered as he suppressed a sob before shaking it off.
Suddenly, he was wearing his game face before roaring and throwing the doll onto the concrete floor. He spun around, looking for something to smash it with before finding a tall iron candlestick. He grabbed it before wielding it back.
"YOU..." Spike screamed as he swung the candlestick. "STUPID..." He swung again. "WORTHLESS..." He swung once more. "BITCH!" Before calming down a bit. "Look what you've done to me."
He stared at what remained of the doll before placing the iron candlestick on top of it and going back to drinking.
Across town...
Switch Point of View...
After school, we went to college for some classes before heading home for the evening. When we arrived home, we started preparing dinner. By 5:30 PM, Jenna returned from her classes.
"Evening, everyone, what's for dinner?" Jenna asked.
"Chicken Alfredo with broccoli," Kate answered.
"That sounds good," Jeremy responded as he walked in.
I looked at Persephone as she painted a non-mess picture while we cooked. Ten minutes later, dinner was ready.
"Food's ready!" Kyra announced.
Buffy, Cole, Andy, Leo, Sam, Dean, Jo and the Mikaelson siblings came in, and we sat before beginning to eat.
An hour later, dinner was finished, and we separated our ways. I had a shower while Elijah bathed Persephone. I got dressed into my pjs before pulling my ravenclaw blanket around me. I pulled out a pre-made bottle from my mini fridge before getting it ready.
"Persephone's teeth have been brushed and are ready for her bottle," Elijah stated as he, Cole, and Sam came into the room with Persephone.
I handed the bottle to Sam while he was holding Persephone in his arms.
"Night, my love," I whispered before kissing her goodnight.
They headed out of my room while I got started on my pre-med homework.
Two hours later, I was finished my homework and Kate, Kyra, and Buffy came into the room.
"What can I do for you?" I asked as I closed my laptop.
"Baking and batch making plans," Kate answered as I looked over our pre made plans.
"This looks good," I replied as I read the plans before asking. "Do we have the ingredients?"
"Yes and no. We'll have to go shopping for some of them," Kyra responded.
"Okay, then, we'll do that after college classes," I suggested.
"Well, it's time for bed. Let's get some sleep," Buffy voiced.
"Okay, night," I stated as I got up from my desk and headed to my bed while they headed out of the room.
I got into bed before turning off the light and went to sleep.
Time Skip...
It was morning, and it was time for me to get up. I got out of bed, showered, followed my skincare routine, and got dressed. After doing my makeup and fixing my hair, I put on my jewelry and packed my homework and laptop, along with my charger, into my bag. Now it was time for breakfast. I headed downstairs into the kitchen, where I saw Persephone eating her breakfast while Kate prepared our chosen smoothie.
"Here's your breakfast," Cole stated as he sat my Apple pie smoothie bowl on the table.
"Thank you," I voiced as Kate sat my travel cup next to me with the PB oatmeal smoothie inside it.
"What's the plan for the day?" Kyra asked as she came into the room with Jeremy behind her.
"Well, we have classes, then grocery shopping, homework, dinner, and baking/batch making to do," Buffy voiced.
"That sounds good. I'll help with the shopping," Jenna stated as she came into the room.
"Let's eat before we have to go," Leo responded.
We got down and ate our breakfast before leaving for school.
Across town at the high school...
Switch Point of View...
Xander was walking down the hall before stopping at Cordelia's locker trying to talk her into the group date thing.
"C'mon. It'll be fun!" Xander said.
"I don't know. I just thought we were gonna do something... you know, classy?" Cordelia replied.
"What's classier than bowling?" Xander asked.
"Apart from everything ever? Let's see..." Cordelia responded as she raised her eyebrows at him.
"Oz and Willow are down as are Rebekah, Jo and Jeremy. Aurora, Kate, Kyra, Buffy, and the rest of them are staying in. You're the swing vote," Xander voiced as he skipped around her to the other side.
Cordelia couldn't help but give him a warm smile before giggling and looking at the photos in her locker.
"Hey, those are from the pier," Xander stated as he noticed the pictures.
There were three photos of them on her locker door. In the first one, they were sitting on a bench, arms wrapped around each other and smiling. The second photo featured Xander, showcasing a huge smile on his face. In the third photo, she was riding on Xander's back, playfully smiling with her arms tightly wrapped around his neck.
"Yeah. Uh, I just got them developed," Cordelia told him.
"There are pictures. Of Me. In your locker. I never knew I was locker door material," Xander voiced as he wasn't sure what to make of it.
"Well... just barely. Besides, I look really cute in those pictures," Cordelia responded as she smiled while closing her locker door before they started down the hall.
"Hey," Oz said as they met up with Willow, Oz, Jeremy, Jo, and Bekah.
"So, what's the verdict? Do we bowl?" Jeremy asked as Xander gave Cordelia a pleading look.
"We bowl," Cordelia answered as she gave in.
"Great! Triple bowling date," Willow replied as she patted Oz's chest before adding. "I'm on Oz's team."
"Well, we're on Jeremy's," Jo announced as she and Bekah got closer to Jeremy.
"Yeah? Well..." Xander said as he pointed at Oz. "Prepare to be crushed." While he grabbed Cordelia's arm. "Maybe we should practice."
"Yeah," Cordelia replied as she nodded before they went their separate ways.
"Well, we have classes and Jeremy has to meet with Giles before heading to his classes," Bekah said before leaving Willow and Oz behind.
Oz and Willow continued as they headed over to Willow's locker.
"They don't stand a chance. I'm really good or I used to be..." Willow said as she worked her combination. "When they had the inflatable things in the gutters." She opened her locker door before facing to see Oz holding a small bag and asked. "What's this?" As she took it from him.
"It's a gift," Oz told her.
"What's the occasion?" Willow questioned as she pulled out the tissue paper.
"Pretty much you are," Oz voiced.
"It's a pez witch," Willow gasped as she saw the Pez witch with red hair and a black hat.
"It's kind of a theme present. Do you like it?" Oz replied.
"I like... I-I more than like. Oz, this is probably the sweetest... We have to find a little PEZ werewolf, so little PEZ witch can have a boyfriend," Willow returned.
"I don't think they make a werewolf PEZ. You might have to settle for a wacky cartoon dog," Oz voiced.
"This is... just so thoughtful," Willow said as she thought maybe she could ask Aurora to see if she find a PEZ werewolf for Oz on their next vacation.
"Well, I think about you," Oz replied.
"Oh... I don't have anything to give you," Willow returned as she realized she didn't have a gift for him.
"Yeah, you do," Oz responded as he placed his hand on her shoulder before heading down the hall.
Willow watched as he left with guilt inside her. She knew what she did with Xander was wrong but the leftover crush/spelled candy on Xander was still there. She knew that she loved Oz as he was one of her soulmates but she knew she had to do something as she stared at the PEZ dispenser before closing her locker and heading off to class.
Across campus in the library...
Switch Point of View...
When we arrived at school, Jeremy went to find Jo and Bekah while the rest of us headed to see Giles show Buffy's SAT score and our latest scores in our university programs.
"Girls, these are remarkable," Giles said as Buffy played with a contraption from Giles's pile of camping equipment and clothing that was laid out on the big table.
"So is this," Buffy replied.
"Where is this retreat? The Yukon?" I asked as I reached for something.
"It's quite nearby, actually," Giles answered as I found a compass. "It's, um, it's the clearing at the top of Breaker's Woods."
Buffy took it from me before opening the compass and noticing a mirror.
"It's the site of some fascinating druidic rituals," Giles added as Buffy checked her hair.
"Okay, but you're just going for a few days, right?" Kate questioned as Buffy closed the compass.
"She means, you're not gonna settle there and grow crops or anything," Kyra responded as Giles took the compass from Buffy.
"What? Oh, my gear. No, no, this is... this is basic necessities," Giles said in confusion.
"Giles, you pack like us," I replied.
"Here," Giles said as he handed us our scores back. "I suspect your mother will want to, uh, put it on the refrigerator."
"Yeah. She saw these scores, and her head spun around and exploded," Jeremy joked.
"I-I've been on the Hellmouth too long. That was metaphorical, yes?" Giles questioned.
"Yes. She was," Jenna pointed out as she held Persephone.
We saw Giles smile in relief before heading to the cage.
"She started with all this crazy talk about me going to college like Kate, Kyra, and Aurora. Maybe someplace else," Buffy told him.
We watched as Giles reached for a book, pausing to consider what Buffy had said.
"I know. I know, I said that you would have a goat. Responsibilities and all. I know the drill," Buffy added.
"She may be right," Giles said as he returned with the book he wanted.
"Yeah, I know, I figured you'd..." Buffy started to say before giving Giles a bewildered look and responding. "Okay. Be kind, rewind."
"With scores like these, Buffy, you could have a first-rate education like Kate, Kyra and Aurora are doing. I'm, I'm not suggesting that you... ignore your calling, but, um... you need to look to your future," Giles said as he walked to the table. "And with Faith here, Aurora is doing her medical program here, i-i-it may be that you can..." He drew a breath before continuing. "Move on for a-a time, at least." He packed his book.
"Wow," Buffy said as I knew she was unsure of how to react.
"Well, let's, um, let's discuss it when I get back. I-in the meantime, um, I'd like you to continue your training and Aurora you can continue the yoga you, Kate, and Kyra were doing. While I'm, while I'm gone, and um, please don't do anything rash," Giles replied.
"Anything rash, meaning..." Kate questioned.
Giles hesitated for an instant before asking.
"Are you planning on seeing Angel?" Giles asked me.
"Yes. Actually, I am," I answered as Giles averted his eyes. "Look, but there's not gonna be any rash." Before realizing what he meant. "Anywhere. Okay. Yes, we're soulmates. Yes, his soul is bound but we're not doing that." Giles gave me a look. "Nothing's gonna happen."
"Well, we have classes, and the girls have their homework," Jeremy voiced before he and Buffy headed out of the library while the rest of us got down and worked on our separate university programs.
I also had to get ready for my doctor medical school program interview which is an advanced/extended program at the university.
A Slight Time Skip later...
Back across campus, Willow and Xander were walking around the corner from the colonnade and through the breezeway.
"Something's gonna happen," Willow stated.
"Like what?" Xander questioned.
"Uh! It's a mistake! It's a terrible, fatal mistake. I see that now," Willow voiced.
"It's just bowling," Xander replied as they turned down a covered walkway.
"It's bad bowling. I-it's a triple date, with all of us, and they're gonna know!" Willow returned.
"How are they gonna know?" Xander asked.
"It's a very intimate situation. It's all sexy with the smoke and the sweating and the show rental..." Willow answered.
"You're turned on by rented shoes?" Xander questioned as he interrupted.
"That's not the issue," Willow replied as they stopped walking and Xander faced her.
"Okay, well, let me ask you this: what are they gonna know? That we're friends. Old, old friends. And Maybe we've had one or two indiscretions, but that's all past," Xander told her before continuing. "Look. We're just very good friends who like to hang out, and can I kiss earlob?"
It wasn't just Willow still feeling the after-effects of Ethan's cursed candy. It was Xander as well.
"No! Well, okay." Willow said as she jerked away. "No! PEZ!" She held up the dispenser.
They both paused for a moment and calmed down.
"Maybe bowling might be too much to handle. Man!" Xander said as he stroked Willow's hair. "I wish we weren't still feeling the effects of cursed candy. I wish we could make it stop."
"Any suggestions?" Willow questioned as they continued down the hall.
Time Skip
Switch Point of view...
Our Classes were done for the day. Jenna did the grocery shopping for what we needed for baking/batch making. Now, we were making dinner.
"Carnegie Mellon has a wonderful design curriculum. Oh, and Brown University's history is... You like history, right?" Aunt Joyce voiced as her hands were filled with college brochures.
"Could we talk about this another time? All day it's been like, 'Congratulations! Go Away,'" Buffy responded as she got the plates and bowls out while Jeremy got the spoons.
"That's not it. It's just you all belong at a...a good old-fashioned college with... with keg parties, not here with Hellmouths and vampires," Aunt Joyce told us as Kate flipped the last grilled cheese onto the platter.
"Not really seeing the distinction," Buffy replied as Kyra put the soup serving bowl on the table while Kate placed the grilled cheese roll-up platter on the table.
"Y'know, you're always talking about how you wish you could lead a more normal life," Aunt Joyce voiced as we sat at the table. "Well, this is your chance!"
I fed Persephone before starting to eat my dinner.
"Yeah, it's just not simple," Buffy said as she placed soup in her bowl and grabbed a few grilled cheese roll-ups. "We have responsibilities."
"I know, I know, but I spoke with Mr. Giles, and he said..." Aunt Joyce started to say.
"...That Faith could be Miss Sunnydale in the Slayer Pageant and Aurora would be here to help if needed. I know," Buffy interrupted.
"It's time to think about your futures, about your whole lives. I mean, honestly, is there anything keeping you all here?" Aunt Joyce challenged.
We paused for a moment and ignored the question before going to eat.
After we finished eating, I went through Persephone's nightly routine. I started by giving her a bath, then put her in a clean diaper. Next, I applied lotion as part of her bathtime routine, dressed her in her pajamas, and did her hair. After that, I took her back downstairs to prepare her bedtime bottle. While she drank her bottle, I put on a Disney short for her to watch. After burping her, I carried her upstairs and laid her down for bed.
After laying Persephone for bedtime, I showered and changed into clean pjs before heading downstairs to join the girls. When I got downstairs, I put on my apron before getting into my place.
"Who's doing what?" I asked.
"Well, you are doing the Cinnamon Sugar, Apple Cinnamon Breads, and Mini Pumpkins Pies," Kate voiced.
"Cole already made the crusts for the pies and cheesecakes," Kyra responded. "So that's a little help."
"Okay, Apple crisp shortbread bars, Breakfast Sandwiches and Banana Cream Pies for Kyra," Kate told us.
"Mini Pumpkin Cheesecakes & Ham, Egg & Hashbrown bites for Kate," Buffy annoucned.
"Mini Pecan Pies, Apple Pie Bars, and Cauliflower Alfredo Sauce for Buffy, and me" Jenna started to say.
"Actually, the cauliflower Aflredo Sauce as has been already made and jarred up," Jeremy said as he came into the room with Cole holding boxes.
"Finn, Bekah, Sam, and Elijah made them up," Cole stated.
"How did they know about our list?" Kate asked.
"Leo. He saw the list when came to visit you," Cole stated.
"Okay, then, lets get started," Kyra voiced.
We got down baking.
A Time Skip later...
Hours later, we were finished the baking and batch making. We placed our orders into the their boxes to be handout at the college and our own batches placed into our pantries and fridges. We washed up and headed to bed.
Across town at the manor, Angel was reading by the fireplace without realizing he was being watched from outside by drunken Spike. Spike watched Angel close his book before getting up and walking into a rear hallway. Spike gave a drunken hump before giving slurring muttering.
"Yeah, you. You think I'm afraid of you?" Spike slurredly muttered as he stepped back from where he was hiding while unsteadily swaying. "We were happy! You brainwashed her. I could just..." He looked at his bottle before taking a long swig."Yeah, I'll show you who's a cool guy." He tossed it aside in a huff before starting to leave and continue to slur his speech. "You're going down."
In his drunkness, he tripped over one of the flower beds, falling into and passing out.
Time Skip
As the dawn rose, the first red rays of the sun appeared over the hills and shined into the atrium while a sleeping Spike lay in the shadows while his left hand was extended before the sunlight rays hit it. Moments later, his hand was fully exposed to the light and started to smoke. Then it burst into flame as the light shined into Spike's face, waking him up and realizing his hand was on fire.
"Whoa!" Spike exclaimed as he leapt to his feet and over to the fountain screaming all the way.
He held his hand under it but only got a trickle of water. He quickly bent down and jammed his hand into the pool of water at its base, dousing the flames for a moment. Spike realized that one problem was gone and now he had a new one. He soon realized as he stood in the shaded area but he was still in direct sunlight as he started to smoke. He pulled at his heavy overcoat as he tried to shade his face while scrambling up the stairs and out of the atrium.
After scurrying out of the atrium, Spike threw open the driver's side door and dove in, landing on a huge pile of empty cans, liquor bottles, and other trash. He quickly slammed the door shut while grabbing another bottle of alcohol and splashing it over his burned hand. Spike let out a loud grunt of pain before taking a swig from the bottle. Once the immediate emergency was addressed, he relaxed a bit and tried to catch his breath.
"This is just too much," Spike voiced before he thought, where he could go, and what could help with his problem.
Spike started his car and headed to next destination.
Twenty minutes later, Spike was at the Magic Box as he opened the rear door of the shop and walked in before looking at the books.
"Did you come in through the back?" The Shopkeeper asked as she came over to investigate.
"Yeah. I need a curse," Spike told her.
"A what?" the shopkeeper questioned.
"A curse! Y'know something nasty. Boils. I wanna give him boils all over his face. You know dripping pustules. Let's get for the gusto here," Spike voiced as he showed her a spell.
"I'm hearing a lot of negative energy, and I bet..." The shopkeeper told him.
"Leprosy! Alright, a spell that makes his parts fall off. That sounds proper," Spike interrupted as he ignored what she said.
"We don't carry..." The shopkeeper said as she heard the front door chime before adding. "leprosy." She turned to see Willow coming in through the door. "Would you excuse me a moment?" She told Spike before walking over to her new customer and saying. "Blessed be. Anything in particular I can help you find?"
"Yeah," Willow said as she held up her notepad. "It's all here on the list." Before reading out the list. "Skink root, essence of rose thorn, canary feathers..."
"Aha! A love spell. Want that old lover to come back to you? Are you sure you know what you're doing, hon?" The Shopkeeper questioned.
"No. Oh, I mean, yes! I... I know how to do a love spell, but this is more of an anti-love spell and to take away the after-effects of a spell," Willow voiced before questioning. "The supplies are basically the same, right?" She handed over the list.
"Basically," The Shopkeeper replied as she gathered what Willow needed. "Although raven feathers tend to breed a little more than discontent and canary. Let's just get some things..." She gathered some bags of herbs, jars of root powders, a feather and whatever else Willow needed before bringing them to the counter.
What Willow didn't know was she was being watched intently by Spike from behind a bookshelf.
"Okay. Mm-hmm," The shopkeeper said as she added it before telling her the total. "That'll be $15.80 for the lot." She bagged it up while Willow pulled out her money.
"Thanks!" Willow replied as she took the bag and left.
After Willow left, the shopkeeper turned her attention back to Spike before walking back to where she left him.
"So, did you find a spell book?" The Shopkeeper questioned as she smiled.
Spike jumped out from behind the bookcase, vamped out and grabbed her around the neck. The Shopkeeper gasped in fright but couldn't bring herself to scream.
"Forget the book," Spike growled out as he leaned in for a bite before they fell to the ground while sucking her dry. "I just got a better idea," Spike added as he looked back up at the door where Willow had left.
Spike left the magic box, got back into his car and drove off.
Across the town at the City Hall, Mayor Wilkins was practicing his putting in front of his assistant Allan. The Mayor tapped the ball and narrowly missed the target.
"Oh, look at that! Every time cuts to the left," The Mayor voiced as he got on his hands and knees to check the line of the floor. "See, and it's not the carpet. It's me." He retrieves his ball. "I swear, I would sell my soul for a decent short game." He dropped the ball for another try. "Of course," He chuckled. "It's a little late for that." He chuckled again before turning to Allan. "I don't suppose I could offer your soul, huh? Really, help me on the green."
Allan gave a shocked look while the Mayor continued talking.
"I'm just funning. So, we have a Spike problem, do we?" The Mayor questioned as he took another shot with his putter.
"He's been spotted back in town," Allan told him as the Mayror missed the shot and let out a frustrated sigh while Allan continued speaking. "And there was an incident at a magic shop in broad daylight. Police had a hell of a time covering it up."
"Well, yes, y'know, he was up to all sorts of shenanigans last year. We had a world of fun trying to guess what he'd do next," The Mayor said as he dropped his ball and laughed.
"I remember," Allan replied as he leaned against the Mayor's desk.
The Mayor whistled at Allan who stood back up.
"But I guess we're past that now. This year is too important to let a loose cannon rock the boat," The Mayor told him.
"Should I have Mr. Trick send a... committee to deal with this?" Allan questioned.
"Loose cannon. Rock the boat. Is that a mixed metaphor?" Mayor answered.
"Uh..." Allan said in confusion.
"Boats did have cannons. And a loose one would cause it to rock. Oh, honestly. I don't know where my mind goes these days," The Mayor mused out loud before laughing and continuing talking. "Why don't you take care of that Spike problem? A committee, like you said."
"As good as done," Allan responded as he left the office.
"That's swell. Fore!" The Mayor said as he took another shot and hit the target before spreading his arms elated while saying. "Hey!"
He continued playing before he got back to work.
Time Skip
Switch Point of View...
After last night, we had Maple Bacon Cinnamon Rolls for breakfast and headed off to university classes before Buffy, Persephone, Cole, Sam, Elijah and I headed off to see Angel while Kate, Kyra, Leo, Andy, and Dean headed to hand out the orders. When we got to Angel's, we sat down and talked about Buffy's scores and my medical school interview.
"Medical school, huh?" Angel said as he placed another log on the fire. "College for Buffy."
"Higher education. Kind of an intense proposition," Buffy voiced.
"Yeah, it's an advanced program while half in the classroom and half hands-on," I told him.
"Where do you wanna go?" Angel asked us as he came over to us.
"I have no idea. My mom was the one that got all these. She's so excited, she can't stop talking about it," Buffy told him.
"And I have a medical school interview at the university here. Plus, we had to come up with an alibi to come here," I answered.
"She doesn't know about me?" Angel questioned.
"No. She's having enough trouble dealing with the Slayer issues. I don't think she's ready to process the information yet... And I worry about how she would react to your back with everything else going on," I answered. "Plus she's been jonesing Buffy to leave for college and us to find other schools for our programs even though I already have a med school interview at the university here."
"She wants you to get out," Angel suggested.
"Someplace a little less Hellmouthy," Buffy said as she nodded. "She has a point." She took a deep breath before continuing. "Y'know, but there are reasons to stay, too."
"What are they?" Elijah asked.
"There's our slayer duties, and giving Persephone a more permanent home and staying here with you all, obviously. Isn't that more reason to stay here?" I answered.
"As your soulmate. This could be a good opportunity and we could still follow you anywhere. Buffy as your friend I think you could still do your slayer duties anywhere and should leave," Angel returned as he got up and leaned against the cold stone of the fireplace.
"Yeah. It's not like anything is keeping me like Aurora," Buffy voiced as she got up and gathered her brochures before stuffing them into her bag.
Angel turned around as I picked Persephone up while Cole put away her toys.
"Thanks for the advice. It's another perspective to consider," Buffy told him as she zipped up her bag.
"Where are you going? You just got here. It's early," Angel asked.
"Yeah, well, Aunt Joyce starts worrying a lot earlier these days. I'll stop by soon. But we have some training and pre-natal yoga to do," I told him.
I kissed Angel goodbye before letting him kiss Persephone goodbye.
"See you later," I whispered before we headed out of the manor.
Time Skip...
Switch Point of View...
It was night as Willow ground the ingredients for her spell in a ceramic bowl.
"Whoa! It smells like a church in here," Xander said as he came into the dark classroom before sniffing. "No, wait... Evil church."
"It's just chemistry stuff. An experiment," Willow lied.
"So you said when you call. Why do I have to be here?" Xander asked.
"It'll help you on the exam. You're way behind," Willow told him.
"But that's why you love me right? Academically dangerous?" Xander questioned as he bobbed his head.
"Here," Willow said as she ignored his comment before handing him a raven father. "Hold this."
"A feather. And who will I be tickling?" Xander asked before he ran it along her cheek making her giggle.
"Shush," Willow warningly said as her rational mind took over before pushing him away.
The effects of cursed candy still affected them as Xander wasn't happy while Willow continued checking the spell book.
"Okay. Bring the mixture to a boil..." Willow added as she lit the Bunsen burner below the flask of liquid.
"I assume this isn't going to make us late for our evening bowling magic?" Xander questioned.
"There's no magic!" Willow exclaimed as she jerked up before continuing. "I mean, bowling, yeah. Cordelia, Oz, Jo, Jeremy, and Bekah are meeting us here later."
"Can we turn these lights on?" Xander asked before noticing something familiar about the book that Willow was working from and asked. "Is that a spell book?"
"No, no, no! Chemistry book," Willow lied as she tried to obscure it with her hand.
"Wait a minute. This is love spell stuff! You're going a love spell?" Xander exclaimed.
"No! Of Course not! This a purely scientific..." Willow started to say before Xander picked up the book which said, 'Witchcraft'. "...de-lusting spell and away to take away the rest of cursed candy did to us. I just thought it was better you didn't know about it."
"Are you nuts, or have you forgotten that I tend to have bad luck with these sorts of spells?" Xander reacted with a raised voice.
"You said you wished for the after-effects to go away and for the feelings to stop," Willow responded with a raised voice.
"Yeah, I wish for a lot of things! I told you I wished I was a fireman when we were in sixth grade, but didn't follow through on that!" Xander returned.
"I can't do this anymore, Xander! I mean, the after-effects of the spell are hurting me," Willow stated.
"So, do you really need to resort to the black arts to keep the after-effects of the spell in check?" Xander questioned.
"At this point, I'm thinking 'no' but I'm going to Kate, Kyra and Aurora tomorrow, to see if there's a spell or potion that can take away the after-effects," Willow answered.
"I'm gonna get the lights," Xander said as he walked over and clicked them on. "Let's clean this place up before they get here and start asking questions."
Just behind Xander, Spike walked in and grabbed him.
"Xander!" Willow screamed as Spike began to choke Xander while he tried to get free of him.
"I need to borrow the little girl. You don't mind, do you?" Spike said as he punched Xander hard.
Willow grabbed the microscope and came at Spike before being stopped at mid-swing.
"Threatening me? That's not nice. We're gonna be very best friends," Spike added as Xander got up.
Spike yanked the microscope from Willow's grip before hitting Xander with it, knocking him cold.
"Xander!" Willow exclaimed as Spike grabbed her arm while dragging Xander's unconscious body behind him.
Spike dragged Willow and Xander out of the science to his car before leaving school in hurry.
Ten minutes later, they were at the factory. Xander was laid out on what was left of Drusilla's bed while Willow nervously sat on the edge fidgeting with her hands.
"A spell. For me. You're gonna do a spell for me," Spike told her as he dumped a box full of supplies on the bed next to Xander.
"Uh, what kind of spell?" Willow questioned.
"A love spell! Are you brain dead?" Spike exclaimed as he went to the dresser. "I'm gonna get what's mine." He grabbed a bottle. "What's mine." He uncorked it. "Teach her to walk out on me." He took several gulps before looking at Willow and asking. "What are you staring at?"
"Nothing," Willow muttered as she averted her eyes.
"You can do it, right? You can make Dru love me again? Make her crawl!" Spike challenged.
"I-I can try," Willow stuttered.
"What are you talking about, trying? You'll do it!" Spike screamed as he grabbed her neck.
"Yes, I'll do it!" Willow exclaimed as he let go of her before breaking his bottle.
"You lie to me, and I'll shove this through your face! You Want that?" Spike threatened her with the sharp edges of the broken bottle.
"No..." A terrified Willow responded.
"Right through to your brain!" Spike yelled.
"No, please, no..." Willow whimpered as he shoved her aside and leaned against the bedpost before calming down.
"She wouldn't even kill me," Spike muttered as he dropped his bottle before sitting next to Willow. "She just left. She didn't even care enough to cut off my head or set me on fire." He sniffed. "I mean, is that too much to ask? You know? Some little sign that she cared?" He paused for a moment to inhale and exhale deeply before continuing. "It was that truce with Buffy and Aurora that did it. Dru said I'd gone soft. Wasn't demon enough for the likes of her. And I told her, it didn't mean anything. I was thinking of her the whole time, but she didn't care. So, we got to Brazil, and she was..." He inhaled and exhaled again. "She was just different. I gave her everything: beautiful jewels, beautiful dresses with beautiful girls in them, but nothing made her happy. And she would flirt!" He sniffed again. "I caught her on a park bench, making out with a chaos demon! Have you ever seen a chaos demon? They're all slime and antlers. They're disgusting." He looked at Willow's pretty young face before stroking her silky auburn hair while continuing to talk. "She only did it to hurt me." He took his hand off of her. "So I said, 'I'm not putting up with this anymore.' And she said, 'Fine!' And I said, 'Yeah, I've got an unlife, you know!' And then she said... she said we could still be friends." He leaned over and sobbed on Willow's shoulder. "God, I'm so unhappy!"
"There, there," Willow said as she tentatively patted his knee.
"I mean, friends! How could she be so cruel?" Spike told her as he raised his head and looked at her neck. "Mmm. That smell... Your neck..." He leaned in and took a better whiff of her before leaning in more but with his game face. "I haven't had a woman in weeks."
"Whoa! No! Hold it!" Willow yelled as she looked at him and jumped up in fright.
"Well, unless you count that shopkeeper," Spike responded as he stood up.
"Now, now, hold on! I-I'll do your spell for you, and, and, and I'll get you Drusilla back, but, but there will be no bottle-in-face, and there will be no having of any kind with me. Alright?" Willow panted with fright.
Spike grabbed her by the neck before bending her over but didn't make a move to bite.
"Alright," Spike said as he returned to his human face before pushing her away. "Get to work."
"Now, I'm just a beginner witch, you know. I-I don't know if this is gonna work right away," Willow said as she headed over to where Spike dumped the box of supplies.
"Well, if at first you don't succeed, I'll kill him," Spike replied as he indicated Xander. "And you try again."
"This isn't enough," Willow told him as she looked through the supplies.
"What?" Spike questioned as he came towards her.
"Well, there are other ingredients, a-a-and a-a-a book. I need a-a spell book. This isn't it." Willow stuttered.
"You've got one, though at home?" Spike questioned.
"Not at home. I left it somewhere," Willow answered.
"Where?" Spike asked as he got in her face.
Willow told him where it was and what other ingredients she would need before he left her in the factory.
Switch Point of View...
After we left Angel's, we headed to Chipotle for dinner before heading to the library for some training and pre-natal yoga. Buffy was skipping rope while Kate, Kyra and I were doing pre-natal yoga when Oz, Cordelia, Jeremy, Jo, and Bekah came into the room.
"Thank god you are here," Cordelia said as Buffy dropped her rope.
"Yeah! Not all of us have dates tonight," Kate stated as Leo, Kol, Andy, and Finn were at the table looking over a potion.
"Something's up," Oz told us.
"You need to come see this," Jeremy voiced.
"Okay. Elijah, stay with Persephone. We'll be right back," I told him.
We left Persephone with the others while we went with the others to see what they wanted to show us.
We followed them into one of the science rooms. When we got inside, we saw it was a mess.
"We were supposed to meet in here. I don't know what could have happened," Jo told us.
"What is all this?" I asked as I saw magic supplies.
"I'm thinking weird science," Buffy responded.
"Was Willow messing with her magic tricks again? Maybe they disappeared. Maybe she turned Xander into something ishy!" Cordelia suggested.
I looked at the ingredients around us before giving Kate and Kyra a look. We knew Willow was trying to take away the after-effects of some type of spell. Maybe Willow and Xander had after-effects of the cursed candy from Ethan's spelled candy.
"Whatever happened, there was obviously a fight," Kyra stated as we looked around.
"I don't see or smell blood," Oz told us.
"Yeah, either they were taken or they ran or maybe..." Buffy suggested.
"You're having too many ors! Pick one!" Cordelia pointed out.
"I don't know. I need you guys to find Giles, okay? I'm gonna look for them. Maybe they didn't get too far," I voiced.
"Where is Giles?" Cordelia asked.
"Uh, he's at a retreat in the clearing in Breaker's Woods," Jeremy told her.
"Yeah, I know the spot, but it's like a forty-five-minute drive from here," Oz responded.
"So motor!" I communicated.
"We'll split up, and go searching," Jeremy voiced as he, Jo and Bekah headed out after Cordelia and Oz.
Kate, Kyra and I headed back to the library.
When we got back to the library, Buffy headed for the cage and the weapons cabinet within before we were interrupted by the library's phone ringing. I headed over to the phone and answered it.
"Giles?" I said into the phone.
"Hi, Aurora. Are you and the girls still working out?" Aunt Joyce asked.
"Uh, no, Aunt Joyce, actually..." I started to say.
"I was hoping we could schedule a group talk to talk about schools later tonight. I admit I... overreacted before. You all don't have to go halfway across the country," Aunt Joyce said as I heard her sit down. "I, um, picked up some brochures from some nearby schools, okay?"
"That's great, but now's really not a good time," I started to say before I heard the voice I was dreading.
"Hello, Joyce," I heard Spike's voice say.
My eyes widen as I looked at the gang before hanging up.
"Cole, shimmer to Angel. We're going to need his help," I voiced.
"What's going on?" Elijah asked.
"Spike's back in town," I voiced as Leo came over.
I took a sleeping Persephone from Elijah before we left for the cars. We exited the school quickly.
Switch Point of View...
As Aurora and gang rushed home, Joyce and Jenna were in the house alone with Spike. Joyce was picking up the kettle before pouring some hot water in cup for some hot chocolate.
"So I'm strolling through the park, looking for a meal, and I happen to walk by, and she's making out with the chaos demon! And so I said, 'You know, I don't have to put up with this.' And she said, 'Fine!' So I said, 'Fine, do, whatever you like!' I mean, I thought we were going to make up, you know," Spike told them.
"Well, she sounds very unreasonable," Joyce voiced as she and Jenna sat across from him.
"She is. She's out of her mind," Spike sniffed. "That's what I miss most about her." He smiled.
"Well, Spike, sometimes even when two people seem right for each other, their lives just take different paths. When Buffy's father and I..." Joyce responded.
"No, this is different. Our love was eternal. Literally," Spike interrupted before caliming down. "You got any of those little marshmallows?"
"Let me see," Jenna voiced as she got up to check.
What they didn't know was help was coming but did they really need it.