DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of these characters, everyone knows that, so don't sue me. All I own is the story. Don't repost it without my consent.
NOTE: If you've read any of my other stories posted here, they're out of order. This one comes after "A Friend In Need" and before "The Wilderness." Just to clarify that Leo is still a whitelighter in this one even though he doesn't appear in it. He's only mentioned.
The Halliwell sisters have come to visit Buffy and the Scooby-Gang and inadvertently get drawn into battle with a large group of vampires who have kidnapped Piper. The fight has commenced at the Sunnydale public pool. Giles and Xander are working together on two vamps while Willow struggles with a younger female one. Oz is dodging one vampire's attempts at a quick bite. Prue is having a little too much fun throwing a vampire against the back wall repeatedly. She is hoping to knock him out so she can stake him. Buffy and Phoebe are working on the strongest vampire. Buffy does a round house which barely phases the vamp. Phoebe drop kicks him in the back. He turns and backhands her to the face. Phoebe falls into the wall, unconscious, but it's enough distraction for Buffy to stake the vamp. Giles, Xander, and Oz have dusted their vamps. Willow is being held down by her vamp and Buffy quickly stakes the vamp. Prue's vamp goes flying into the pool. She smiles and lifts the vampire out of the pool. She makes a sweeping gesture with her hand and the vamp flies down the length of the pool and crashes into the wall. Piper watches wide-eyed from the corner. Her hands are tied behind her back and she is gagged. Two vamps are guarding her. Everyone else is regrouping and the vamps remaining grab Piper and use her as a shield.
"Human shield," Buffy says as she raises her cross bow. "Why are vamps so cliche?"
"What can I say? We're set in our ways," Prue's vamp says. He grabs Piper away from the two guards and holds her close to him. He draws a knife and holds it to her neck. Four more vamps enter the room. "Drop the crossbow!"
Phoebe has just regained consciousness and Prue is helping her up. They run over to join the group. Again, three more vamps enter the room.
"You're outnumbered, Slayer," the new lead vamp says, "and I've got one of your people. Drop the crossbow or she dies!"
"I'm fairly familiar with this situation," Buffy replies. "As you can see, I'm still around."
"Buffy," Prue says nervously. She hates seeing her sister helpless. She is also afraid to use her power on the lead vampire. He could react unexpectedly and slice Piper's neck. Piper's eyes are filled with fear. Prue makes eye contact with Piper and tries to give her some kind of reassurance. But it doesn't help. "Buffy, please," Prue pleads.
Buffy holds her ground. She knows vampires better than Prue, and she has become aware of the fact that they love to bluff. She glares at the lead vamp. He begins to look frustrated and yells, "Kill them all!" He backs away, still using Piper as a shield. The fighting begins again and moves back down to the other end of the pool. Willow is using her power to instantly move from place to place to confuse the vampires. While they're off guard Prue and Phoebe stake them. Xander, Giles and Oz are working on three vamps, while Buffy fights two vamps on her own.
The lead vampire watches angrily as his troops are being defeated. He decides to cut his losses and starts to feed on Piper. She screams, but it is muffled by her gag.
Buffy quickly dusts the two vamps she was fighting and spins around, looking for the lead vamp. She is struck with horror when she sees him feeding on Piper. His body is exposed, though. Buffy picks up the crossbow, aims, and hits him directly in the heart. All at the same moment, the vampire turns to dust, Piper falls limply into the pool, and Buffy sprints to help her. Everyone else has dusted their vamps. Prue and Phoebe turn and see Buffy jump into the pool. Then they see the blood in the pool and scream, "No, Piper!"
Everyone runs to the spot where Buffy leapt into the pool. Buffy comes up with Piper's body. Xander and Giles reach down, carefully take Piper, and lay her at the edge of the pool. Giles immediately begins CPR on her. Phoebe and Prue kneel next to Piper's body. Phoebe is crying silently. Prue is not ready to give up. Buffy pulls herself out of the pool and stands back next to the rest of the gang. Tears are streaming down Willow's face; Xander has his arm around her. Oz is simply standing there showing no emotion.
"Come on, Piper," Prue says. "Dammit, you've got to breathe." Tears are forming in her eyes and she's losing control. Giles continues doing CPR for two more minutes, even though he knew the second Buffy jumped in the pool that it was too late. Finally, he pulls his hands away."
"I-I'm terribly sorry," Giles says with a wavery voice. "I'm afraid she's gone."
"No! God no!" Prue screams through her tears. Phoebe is sobbing uncontrollably next to Prue. She leans forward and clutches Piper's limp hand. Willow is crying into Xander's shoulder and he is holding her tight. Oz has not changed at all. Buffy is standing there, not crying, but silently blaming herself. She feels she could have saved Piper. Giles is still kneeling with his head bowed solemnly. Suddenly, Prue rises. She walks away from Piper, still crying.
"Leo! Come on, Leo!" she yells into the air. "I know you're here! You've gotta help her. It's not her time!"
Everyone is watching her curiously. To everyone's surprise, Oz begins to approach her.
"How can you say you love her, and not do anything?" Prue asks. Oz takes her by the shoulders. She starts to pull away, but then lets him embrace her. He doesn't show it much, but they all know in the back of their heads that Oz may understand emotion better than anyone. He and Prue sink to their knees and he continues to hold her. "It's not her time," Prue sobs. "It's not her time. It's not her time."
* * * The funeral has ended, but Prue and Phoebe are still standing in disbelief.
Could they really be looking at Piper's grave? They have already cried all their tears. They simply stare quietly. Buffy and the gang came to San Francisco for the funeral. Everyone else has started to leave for the funeral reception at Quake, but Buffy stays behind. She approaches the remaining Halliwells. They both know Buffy is there, but they don't look up. Finally, Phoebe breaks the silence.
"Don't think that, Buffy," she says. "This isn't your fault."
"How did you... ?" she begins but Phoebe cuts her off.
"I could tell how you felt the second you pulled Piper out of the pool," she explains. "You thought that you should have staked that vamp when you had the chance, or you shouldn't have let Piper get taken in the first place. You did everything you could."
"I wish I could believe that," Buffy says. She looks at Phoebe. Phoebe's face is completely emotionless, even more emotionless than Oz. Buffy never thought that was possible. Phoebe looks at Prue, who also has that blank expression on her face. Prue has hardly said a word in the past few days. She feels totally numb. She can't believe that her sister is gone, and at the same time she is blaming herself. Everything had moved in slow motion since it happened. She felt as if she had lost a body part. Phoebe grabs Prue's arm and leads her away without a word.
Buffy walks closer to Piper's casket and places her hand on the smooth wood. "I'm sorry, Piper. This shouldn't have happened."
"Don't worry about it," says a familiar voice behind her. Buffy spins around quickly to see Piper. She is completely shocked. She opens her mouth to say something, but nothing comes out.
"I know. You're thinking, 'She's dead. This isn't possible,'" Piper says with a smile. "Well, you're right about the dead part. I'm a ghost, wandering spirit, whatever, but I'm not supposed to be dead."
"But how? I mean I... what... " Buffy stutters.
"I was informed of what is really going on. It seems a demon manipulated the system so to speak," she explains. "I wasn't kidnapped to get the attention of the Slayer. Those vampires were hired to kidnap me and eventually kill me to make the Charmed Ones vulnerable, to eliminate the Power of Three."
"So, what can we do?" Buffy asks. She finally regains her ability to speak. "Is this demon going to attack Prue and Phoebe?"
"Yes, within 24 hours," Piper says. She steps closer to Buffy. "I can be reunited with my body, but we don't have enough time. That will have to wait. I need a physical body, though, to channel my powers through," she says suggestively.
Buffy realizes what Piper is saying. "Wouldn't Will be better for that? You know, she's the witch."
"I thought of that, but she's still learning, and she's not quite strong enough. You see, when a spirit enters another body than its own, the body slowly weakens. You would be the best choice."
"I would last longer," Buffy summarizes. "What would happen to my... me?"
"You mean your consciousness," Piper says. "I'm not sure, but usually it is like sleep. Everything that I do while in your body will seem like a dream."
"Okay, one more question. How do we stop this demon?"
"The demon is called Caribdas. I don't know how to stop it, but I should be able to find it in the Book of Shadows," Piper explains. "Will you do this?"
"Of course. I owe you that much," Buffy agrees.
Piper gives her a stern look. "Pheebs was right, Buffy. This wasn't your fault," Piper explains. "It's nobody's fault. Things happen for a reason."
"I guess I should know that by now," Buffy says.
"Yeah, I wish Prue would get it through her thick skull," Piper says.
"Huh?" Buffy asks, confused.
"Prue's been blaming herself for this. She has the big sister complex. She thinks that she has to protect Phoebe and me. And when she can't," Piper says gesturing to her own coffin, "she feels like she's failed in her duty as the oldest."
"Well, maybe I could explain it to her," Buffy says with a smile. "I think I'm probably the expert on duty."
"Yeah, well that will have to wait until later," Piper says. "We don't have much time. Are you ready?"
"As I'll ever be," Buffy says. She closes her eyes and waits. Piper walks forward and merges with Buffy. A moment later she opens her eyes. She is Piper now.
"Woah, I'm 19 again. This is like Freaky Friday," Piper says. (From here on out I will refer to her as Piper, but remember that everyone else sees Buffy.) She looks around trying to get reoriented with the physical world. Then she tests her power. The trees stop moving and a bird is suspended in air. Piper decides that is enough of a test and heads for Quake.
* * * Everyone is quietly talking and eating when Piper walks in. Willow comes walking up to her. "Buffy, what took you so long? I was getting worried. How'd you know how to get here? We've never been here before."
"Cab. Where are Phoebe and Prue?" she asks impatiently. "I need to talk to them."
"Over there," Willow points to the bar. Phoebe is talking quietly to someone Piper doesn't recognize. Prue is sitting silently, staring at her drink. Piper walks over to them with Willow at her heels. "Are you okay, Buffy? You look different." Piper doesn't answer her.
"Phoebe, Prue. I need to talk to you," Piper says. Prue turns her head and Phoebe excuses herself from her previous conversation.
"What is it, Buffy?" Phoebe asks.
"Um, can we go somewhere a little less public?"
"Just tell us," Prue says quietly.
"Well, it's kinda... oh forget it." Piper throws up her hands and freezes the room. "There, now we can talk."
Prue and Phoebe just stare in shock. "How? You did... Buffy... you just... how did you... " Willow is waving her arms rapidly.
"I knew it," Phoebe says finally. Tears fill her eyes, and she jumps forward and hugs Piper. "I knew you'd come back. Oh, Piper, I missed you so much."
Prue is still staring in disbelief. Willow's hands appear to have a mind of their own. "But she... she went... and everyone... how... "
Phoebe stops hugging Piper and wipes the tears from her eyes. Piper grabs Willow's hands and says, "Calm down, Willow. You're going to hurt yourself." Then she turns to Prue. "Prue, say something."
"Piper?" Prue says quietly. The tears she thought she didn't have start to roll down her cheeks. She steps forward and hugs Piper tightly. "Oh my God, it's really you." They hug for a moment and then Piper gets down to business.
"Look, we don't have much time. You two need to excuse yourselves and go home." She notices the huge grins on their faces and giggles. "Try not to look happy. Technically, I'm dead, remember."
"Right," Prue says. She stops smiling and tries to look upset. Phoebe is having a little more trouble looking upset. Willow doesn't even have to worry about it. She's trying to explain to herself what is going on. Piper is about to unfreeze everyone when she notices Willow's confusion.
"It's okay, Willow. I'll explain later," Piper says. "Just try to look the way you did when I froze everything. As soon as everyone's unfrozen, get Giles and the others and go to our place."
Willow nods her head and they all get into position. Everyone else starts to move again and Willow immediately leaves to find the others. Prue, Phoebe, and Piper leave together just as Darryl was about to approach Prue. He watches curiously as he sees the two Halliwells and a girl he has never met leave Quake quickly. Then, almost at the same time he sees an older man, two younger men, and a young girl heading for the exit. Darryl's suspicious nature (of the Halliwells especially) tells him to follow the latter group. Yet, he already knows where he will end up. He sets down his drink and leaves Quake.
* * * At the Manor, Piper is bringing everyone up to speed.
"So, Buffy's still there, she's just sleeping?" Willow asks.
"Just like her to take a nap when something important is happening," Xander quips. Piper gives him a a pointed glare and then continues.
"She knows what is happening. She sees everything. She's just not in control," Piper says. "This will all seem like a dream to her when I leave her body."
"Why did you even need to use her body?" Phoebe asks. "Couldn't you have done all this as a ghost?"
"I need a physical body to channel my power," Piper says. "The Charmed Ones need to be at full strength for this one. That's why he went to the trouble of having the vamps kill me. You two would be vulnerable then."
"Okay, now how do we stop this demon, Bu-er, Piper?" Prue asks. She is still having trouble addressing Buffy as Piper. "Do you know?"
"No. We need to start looking," Piper says as she rises from the couch. She turns to Willow. "Did you bring the Journal d'Fabriciano?"
"Yeah! It's at the hotel," Willow says proudly.
"Okay, you and Oz should go get it. There may be something about Caribdas in there," she says. Willow and Oz jump up and leave. Piper yells after them, "Call if you find anything." Then she turns to Giles. "The public library doesn't have the greatest resources, but you might get lucky. Take Xander with you."
Xander and Giles rise and exit the house. Prue and Phoebe look at Piper patiently. Piper smiles, "Now you two will listen to me. If I knew all I needed to do was die, I would have done it a long time ago." Prue and Phoebe smile in response. "Pheebs you get the Internet. Prue we get the Book of Shadows." Phoebe leaves to get Prue's laptop while Prue and Piper head for the stairs. When they reach the stairs there is a knock at the door. Prue and Piper look at each other, then at the door, then at each other again. Prue turns and answers it. She is surprised to see Darryl Morris there.
"Hi, Prue. I saw you leave Quake, and I just wanted to make sure you and Phoebe are okay," Darryl says with a look of concern on his face. He suspiciously looks at Piper and then returns his gaze to Prue.
"Darryl, this isn't the best time," Prue says. She steps aside though to let him in. It's a reflex. He steps inside.
"Well, of course. I mean it's gotta be hard. I'm sure," he says. He looks at Piper again. Piper smiles. "Everyone misses her. And she was your sister... "
"Darryl, really," Prue interrupts. "I'm glad you care so much, but... "
Piper interrupts her and starts to shove Darryl out the door. "Look, Darryl. It was nice to see you again. Glad you care. But we're busy." Piper shuts the door and turns to Prue, who is standing there in shock. "What?"
"That was a bit rude!" Prue exclaims.
"Well, did you want to tell him the truth? 'Oh, Darryl, we don't have time to talk. We're looking for a way to vanquish this demon that hired some vampires to kill Piper because we're witches and he wants our powers. Oh, and by the way, this girl here is Piper. Could you come back later?'"
"All right you've made your point. Let's start looking for a way to vanquish the demon," Prue says. She leads Piper up to the attic.
* * * Almost like they planned it, the entire gang arrives back at the house at the same time. Willow is carrying the Journal d'Fabriciano with Oz at her heels. Giles and Xander are each carrying a couple books. They all sit in the living room where Phoebe taking notes off a website. Prue and Piper walk down the stairs with the Book of Shadows.
"So any luck?" Piper asks. Giles looks up at her but doesn't say anything. Xander speaks up.
"I wouldn't say luck. We found some stuff, but we didn't hit the jackpot."
"Yes, we found numerous legends, but, um, nothing about vanquishing Caribdas," Giles adds.
"I found a spell, but it doesn't seem complete. I read it, like, ten times," Willow offers. "I don't see what good it will do."
"I got some legends, too," Phoebe says. "But I didn't find much else."
"So, what's the legend?" Piper asks.
"It seems Caribdas found out about your ancestor, um," Giles begins as he looks in one of his books. "Melinda Warren and her curse. He has always preyed on good witches. He kills the witches to become stronger."
"The stronger the witch the stronger he gets," Phoebe continues. "Guess why he's after us."
"Yeah, but he didn't kill Piper," Oz interjects. "The vamps did. If he wanted to kill you guys because you're the most powerful witches in the world, why did he hire the vampires?"
"He knew he couldn't take us all on at once," Piper explains. "So, he figured two is better than none."
"Yes, rather than risk defeat he settled on two of you," Giles summarizes.
"So here's the million dollar question," Xander says in his usual tone. "How do we stop him?"
"Willow, you said you found a spell," Prue says.
"Like I said, it doesn't look complete," Willow says. She hands the book to Prue. "Here, see for yourself."
Prue and Piper look at the spell and then nod in understanding. "You're right Willow. This spell isn't complete. This is only the second half," Prue explains.
"Yeah, Prue and I found the first part of the spell in the Book of Shadows," Piper continues.
"Wait, that doesn't make sense," Willow says in confusion. "How could two different family lines have different parts of a spell?"
"Because our family lines aren't so different," Phoebe chimes in from behind the laptop. Now everyone is confused.
"What exactly do you mean?" Giles asks.
"I just found this. Several centuries ago," Phoebe begins, "it seems a Warren woman met a Fabriciano. This was after the Fabricianos decided to hide their ancestry. Well, Warren and Fabriciano had a child, a girl. Fabriciano kept the child, but did not marry Warren. Later, Warren and Fabriciano's child married a man named Rosenberg."
"Pheebs, are you sure about this?" Prue asks skeptically.
"Well, you can never be sure about something this old," she answers, "but that's what I've found."
"We're related?" Willow asks in amazement. Then she says quietly, "We're related."
"Very distantly," Phoebe says with a smile. "Small world, huh?"
"Hey, not to interrupt this little family reunion--believe me it's touching--but what about the demon?" Xander asks bringing everyone back to the task at hand.
"Yes, of course, the spell," Piper says as she stands quickly. She is suddenly overcome with dizziness and sits back down.
"Piper?" Prue asks in concern. "What's wrong?"
"It's Buffy," Piper says. The room is spinning. She grips the arms of her chair and closes her eyes to keep from throwing up. "She's getting weaker already. I thought we would have more time."
"Okay, we'll look over this spell and when Caribdas comes we'll be ready," Phoebe says.
"I don't think we can wait for Caribdas," Piper says. She is growing pale. "Can you try calling a premonition, Pheebs? We need to go to him."
"I can try. Here give me your spell book, Willow." Phoebe takes Willow's spell book and touches the second half of the spell. At first nothing happens, but then it hits her like a Mack truck. The nausea, the ringing ears, all at once. She closes her eyes tight as the image assaults her mind.
A man in a dark cloak standing in the foyer. Angry, glowing eyes. The clock reads 6:00.
As fast as it came, the image leaves her mind. She opens her eyes and looks at everyone. They all are patiently waiting. Then, Phoebe spins around to look at the clock.
"Four thirty," she says. "We don't have to go to him. He'll be here in less than two hours."
"Well, then let's see this spell," Prue says. Everyone moves closer together and they begin to get ready for Caribdas.
* * * Over an hour has passed. Xander, Giles, and Oz are sitting in the living room talking about the situation. Willow and Phoebe are sitting on the stairs talking about their family history. Prue and Piper are in the kitchen talking over coffee.
"Piper, I..." Prue says, but Piper cuts her off.
"Don't say it Prue. I already know," she says. "When you're dead you can hear the thoughts of the living. Like I told Buffy, this was nobody's fault. I've come to believe in fate. I have to in order to get over Leo. All this happened for a reason."
"I know, but I don't think I'll ever get away from the responsibility I feel for you and Phoebe," Prue says. "I will always feel like I have to protect you."
"You know, you and Buffy have a lot in common," Piper remarks. "She tries not to let that feeling rule her life, though. I think you two should talk when this is over."
"Yeah, maybe we should," Prue agrees. Then Piper rises to get more coffee. She is overcome with dizziness. She almost falls, but Prue catches her and helps her back to her seat.
"Piper are you okay?" Prue asks in concern. "Are you going to be able to face this demon?"
"Yes, I have to," she answers. "But I think Willow could help us. I'm not at full strength."
"Okay, I'll get her," Prue runs to get Willow. She returns to the kitchen with Phoebe and Willow. The four witches practice the spell and discuss what will happen. Then they hear a crash. Willow and Phoebe run into the living room while Prue helps Piper. Giles, Xander and Oz are staring at Caribdas.
"Halliwells, I have come for you," he says angrily. Phoebe has a strong sense of deja vu when she sees her premonition in real life.
"You're a very punctual demon," Phoebe says. "Right on time. I give you a gold star for promptness."
"Impudent mortal," Caribdas growls. "You will cower before me!"
"Been there, done that," Willow says calmly.
"You lack originality," Oz adds.
"You cannot defeat me," Caribdas yells. "I killed your sister. You do not have enough power to destroy me."
"You know I really didn't like death all that much," Piper says. "And I have news for you. I came back to destroy you."
With that they begin the spell.
Prue: Demon from the dark of night,
Leave now from our sight.
We use the element of light.
Leave now from our sight.Piper: Demon from the pits of hell,
Leave the place in which we dwell.
May the force of earth serve us well.
Leave the place in which we dwell.Phoebe: Demon with the evil stare,
We banish you from our lair.
We call upon the force of air.
We banish you from our lair.Willow: Demon from the blackest black,
Leave us now and don't come back.
We use the goodness which you lack.
Leave us now and don't come back.The four witches repeat their respective parts of the spell in unison. Caribdas screams in rage as a brilliant white light envelops him. The four women continue the spell, saying it faster each time. The guys watch in awe.
"This is too easy," Xander says nervously, while semi-hiding behind Giles.
"NOOOOOO!" Caribdas screams as he finally disappears. Everyone breathes a sigh of relief, but then Piper collapses. Prue and Phoebe kneel next to her.
"Buffy's getting extremely weak," Piper explains. "I have to get back to my body."
"But how?" Prue asks. She is on the verge of tears in fear that she will lose her sister again.
"There's a spell in the Book of Shadows," Piper answers. "It's titled 'Wrongful Death.'"
"Got it," Willow says immediately. "It was already turned to that page. But it requires a potion that has to be poured over your grave."
"Let me see," Phoebe says as she quickly takes the BOS from Willow. She quickly scans the page. "We've got all this stuff."
"Giles and I can do the potion," Willow says. She takes the BOS back from Phoebe. "Are all the ingredients in the kitchen?"
"Yeah, I'll show you," Phoebe answers as she leads the rest of the group to the kitchen. Prue helps Piper to the couch. She just stares at Piper for a moment.
"Prue, if this doesn't work..." Piper begins, but Prue interrupts.
"Of course it's going to work," Prue says. "Don't think like that."
"Prue, you know I always consider the 'if,'" Piper says. Prue blinks back the tears. "If this doesn't work. You can't blame yourself. I don't want you to. And be patient with Phoebe. She really is trying to get a grip on her life."
Tears are rolling down Prue's face. Piper wipes them away. "I'll always be with you. Grams isn't the only one who can flip pages in the Book of Shadows," Piper says with a smile.
"Willow's getting really good at this stuff," Phoebe says as she enters the living room. She sees Prue crying and asks, "What's wrong?"
"Piper's considering the 'if,'" Prue says with a tearful smile.
"You guys are going to have to learn to get along without me if this doesn't work," Piper says, mostly to Phoebe. "I won't be around to play peacemaker."
Phoebe just looks at the floor. Prue wipes away her tears and looks at Piper, who has closed her eyes. "Piper?"
"I'm okay, Prue," she answers without opening her eyes. "Just dizzy."
Then Willow and the rest of the gang enters the room Willow is holding a small bottle. "All done," she announces.
"So, Piper," Xander says. "Ready to visit your own grave?"
"Let's go," Piper says as Prue helps her up from the couch. "Let's take Oz's van. Save gas."
Everyone heads out the door. "even when she's dead she's economical!" Phoebe exclaims as she closes and locks the door.
* * * They arrive at the cemetery and walk to Piper's fresh grave. The sun is setting and shadows stretch across her tombstone. The group stops at the foot of her grave.
"I guess I don't need Buffy's body anymore," Piper says. She looks at everyone and then closes her eyes. Then suddenly, Piper's spirit falls forward out of Buffy. Prue, who has been supporting Piper, is not ready for Buffy's dead weight and almost drops her. She lays Buffy on the ground and approaches Piper. She tries to touch Piper and her hand goes through her sister.
"Woah," Prue says in shock. Phoebe kneels next to her.
"Piper," Phoebe says. Piper turns her head and tries to push herself into a sitting position, but she can't.
"Quick, the spell," Piper says weakly.
Phoebe and Prue stand and Willow stands next to them. Giles is kneeling next to Buffy, who is still unconscious. Xander and Oz watch silently.
Phoebe is holding the BOS while Prue grabs the potion from Willow. The three witches begin to recite the spell while Prue slowly pours the potion on Piper's grave.
This witch has gone before her time.
Return her to her mortal shell.
Erase the event from memory.
Reunite her with her family.As they say the spell, Piper's spirit begins to fade and flicker like a television image with bad reception. Her tombstone disappears and the bare dirt of her grave instantly is covered with grass. The group watches as Piper completely disappears.
"Where'd she go?" Xander asks in shock. Just then Buffy starts to wake up.
"Where...?" she asks. She looks around her and realizes what is going on. "Piper, where is she? Did it work?"
"We don't know," Prue says quietly. She fears that the spell didn't work, but she is also confused by the disappearance of Piper's grave. Phoebe hands the BOS to Willow-who is still staring at the spot where Piper had been-and puts her arm around Prue's shoulders. Then Willow looks up and smiles excitedly.
"Hey! She's...it's...look!" she yells, pointing in front of herself. Everyone looks in the direction that Willow is pointing. Piper is walking towards them, smiling widely. Prue and Phoebe run to Piper, their eyes filled with tears of joy. They tackle her to the ground, all three of them laughing and crying at the same time. Willow is standing there hugging the BOS like a teddy bear. Giles and Buffy are sitting next to each other on the ground. Everyone is smiling, even Oz.
"You know," Xander begins. "I've spent a lot of time in graveyards and this is the first time I've ever been happy in one."
"I think we can all agree with that, Xander," Buffy says. Her earlier feeling of failure has been replaced with a feeling of accomplishment. She watches the three sisters as they finally get off the ground. She helped reunite a family. She didn't just kill a demon this time. She helped to give life back when it was taken away. She feels so different now. She looks at Giles and smiles. He is beaming in his own British way. She can tell that he feels the same way she does. The three sisters walk arm-in-arm with Piper in the middle over to the rest of the gang. No one says anything. They simply smile at one another. Finally, Piper breaks the silence.
"Well, I don't know about the rest of you, but I feel like celebrating," she says. "Quake?"
"Sounds good to me," Buffy says as she stands. She feels oddly stronger now. "I'm starved. I haven't eaten all day."
"Well, you did miss the funeral reception," Willow says. "Because Piper was possessing you and all."
"I could eat an entire cow," Piper says. Everyone looks at her in surprise. "What? I've been dead for four days. I'm hungry."
Everyone laughs as they leave the cemetery.
* * * It is the next day. After they went to Quake the entire group was too wired to sleep. The all ended up falling asleep in the living room at the Manor. Now it is time for the Scooby-Gang to return to Sunnydale. Everyone is congregated in the foyer, bidding each other farewell.
"Well, cousin," Phoebe says as she hugs Willow. "Call us when you get to Sunnydale."
"Of course," Willow says with her patented quirky little smile. "We've got a lot to talk about. I'm really confused."
"So am I half the time," Piper chimes in. She looks over Willow's shoulder to see Buffy and Prue talking.
"Thanks for the talk, Buffy," Prue says giving the Slayer a hug. "it feels good to know I'm not the only one who feels like this. I'll try to keep my guilt in check."
"I know how you feel being the big sister," Buffy says with a smile. "Technically, I'm an only child, but I kind of inherited them," she says tilting her head towards her Undead Playgroup. "Blood relatives or not, someone ends up being the 'big sister.'"
"Yeah, I know. It sucks," Prue says jokingly.
"Tell me about it," Buffy agrees. Piper walks over to them and smiles.
"So did you two have a good talk?" she asks.
"Yep. I taught her all about guilt, and how to deal," Buffy says cheerfully. "She's ready to face the world."
"Good. So next time I die I don't have to worry about you blaming yourself, right?" Piper asks with a look of suspicion on her face.
"Nope, I'll just blame Phoebe," Prue says, intentionally loud enough for Phoebe to hear.
"Hey!" Phoebe says defensively. "I heard that!"
Piper simply rolls her eyes as if to say "Do you see what I have to put up with?" and then she turns to Buffy.
"Buffy, I want to thank you. I don't think I'd be here if it weren't for you."
Buffy blushes and says, "Hey, I save lives on a daily basis. No need for thanks. If I got a thank you card from everyone I've saved..."
"You did more than save my life, Buffy," Piper says. "You let me inside your head. I know what's going on in there and that's the only truly private place anyone has. You gave that up. You are the most generous person I've ever met. And I thank you for that."
"Hey, no problem," Buffy says. "If you ever need to use my body you're more than welcome. I'll just keep a little welcome mat at my feet."
"Thank you, Buffy," Piper says as she hugs Buffy. "I owe you so much."
"Ahem," Giles clears his throat. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but we have quite a drive ahead of us."
"My watcher beckons," Buffy jokes. She grabs her jacket and heads for the door. "Man, I think I have a test tomorrow."
The group starts to file out the door. "Hey, Piper. Next time you die let us know beforehand if it's going to be permanent," Xander jokes. Piper playfully punches him in the arm. "These funerals take a lot out of me."
"It's not like you need energy to do your job, Xander," Buffy says snidely.
The group piles into Oz's van. The three sisters stand on the front walk, arms around each other, waving goodbye to their friends from Sunnydale. Oz gives a half-hearted salute from the driver's seat. Giles waves from the passenger seat while the other three are playfully wrestling (because you know in reality Buffy would win) to get the window. Oz pulls the van out of the driveway and the sisters watch as the Undead Playgroup leaves them alone, for now.
