A/N Buffy and Xander are both dealing with depression right now, although neither recognizes that fact. But both of them also dealt with depression on the show. Buffy, of course being the title character, we saw her struggle front and center and Xander's was in the background and only occasionally would something happen that suggested he was struggling with problems himself.

I recently finished a rewatch of the musical episode, which also put Buffy's struggles with depression front and center. But in this episode we see her try to commit suicide, literally dance herself to death and we see another parallel to Angel. Both were 'cursed' - Angel with a soul, Buffy with a Destiny. Both were free of it at one point, Angel's curse broke, Buffy died a second time. And both were dragged back to the cursed life.

And both tried to commit suicide.

Angel tried twice, once when the First was haunting him he tried to meet the sunrise and Buffy stopped him. And once by trying to deliberately break the curse by having sex with Darla.

It could be argued that Buffy tried twice as well, once in the musical episode and again in Normal Again. In Normal Again she 'died' in the reality without the supernatural where her parents were still together and returned to Sunnydale, a place that might as well be Hell, for her anyway

I don't know if Joss intended anything by it but Willow was responsible for each instance of them being dragged back into Hell. She recast the curse on Angel, she resurrected Buffy, something Xander had vehemently objected to being done, just as he'd objected to Angel being cursed again and she 'cured' Buffy of the demon poison that was causing Buffy to switch back and forth. Just something I noticed.

But, again in a parallel, Buffy wants and needs something to live for. In Normal Again she finds it in her friends. Angel wanted and needed something to live for and found it in Connor, his son. Only to find out Connor's existence was part of a massive manipulation of his unlife and he gave up Connor to keep him safe. Buffy gave up a life with her parents to keep her friends safe.

A interesting point is that Spike, 'Slayer of Slayers' tells Buffy the Slayers he killed wanted to die, were ready for it, welcomed it and it's her friends and family that kept her going. And then 'the Slayer of Slayers' stops her from commiting suicide herself and tells her to live for him.

I'd be interested to know if Joss actually planned all these parallels.

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"What was that?!" Buffy yelled after she finally managed to break the neck of the creature that had attacked their camp.

"A drokken beast." Lon answered, staring at her. "Nearly impossible to kill because they're armored with thick scaly skin and very dense bones. How did you do that?"

"I'm the Slayer, a mystically created warrior back on Earth, mostly super strength, although I also get dream visions occasionally and I have an instinctive fighting ability."

"The priests have a prophecy about a 'cursed one' with visions that will restore the monarchy." Lon continued to stare at Buffy, making her uncomfortable. "If you're the one in the prophecy and you maybe have a claim to the throne, you would be the ruler of Pylea. Of course you'd also have to deal with the Grooselug, a Champion of the Scum Pits of Ur."

"Say, there's a name you really don't want anything to do with." Fred tried joking.

"Which? Grooselug or Scum Pits?" Buffy asked, shaking some drokken bits off her hand.

"Both, now that I think about it. But I've heard the priests mention the cursed one myself and how they're prophecied to be the Sovereign."

"Me and prophecies don't have a great history." Buffy informed her friends. "There was a prophecy that predicted I was going to die and I did. I'd have stayed dead if my friend Xander hadn't done CPR."

"Xander? The same guy who's wish sent you here?" Fred waved her hand around.

"Yeah." Buffy was thinking about prophecies and how she couldn't seem to escape them. "How would I prove my claim, if I am this Sovereign, I mean?"

"The Priests of the Covenant of Tromboli would test you." Lon answered. "They'd have no choice if we tell them you have visions."

"The Covenant that is headquartered in the castle? The same place where they supposedly have the controls for the slave collars?" Buffy narrowed her eyes in thought.

"Yes, exactly." Lon nodded. "With an in to the castle and even if they decide you're not the one from the prophecy -."

"I'd still physically be in the castle and might be able to find the controls for the collars." Buffy glanced at the one she'd broken off of Fred's neck. "Would you know if they stopped broadcasting?" She asked Fred.

"I haven't studied it long enough to say definitively, but maybe." Fred shrugged.

"Even if we can't time an uprising, just destroying their ability to control the collars gives the slaves a chance to escape." Buffy mused. "Once they know the collars aren't working anymore. It's worth the risk." She decided. "And even if I have to fight this Grooslug to do it, then I will."

"Oh, you won't have to fight him." Lon assured her. "Although you'd probably prefer that."

"Why?"

"Because what will be expected for you to do is to comshok with him." Lon answered.

"What's comshok?" Buffy asked uneasily.

"Sex." Fred responded. "With a demon."

"Oh. Crap." Maybe it wouldn't come to that. Get in the castle, kill the priests, find the control room. Avoid comshoking a demon.

It was a doable to do list. She hoped.