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~~~~~17~~~~~

“Thanks for letting me borrow the Forrester book,” Jenny said with a smile, as she walked next to him in the corridor.  “It was so romantic, and filled with this vibrant imagery.”

“Don’t mention it, and it is good.  It’s been my father’s for years,” Giles answered her a little self-consciously, smiling.

“You know how you have to fold the corners of the pages you like most?” Jenny asked as they rounded the corner.  The open door to her classroom was right behind it.  “So you can re-read them?”

“Folded the corners?” Giles asked with a weak voice.

Jenny turned around, facing him.  Standing in front of the door, Jenny continued, “Yeah, well there were so many this time, I could hardly keep them apart; so I started marking them with different colors.”

Giles looked as if he was watching his best friend dying in a car accident, asking, “You marked . . .”

“Yes, but then I spilled coffee over it so I couldn’t read it anyway,” Jenny added casually.

Giles’ eyes were wide, muttering, “It was a first edition.”

“Just kidding, Rupert, the book’s fine,” Jenny said with a smile, pulling said old book from her pile and handed it over.

“Oh, thank god,” Giles said with relief, taking the book, and letting himself land against the wall next to door, sighing in relief.

Jenny was smiling brightly, and asked him, “Has anyone ever told you you’re kind of a fuddy duddy?”

“I’ve heard it mentioned a few times, yes,” Giles said, looking down a bit in embarrassment.

“Has anyone ever told you you’re kind of a sexy fuddy duddy?” Jenny asked with an extremely suggestive smile.

Giles smiled lightly, answering her, “No- . . . no they usually leave that part out.  I can’t imagine why.”

Jenny smirked, and said, “I love it when you squirm.”

Giles looked at her from the corner of his eyes, and said, “I trust I gave good squirm. How about we go out tomorrow?”

Jenny took a step closer and said with a husky voice, “I thought we’d stay in.”  Giles looked at her with wide eyes.  “So I can make you really squirm,” she finished grinning.

Giles swallowed as he looked in the woman’s amazingly sexy eyes.  Slowly he bent down.  The bell rang, but they didn’t notice.  They started a gentle kiss.  Students passing by made them break apart, and just a little flustered Giles left as Jenny entered her classroom.

*****

He arrived in his library a few moments later, and looked with surprise at two police officers, and an officious-looking, African-American woman in civilian clothes.

“Are you Rupert Giles?” she asked him.

“Uh, yes, yes, that is me.  And who are you?” Giles asked.

“I’m homicide detective Winslow, you’ll have to come with me,” she spoke.  The library doors opened emitting Cordelia, wearing a skintight, small, black mini dress.

“Giles,” Cordelia whined.  “You have to help me get out of this Saturday computer class Miss Calendar demands me to be!  I’ll do it another day, better yet, I’ll prove I can do everything by next Friday - just not nine am on a Saturday!  I’ve got shopping to do!”  The police officers and the woman looked astonished at the girl completely ignoring them, and the Brit rubbing the bridge of his nose in frustration.  The teen actually had the audacity to casually step in between Giles and the woman, turning her back to the former.  It seemed this wasn’t an uncommon event.  

“Cordelia!” Giles exclaimed with quite some irritation.

“What?” Cordelia asked innocently.

Giles was about to launch in a subtle pointing out she should leave, but realized the American bint most likely wouldn’t get it.  He could get worked up further afterwards or right away to usher her out, but suddenly an epiphany came to him.  “Xander will have to do the makeup class as well,” Giles told her, managing not to sound as sneaky as he felt.

“Really?” Cordelia perked up, Giles nodded tiredly.  “Oh, never mind then,” she added and started to leave again.  She stopped and turned around, facing the detective woman, “Now that I’m here and you’re here, could you do something about this bogus ticket I’ve got.  It was a- . . .”

“*Cordelia!*” Giles said in irritation.  “We’re rather /busy/!”

Cordelia turned around to face the librarian, and said, “You don’t have yell, I’m not stupid you know, I can take a hint.”  Cordelia looked down for a moment, blinked, and then asked, “What’s the hint?”

“Leave,” Giles said very slowly, as if talking to a four-year-old.

“All right already,” Cordelia told him with annoyance, and walked away out of the library, speaking,  “I’ll tell the rest not to come in here until after you spend some time in decaf-land.  Shees.”

Giles put his glasses back on, sighed, and asked, “Where were we?”

*****

That night Buffy was perfectly on time with the hospital.  In fact she was early, but now it was late, and Giles isn’t.  She was hiding behind a parked van, looking at the hospital back entrance.  “‘Should I answer that, or just glare?’” Buffy said in annoyance, doing a really mean impersonation of Giles.  “‘Don’t be late,’ he says.  ‘Do that,’ he says.  ‘Your music is noise, not music,’ he says.  And where is Mr. Snippy?  Not here on time where he’s supposed to be at least, that’s for sure!”

A van arrived, and a man got out, holding a plastic container.  Buffy watched as two doctors came from the hospital and took the blood.  They thanked him, and the van drove off. Smiling, Buffy started to turn around, saying to herself, “And the two cute doctors take the blond, a nice happy end- . . . wait, since when do surgeons do menial labor?”  She turned back around and watched a red convertible pull up next to the doctors.  A vampire got out of it, as one of the two dressed as doctors opened the container.  Buffy started running toward them, watching as one vampire started drinking from the bag, and the driver got up on the hood over the windshield.

“Hey,” the vampire from the car - the leader it seemed - spoke, “Leave some for the rest of us.  We’re supposed to take it away, not- . . .”

“Shut up!” Buffy growled, and practically flew with her right leg extended at the vamp. She kicked out over the hood, kicking the legs out from under the leader, and before the other two could react, a stake through the heart turned him to dust.  Buffy grinned at the other two, leg still on the hood, and she took a provocative stance.  She gave the vamps a flirtatious smile, and told them, “Didn’t your mommies ever tell you, it’s not nice to steal?”

The vamps, already vamped out, lunged at her with a growl.  Buffy turned fully around on one leg, bringing the other off the hood, which she had basically used as a bullfighter’s red cloth.  Her elbow rammed into the first vampire, slamming against the car, and tumbling on it. She grabbed the second vampire by the collar as he came rushing in, smoothly pulled him off his feet and slammed him on the hood of the car, and partially on the second vamp.  Buffy was ready to attack the two and finish it when she felt a presence behind her.  She whirled around, wondering where this one could have been hiding.  Her stake came up and then she brought it down.  “Angel!” she said in surprise, stopping the downward motion of the stake on time - and Angel managed to jump back in time.

“Whoa!” he said, holding up his hands to ward her off.

“What are you doing here?” Buffy asked him in surprise, and then one of the two doctor-vampires slammed his fist in the side of her head.  Being distracted by Angel had left her vulnerable, and now she fell over with the unexpected impact.  Angel jumped in, and slammed his fist in the vamp’s face, and he was launched up and over the windshield then landed in the car’s seats with a painful growl.  The souled vampire jumped onto the hood, just as the second vamp slid off it.  Angel ignored it, going up to finish off his vampire.

Buffy got up smoothly, seeing the second vamp charging her.  She took a smooth step forward and landed her fist with all her might into the vamp’s gut.  To her pleasant surprise the vamp doubled over, and coughed hard, trying to regain his balance.  The training she’d been getting from Xander definitely was paying off.  With a grin she added an uppercut, making sure it wasn’t so hard she’d have to chase after a flying vampire.  The monster snapped up with a groan, blood flying from its mouth.  With a quick movement Buffy’s stake stabbed into the heart, and the monster poofed away into dust.

“Buffy!” Angel warned.  Buffy jumped aside as the car drove by, just missing her.

Buffy watched the car, and then turned to Angel.  “You let him get away,” Buffy accused him, walking over as the souled vampire got up with a little difficulty.

“He surprised me with a brick,” Angel told her with a sigh.

Buffy backed off from that thread, and asked him, “Did Giles send you, ‘cause he’s supposed to be here, but he isn’t, and how did you about tonight?”

“It’s delivery day.  Everyone knows about delivery day.  He could just be late,” Angel suggested.

Buffy’s eyebrows raised in disbelief, and asked, “Giles?  The guy who thinks tardiness is like the Eight deadly sin?”

Angel looked at her with widened eyes, replying, “Ah, yeah.”

Buffy nodded, and then said, “Can you make sure the good bags get to the hospital?  I’ll go check on Giles.”

*****

Buffy rang the bell a second time, and a disheveled Giles finally opened the door to a crack. He finished putting his glasses on, and said, “Oh, Buffy, why are you here?”

“I was about to ask you the same thing,” Buffy said, looking with concern at Giles.  Her sensitive nose picked up what had to be alcohol.  Giles looked at her.  “Hospital?  Meals on wheels for vamps?  Eight o’clock sharp?  Any of this ring a bell to you?”

“Oh, yes, I’m sorry, are you hurt?” Giles asked her absentmindedly.

“No, but- . . .”

Giles cut her off as he started closing the door, “Well, good then.”  He was about to speak a goodbye when Buffy put her hand against the door.  She wanted to talk, but Giles was once more too fast with his tongue for the teen girl.  This time he spoke gruffly, impatiently, and very definitely non-Giles, “If you will excuse me, Buffy, I’m trying to do something very important.  See you Monday.”  With a decidedly more loud bang than a smooth closing, the door almost slammed shut.  Obviously: Giles was British, even slamming the door he did with a stiff, calm, upper lip.  Buffy stood in front of the closed door, blinking.  She felt both concern for Giles, as well as hurt that he would treat her so.  She left, and eventually the concern marginally won out over the hurt.

Inside Giles finished a phone call, finding out that one Deirdre Paige was dead.  He struck her name out on a paper, carrying a few more names: Phillip’s (struck out), Thomas Dutch (struck out as well), Himself and Ethan Rayne.  Only he and Rayne were not struck out. He gulped down another glass of whisky, went over to a mirror and rolled up a sleeve.  He looked hatefully at the tattoo: the same tattoo that Phillip had, the one Giles claimed he didn’t know.

*****

Xander groaned as he saw Lotion arriving to their little group of three: Jenny, Willow, and him.  Cordelia would undoubtedly arrive a little later, but just on time, to make a dazzling entrance.  “Nihau!” Lotion said with a large smile as he and the other two women rounded a corner.  Willow, of course, was dressed enticingly these days, and Lotion wasn’t one to not wear clothes that accented her curves.  Despite being enticing, Willow managed to look smart and respectable and somewhat powerful - the combination was alluring to Xander Harris, and once more he wished he either didn’t have all these women attracted to him, or he could just take them all without having to choose.  Buffy still held a special place in his heart though - the one girl so . . . He shook his head, it wouldn’t do to start remembering that one special, amazing happenstance before everything went to hell.  Quite frankly, the blonde Slayer was amazing in the sack, beautiful, sexy, and a great personality - with the exception of that pesky being in love with two- . . . one man and a demon-animated corpse.  The corpse part being worse than the more than one part.

“Why, oh why?” Xander muttered in great annoyance - it wasn’t that Lotion was a bad person, she was actually quite amazing now that he had let her in.  When Spike had attacked, he had even found to his consternation that he managed to qualify her as one of ‘his girls’ - friends he cared deeply for and would protect with his life.  But, and here it was, she /was/ always /extremely/ present, for once he had hoped to have to deal with only two of the women chasing him, and not all three - four counting Buffy.  The latter definitely was more than a little interested in him, Xander knew, but she was also interested in Angel in the same way /and/ she knew she was number one with a bullet when it came to the romantic aspect, so she wasn’t exactly ‘chasing’ him, just giving him the occasional reminder that romance was far from out between the two.

Willow grinned at him, and said, “You shouldn’t have jinxed it.”

As Lotion came to walk next to Xander, Jenny said, “She’s from the heartland of China, a tribe so deep away they don’t have electricity.  If she’s even seen a computer before she came to my class, she most certainly hasn’t operated one before.  She had to learn /really/ from scratch, and needs the most help.  Quite smart of you to learn about computers - they’ll never go away.”

Lotion smiled.  “I doubt it’s smarts, it’s who was in it,” Willow muttered under her breath.

“I /heard/ that!” Lotion bit at Willow, who just turned to face the challenge and glared at Lotion.  Xander wisely kept his mouth shut.  Lotion then added darkly, “Although it’s true - doesn’t mean I’m not smart.”

Jenny up front reached the door to the computer room and unlocked it, smiling.  “Take a seat, and don’t argue with the girl who’ll teach you, Lotion,” Jenny said with a grin going to her desk as the three teens entered behind her.

Lotion told Willow, “Don’t dare to teach me wrong.”

Willow blinked, was about to protest she wasn’t that way, but changed her mind to say, “Thanks for the tip.”  Lotion glared.

Xander in the meantime plonked himself in a seat, and exchanged a look with Jenny that said, ‘See what I have to deal with?’  Jenny smiled as he turned on the computer.  Xander had taken the time earlier to take in Lotion’s form - he /was/ still a red-blooded male teen - but it was nothing to prepare him for the next arrival.  His eyed opened wide as Cordelia appeared in the doorway, and was certain he heard a cliche, sexy, trumpet sound for a lingerie-wearing girl entering the bedroom somewhere.  Cordelia was wearing a black super short mini skirt - loose kind, not the tight ones.  It barely covered her ass.  Above that was a white, tight, spaghetti-strapped top that was cut deep enough and tight enough to put her breasts on display - to do that the only thing missing was a see-through top.  High heels finished her look, and hips swaying she entered the room.

“Good morning, Miss Calendar.  Hi, Xander,” she singsonged her greeting.  “Willow, Lotion,” she said with a glare, receiving two in return.  Cordelia noticed Willow’s new look, and was pissed, but not as pissed as she was at Lotion.  The stupid girl was wearing mostly those Chinese / Amazonian clothes.  They were hopelessly out of time, so the girl shouldn’t be able to look good in them.  She should be ridiculed.  Her Cordettes did - out of loyalty or fear - but the rest didn’t.  And no wonder, the buxom Amazon managed to pull it off.  She looked amazingly sexy, as well as cute and innocent in them, and tough to top it off.  And the addition of more temporary clothing - always mixed with her traditional ones, gave the girl a look that could range from sizzling to cute and back again easily.  And it just shouldn’t be. Cordelia was pretty certain Xander didn’t care that much about image and clothing, but at least Cordelia should have had the satisfaction that Lotion was a laughing stock to the rest of the school.

“All right, everyone, turn on your computers,” Jenny said with a smile.  “Willow, I think you should focus on helping Cordelia and Lotion, while I help Xander, if they need it, okay?” Willow nodded dutifully.

“Miss Calender,” an unexpected voice sounded from the door.  Jenny turned around, the others looked up.

“Buff!” Xander called out with a huge grin.  “So, are we breaking out of this joint? World coming to an end?”  Buffy gave him a smile, while Lotion and Cordelia just looked around.  Willow didn’t know quite what to say: first she was thinking along the lines of Buffy missed them, when she realized it might be more specifically Xander she was missing - she hoped not.

“Giles didn’t show up at the delivery last night, so I went over to check on him, and I . . .” Buffy paused with a frown, “. . . well, I went to his home and found him drunk, and he was really rude to me.”

“Giles?” Jenny asked in utter shock.  Giles and rude?

“Y-ye-yeah, I knew it,” Xander said getting up.  “A guy wound as tight as Giles has got to fall apart sooner or later.  I’ve seen it before.  My uncle Rory was this perfect pristine accountant by day, and by night; booze, partying and whores.  Were there whores?”

Cordelia and Lotion looked shocked at Xander’s revelation, while Willow was just mildly so.  Rory was actually one of Xander’s family members she met and rather liked, although he did have roving eyes.  Buffy smiled at Xander, both amused at another insight in his life - this one could be explained both good and bad - as well as hopeful that with Giles that was all it was.  And just how bad was that?  Both the fact that she hoped that was all it was, and the fact she had too great suspicion there was more.  Jenny frowned at Xander, feeling several conflicting emotions burning through her being.  For Giles sake, it better not be that - on the other hand, did she want it to be worse?  “No whores, Xan,” Buffy spoke, and then frowned.  “Not that I could see anyhow, the door was never further open than a crack.”

Jenny took charge, saying, “Have you noticed anything odd about him lately?”

“She means apart from the usual,” Willow chimed in, getting grins from the teens, and a glare from Jenny in answer.  Willow shrank behind her computer screen.

“No, nothing unusual,” Buffy spoke with a thoughtful look.

“Apart from kissing you yesterday, no,” Lotion answered, making everyone look at Jenny, who scowled at the Amazon.

“Nothing,” Xander added.

Willow said, “No, he was his usual classical British self.”

“Nope,” Cordelia answered them, and then added, “Although there were some police officers for him yesterday.”

“What!?” multiple voices sounded.

“Yeah, she was a . . . hold on, I know this one,” Cordelia replied, frowning, testing words in her mind.  “Homocide detective?  Is that right?”

“Homicide,” Jenny spoke in shock.  “Murder.”

“Exactly!” Cordelia replied with a big grin.

“And you waited to tell us this until now, why!?” Xander asked her in shock.

Cordelia looked up at him, and spoke indignant, “I didn’t think it was important.”

“Of course not, because it doesn’t involve you,” Xander said exasperated and disappointed.  “Just when I thought you were improving.”

“Hey!” Cordelia said, obviously hurt.  “That’s not why I didn’t- . . .”

Jenny forcefully interrupted, “Buffy, call Giles and ask him, while I try and keep these to apart.”  Buffy nodded and quickly left, as Xander and Cordelia resumed glaring at each other. Cordelia may have the hots for Xander, but that didn’t mean she was going to take an insult lying down.

*****

Buffy entered the library, going for the phone, when she heard something in the back.  She frowned, and decided to check it out first.  Quickly, but cautiously she walked up the few steps in the back leading to the higher part filled with book cases.  She looked left and right in the alleys as she walked all the way to the back.  She turned right, and when she was halfway the case it was pushed over.  Her super human hearing had alerted her to the attempt a long time ago though, so she easily avoided it as she dashed back to where she came from.  She grabbed arm of the figure that had tried to pin her and was making a run for it.  When she did so, she called, “Stop!”  Her strength made it easier to whirl him around, and she looked with wide eyes at the face set in resignation of being found out.  “Hey! You’re the guy that sold us the slave girl costumes!” Buffy said, looking at Ethan Rayne, and despite her superior position flushed crimson a bit.

“Yes,” Ethan drawled out, and grinned.  “You must have fetched a fair price too.”  A moment later Buffy’s fist connect with his chin and his snapped back.  He needed to take a step back and steady himself, then felt his painful chin.

“You almost killed us!” Buffy hissed at him.

Ethan then said, “I’m genuinely sorry, can I go now?”

Another fist landed across his chin, and he knew for certain this girl was more than she appeared to be.  “No, what are you doing here?” Buffy demanded, folding her arms across her chest.  A moment’s thought made her add, “Besides trying to kill me and insult me and my friends.”

“Uh, snooping around,” he just answered.

“Honesty . . . nice touch,” Buffy told him with a scowl.  “Now tell me, what keeps me from calling the cops and having you locked up.”

Ethan grinned like a predator and told her, “You could do that, but then the police would have to arrest Rupert because he’s the only one who can answer those pesky questions.”

“You know Giles?” Buffy asked him surprised.

“Oh, me and Ripper go way back,” Ethan said with an even bigger grin.  Buffy glared at him.  “Ever heard of the Mark of Eyghon?”

*****

The phone rang for the second time, and finally Giles woke up.  He was sitting at his desk and the fumbled for his glasses.  Once he put them on, he slowly reached for the phone and picked it up.  “Yes?” Giles said, and listened to the other side.  “Now Buffy, haven’t you understood what I told you yesterday?  I will see you on Mon- . . .”

#Heard of the Mark of Eyghon?# Buffy interrupted him, and Giles fell silent, eyes widening.

“Where did you hear that?” he asked in shock.

*****

“I’m standing here with an old friend of yours apparently, Ethan Rayne?” Buffy spoke into the phone behind the library counter.

“Didn’t I tell you?” Ethan asked, hands folded across his chest, and smiling superiorly.

#Listen, Buffy.  You need to get out of there now, it isn’t safe with him,# Giles spoke in hurried tones.

“What’s going on, Giles?” Buffy asked ignoring his claim.  “You’re go- . . .”

There was a crash and a growl, and Phillip Henry, or rather the former Phillip Henry crashed through a door, aiming suddenly at Ethan and Buffy.  Buffy went into action immediately.  She dropped the horn, jumped over the counter, and blocked a swing from the walking corpse.  After that she landed one of her own, making the zombie stagger back.

#Buffy!?  Buffy!?# Giles called out, hung up, and unseen by the occupants in the library ran out to get there as fast as possible.

While Buffy fought Phillip, Ethan quickly jumped over the counter as well, and then ran out the library, where Xander and the others just came to check out the loud commotion. “Stop him!” Buffy called as she avoided a swing from the zombie, backing up toward the weapons cage in the side of the library.

On his flight, Ethan saw a watering-can standing on the counter.  He grabbed it, and threw it at the advancing young man, who obviously had a set of muscles on him.  The can smashed into Xander, and spilled its contents, but that didn’t help Ethan one little bit.  A moment later two very female hands grabbed his collar, and the owner of those hands lifted him off the floor with a growl.  He was easily lifted ten centimeters off the floor, held there and he looked in the beautiful face of Lexa.  “Say, weren’t you just a guy?” Ethan wondered in surprise.  The pissed off girl’s eyes twitched, and then she pulled back a fist.  The girls following the one holding Ethan were much too late to stop the former to land a solid punch in his gut.  “OOF!” he gasped out, doubling over, before the girl grabbed his collar with her punching hand again.

“You little . . .” Lexa hissed, and then recognized him.  Meanwhile, Buffy had lured the zombie over to the cage, and as it lunged she ducked aside.  The zombie stumbled into the cage, and the Slayer slammed the cage shut and locked it afterwards.

“Hey!  You’re the one who sold the costumes!  You gave me all these nice convenient soldier memories!” Lexa spoke with almost happiness.  “Let me thank you!”  Everyone looked at the happy girl with wide eyes, including Ethan who he just might get lucky.  That changed when Lexa once more held him with only one hand, and pulled her right one back into a fist.  The fish smashed across Ethan’s face, hard enough to snap his head back and make him moan in pain.  “Thank you,” Lexa said with a grin.  She grabbed him with both hands again, and said with a grin, “Thank you for turning my best friends into sex slaves.”  Lexa’s knee crashed into Ethan’s groin and croaked out his pain.

“Xander, I think that’s about enough, he can still tell us things,” Buffy suggested, and then pointed at a chair she placed in the middle of the library.  “Put him on the chair, will you?”

Lexa looked at Buffy, and then smiled, “Sure thing, Buff.”  She started walking over with a groaning Ethan in hands, and placed him in the chair.  “There.  Oh, one final thing: thank you for giving Lotion better English,” Lexa spoke and smashed one final fist into Ethan’s face.  The man’s head snapped back again, making him wheeze out.  Some blood flew from his mouth, and came to dribble from his split lip.  Lexa’s quick foot on the chair kept Ethan from falling backward.  She then looked at Buffy, and the Slayer shrugged and smiled.

“Ooh,” Lotion said softly, making Jenny, Willow and Cordelia frown at her.  Lotion just shrugged.

“Okay, so,” Cordelia spoke up, “we got demon guy in the cage, and creepy, bloody guy on chair, now what?”

Willow and Lotion walked over to the cage, and Willow bent forward a little. “Actually,” she said with a frown, “I’m not getting close enough to know for sure, but I think- . . .”  The demon zombie lurched forward with a grating sound, and crashed against the cage door.  Willow jumped back in surprise, and finished, “. . . I think he’s dead.”

“Apart from the walking, growling, and trying to kill Buffy parts,” Cordelia said with annoyance.

At the same time Lotion leaned forward, and poked the zombie in its left eye with her right index finger.  The demon made a gurgling sound that was probably a painful howl, and staggered back, keeping away from the door wearily.  “So, we kill it?” Lotion asked, looking over her shoulder from her bent over position.

Both Willow and Lexa took a good look at Lotion’s bent over backside, and Buffy rolled her eyes at the scene.  She said then, “First we need to know how.”

“I could beat it out of him,” Lexa said indicating Ethan.

Ethan glared at her and said, “Oh, go ahead, and I won’t tell a thing.”

“I think we should just wait for Giles, and see what he knows,” Jenny spoke up with a little authority.  The kids nodded their ascent.

“Well, I’m going to get some warm water first, be right back,” Lexa told them all and left the library.  A little later Xander returned, and settled in with the others to wait, commenting, “I should be able to turn this switch gender thing on and off, that’s one serious drawback.”

They didn’t have to wait long before Giles burst into the library.  Giles took a look around the library, noticing everyone was alright, and then focused on Ethan.  “Is everyone alright?” he asked.

“Ripper, so good of you to join us,” Ethan remarked dryly, voice slurring a bit because of his split lip.

“Why is he calling him ‘Ripper’?” Cordelia asked Lotion.

The amazon shrugged, and said, “Beats me.”

At the same time Giles burst forward to Ethan, hissing with an angry grimace,  “You lying, cheating, thieving, tossing, rotten bastard.”  A moment later his fist crashed over Ethan’s chin who grunted with the impact.  Everyone looked with wide eyes at the decidedly non-Giles, non-British behavior.

“Oh,” Cordelia said in revelation.

“I told you to get out of town,” Giles almost growled.

“You did, I didn’t,” Ethan told him with a wide grin.  “I paid two month’s lease for the shop, isn’t up for another month.”

“You endanger these fine, young people,” Giles started.

“And you don’t?  You’ve had the dreams, you knew it was coming. You’re still here,” Ethan told him with a sickening grin.

“Giles,” Buffy spoke up.  “We don’t have time for this pissing contest.  What’s going on?  What’s this Mark of Eyghon?  How does the zombie fit into it?”

The zombie seemed not to like being called that - with a growl and a burst of strength it forced the cage door open, and it slammed into Jenny who was standing close by looking rather surprised at this very different side of her boyfriend.  Jenny went falling to the floor, slipping into unconsciousness.  Chaos ensued; Lotion and Cordelia pulled each other back, Xander pulled Willow back, Giles staggered back, Ethan left his chair, and finally Buffy moved forward and landed a solid punch on the zombie, which staggered back, and then went rigid.  Everyone looked as the walking corpse started shuddering and trembling.  Icky sounds came from it as it started to dissolve.  A part of its stomach burst outward, a green goo sliming down from it.  Its head split open, more see-through green slime bubbled out from the wounds.  The feet and legs were next, dissolving in a disgusting, and disgusting sounding slime.  A puddle of it formed as the corpse went lower and lower, dissolving more and more into the goop.  Finally only a slime puddle and clothes were left of the corpse - the edge of the puddle touching Jenny’s pinky.

“Jenny,” Giles said and quickly went over.  She moaned as she came to, and Giles helped her up.

“Ugh, I’m going to spend the rest of my life in therapy,” Cordelia muttered with disgust at the slime.

“Was that all?” Lotion asked and everyone looked at her.  “What?”  They shook their heads, and Xander frowned, looking at Jenny.  Something . . . there was something . . . then shook his head, dismissing the notion.

“Oh, no!  He got away!” Willow commented pointing at the empty chair.  Indeed, with everyone’s attentions on the dissolving zombie, Ethan Rayne had made a clean get away.

“I’ll get Jenny home,” Giles said, ushering a weak Jenny toward the exit.

“Giles, we’re not done here.  What happened?  What happened to it?  What’s this all about?  Who’s Ethan?  And what’s the Mark of Eyghon!?” Buffy exclaimed in annoyance.

“That’s private, it’s none of your business, stay out of it,” Giles bit at his Slayer.

“I don’t care for private, and I don’t care for ‘stay out of it’!” Buffy called out with a little anger.  “This thing almost hurt some of my friends, we deserve to know what this is!”

Lotion stepped next to Buffy, and spoke, “I don’t like it, but pig-nosed girl is right.”  The Amazon ignored the glare Buffy sent her way.

“I will bring Jenny home,” Giles told them and left.

The girls and boy watched him go.  Then Buffy took a step forward, turned around, and said, “All right, if he doesn’t want to speak, we’ll found out for ourselves what this Mark of Eyghon is.”

“Who put you in charge?” Lotion asked Buffy with animosity.

“I’m the Slayer,” Buffy pointed out.

“So what?” Lotion asked the blonde with narrowed eyes.

Buffy blinked, and said, “It’s what I do.”

Lotion answered her with a grin, “That means you kill demons - which I can do better anyway - not give commands, bottle blonde.”

Buffy growled at Lotion, “Now listen here, you ribbon-freak . . .”

Before Lotion could get physical, Cordelia stepped in and spoke, “Hey, now, we’re in this together . . .”

“What do you think you’re going to do?” Buffy taunted the cheerleader angrily.  “Do our hair and makeup?”

Things went from bad to worse from there on in, to Xander’s and Willow’s astonishments.  Xander turned his head and looked at his childhood friend, who looked up at him and shrugged pitifully as the three girls continued their verbal assaults on each other. “Guys!”  No real answer, except for the continuing bickering and insults.  “Girls?   . . . YO!” Xander called out, finally getting the three girls’ attention.  “Thank you, it seems there’s an estrogen overload going on around her.  No offense, but you seem to be /this/ close to tossing tampons at each other.”

“Of course not, right?” Buffy said with trepidation.

“Sorry, Buffy, but you three seem to be ready to put on a good catfight show for Xander,” Willow said nervously, and then grinned at the perturbed looks of the three girls. “I’m certain he’d get a thrill out of it, but I know Xander, he’s more concerned with this Mark of Eyghon thing and if it could hurt any of us.”

Cordelia, Buffy and Lotion looked at Xander - an odd mixture of speculation and accusation of his male interests.  “Why thank you, Willow,” Xander said sarcastically.

“Your welcome, Xan,” Willow told him innocently.

“The witch is right,” Lotion grumbled, folding her arms across her ample chest.  “The four of us all hate each other, I think Xander should be in charge, before we /do/ start a catfight.”

Buffy seemed to want to protest for a moment, but then deflated.  Cordelia didn’t mind, and so four girls looked expectantly at Xander.  Xander blinked, and opened his mouth, and kept it open for a moment.  *Oh, great, what have I got myself into now.  Think, Xander, think!  What would Giles do?  Run away and have a good time with his girlfriend . . . AAAH!*

“Well?” Cordelia prompted impatiently.

“Okay, okay,” Xander said with a nervous smile.  “First we got to figure out this Eyghon, and Mark of him, it, whatever.  Willow?”

“I could check out the net, but I think this is more something for Giles’ books,” Willow answered him.

“All right,” Xander said, nodding.  “You go check out his books.  Lotion, you help her out.”  Lotion nodded, and she and Willow walked off to the book cases.  Xander thought onward - he was behind with the computer, and so he said, “Buffy, you check out the internet, just in case.”

“Okay,” Buffy spoke a little subdued.

“I’ll go check out Giles files and see if he left something there,” Xander decided, and Buffy went off.

Cordelia stepped in front of Xander with a big smile.  Xander looked at her.  “What about me?” Cordelia asked, and Xander kept looking at her.  “Come on, I care about Giles.  I want to help.  I can help.”

Xander blinked and said, “All right, you help me.”

*****

Xander and Cordelia came out of Giles office, and Xander looked suspiciously flustered.  Add to that a smiling Cordelia, and the three other girls were all narrowing their eyes at the cheerleader captain.  “Okay, I just found out Giles has the best and most extensive bill history and notes of everyone - I’m betting the British IRS will give him a medal one of these days - but nothing on Eyghon, or Mark of.  Oh, and Giles played the guitar, I even found this picture.”  Xander held up the picture of a young Giles in a leather jacket holding a guitar.

“That’s Giles!?” Buffy exclaimed in shock at the 100% different Rupert Giles.  Ripper indeed, if he wasn’t Giles- don’t go there.  Xander nodded at her question and the others looked just as astonished at the picture.

Xander then asked, “Have any of you got something useful?”

“Nothing on the internet,” Buffy supplied, now looking through a book herself, Cordelia’s and Xander’s flushed state put aside for more important stuff.

“I got something on the mark,” Willow supplied and leafed back in her book.  She’d already told the two girls, but repeated now, “Marks of different demons, Eyghon one of them, the demon itself - and it is a demon - isn’t discussed here.  It seems that as far back as the Roman empire, and probably further back, ancient sects have summoned demons into themselves.  Usually during orgies and bacchanals one person would be temporarily possessed by a demon, and it gave the possessed all kinds of advantages, usually euphoria, bigger sexual highs and stuff like that.”

“Giles and orgies is definitely an association I could have lived without,” Xander commented with a distasteful face.

“Oh!  Oooh!  Here it is, Eyghon!” Lotion called out in triumph.  With a grin of accomplishment she slammed the book down in the middle of the round table.  Those who were on the wrong side of the table walked around so they could see.  The book about A4 in size, had one large page decorated with the mark.  Next to it was the accompanying text.

“That’s not Egyptian!” Willow called out, looking at the drawing, “No wonder I was looking in the wrong books, that’s Etruscan.  Any . . .”

“Willow,” Xander interrupted her dryly, but smiling.

“Oh, sorry, putting geekiness on hold,” she said with a self-conscious grin, which Xander returned.

Lotion started reading out loud, “‘The Mark of Eyghon.  Used to summon the demon Eyghon - also known as the sleep walker - to our world and place him inside a host.  The demon can only survive in this world by taking an unconscious host.’  There’s the orgies bit . . . Ah!  ‘Once summoned Eyghon can also take possession of the dead, but its demonic energies are too great and will disintegrate the host swiftly.’”

“Zombie turning to puddle of goo, check, I think we’ve got our demon,” Xander commented dryly.

“Oh, ‘if the demon does not find another unconscious or dead host, he cannot go on living,’” Lotion finished reading.

“Well, then the demon is gone, isn’t it?” Cordelia asked the others with relief.  “None of us is dead, right?  He couldn’t have jumped into any of us?”

“Jenny,” Xander said softly.

“She was unconscious,” Buffy realized solemnly, everyone else looking stricken..

Xander then spoke out loud in frustration, “Damn it!  I knew it!  I felt something odd about her, like chi, similar to the zombie.  Must have been the demonic energies entering her, but I dismissed it, I thought it was just the what was left of the zombie.  Shit!”

*****

“Thank you,” Buffy said, and put the phone down.  “There’s no answer at Miss Calendar’s, and Giles phone is disconnected or not functioning.”

“All right,” Xander said in answer.  “You guys keep working on a way to kill Eyghon without hurting Miss Calender.  Since I’m the strongest, I should go and check up on Giles.”

Before Xander could leave, Buffy grabbed his arms and pleaded heartfelt, and with puppy-dog eyes, “Xan, he’s my Watcher, and I think you’re better at this research stuff anyway.”

After a moment Xander sighed and said, “Okay, go.”

“Thank you,” Buffy smiled at him, and ran off out the library.

“Wimp,” Cordelia accused Xander, who looked at him.  “One set of teary eyes and you cave.”

Xander looked over to her, and said, “Get back to work, we need to save Miss Calendar.”

*****

Giles looked at Jenny.  His apartment was lightly lit.  She was so beautiful sitting next to him. “Well, I should get you home,” he said with a nervous smile.

“/Or/ you could take advantage of my weakened stated,” Jenny suggested seductively.

“Ah, well, it’s not safe around me right now,” he said weakly.

“Nothing is safe in this world, Rupert, don’t you know that by now?” Jenny asked with a smile and moved closer to Giles.

“I never meant to get you into this,” Giles apologized.

Jenny just smiled, and moved onto his lap, straddling him, and told him, “I’m in it now.” She leant down sexily and started placing a kiss on his lips.

Rupert had some self control and pushed her back gently.  He told her softly, “This isn’t right.”

Jenny laughed out loud, almost hysterically.  “This isn’t right,” she mocked almost evilly.  “You always were weak, Rupert, you should just take what you want,” Jenny said, and Giles frowned, slowly starting to realize what happened.  Jenny spoke again, her voice rapidly growing into a heavy, eery, demonic voice, “You were never worthy of me.”  Her head morphed into a green and brown with black spots, scaly one with large pointy ears.  Jenny or Eyghon’s demonic claws wrapped around Giles’ throat as he looked at her in shock.  She started squeezing, and said, “What will you do now?  Kill your girlfriend?”  EyghonJenny grinned evilly as he started choking Giles with the relentless claws.

The door crashed open, revealing Buffy.  “Get away from him!” she shouted, stepping into the apartment.  Jenny had looked up instantly at the appearance of the Slayer, and growled in annoyance.  She let Giles go and jumped over the couch at Buffy.  Giles gasped for air and got himself off the couch, staggering to the right side of his living room.

Buffy easily avoided Jenny’s first punch, and landed a punch to her gut.  Eyghon threw a punch that would have connected a few months earlier, now she neatly twisted aside, and immediately kicked Jenny in the gut.  The possessed techno-pagan staggered back, and tumbled backward over the couch, taking the piece of furniture with her.  She got back up smoothly and growled at Buffy.  She took a glance at Giles sitting against the wall, and Buffy warned, “Don’t you dare.”

The demonic Jenny laughed, and said, “Three down, two to go.”  She then ran and crashed through a window to leave.

“Giles!” Buffy then exclaimed going over to the old man.  “Come on, we’ve got to fight this; the guys are already on it.”

“I told you to stay out of this!” Giles told her bitterly.

“No, I’m the Slayer remember?  We fight these things.  It’s my duty to do so, got the whole super powers deal going on here,” Buffy told him desperately, while he just tried to wave her away.

“My god what have I done,” Giles said weakly.

“Giles, you’re scaring me,” Buffy said weakly, instantly showing she really was just a teenager.

“I’m sorry, Buffy,” he said weakly.

“Don’t be sorry, be Giles!” Buffy exclaimed with desperation and fear, and he just painfully looked at her.  She asked, “What’s wrong?  We always do this.  We research, I slay, and the others are just as much into the actual slaying things these days it seems.  This is no different.”

“This /is/ different,” Giles spat out.

“Why?”

Giles sighed in shame, admitting, “Because I /created/ it!”

*****

“I was twenty-one,” Giles said, the two of them sitting in the couch at his table.  “I was studying history at Oxford . . . and the occult by night.  I hated it.  A tedious grind of everlasting boredom.  I dropped out and went to London.”

Buffy listened patiently, watching Giles taking a sip from a Scotch.  “I fell in with the worst crowd that would have me,” he said, giving a bitter smile.  “We practiced magics - small stuff for pleasure or gain . . . Until Ethan and I stumbled upon something much bigger.”

“Eyghon,” Buffy supplied.

Giles took another sip, nodding.  “One of us would be put to sleep, and the others summoned him.  It was an incredible rush . . .” Giles gave a momentary smile, which faltered when he remembered what he was thinking about.  “God, we were such fools.”

“You couldn’t control it,” Buffy surmised.

Giles nodded, finishing another draught of the strong liquid, and explained, “One of us - Randall - couldn’t control it.  Eyghon swallowed him whole.  We tried to exorcize the demon; it killed Randall . . . we killed Randall.”  He looked nervously at Buffy, who looked back at him without knowing what to say.  “We thought we were rid of Eyghon after that, but now its back.  It killed the others.”

“‘Three down, two to go.’  It’s going after Ethan,” Buffy said, getting up.  “I better get to him, before it does.”

“We,” Giles corrected, finishing the drink and getting up.

“Giles, speed is of the essence, and you’re barely mobile,” Buffy told him with a frown. Giles looked at his drunken state and nodded defeated, sitting back down.  Buffy started to leave.

“Buffy,” Giles called out.  The Slayer turned to him.  “I don’t know how to kill it without killing Jenny,” he told her.

“Don’t worry, Xander and the others are on it,” Buffy said, giving him a confident smile.

“Xander /and/ /the/ /others/!?” Giles asked in surprise.

Buffy was nervous.  Self-conscious and embarrassedly she explained, “Ah, well, you see Cordelia, Lotion and I . . . uh, our tempers flared and uh . . . we were getting close to becoming intimate with each other’s teeth, and . . . well, Willow and Xander stopped us, and we kinda . . . uh . . . decided Xander should be in charge to keep us from . . . eh . . . beating each other into the hospital.”

Giles looked at her as if he didn’t know whether to cry or laugh - undoubtedly hysterically if he had done so.  Then he said, “He’s a great fighter, but a . . .”

“He did good, /is/ doing good, they’ll figure it out,” Buffy spoke quickly, and then gestured to the door.  He nodded, and she was off.

*****

“Nothing, nothing, nada, nothing,” Xander muttered in frustration as he turned pages, skimming the text.

Lotion next to him nodded, acknowledging the same problem, “This sucks.”

“The way to kill a demon, chop off its head,” Cordelia read out loud, and then took a sip from her glass of water.

Frustrations getting the better of him, Xander spoke, “Oh, that’s a brilliant idea.  We’ll have a headless Miss Calendar walking through the school.  Hey, Miss Calendar, want us to smear some sunburn lotion on the top of your neck?”

“Hey, I’m trying to help, there’s nothing here, I’m frustrated, give me a break!” Cordelia shouted back at him from her table.

Xander got up pissed, “Give you a break!?  I think I’ve given you a thousand breaks already.  I should just toss you out!”  Lotion watched as Cordelia got up herself, while Willow tried to continue working.

Cordelia was just as frustrated, and she may be interested in Xander romantically, her very nature made it impossible for her not to respond.  “Now listen here, you nincompoop!  I don’t deserve this kind of abuse!  I’m helping out!  I’m frustrated we can’t find anything!  I’m not stupid, or a self-absorbed bitch!”

“Anymore,” Lotion supplied with a cheeky grin.

“Right,” Cordelia said, and then flicking her eyes to Lotion with annoyance.  The slight distraction made her aware of the glass of water she was still holding, and just as Xander started his reply, she tossed the contents in his face.

A wet open-mouth Lexa now stood across from Cordelia.  She closed her mouth and it was a miracle steam didn’t float up from her.  “All right!  /That’s/ IT!” Lexa yelled, in anger. “Girl or no girl, I’m gonna kick your ass!”

“*QUIET!*” Xander, Cordelia, and Lotion looked at the suddenly standing and very angry Willow.  With her long wavy hair, and her skirt, the suddenly rage-induced confidence made her sexy as hell.  She ordered, “You two quit it right this instant!  We’re here trying to save Jenny’s life, and there is no way we’re going to do that with you two yelling and smashing each other’s brain in!  So if you two aren’t quiet, and giving me a hundred and ten percent, *get out of my library*!”  Willow pointed to the exit resolutely.

“We’ll be good,” Cordelia whimpered.

“Yes, ma’am,” Xander said unconsciously channeling private Harris.

Willow nodded with satisfaction and went to sit back down.  “Hey,” Lotion spoke in confusion, “I thought Xander was in charge, and since when is this /your/ library?”

“Are you messing with me,” Willow growled at the Amazon, neither of them free of the effects of frustration and stress about not fining one.

“Focus here!” Xander called out, refinding some of his equilibrium.  “How do we get Eyghon out of Jenny without killing her?”

“Get it a new corpse to jump in?” Cordelia wondered out loud.

“What?  Dig one up out of a cemetery?” Lotion asked her in confusion.

Xander shook his head sadly, “Or lure her in one, but that still won’t make it jump bodies.  It can only manifest fully in a living body.”

“Oh!” Willow exclaimed, and then her face lit up.  Gesturing with her hand they should follow her, Willow continued, “Oh, oh, I got it!  I got it!”  She ran out the library.

“She’s good,” Xander said with a huge grin, as he and the remaining two girls started following.

“How do you know that?  We don’t even know what she’s got,” Lotion questioned him curious.

“We get Angel!” Willow called behind her as they caught up with the redhead.

Cordelia blinked, “Angel!?  What can h- . . .”

Her eyes widened then and she turned her head to look at Lotion jogging next to her. Reluctantly both of them admitted to each other, “She /is/ good.”

*****

Buffy opened the door to Ethan’s shop, and found the man in a defensive stance holding a heavy object - a fire extinguisher it seemed.  “Ah, it’s you,” he said, lowering his weapon just a bit - enough to show he wasn’t going to attack her right away, but kept it high enough to use defensively right away.

“Ethan,” Buffy said surly, walking in.

“Are you here to reel me in, so to speak?” the British man asked her warily.

“No,” Buffy spoke taking another step closer.  She looked up at him, and said, “I would prefer to let Eyghon take you apart, but if you’re dead, Eyghon will come after Giles.  Keeping you alive, means keeping him alive.”

“I am grateful for your altruism,” Ethan commented dryly.

Buffy gave him a quick glare, and then - looking around the barren shop - she asked, “Is there a backdoor to this place?”

“Yes, it’s in the back,” he told her sarcastically.

“Okay, I think we should go out that way, make sure we can leave that way at least,” Buffy said, taking charge.

“Ladies first,” Ethan said gesturing to the back.  Buffy looked at him suspicious.  Ethan offered in explanation, “You know us Brits, we’re sticklers for etiquette - we’d pause saving or destroying the world to get our afternoon tea.”

Buffy shrugged and walked forward.  “We should also- . . .” she started.  She stopped talking with a groan as the extinguisher slammed on the back of her head and neck. Completely unprepared for the impact, she slumped into unconsciousness.

“Nighty night,” Ethan commented with a smile.

*****

With a light groan Buffy awoke, and frowned.  Why was she face down on a stretcher or table?  And why were her hands bound wrapped tightly around said rather wide table?  The events slammed back into her, and she pulled with her hands.  Give someone a long enough lever, a solid place to stand on and he’ll move the world also works the other way.  Someone may be strong enough to actually move the world all on his own, but if he or she can’t get the leverage, the world won’t budge a millimeter, no matter how hard he or she tried.  So too with rope.  Buffy quickly found there was no way for her to tear the rope apart.  Trying to reach the knot proved futile too as she found the man responsible with her eyes.

“Ah, good of you to wake up,” the Brit spoke with a smile as he wheeled over a cart with ink - tattoo ink.

“Ethan,” Buffy spoke with a little fear, moving her hands and rope below the table up and down, left and right.  “It isn’t safe here, I can protect you, you let me go.”

“No, you protecting me, is why you’re there,” Ethan said, firing up the tattoo needle, “you my dear, are going to take Eyghon off my back.”  He moved his needle over to her neck, much to Buffy’s apprehension as well as relief.  It didn’t seem he was going to kill her.  “Now hold still, you don’t want me to accidentally harm you, do you?”  Buffy gritted her teeth as Ethan prepared to tattoo her with something.  Her eyes widened a moment when the rope snagged onto something, it felt like a nail or something.  Quickly she started to slide the rope forcefully along its edge.  “Oh, and don’t worry, this will only hurt a bit, just until the fiery agony will kick in,” Ethan said with an evil smile.

*****

“There, done,” Ethan said, with a smile.  He looked down at his handy work, while Buffy continued to shave the rope along the nail, having had to force back crying at indeed, agony. “I was never much of an artist, but it looks pretty good even if I do say so myself.”

*****

Giles’ eyes widened at the sudden flash in his mind.  He half fell to the ground, seeing flashes of Buffy tied to the table; the mark of Eyghon tattooed on the back of her neck.  A similar vision to the dreams and visions he’d been plagued with for a while.  “Buffy,” he said shocked.  “No!”

“Ethan,” he then growled.  He got up, and went out the door.

*****

Buffy watched as Ethan casually put the needle away, and then grabbed a bottle with a liquid. She just managed to make out HCl on the label.  Buffy wasn’t too good at chemistry, but she new HCL: hydrochloride acid.  Her eyes widened with fear, and she started moving the rope along the nail much faster.

“Oh, don’t worry, this isn’t for you, it’s for me,” Ethan said as he rolled up his sleeve revealing quite muscular arms.  And why the hell did she focus on that?  Stupid Slayer hormones!  Ethan uncorked the bottle, and brought it closer to his arm - to his tattoo.  He took a deep breath, and then placed the mouth of the bottle on his skin, tipping it over. “NNGGhh!” he groaned as the acid started burning away the upper layer of his skin, and with it: the Mark of Eyghon.

It took Ethan about fifteen seconds to move the acid over every part of the tattoo and remove it completely.  When he did, he breathed a sigh of relief and put the bottle back with the rest.  Then he got out some bandages and started bandaging the wound he gave himself. When he was done with that, he said, “I hate to mutilate and run, but goodbye anyway.  Have fun with the demon.”  He then started to leave, but stopped in his tracks halfway to the front door.  There was an eery silence, an eery green glow coming through the front windows and door, and an equally eery and chilling sensation in the air.  A moment later there was a silhouette in the door window, one that promptly opened the door.

A demonic Jenny walked in grinning.  “Ethan, it’s time,” Eyghon spoke with a heavy voice.  She hesitated, sniffed the air, and switched her gaze to Buffy, and then her deadly smile returned.  She pushed Ethan aside and advanced on Buffy, who just finished sawing through the rope.  It split apart, and she got off the table.  She slammed her fist into Eyghon’s chest and the demonic being staggered a few steps back.  She kicked out, but Eyghon blocked it, and then slammed a fist across her left cheek.  Buffy staggered back as well, and tumbled over the table, which Eyghon picked up.  Buffy shook her head to clear it and got up, kicking out, but hitting the table instead of the demon.  Eyghon then charged forward, pushing Buffy along and slamming her against the wall, and the table against her.  The Slayer groaned out, slumping down a bit as Eyghon tossed the table aside.

Giles chose that moment to enter the shop.  “No!  Eyghon!  Take me instead!” he called out seeing what was happening, and Eyghon slowly turned around regarding Giles.

Eyghon smiled, and decided Giles was a tastier morsel.  He walked over.  Buffy was back up, and yelled, “NO!”  She then quickly ran in between Eyghon and Giles, and she said, “No further.”

Eyghon just waved Jenny’s hand and Buffy was pushed aside, launched off her feet by some invisible force.  With a growl she punched Giles in the gut, and tossed him over. Eyghon was standing over Giles and was about to strike when the door opened, the bell sounding again.  “Hey, she-bitch!” Lexa called out, bringing Eyghon’s attention to her and Lotion who came in with her.  Eyghon sneered.

“Yeah, you, with the ugly face,” Lotion added with a deadly smirk.

Eyghon growled and turned around as Lexa and Lotion advanced.  Eyghon used two hands now, one on either teen, just like he used it on Buffy earlier.  To the demon’s surprise it was as if pushing the two with his hands and they were able to push back, keeping from being launched off their feet.  Then two feet kicked out landing squarely on Eyghon’s chest and he staggered back.

The door to the shop opened again, and Angel came in.  “Well, hop to it, Vampire Guy, do your worst, we don’t have all night,” Lexa told him, pointing at Eyghon with his thumb. The souled vampire gave Lexa a quick annoyed look and then charged forward.  He punched Eyghon in the gut, and then grabbed him turning him around.  As an out of breath Willow and Cordelia entered, Angel grabbed Eyghon by Jenny’s neck, and started squeezing.

Lexa went to help Buffy up, even as Willow went to Giles who said in panic and anger, “He’s killing him.”

“No, trust me,” Willow quickly said, “this will work.”

Jenny’s body was starting to run out of air, and then the demonic visage on her face disappeared.  She jerked back, as Angel did the same.  His hands left her throat, and instinctively she sucked in air.  Giles came over holding her, as Angel jerked further back. Some ethereal growls, not coming from Angel’s mouth came from him.  He jerked back and forward, while he looked on with wide eyes and gasped on occasion.  Inside him the growls continued, as he went further rigid, his chest showed something trying to pull it apart.  His face momentarily changed to that of Eyghon, then it disappeared again.  Several more growls and jerks later, he went quiet and sank to the floor on his ass.

Buffy quickly went over, as did Willow.  Buffy then looked at Willow and said, “You knew that if Eyghon was in trouble, he would jump to the nearest dead body.”

“And it jumped,” Angel said, while catching his breath.  He slowly got up, helped by Buffy, and he added, “the demon inside me hasn’t had a good fight in a century, he was just itching for one.”

“Winner and still champion,” Buffy said with a little pride, as Lexa looked at the scene with annoyance.

Giles took Jenny along in a hug toward the exit.  Lotion blinked looking around the shop, and said, “Uh, Ethan-guy got away again, I think.”

“Damn,” Lexa pouted, tapping her foot.  “And I was looking forward to beating him into the hospital too.”

“Harsh,” Buffy replied, smiling.  “I was only going for blood.”

“That’s me, no mercy,” Lexa added with a grin.

Lotion blinked, and said, “You two would make good Amazons.”  Buffy, Cordelia, and Willow scowled at the Amazon.

Cordelia lighted up, and said, “Well at least it’s over.  It is over, right?”

*****

Sunnydale Highschool

Monday

The three of them walked across the school grounds.  The Scooby Gang, minus one, the Three Musketeers: amazing friends.  Three girls all, all three wearing skirts.  “Did you guys hear me?  ‘Hey, she-bitch.’  I’ve always wanted to say that,” Lexa spoke with a huge grin.

Buffy and Willow smiled large smiles.  It had to be the thousandth time they had heard it over the past day and the night before, but they still couldn’t keep their smiles of their faces. “That’s like what?  The millionth time you said that?”  Unfortunately for Lexa, the same could not be said for the queen of Sunnydale High who just arrived.  Unfortunately for Willow and Buffy, although Cordelia rolled her eyes, she wasn’t speaking with a dismissing tone.

“What do you want, Cordelia?” Willow told the cheerleader with a glare.

“I can’t say ‘hi’ to a friend?” Cordelia said indicating the only person who could contest Cordelia’s title of ‘Queen’.

“You didn’t say ‘hi’,” Buffy pointed out with folded arms.

“Hi,” Cordelia greeted Lexa with a smile, who grinned at her.

Willow then said, rather rudely, “Now you said ‘hi’.”

Cordelia rolled her eyes, turned to walk away, and as she did so, told Willow dismissively, “Pissy.”  As Cordelia walked off, Willow looked perturbed.

“I wasn’t pissy, was I?” Willow asked uncertain.

“I bit more with the piss, than with the ‘y’,” Lexa told her with a smile.

Buffy nodded, and told Willow, “Sorry, Will.”

*****

“Jenny,” Giles said, slowing the other teacher down.  Jenny walked over to the stairs, and Giles slid next to her, students walking around them in the halls.  “I-I wanted to ask how you were.”

Jenny stepped onto the stairs and turned around.  “Good,” she answered him, and then made a not-quite gesture with her mouth and head.  “Well, not hair-in-the-wind-sound-of-music-in-the-mountains- good, but I’m coping.”

“Ah, yes, I wanted to tell you I would like to help . . . with the coping,” Giles replied nervously.  “W-we could talk, if you want?”

Jenny thought it over, and said, “Yeah, that would be great, sometime.”

Giles smiled weakly and reached over to her.  Jenny flinched back, folded her arms defensively over her chest, and repeated, “Sometime.”  She then turned to her left and continued up the stairs.

Giles watched her go, and then turned away, walking onward.  He found Buffy there, waiting, and she asked, “How is it?”

“Music doesn’t sound in the mountains,” Giles answered her.

Buffy smiled weakly, telling him, “Don’t know what it means, but it doesn’t sound good.”

“She might never forgive me.  I don’t know if she should,” Giles told Buffy sadly as they walked onward.

The Slayer turned around, and stopped.  “Perhaps you should,” she told him.

Giles looked down, giving her a weak smile.  “And you?, I’m sorry you had to witness me like that,” Giles said guiltily, leaning back against a wall.  Buffy did the same next to him.

Buffy grinned warily, and said, “Good, a little less at first.  I must admit, seeing that side of you scared me at first.  You are always . . . such an adult, and now I find out you’re a person.”

“Yes, most adults are,” Giles answered wryly.  “Some are even shortsighted foolish ones.”

Buffy smiled at up at him, stood away from the wall, and said, “At least we’ve learned something: we have at least that in common.”  Giles smiled again.  She then pulled out a CD and said, “You know I think the others are ready to be training again.  I brought this music in case Xander doesn’t want to think yet.”  Giles eyebrows raised, and Buffy smiled.  “Come one, you know you want to say it, it will make you feel better.”

“That’s not music, it’s meaningless sounds,” Giles said half for real, half dryly.

“See, that’s the spirit,” she said and turned around.  Giles followed her.

“The Bay City Rollers, now that’s music,” he said as he pushed open a door, Buffy easily walking underneath his arm, groaning.

~~~~~18~~~~~

Willow came walking into the school with a smile.  She read a big sign saying, ‘Career Fair begins tomorrow.’  Willow half-shrugged; although interested she had bigger things to worry about.  Tonight, she would finally get her first date with Xander, and her chance to impress him enough he no longer had eyes for the skanks after him - Buffy excluded, although she good be skanky from time to time she admitted.  To that end Willow had decided to dress to impress early on to raise expectations: a tight, dark-green shirt that accentuated her breasts making them look more prominent, her hair hung wavily around her head and face, a light but obvious makeup adorned her face - lips pink, a red, short, wavy skirt showed off her legs and ass, short black boots with a mid-heel and to finish it, black pantyhose that accentuated her legs even more.  Thank god for Buffy’s help in the fashion department Willow breathed relieved.  She became aware of a guy checking her out, and then a second one.  Willow blushed and looked down nervously, gingerly grabbing the shoulder straps of her backpack. Despite her newfound confidence, anger induced super-sexy Halloween costume, and another boost of confidence from the feral Orion persona she turned into that night, it still jarred her when a guy looked at her like that - partially wondering whether she had spinach beneath her teeth or something like that.  She had had that small a low self-esteem that even her new boosts hadn’t fully eradicated her view of herself.

She quickly walked on and found a desk with career tests.  She checked off her name to indicate she had gotten one and the woman gave her the test.  She walked onward and saw Buffy and Xander sitting at a table filling in their own tests.  “Do you like to work with animals, tools, or machines?” Xander quoted from his taste.  “What have ‘animals’ got to do with tools or machines?  Have you ever heard someone say, ‘I love animals, and machines too, especially meat grinder.’”

“Butchers,” Willow offered sitting down at a vacant seat.  Xander scowled at her.  Willow grinned, “Sorry, you look glum.”

“It’s just this stupid test; nobody can find out what you’re going to be and what you like by filling in ten stupid questions,” Xander muttered in annoyance.  “Here, look at this, Would you like to work as a teacher? I thought this dumb test was supposed figure this stuff out for you.”  Xander sulked, and Willow almost casually filled in her paper.

“Do I like shrimp?” Buffy asked as she looked up from her paper with a confused frown.

Xander grinned at her and said, “Well, I could demonstrate the use of a shrimp once again . . .”

Buffy couldn’t help a small smirk as she told him, “Mind out of the gutter, Xander.”

“But it likes it there,” Xander retorted with a cute whine.

Willow quickly interrupted, saying, “I like shrimp, lots of shrimp, will try out new ones.” Willow blushed as Xander shot her a dirty smile.

Buffy sighed, saying, “All right, dirty minds prevail, like the shrimpage.”  She forced her mouth in a twisted shape, attempting to not smile, and only half succeeding as she checked her option.

“Hmm,” Xander said, smirking, “that way filling this thing in might be fun after all.  Do you have skill working with animals, tools and machines? Oh, yeah, very true, I keep this one in my night stand, anduh . . .”

Buffy couldn’t help but laugh out loud, which destroyed Willow’s try at keeping from laughing, making her explode out a spluttering laugh and go red immediately when people looked over at them.  “Xander,” Willow admonished him.  Buffy looked sullenly back down at her test.  “What’s the matter?” Willow asked her friend.

“I don’t even know why I bother with this?” Buffy spoke annoyed.

Willow shrugged, and said, “Then don’t.”

Her two friends looked at her, and Buffy observed, “Wow, living on the edge, Will.”

Willow blushed deeply, and gave as an explanation, “Xander and I are going on a date tonight . . . we’re going on a date right?”  Buffy actually smiled at Willow’s uncertain look, while Xander looked oddly at her.  Willow nodded satisfactorily and said, “Just checking I hadn’t dreamt it.  Makes everything else seem . . . bland.”  Willow thought for a moment and then asked Buffy, “So you don’t have any interest at all in what this test says?  I must admit I’m a little curious despite.”

“What’s the use?” Buffy asked glumly, sitting back down in her chair like a lost bag of potatoes.  “My fate is already sealed.  Unless hell freezes over and all the vampires retire; live fast, die you is the motto for this girl.”

“Hey!” Xander said brightly, and then lower so nobody heard, “At least look at the bright side.  You die young, we die young right along with you.”  Buffy and Willow looked at him perplexed.  “Uh, wait,” Xander said going over his words, “that came out wrong.”

*****

The bearded vamped-out vampire with glasses sat reading words from a book in the old rundown factory out loud.  On the other end of the rectangular table sat Drusilla, playing with tarot cards.

Next to the male vampire stood Spike, reading another book, and translated testily, “The beef, debase, canoe.  Somehow that strikes me as not right.”

“I, well . . .” Dalton muttered.

Spike slammed his closed book on Dalton’s head who desperately tried to defend himself. “What is wrong with you!?”

“It doesn’t make sense,” Dalton whimpered out his defense.

“Spoik, wanna play?” Drusilla whimpered lowly from her position.

Spike snapped his head to her and said, “Shut up, Dru!  Can’t you see I’m bloody working here!?”  Drusilla recoiled with a hurt look.  Spike immediately felt sorry, and said so as he walked over, “Oh, I’m sorry, baby, you know I didn’t mean it like that.”  He took Drusilla in his arms who placed her head against his chest.  “It’s just that that damn book has even Dalton trumped, and he’s supposed to be the big brain around here,” Spike cursed in frustration, making Drusilla whimper some.  “I’m sorry, baby, I’m sorry,” Spike soothed her again, sitting down on the table.  “Soon you’ll be to your full health again, and then we’ll paint the town red, we will.  Together we’re unstoppable, my luv . . .”

Spike let Drusilla abruptly go, and as he stalked back to Dalton his hissed, “Just as soon as brainiac here deciphers the bloody book.  Talk to me!”

“I’m sorry!” Dalton quickly exclaimed.  “It’s Latin, but it isn’t Latin, I’m not even sure it’s a language.”

Spike grabbed the vampire by his collar and lifted him off the floor saying, “Well, then /turn/ it into a language!  You’re a transcriber!  That’s what transcribers /do/ isn’t it!?”

“N-not exactly,” Dalton whimpered.

Just as Spike was to go on, Drusilla from her position by the cards muttered, “Pain.”

Spike turned to her, grinned, and then said, “Why not?  Pain is a good motivator.”  He need Dalton into the groin, who groaned out in pain.

“He can’t help it,” Drusilla added smoothly.

“What?” Spike asked her surprised.

Drusilla smiled just a bit as she indicated the cards, “He doesn’t have the key.”

“Key!?” Spike blurted out, pushing a still in pain Dalton back on his chair.  “You mean this book is in some bloody code!?”  Spike growled, “Well, where do we find the damn key then!?”

“Right here,” Drusilla said pointing her finger at a card depicting a crude tomb or mausoleum.  Spike looked at the card, and grinned.

*****

Lotion sat sulking in the living room of her and her mother’s home, right above the Chinese restaurant they ran.  “What’s wrong, my daughter?” Deo asked her finally.

Lotion looked up, and then said, “Oh, uh, the red witch succeeded in getting a date with future husband.  She is out with him now.”

“Hmm,” Deo said with a sneaky smile, her blue eyes glittering, “I think I’ll go test some mettle again.”

“No!” Lotion said defiantly standing up.  “You already tested Xander!”

Deo nodded, and said, “Yes, but now I’ll test the witch’s mettle - it’s time to weed out some rivals anyway.”

“But . . . Willow is kind of nice,” Lotion admitted with a slight frown.  Her mother just grinned wider.  “Mother!  Don’t!”  Deo took off.  “Mother!” Lotion yelled as she ran after her.

*****

Xander and Willow laughed at the big movie screen.  Having taken a lovers’ seat, Willow was happy.  She watched Xander who had his left arm around her shoulder scarf down some popcorn, and smiled.  “I wish I had had the guts to ask you sooner, to show I’m a girl too,” she said wistfully, imagining for a moment how that would have been.

Xander left the movie and the snacks for a moment, and took Willow in.  “Things have gotten complicated, huh?” Xander said with a wondering expression.

“Yeah,” Willow said, snuggling closer to Xander.

“You still miss Jesse?” Xander asked softly.

Willow nodded placing her head to his chest, and said, “Every day.”

“You’re actually kind of beautiful,” Xander complimented her, cursing himself for his good luck packaged as bad luck.  He had amazons around him, super models, and he had certain things for them all, but the one that he really wanted, and had had for a single event of absolute heaven was the most complicated of all - were they / were they not?  He hated it. Willow looked up at him with raised eyebrows.  “Ah, well . . . what are you going to do if I don’t choose you?” Xander asked, both of them knowing that was a highly likely scenario - four suitors that meant 25% right there, and Willow had no intention of multiplying that by all the other factors diminishing, and few select others increasing her chances.

“I’ll move on,” Willow said, sadly introspective, “hope I fall in love with someone as great as you . . . and if he’s a guy booking a vacation to Jusenkyo and hope for just as good boobs as Lexa.”  She added the last part with a sneaky grin and a blush.

“Willow!” Xander whispered in exclaim a few people around him shushing him with characteristic hisses.  “You’re evil,” he told her much more softly, smiling.

Xander’s eyes involuntarily drew down to Willow’s chest.  He felt one of her breasts press against his chest, while the blue shirt with cleavage opened up just a bit to show parts of the others.  Willow noticed him stealing a look, and grinned, thanking Buffy silently.  It was amazing she figured, that the two were actually helping the other land the man they wanted.  In return she had even given Buffy some pointers on Xander’s likes and dislikes that only she knew about.  There used to be a second person that knew them, but . . . Anyway, part of her had wanted to bash her own head in doing that, undoubtedly part of Buffy wanted to do the same.  Were the two friends stacking the deck in their favor instead of Lotion and Cordelia? Probably.  Willow gave Xander a grin at her notice and said, “Definitely wish I had worn this stuff sooner.”

Xander blanched, actually blushed and turned his head away.  “I, uh . . .” he whispered.

“What were you thinking?” Willow asked him, moving her leg onto his and her lips to his ear so she could be even softer for fear of upsetting the other moviegoers again.

Willow watched Xander grow red, and loved that she actually managed to do that, usually it was her that was red.  “Wondering if they were real,” Xander answered, wanting to slam his head in the backrest of the seat before him.  Damn, he still hadn’t learned to keep his big mouth shut!

“All real,” Willow whispered with a smirk, as Xander couldn’t keep himself from taking another glans.  “No padding, no magical surgery, no glamour - pushup bra though.  Good enough?”

Xander gulped, nodding.  “Sorry, didn’t ruin the night, did I?  Forgive me?” he managed looking into Willow’s glittering eyes.

“Of course,” Willow whispered right away, feeling herself growing a little warm throughout.  Xander looked down at her sharply, looking directly in her eyes - she had said that /far/ too quickly; despite Xander’s low experience with women, he knew they didn’t let a man off the hook that easily.  Willow gulped, and confessed, “I kind of was wondering the same about yours . . .”  Xander frowned at her - his?  Willow added, “. . . before I saw you coming out of a pond with your clothes half see-through clinging to them.”

Oh! /Hers/!  His female alter ego’s.  “All real,” Xander repeated his friend’s earlier answer.  He looked back at her, and asked, “No cute Willow blush?”

Willow entangled herself a little, resting her head back on his arm, and said, “It’s weird; but now that the ice is broken, I feel this going just like when we’re friends - trust each other with everything - now even girl stuff.”  Xander snickered down at her, remembering some stupid things he and Jesse had said about Willow’s girl parts and their functioning.

“*SSSSSSHHHH!!*” sounded suddenly loudly from multiple sources, and the two of them quickly jerked straighter in their seats, raising their arms in a disarming gesture and contorting their faces in a apologetic one.

*****

Xander and Willow walked along, arm in arm.  They were best friends since childhood, potentially more.  The potentially more was what Willow was hoping for.  The result was an odd mixture of familiarity, slight awkwardness and a little sexual tension.  The last was more to Willow than to Xander.  He had been hot before, but now feeling his muscular arm around her, and imagining that amazing . . . better not go there.  He hadn’t exactly been not muscular, but both his leaning out and his better choice of wardrobe had had a profound effect that Willow both blessed and cursed.  On the one hand, a hot Xander was now positively sizzling in two genders, on the other hand it made him a prime target for the romantic advances of three more girls.  Of course, new Xander with new confidence also helped Willow get the confidence to finally do something about her own feelings; so as far as she was concerned it was a good thing - from no chance, to a small chance was still an improvement.

The world of Sunnydale was dark and foreboding as the two teens walked along, and casually chatted with each other - about things they usually talked about, and about things they never talked about before: feelings, possibilities, hopes, and dreams.  Some of them passed the revue normally, but other dreams didn’t.  Despite the fact that no Slayer was around, neither was particularly worried about the things lurking in the dark; in fact, it would be better for the vampires not to interrupt this twosome.

“So you have no idea what you want to be later?” Willow asked him carefully.

Xander looked up into the starry sky, thinking for a few moments.  He shook his head, and said, “No, got no real idea.  Stocking the supermarket is definitely not something I want to do for the rest of my life though.  I could always start a dojo, I’ll bet I can become a great teacher, especially if I fight a few tournaments and show off what I can do . . . I mean, I manage to teach you, and the others quite well, right?”

“Yeah, I guess . . . Ooh, if you manage a world wide chain you could become a millionaire,” Willow fantasized with him.

“Xander Harris School of Anything Goes Martial arts, millionaire entrepreneur, and world champion . . .” Xander was still looking up, then looked down and said, “I kind of like the sound of that.”

Willow grinned and added, “I’ll be your lawyer for free, whether I’m yours or not.” Xander smiled.  *NOW!* she screamed mentally at herself, fighting her insecurities.  *Now or not at all!*  Mustering all the courage she’d ever had, dredging it from her short time fighting the scary things in the world - none coming anywhere close to this moment - she moved forward, and stood up on her toes and kissed Xander full on the lips, before he could withdraw.  Perhaps it wasn’t such a good idea, because now what now that her lips were pressed against his.  To her own surprise her tongue moved up, kissing Buffy to prove her point at Halloween suddenly overlaying the present.  She closed her eyes and let her tongue slip against his upper lip, lingered her kiss there and then pulled back, opening here eyes in astonishment at her bravado, looking straight into Xander’s equally surprised face.  Willow swallowed away the lump in her throat audibly, and offered nervously as explanation, “Before you choose, I wanted to have done that, wanted you to know my kiss.”

Xander gulped his own surprise away: Willow was a good kisser for sure.  He smiled, pulled her closer and then planted a kiss on her himself - right smack on her forehead, much to Willow’s disappointment as well as delight.  “I love you, you know that’ll never change right?” Xander asked her, not knowing why the hell he had to dredge up all those loaded subjects once again; the movie theater should have been enough.

Willow nodded with a grin, “Of course, Xan, and I love you too; whatever ups and downs, or things that will or won’t happen; our friendship won’t ever break.”  She saw Xander surprisingly perk up even more that he already was.  She knew Xander better than anyone else, and knew something had just happened, something she couldn’t quite place, something inside Xander.  She vowed she’d pay extra attention to him to figure it out; for she knew Xander would never come right out and say it, not even to her - his parents had burned him too much for that.

The vampires and the creatures of the dark were smart this night, and kept out of their way.  Unfortunately for Xander and Willow, a creature of the day that was a hundred times more dangerous than anything the night could throw at them had other plans.  “Willow! Xander!” a seemingly soft voice yelled from afar.

The two of them turned to their right and saw Deo land on the roof of the building now directly in front of them.  Then she jumped forward and landed on the asphalt right before them.  An evil smile adorned her face, and Xander immediately went in a battle stance, as several animal creatures of the night behind them in the cemetery scurried away.

“What do /you/ want /this/ time?” Xander said angrily, pissed that someone would interrupt his date.

“Yeah,” Willow agreed, taking a step away from Xander to give him room, and the same for herself, going in a fight stance.

Deo grinned evilly and said, “To test some more mettle.”

Lotion landed behind her mother, and looked stricken at the scene.  “Xander, Willow - flee!”

Xander and Willow stood their ground though, “You bring it on, you Amazon bitch.  I’m not afraid of you.”

“I’m not going to let you hurt Xander again,” Willow said with finality, gathering up her magic; trying to think of a way to keep the Amazon away from Xander with the limited things Jenny had taught her so far - she was still very careful with the whole magic abuse possibility.

“Oh,” Deo started with a smile, her blue eyes glittering with enjoyment, “but I didn’t come to test Xander’s mettle, he’s tested for now, I came to test yours.”

“Mess with me, fine!” Xander hissed and then surged forward with everything he had. “But you leave my friends out of this, bitch!”  Xander threw a punch that Deo easily blocked, and then ducked underneath his follow up.

With a quick kick backwards to Xander’s back, he was launched off his feet, this while Deo said, “Sure, she gives up her claim to you, and I’ll deal with you alone.”  Deo moved forward, as Xander crashed painfully against a wall and Lotion came to check up on him.

Willow’s eyes were already wide with shock at Deo’s revelation, and were more so now that she came charging at her.  Willow tried to block Deo’s hit, but was far too slow.  Deo easily moved aside, and poked Willow’s side with the tip of two fingers.  Willow’s eyes widened as she felt a small bust of energy enter her body there.  She tried twisting away, but Deo just circled her a bit forward and did the same in a place on Willow’s back.  There was a third, a fourth, and finally a fifth poke, and Willow groaned, as she staggered about.

She felt woozy, and heard Xander scream with frustration.  Then a female grunt of pain, and refocusing her eyes, Willow saw Deo fly through the air till she landed on her feet after making a somersault.  Willow felt her balance return, and her head clear, even as her body heated up inside rapidly.  “Stay the hell away from her,” Xander angrily told Deo, as to Willow’s shock Lotion came up beside her, standing with Xander and her against her own mother it seemed.

“What is . . .?” Willow muttered in shock as she saw her hands glow.  She brought them up, and Xander and Lotion looked wide-eyed at her glowing hands.  “But, but . . .” Willow panicked at which time twin energy blasts left the palms of her hands and slammed into the asphalt.  The asphalt cracked and a flower grew out of it.

Deo chucked out loud, and said to the concerned trio, “I’ll remove it, if you formerly promise you give up your claim on my future son in law.”

“Listen, you bitch!” Willow growled, making fireworks explode right over her head.  She looked at a moment, and then ignored it, “You can throw every damn test you can think of at me, a thousand times over and every single time will be the same outcome: I’ll beat every time!”

“Uhm, Willow?” Xander asked slowly.

“Huh?” Willow asked turning around, not seeing Xander.  She blinked, and something told her to look up.  Her eyes widened as she saw Xander hanging there almost three meters off the ground.  Willow looked shocked, and then turned around when she heard a feminine whimper.  There, just as high as Xander, Lotion was hanging similarly.  Willow blinked several times, realizing that she didn’t have the power or lift even /one/ person that high off the ground.  She felt the heat inside her, that had gone lower somehow, grow again.

“Could you put us down, please?” Xander asked gently.

“Uh,” Willow said, then nodded while swallowing.  She brought up her hands in a magical sign and concentrated.  Slowly the two people started coming down.  Suddenly Xander and Lotion turned horizontal and crashed down to the ground with great speed.  Both of them groaned in pain as they crashed out to the ground.  “Oh, my god!  I’m sorry!” Willow yelled with concern and guilt.  There was a sound, a momentary flicker of light, and suddenly two masses of water hung just above Xander and Lotion.  Then gravity got a hold of them.  With a splash both of them were drenched, and Xander’s masculine clothes clung to Lexa’s very feminine breasts.  “Oops?” Willow said in mortification.

At Deo’s belly laughter Lotion and Lexa painfully sat up.  Deo then said, “You certain about that scenario, witch?  I would stay, but I don’t feel like getting caught up in your hijinx. Have fun with the test!”  Deo then jumped away.

“One of these days, I will kill my mother,” Lotion deadpanned and then grabbed her wet clothes, pulling the clinging, wet material from her skin.  “Ugh.”

“Uhm, guys?” Willow started as the two finished getting up.  Willow then screeched with fright as two columns of fire enveloped her two friends.  When the pillars of flames were gone, two dry, but singed and blackened girls stood were wet ones stood before.  Willow sighed with relief and two windows from the house behind her exploded in a million pieces.

Lexa checked herself with an annoyed look, and said, “Well, I’m thinking the bitch at least made sure you couldn’t truly hurt anyone, or we’d be crispy now.”

“Not enough to keep me from killing her,” Lotion said darkly checking out her burned self with horror.  She put effort in looking good, and this was horrible.

“We should get to Jenny,” Willow muttered very carefully, attempting to keep a lid on her magical abilities.  “She can help . . . I hope.”

*****

Buffy wandered through the cemetery almost casually.  She’d already taken out several vampires, and felt good.  The training she was going through with Xander and Lotion was seriously improving her.  Best was that she was upgraded to training with Xander on a regular basis, putting Cordelia with Lotion alone.

She came by a mausoleum, and became aware of sounds coming from inside.  Buffy frowned and walked over.  She carefully opened the already open doorway a bit further and peered inside.  There was a vampire busy digging around in one the tombs inside.  Buffy considered for a moment, and then grinned; always good to play a few games with her prey to make her look more dangerous than she was.  Carefully she closed the door back to its former position, and took a few steps back.  She waited, and after a short while the door was opened softly.  The vampire with glasses on and a beard came out carefully, looking at the door which was going to gently close fully.

“Hi, there,” Buffy said happily, her left arm over her chest, her right arm casually twirling the stake near her head.  The vampire jerked and then looked with wide eyes of shock at the blonde Slayer.  Buffy added with a smirk, “You didn’t think I wouldn’t know what you were doing were you?  By the way, I got to ask; why do you disturb the dead?  Don’t you people have any decency.  Oh, wait, I forgot, you’re not a people.”

Dalton looked nervously at the smiling Slayer, he knew he was dead, but his fear kept him rooted to the spot for now.  Suddenly there was a growl and from behind a bush another vampire came rushing at Buffy.  Buffy noticed it too, and turned around taking on the new vampire.  She blocked his first punch, and grabbed his second.  With a quick twist Buffy pulled the vampire along.  Suddenly she reached out and grabbed around his throat, holding him back. She pulled the vampire down with her, while simultaneously bring her stake down.  A moment later the vampire was dance.  Perkily Buffy got up and said, “That’s one down, and . . .”  Buffy finished turning around and searched with her eyes grave-robbing vampire.  “One down?” Buffy finished with a frown, then shrugged and moved on with her patrol.

~~~~19~~~~

Jenny Calendar opened her door at the insistent ringing, and then her eyes bugged out.  There they were; the three of them.  Boy were they ever there.  Lotion was fuming, as she was drenched, was wearing tiny, shiny, pink shorts that showed more ass than it kept covered, an even tighter top that didn’t reach her belly button, but worst of all had bunny ears on her head. Next to her was Xander - an equally drenched, /male/ Xander, in a super short, micro skirted cheerleader getup, having pink pon pons on his hands, and his hair in pigtails.  He looked miserable, as well as ridiculously hilarious.  With an a supreme effort of will, Jenny Calender - much to her own surprise - managed to stifle a giggle fit down to a snort and cramped smile. The look in Xander’s eyes darkened visibly at her.  Quickly Jenny looked to the third person - one Willow Rosenberg - who was standing in the middle and in front of the other two.  She was just as miserable and just as drenched, partially by tears that even now were flowing from her eyes.  She was wearing a sexy blue blouse showing some cleavage, and a short skirt - but Jenny guessed she had put them on herself.  Worse though, was her previously beautifully done hair that was messed up and seemingly entangled in glue or gum or something else Jenny couldn’t quite make out.

“What in blazes?” Jenny finally managed out, the shock of the event overcoming the ridiculousness.  She looked sharply down in Willow’s eyes - if she had done some irresponsible magic, causing this, teaching magic would be over and she’d bind the redhead’s growing magic.  A mix of shame, indignance, annoyance and a hint of anger filtered through Willow’s eyes.  “IIEEE!” Jenny shrieked as she froze to the bone and was equally drenched as the others.  Willow looked down at the floor again.

“My mother - I /kill/,” a newly drenched Lotion hissed out, apparently too angry to bother with proper grammer.

There came a sigh of partial relief and annoyance from Xander, now Lexa, and she said, “Well, at least I’m a girl wearing this getup now.”

“Sorry,” Willow whimpered, and the glass in the door’s windows shattered, falling down in several big pieces.

“What did she do?” Jenny said rapidly, teeth shattering at the cold, ushering the three teens into her house.

“Super charged her chi and magic somehow,” Lexa explained as she pushed Willow out in front of her.

Lotion entered behind her, and Jenny looked down as she closed the door, noticing the cute black and white bunny tail right at the apex of her butt, coming through the shorts.  Jenny breathed in sharply, and suddenly looked up as Lotion said dangerously, “/Don’t/ say it.” Jenny nodded.

They entered Jenny’s living room behind the narrow entrance corridor.  The living room was tastefully furnished, with a lot of wood paneling.  There were two leather couches - a three-seater and a love seat with a dark green color.  Then one chair as part of the same set. A television stood in the far left corner street-side, and before it in the middle of the couches and chair was a short, round, black table.  The walls had the same green color as the couches and chair.  Two cupboards stood on either side of the cosy living room, one carrying glasses, plates and stuff to drink, some of it seen through the windows on the front side.

“Now every time she’s a little emotional everything goes haywire,” Lexa finished her explanation.

“I’m sorry,” Willow whimpered, having taken Xander’s explanation as an accusation.  As a demonstration of Xader’s words, things went indeed haywire.  The glass windows in the cupboard shattered, and it and equally shattering glasses and plates inside it started flying around the world as if carried along a whirlwind - which incidently was true, the wind being generated by Willow’s out of control magic.  Lotion, Willow, and Jenny ducked immediately, as did Xander, but since she was closest to the cupboard her ducking wasn’t fast enough.

“AAH!” Lexa yelled out as a piece of glass made a shallow cut on her arm.

“Oh, my god, oh, my god!” Willow yelled out at the event, and with a sparkling of light, the tastefully decorated room turned into a glaring place of color and polka dots.  The black table was in all the colors of the rainbow, as were the couches and the walls.

Jenny groaned as she saw the change, and knew she had to do something before things got a whole lot worse.  Risking her life from the whirlwind and flying debris, she jumped up and over the couch.  She ducked down then next to Willow and grabbed her by the shoulders, making the witch look into her eyes.  “Calm down, Willow,” Jenny said, except that the sudden grasp had already spiked Willow’s surprise.  Her eyes glowed dark green for a moment, and Jenny groaned, feeling her body change.  With a quick stab of pain she became aware of something growing out the back of ass, causing her to groan, several sharp point jutting into her lips ass, and the relocating of her ears.  Willow screeched in even grater shock, as Jenny Calender just turned into Cat Calender - as in a humanoid cat.  Her face remained, except her ears were pointy, covered in black fur and stood up on her head.  Her hands, and the skin below her neck that her blouse allowed to be visible, was covered in black fur.  Finally another change became visible when Jenny opened her mouth to speak: long feline canine teeth.

“Oh, my god!” Willow said in shock, and as her hands glowed the cupboards were instantly turned into clowns’ faces and upper body on a spring, wobbling back and forth at human height.

“Breathe in deeply, Willow, then breathe out, inhale, exhale,” Jenny said with a cool voice. The training she had been giving Willow paid off, the girl started breathing in and out.  “None of this is your fault, Willow, allow the breathing to calm yourself down.”  Jenny went further down, sitting in a lotus position and Willow followed automatically.  “Relax, pull all your magic down and in, inhale, exhale, calm.”  As Jenny continued to voice her commands in the calming tone, Willow steadily calmed down doing her exercises.  The hair of the four women slowly whirled less, and the whirlwind Willow had inadvertently created became less loud. Then the glass clanged to the multi-colored floor, before the wind fully went away.  The colors stayed though.  As Jenny’s calming voice droned on instructing Willow, Lotion and Xander slowly rose from their positions.  The two still dripping and wet girls looked around with relief as the immediate crisis was averted.

Having determined all was calm, Lotion took in the damage - or rather the color change. Her eyes bulged out at the horrifying place, and Xander looked with wide eyes at the most psychedelic of psychedelic ever to be seen by anyone.  “Whoa,” Lotion started lightly.

“/Don’t/ say it,” an equally wet Jenny said.  Lotion nodded.  Jenny looked forlorn at the horrifying way Willow’s hairs were messed up - for her sake Jenny hoped this wasn’t permanent, Willow would have to shave her hair off.

Willow looked wistfully as she continued her breathing exercises.  Jenny let her hands move around Willow’s body, eyes closed and senses.  Jenny opened her eyes, and let out a tiny feline growl she couldn’t suppress.  She looked backward at Lexa and said, “You’re right, Xander.  She did boost Willow’s energy artificially - it’s completely out of control.  That /woman/ - and I use the term loosely - is completely irresponsible.”

“Well,” Xander said with annoyance, and grimacing as he felt his cut.  “As much as I hate to admit it, as far as we could determine, Willow can’t harm anyone directly with her magic. We’ve had several far too close calls if she can.”

Lotion noticed it, and asked Jenny quickly, “Where are the first aid supplies?”

“Kitchen, first cupboard on the right,” Jenny quickly answered, before returning to keeping Willow calm and determining as exactly as she could what Deo had done to Willow. She then added to Lexa, “And that doesn’t stop her from doing it indirectly, does it?”

A little while later Lotion returned to the living room, and quickly went over to Lexa, cleaning the wound and then put some padding on it, and wrapped it in bandages.  “It’s just a small cut,” Lexa said, but Lotion finished what she did.

“Can you fix her?” Lotion asked of Jenny.

With her eyes closed and testing Willow, Jenny answered, “Not quite, I don’t know enough about what exact spell Deo used.  I can teach Willow how to keep the magic locked away, but it’ll take time.”

Lexa took walked over to the sitting couple, squatted down and smiling in Willow’s face she said, “Not a spell, but just like she did with me; pushed several pressure points and poured her chi into them.”

Willow whimpered.  “Stay calm, Willow, you’re safe here,” Jenny murmured, then looked at her guests - Lotion having arrived behind Xander, looking concerned.  “This will take a long time, and you here might just upset her, better you two go home,” Jenny told them carefully.

Lotion nodded, and so did Lexa.  Lexa looked deep in Willow’s eyes, and told her, “You can beat her, Willow, I know you can.  You listen to Jenny here and it’ll be fine.”

“I will,” Willow confirmed softly, and a new splash of water covered them all - warm water again this time.  Jenny quickly took hold of Willow’s attention, as a male Xander in a cheerleader uniform growled in frustration.

After making sure he was a girl again, Xander and Lotion left Willow in Jenny’s care.

*****

Buffy climbed up the roof to her bedroom window, and placed her bag with slayer gear on the window sill.  Inside she saw Angel check out some things on her dresser.  She raised her eyebrows with curiosity, and asked amused, “See anything you like?”

Angel twisted around, gasping in breath, and said, “Buffy . . . you scared me.”

As Buffy finished climbing into her window, she said with a smile, “Now you know what it feels like for a change.  Why are you waiting here anyway?”

“Uh,” Angel started, watching the breathtaking blonde put her bag on the bed and start to unpack it, “Just in case your mother isn’t still all groovy with this, and . . . uh . . . seems like a good guess?”

Buffy turned her head and frowning answered, “She is, makes me slaying lunch packages and everything - only not right now because she to LA on some expose trip or some such. Why?  And by the way, ‘groovy’?  That’s prehistoric - don’t /ever/ use it anymore.”

“Why did you come through the wind then?” Angel returned confused, as Buffy finished her unpacking.

The Slayer turned around, and frowned as she considered his question.  “Habit,” Buffy pouted, and quickly changed the subject, “So, why are you here anyway?”

“I’ve been hearing rumblings in the demon and vampire community,” Angel said with a concerned frown.  “Something is happening, I thought you should be warned.”

Buffy stood still and took Angel with a long silent look.  The vampire unconsciously looked down to see if something was wrong.  Buffy’s mouth quirked for a moment into a smile when she noticed the motion, and then told him, “Angel is in my room, the bearer of doom - why am I not surprised?”

“Ya . . . well . . . I . . .” Angel muttered not really knowing what to say.  “You seem down, did I . . .?”

“No,” Buffy told him depressed, “It’s this thing at school-”

“Career fair,” Angel supplied.

Buffy nodded, still depressed and turning away, “Yeah, it’s this whole thing about the future and what you want to be, not exactly for me, with the whole preordained destiny . . .” Buffy blinked, rapidly turned back around to face the souled vampire, and asked, “And how do you know about that anyway?”

“Uh, I lurk,” Angel answered nervously.

“Oh, I supposed you . . .” Buffy trailed off, thinking over his words, remembering many of Xander’s.  “And that’s either really romantic, or really creepy . . .”

Angel swallowed as he felt himself sinking into his shoes, and almost stuttered out, “N-not much el-else to do for me during the d-day.  I’ll stop.”

Buffy took him in with a thoughtful look, while at the same being wigged out, and she told him, “Angel, you need a hobby - seriously.”

A new lump formed in the souled vampire’s throat.  Fidgeting he remembered the pictured he saw on the dresser, and decided a change of subject would be good.  He turned a bit more to his left, gestured to the picture, and asked, “Is that you?”

Buffy looked over and looked at the picture Angel was pointing at.  It was her in a skirt, gloves, scarf, and a woolly cap, mostly pink, standing on skates in an ice ring.  “Oh, my god,” Buffy said a little mortified.  “That was  my Dorothy Hamill phase.  My mom and dad weren’t all that okay at the time, and I escaped into that world.  My room was a Dorothy shrine.  I had posters on the walls, cut-out articles glued in notebooks; everything . . .”

“You wanted to be like her,” Angel concluded with a happy smile.

“I wanted to /be/ her,” Buffy corrected, a nostalgic smile on her face, remembering her innocent childhood time.

Angel smiled some more, and said, “When was the last time you were on the ice?”

Buffy let herself fall on her bed, sitting there and looking up trying to remember.  “Uh, I’m pretty certain that was /before/ I was called, more than two years ago,” Buffy said a little sadly.

“I know this ice ring just outside of Sunnydale, and I happen to know it’s closed on Tuesday evenings,” Angel said with a grin.

Buffy looked at him with large twinkling eyes, then got up saying excitedly, “Tomorrow is Tuesday.”

Angel nodded with a smile.  Buffy smiled back.

*****

Inside Spike’s lair Dalton, the bearded, glasses-wearing brainiac vampire presented a golden cross to Spike.  “I got it,” he said, and Spike took the cross with a huge, evil grin.

“Perfect, now just translate the book, and you’ll be as good as new, my love,” Spike turned back to look at his lover sitting on her four-poster bed.

“Yeah, but the Slayer almost got me, and put a stop to that - again,” Dalton pointed out to his master.

“DON’T YOU THINK I BLOODY KNOW THAT!” Spike yelled out angrily, stalking back and forth across the room like a caged animal.  “It’s Slayer here, Slayer there, and if it isn’t the Slayer, it’s one of her sodding super friends!  They’re the bloody thorns in my eyes, that’s what they bugger well are!”  Spike suddenly stopped, and looked up as if someone had turned on a light above him.  “I think it’s about time we call in the big guns, that should take care of them nicely.”  Dalton looked confused, while Spike looked at Drusilla on whose face a grin spread.  “I’ll call in the order of Teraka, they’ll solve the problem for us,” Spike spoke with a wide grin.

“The order of Teraka!?” Dalton exclaimed in shock.  “The assassins!?  Isn’t that overkill?”

“Ooh,” Drusilla spoke with a smile, starting to lay open cards, and Spike walked next to her bed.  “Three of them are coming to my birthday party.”

“Actually,” Spike spoke grimly, before an evil smile spread on his face, “I don’t think they’re enough kill; it isn’t just the Slayer we’re dealing with here.”

Drusilla danced her upper body left and right like a snake, saying, “Of course, Miss Edith, I forgot the threefold rule.”  Above the first row of three cards, Drusilla started laying another row of cards, while saying, “Three times three is nine big bad wolves, and the three little piggies don’t have enough stone for a house . . .”  A square of nine cards lay on the blankets in front of Drusilla, and the deranged vampire looked up at her lover with insanely evil smile, one Spike eagerly returned.

*****

“*MOTHEEEERRR!!!*” Lotion screamed with all her pent up rage into their apartment above the restaurant.  “I /will/ kill!!”  Lotion stormed into the small living room, with a brown, cloth couch.  A small table was nearby.

Deo came in from the kitchen and looked at her enraged daughter, and then noticing the ears, that were pulled back a bit with Lotion’s rage, she laughed out loud.  With a scream of rage Lotion charged forward and tried to grab Deo’s collar, but the older and more experienced Amazon almost casually avoided her daughter’s lunge.  “Oh, calm down, it’s not permanent,” Deo told her daughter with a grin.  “If Willow manages to pass the test, she doesn’t turn you back the same way she made you a bunny, and if she doesn’t come begging, then in a few days at most it will be over.  Willow will return to normal, and so will you along with her.”

“A FEW DAYS!?!” Lotion screamed out angrily.  Then she growled, “*How* I will show myself school!?”

Deo blinked, and then muttered, “Hmm.”

*****

The next morning

Willow timidly stepped onto school property.  She was in a drab yeans coverall with a red shirt underneath.  She wasn’t wearing any makeup, and her hair hung drably down her face.  This was no time to get excited after all, and she had spent most of the morning pushing her magic down, not having had the time to properly get dressed anyway.

Nervously she walked onward into the school courtyard, and soon found Buffy coming excitedly at her.  “Willow!  Do I have something to tell you!” Buffy exclaimed out, as she reached her best friend, who tried to smile at Buffy’s excitement, which died down when Buffy saw Willow.  “What’s with the drab look again?” Buffy asked her, and Willow gave an involuntary whimper, then she tried to unsuccessfully hide her pained face.  “Hey?  What’s with the pouty face?  What happened?”

Willow looked around, and then Buffy drew her along, quickly finding a bench with relative privacy.  She sat both of them down, and out came the whole story.  The date with Xander and how it started out so good, and then Deo, what she did, and what happened after, spending the night at Jenny’s learning super control of super charged magic.  It was the longest babble Buffy had ever heard Willow utter, and on more than one occasion she’d miss pieces. When Willow was finished and took a deep steadying breath, Buffy looked left, and since she was turned to face Willow, she looked at the large trough with plants.  Buffy’s eyes widened - where before it had just been a few dull, green plants, now flowers were sprouting out the ground everywhere, and plants were in bloom.  Willow followed her friend’s gaze, and her eyes widened.  She quickly put her hands together in front of her chest, and breathing deeply she chanted very softly, “Calm, cool, down, down, all the way down.”

“Wow,” Buffy said at the whole story and the blooming flowers.  “That bitch,” she added after that.  Buffy then turned concerned to Willow, and said, “You could have stayed home, you know, till we found a solution?”

Willow vehemently shook her head, and explained, “No, not going to lose my stake on Xander, and I still have a date to finish tonight.”

“Which reminds me,” Buffy said, smiling.  If Willow didn’t know better, she’d say it was a shy smile.  Buffy continued, “I have a date tonight too.”  Willow’s eyes lit up, and Buffy answered her unspoken question, “Angel.”

“Really?” Willow asked, hope swelling into her - if Buffy wanted Angel, Xander would be free.

“Yeah, I thought if I have to decide who I want, I better figure out which,” Buffy said with a grin.

“WAWAWAWAAAA!” somebody screamed, and Buffy and Willow looked up; seeing a guy slide across an iced pavement, swinging his hands wildly till he crashed into a wall.  There he stayed for a moment, before slowly falling back over, groaning.  Buffy let out a short laugh, and then looked at Willow, who smiled with her eyes closed, locking her magic away again.   Across the courtyard some of the guy’s friends walked over without trouble asking him what had happened.  It seemed Willow’s control had let the ice melt

“Oops,” Willow said Buffy with a guilty grin.  The two girls grinned at each other.

“Hey, guys!”  Willow and Buffy looked up, and watched as Xander in simple jeans and a shirt came walking over.  When he reached them he bent over and looked concerned at Willow.  “You okay?”

“I should be asking you that,” Willow answered him with a smile.  “We’re still on for the repeat tonight, right?”

“Yeah, if you can,” Xander told her with a concerned smile.

Willow nodded vehemently, while Buffy smiled at her friends.  Willow said, “Absolutely, not gonna let her get to me.”

“Nihau,” a sullen voice spoke, and they looked all to the left.  For once Lotion wasn’t all bright and positive.  She was wearing a hat, underneath which she had hidden her bunny ears; and with extreme effort she had put herself in a skirt so it could fall - not quite successfully - over her tail.

Buffy blinked at the strange look for the Amazon, and then flashed back to what Willow had said.  Lotion was a bunny; she could now see the strain on Lotion’s face as she had to push her ears flat to fit underneath the hat.  One moment of losing control and her ears would whip up, launching the hat away.  The image came to Buffy instantly, and she saw the odd, small bulge on the back of the Amazon.  While laughter threatened to overtake her, Buffy became aware of the piercing, angry eyes the Amazon was directing her way.

“/Don’t/ you /dare/,” Lotion growled at Buffy, having figured out someone had told her, most likely Willow.

Buffy crunched up her face, which twitched as it struggled to let out the laughter welling up in her.  She was acutely aware of the cold gaze the Amazon was still drilling in her - laughter would mean getting her ass kicked.  A few wheezes escaped Buffy’s tightly pressed lips, and Buffy clamped her hand over her mouth.  She looked up and saw Lotion still regarding her the same way.

Xander watched the exchange, looking back and forth between the two, and noticing Willow stare with wide eyes at Lotion willing Buffy not to laugh.  Xander smiled, and then gave one short laugh.  “Come on,” he told them before they could say anything.  He walked toward the school entrance and the girls followed.  “Let’s check what we got.”

A few moments later the foursome arrived at the bulletin board outside of the school, where Cordelia was checking her result.  “Ooh!  Motivational speaker or personal shopper!” Cordelia exclaimed with happiness.  “Great!”

“Motivate yourself to shop more?” Lotion questioned deadpan.

“Hey, I was going to say that!” Xander exclaimed in mock affront.  Buffy giggled.  Lotion kept smiling greatly, and Willow attempted to keep the giggles and her magic in check - just barely successful this time.

Cordelia looked at Xander.  She wanted him, a romance that is, but no matter how much she wanted to woo him, her own pride and bitchy instincts did the answering for her.  “Ha, ha, girly man, go check what you’re going to be,” Cordelia spoke to Xander with her arms across her chest.

“What?” Xander asked with a dreaded face.  Cordelia gritted her teeth, and mentally slamming a hand in her forehead, forced a smile on her face.  “What?” Xander repeated and then quickly went to the bulletin board, zipping passed names, then found his and read.

The others stayed silent as Xander reread it again.  “What is it?” Buffy finally asked unable to contain her curiosity.

Cordelia smiled smugly at Buffy, and answered for Xander, “Prison guard.”  Buffy’s face crunched up with mirth.  Lotion looked confused, and Willow’s eyes were wide with empathy.

Xander got up, turned to face his friends and groaned out, “Nooo!”

“What’s so bad?” Lotion wondered out, and Buffy just laughed out loud, gaining a glare from Xander.  Cordelia smirked, while Willow remained empathic.

“What’s so bad?” Xander asked the Amazon in shock.  “I’d be babysitting a bunch of losers, psychos and worse all in grey!  Grey walls!  Grey uniforms!  And Grey bars!  Do I look grey to you!?”

Buffy laughed out loud, and Willow couldn’t help but giggle.  Cordelia’s smile faded as she felt herself lift into the air.  “Huh?” she muttered, and then looked down in shock.  “Hey! I’m floating away!” she said in shock, desperately grabbing for the board.  She got it and pushed herself down, staying a few centimeters above the ground.

“Oh, god,” Willow said, and quickly clamped down again, placing her hands together in front of her.

Splash!  Willow’s guilt over making Cordelia fly away, made a splash of water fall right over Buffy.  The Slayer stood there, looking in shock as she was wet and cold.  Her shirt and skirt clung to her body; and Xander couldn’t help but smirk and take in the now the form fitting outfit - or rather what was underneath.  Luckily for them, they were standing around Buffy, so nobody noticed the impossible event.

As Cordelia floated down again, Lotion couldn’t hold back a starting giggle.  The cheerleader breathed a sigh of relief, taking a step away from Willow and behind Xander, as Buffy suddenly whipped around, and wet through to the bone, she glared at the Amazon, raising a warning finger.  “I didn’t - with you,” Buffy hissed out.  Then she looked up, and whimpered, “My hair.”

As Lotion gave a few final muffled giggles, Willow wined, “I’m sorry, you guys.  It’s what Deo did to me.”

“It’s not your fault, Willow,” Buffy reassured her, and looked back at Xander, who quickly looked at the career board.  Buffy pouted, and looked sadly at her wet clothes, pulling up her shirt, and asked, “Please, Xander, give me some good news to cheer me up.”

Xander finished finding Buffy, and said, “Law enforcement.”

“Uh?” Buffy asked with a horrified look, while it was Cordelia’s time to giggle.

“What’s so bad about law enforcement?” Lotion asked dumbfounded.  “You get to kick bad guys’ asses.”

Xander grinned, perfectly grasping Buffy’s mind set after spending all those months being her friend.  “Polyester, donuts, nightsticks, and bad accessorizing,” he spelled out for the Amazon.

Lotion looked confused, while Cordelia asked softly with an evil grin, “Can a Slayer get fat on donuts?”

“Uhuh,” Buffy muttered out in horror, as Cordelia giggled, and Lotion looked up herself.

“My condolences, Buffy,” Xander said gravely.

“AAAAH!!” Lotion screamed, making everyone jump to see her, a sudden gust of wind made a group of students close by fall over, making Willow look guiltily away again.

“What?” Xander asked her.

“P-p-p-pe-per-personal as-assitant,” Lotion stammered out with horror.  They looked blankly at her.  Out of herself, Lotion explained, “All day long with a smile, being nice to some man or woman, ‘yes, sir,’ ‘yes, sir’, ‘right away, sir’.  The horror.  How can they think I would be good at that?”

They looked at her for a moment, before Willow got fed up with waiting.  “Well, what am I?” she asked with a little dread taking in how three of her friends got horrible advices.

Xander and Buffy turned to the board, and checked it.  “Uh . . .” Xander said confused after a while.

“You’re not on there,” a still very wet Buffy said in surprise.

The other three looked confused, while Willow spoke, “What?  But- but I used a number 2 pencil, and I delivered it in the right box.”

The five of them stayed silent, looking at Willow.  Finally Cordelia spoke up, and said, “Typical, so in the ‘out’ crowd, she can’t even stay in a career test.”

“Now that’s mean,” Buffy spoke up, while Lotion still seemed horrified into silence about the receptionist, and Willow glared at Cordelia.  Suddenly a gust of wind rushed up from the ground and mad Cordelia’s clothes whip up, including her skirt.

“Aah!” she yelled, as she got whistles from guys around.  Her four friends chuckled.  

 The wind died down and Cordelia glared at Willow.

“Not my fault, blame her mother,” Willow whimpered.  Cordelia’s glare narrowed with suspicion, then put her head up, and walked away.

Buffy sighed, and took in her wet clothes, “Oh, man.  I gotta get to Giles and to his report- in-first-thing phase; and I can change into some of my spare clothes.”

Buffy marched on, and her friends only then kicked in, following her.  Not expecting that, Buffy suddenly found her walking ahead of the other three, completely visible for everyone. They looked, but halfway to the entrance the true horror happened.  Harmony Kendall and the other Cordettes came out the school, and once she spotted Buffy, the nasty blonde spoke, “What’s the matter?  Needed to fish /yourself/ out of the river?”

Buffy grimaced, her left eye twitching once, thinking,  *Can’t kill humans, can’t kill humans, that would be bad.*  Buffy noticed Harmony still walking into the shadow of the building heading toward sun.  *Be a vampire, be a vampire,* Buffy thought with a hopeful gaze.  Harmony walked laughingly into the sun: no sizzling, no smoking, no pain, no bursting into flame.  “Damn,” four voices spoke as one.

*****

There was a slight knocking coming from the back door, making Giles look up suspiciously. He quickly went over to the weapon cage in the middle of the library, and took out a sword. He went over to the back door, up the stairs, and there made sure he had a good grasp on the sharp object bringing it up.  A small voice told him opening the door was stupid without a Slayer present, but then sighed, and opened it.  He looked directly at a hooded, quite hairy figure.  He grimaced and prepared to slash down the demon.

“Rupert, it’s me!” the figured hissed, holding up, now obviously, her hands disarmingly.

Giles held his sword still, took a better look, blinked, and then with a dropped jaw said, “Jenny?”

A feline purr came from her throat and she jumped over the threshold, grabbing him around the neck, and putting her lips against his.  She kissed him deeply, dueling with his tongue, and he eagerly returned the favor - still holding the sword comically over his head.  His eyes jumped back open when he felt her canines, her nails embedding into his back, and her tail wrapping around his waist.  She broke the kiss, and he staggered back, then staggered some more waiving his arms around for balance.  The sword was too much and he dropped to his ass, looking up dumbfounded as Jenny removed the long cloak, showing more of her new feline form.  “Wh-wh-what happened?” he stammered out.

Jenny grinned and went to close the door, simultaneously explained, “Willow, or rather the test Deo placed upon her.  I’m going to have a hardy word with that irresponsible bitch tonight, but first I gotta look for a cure for Willow here - it isn’t like I can barge into her restaurant at broad daylight - it should reverse my and Lotion’s condition as well.”

“Lotion?” Giles muttered taking Jenny’s offered hand and slowly getting up, taking in the catfied Jenny more precisely, eyes still wide.

“She’s a bunny,” Jenny explained with a smile.  “Hmm, now that I think about, Xander didn’t change into anything, perhaps his curse stopped that from happening.”  Jenny quickly walked - or perhaps stalked was a better word - over to a specific section of the library containing the darker magic books.

“Uhm,” Giles muttered, still taking in his half-cat girlfriend.  It was confusing, and somehow . . . no, Giles would not entertain that thought - that way lead to improper thoughts. “Wh-what about the kiss?  I-I thought y-you . . .”

“Relax, Rupe,” Jenny positively purred as she pulled out a few books, her tail lazily flipping about, “After last night’s unfortunate events, I realized the moment I decided to take Willow under my wing, I should have expected the worst . . .”  Jenny paused and took in the still collecting himself Giles.  She smiled, and then walked to the tables down in the lower area. As she restarted talking, Giles followed her, “it’s not your fault, what you did, you did a long time ago - I love the Rupert Giles of today; not the Ripper of then.”  Jenny purred as she reached the table and placed the books down.  She turned around suggestively, continuing the sexy purr, and said, “Although I hope there’s just a smidgen of Ripper left in you, delicious, just in the right places, with the right dosage.”

Giles eyes were wide, and then he swallowed deeply.  Jenny was beautiful, and she was promiscuous, but she wasn’t /this/ promiscuous, never this overly sexual.  It had an odd effect on him - okay, quite a common effect.  She smiled as she opened up the books and started researching.  Giles took a deep breathe and prepared to help her when the doors to the library whipped open.

A very wet Buffy summers entered the library, yapping (according to Giles) about, “Giles! I’m here for our morning reporting-in ritual, and I need some dry clothes from the spare st- . . .”  Buffy noticed Jenny sitting at the table with a magic book in front of her.  “Giles!” Buffy said, afraid for his life seeing the ‘demon’ sitting there.  She took several rapid steps forward, not bothering with taking each and everyone of the few steps down to the lowest floor of the library, saying, “Look out!  The- . . .”  Buffy halted in her tracks, blinked, remembered Willow’s story and said sheepishly grabbing her wet shirt, “Oh, Jenny.  Uhm, sorry, Willow told me what happened.”

Cat-Jenny smiled at Buffy as Giles asked, “What happened to you?”

Buffy looked down at herself, and said, “More Willow hijinks, she doesn’t have it fully under control yet, but I think there won’t be animal transformations anymore.”  The Slayer then quickly walked behind the counter and into the office, while talking, “Come on, Giles, let’s do this briefing thing while I change; I’m going to be late for class.”

“O-okay,” Giles muttered and walked to the counter, closer to his office so he could here Buffy speaking.  He turned around before he started not to accidentally catch a glimpse - and be pummeled to death because of it.  “Start with telling me what happened on patrol.”

Buffy’s voice was muffled as she pulled her top up over her head, as she spoke, “Nothing much.  Came across some vamps, staked them.  Came across one odd demon that was attempting to dig up a corpse, probably to eat it, staked it too and turned into a goo before it disappeared into the ground.

“Oh, and there were those couple of vamps stealing something,” Buffy finished, already busy with her underwear.  “One of ‘em got away.”

“Stealing?” Giles spoke up suddenly, starting to pace.

“Yeah, from this tomb, they had flashlights and everything,” Buffy’s voice sounded from the office.

“Do you know what they stole?” Giles asked concerned suddenly, still pacing back and forth.

“Uh, no,” came the answer.

Giles abruptly stopped, and asked a little irritated, “Did you even think to check?”

“I just thought it was your average day vampire hijinks,” Buffy’s voice sounded closer now.

“Well, what if it wasn’t!?” Giles asked, just as Buffy re-emerged from his office, in a pair of jeans and short-sleeved shirt having a v-neck.  “If for once you bothered to use your head-”

“Hey!” Buffy interrupted, irritated herself now.  “If you don’t like me being the Slayer so much, why don’t just ask someone else?  Oh, wait, I forgot, there aren’t any others.  /One/ Slayer, that’s all there is, me, and none else till I die.  Hey!  I don’t have to be the Slayer, I can be dead.”

Giles slumped, a little guilt creeping in, as well as defeat over Buffy’s behavior.  Jenny spoke up suddenly, sitting turned around to watch the interaction of Slayer and watcher.  “You know, Buffy, ever considered the possibility Giles is so hard on you, to get you to use your head more, because that’s exactly what he doesn’t want: you dead?  That if you listened to him a bit more, you have a much bigger chance to survive?”

Buffy looked at the intruder, having taken a step back at the power of the meaning.  She looked back up at Giles, a little guilt creeping in, which she quickly shut down.  “Buffy, we need to go find out what they could have stolen.  Do you still remember where the tomb was?” Giles asked softly.

“Yeah,” Buffy answered somewhat deflated from her earlier anger.

“Let’s go then,” Giles spoke, and gave Jenny a grateful look.  “We’ll be right back, don’t let anyone see you.”

“Cat ears and cat nose,” Jenny said with a grin, touching said sensitive sensory organs. Giles nodded.

*****

“Hey, Xander,” Willow spoke with a smile as she walked through the school halls.  Career stands were everywhere, and students were milling about.  Xander was walking at her, and smiled his own smile, quickly coming over.  “Do you know where Buffy is?” Willow asked him, somewhat worried, and still subdued for fear of doing more magic - and this time it might not be so harmless.

“Yeah,” Xander answered, smiling at his long-time friend, and potential girlfriend.  Dang, how come he never really noticed?  Even without makeup Willow was quite beautiful.  Must have been the friend- and unwilling-to-stand-out factors.  “Just ran into her and Giles, said they had to go check something out about . . . you know.”

“That’s not good,” Willow said worryingly.  “Buffy is supposed to be here, if Snyder . . .” At that point, Snyder came down the stairs behind her, and Xander quickly grabbed her right upper arm to make her face him.  She hesitated a single moment before continuing, “. . . did a great job on this year’s career fair, isn’t that right, Xander?”

“Absolutely, I really like the decorations, so uplifting,” Xander said with a fake happy smile.

“Spare me your speech, Harris,” Snyder told him gruffly, “It’s a toxic-waste dump that serves no purpose, nor does the process that produces it.  You’re below low.”

Xander’s eyes had narrowed, then slowly and deliberately he said, “Really?  Well, sir, I can only hope than one day I’m in the position to be just as honest with you as you are with me, sir.”  His voice was sweet, but carried an undertone of cold venom the old Xander would never have dared to place in his voice.

Snyder who had been disinterestedly looking around, suddenly turned to face Xander.  He quickly dismissed him, and turned his gaze to Willow, “So, Miss Rosenberg, you wouldn’t happen to know where Summers is, would you?  And spear me the ‘I just saw her, she’s around here somewhere’ crap.”

“But . . .” Willow started, paused for a moment but realized she wasn’t actually able to say something else, and so continued, “. . . she /did/ just see her, and she /is/ around here somewhere.”  She actually looked around, gesturing to ‘around’ with the seeming expectation to spot her a moment.

Snyder just shoved his hands further into his pockets, and with a final glare, walked off.

“Well, that concludes that,” Xander said with distaste, “now I get to go spend my time at a booth for prison guards . . . sometimes I understand why the demons wish to destroy the world.  Wish me luck, Willow.”

Willow went up on her tiptoes, having gathered her courage while Xander spoke, and planted a sweet kiss on his cheek.  When Xander looked astonished at her, she said, “Good luck.”

“Thanks,” Xander said, his heart breaking as he walked off, hating the fact that he had to make a choice sooner or later between all his suitors, and inevitably ended up breaking several amazing girls’ hearts - in some cases, again.

That left Willow looking around forlorn.  She had no clue what to do, she wasn’t assigned to a career booth, she wasn’t even /on/ the board.  Perhaps she should go and help Buffy?  Or perhaps help her by keeping Snyder somehow from finding out she wasn’t here.  “Miss Rosenberg,” a voice startled her.  As she whirled around, a water dispenser at a booth burst open, spraying water over students who shrieked out.  Willow cringed, reigning in her magic.

“Who are you?” Willow asked, taking in the two suited men.

“That is not important,” the man who spoke earlier, started.  “Just enter here,” he spoke gesturing to a few white curtains to Willow’s left barring some room from the rest of the hall.

“Not important?” Willow asked incredulously.  “Do you think I just go wherever with some stranger for him to do . . . uh . . . some bad things with me?”

“I apologize, if that’s what this looked like,” the second man hastily covered, “we’re from the career week, and this is your destination.”

Willow blinked, looked at the curtains, and said, “But, I don’t even have an outcome of the career placement test.”

The first man spoke up again, “That wasn’t necessary, Miss Rosenberg.  We keep an eye out, and on, certain promising individuals.  In fact, there’s only one other student in Sunnydale who fit our criteria.”  He gestured to the curtains again.

Willow peered at the curtains for a third time, and considered.  “Fine,” she spoke forcefully, “but you better not try anything, I don’t think you’d like should I get mad right now.”  Willow then strode over to the curtains, a little intimidated nonetheless, especially when she wondered that although what Deo did kept her from accidentally harming someone directly, did it also keep her from harming someone deliberately?  Burned to a crisp came to mind.

The men did come inside with her.  Inside being a small room with a comfortable couch and a low table.  On the couch sat a boy, her age, blonde spikes for hair on his head.  He seemed interesting enough at first glance, although why he seemed to examine the tray of treats he was holding on his right hand so diligently Willow didn’t know.  The guy looked up and did a double take - except that it was so imperceptible, Willow wasn’t sure he did - she wasn’t even sure he moved.

“Hi,” he said, just a tiny hint of breathlessness at the very end there; one Willow didn’t even notice.

“Hi,” Willow returned, then shrugged off some of her remaining timidness, while pushing herself further down into herself, not wanting her magic to come out again.  She walked over to the couch and sat down.

“I’m Oz,” the guy introduced himself.  “Daniel Osbourne,” he quickly clarified.

“Willow,” Willow returned the greet, “Rosenberg.”

Oz looked down at the plate, and then turned it toward Willow.  “Caviar?”

*****

“Buffy, would you slow down,” Giles spoke as he ran a bit to catch up to the Slayer.

They just entered the cemetery, and Buffy, holding a flashlight, complained, “First I’m not moving fast enough, now I’m moving too fast, make up your mind, will you.”

“Could you try and stop acting so immaturely?” Giles told her with some annoyance as he just managed to catch up, breathing heavy.

Buffy bit back at him, “I /am/ /not/ mature!  I am a teenager, I have /yet/ to mature.  I’m /supposed/ to act immature.”

“Ah, yes,” Giles said, remembering.  “Well, I’m not used to you being /this/ immature, I perhaps forgot that little tidbit.  Could you try getting back to your usually level of maturity and immaturity?”  Buffy gave a huff.  “What is bothering you so?”

Buffy stopped and turned around to face Giles.  She was about to start a diatribe about how there wasn’t anything bothering her, but one look into Giles’ eyes removed that option. She looked down and dejected, saying, “It’s this career fair.  The others, even Lotion, get to got through the whole ‘what could I be’ a few years down the line.  Me, whatever I think up, I’ll know it’s just a fantasy that’ll never become true.  I’ll be Slaying till the day I die.”

“I hadn’t thought of that, I’m sorry,” Giles spoke, and then his face lit up.  “But I’m sure that you can find some other way to be gainfully employed next to Slaying.  Look, I’m a watcher and I have a job.”

Buffy looked at him disbelief, and then shrugged, saying, “You’re a librarian.  See how that goes nicely with being a Watcher, that’s practically /being/ a librarian.  Exactly what will allow me to be out at night, and slay during office hours?  Prostitution?”  She then turned around irritably and started walking again.

“Well, no, of course not,” Giles said, looking down as he followed her.  “Say, have you thought about law enforcement.”

Buffy whipped about, and pointed a warning finger at Giles, and said, “Don’t - mention that again.”  The she added defeated, “It isn’t like it matters anyway.  I’ll probably be dead before I can get a full time job that isn’t flipping burgers.”

Buffy started to turn, but suddenly found Giles having a strong grip on her right upper arm.  She turned back, and looked up in Giles eyes - steel eyes.  She shivered for a moment, now grasping Giles really could have been ‘ripper’ in his younger years.  Giles spoke with a surprising gentle voice, “Don’t.  Don’t think like that, Buffy.  You’re stronger now than any Slayer I’ve read about and you were strong before Xander came back and started training you. He and Lotion are both stronger than you still, surprisingly, so you can become even more powerful.  Deo is several orders of a magnitude more agile and strong than the three of you combined, it seems, and I think Xander is pretty dead set on not only equaling her, but surpassing her.”  Buffy still looked very moved and surprised up into Giles’ eyes, but he wasn’t finished yet.  “Keep training, you’ll grow that strong as well, I’m certain.  Better yet - you are not alone.  The Slayers before you, were just a Slayer and a watcher, you have two friends fighting alongside you, both stronger than you are, a mother of one of those friends even more strong who agreed to fight when necessary, a witch friend whose magic is growing, and her teacher committed to this fight as well.  I think you’ll be old and grey before you die.”

Tears sprung in Buffy’s eyes, and she herself didn’t even know where they came from. “You think so,” she whimpered hopefully, and Giles nodded.  Buffy slumped forward and hugged her watcher.  “Thank you,” she muttered as he returned the hug and she slowly regained control of her emotions, “I suppose that’s what Xander was trying to tell me yesterday; when he said if I died early we’d be dying together.  I just didn’t want think about making a mistake that got them killed.”  Buffy’s tears returned, but she forced herself out of Giles’ hug.  Swallowing a lump, she said, “They’ll be fighting alongside me.”  A small smile crept up her face, and then turned around, staying still.

“Better?” Giles asked.  Buffy pointed at the tomb where the vampires had been stealing. Giles took a better look, and read the writing above the entrance.  “Du Lac . . . oh, dear god.” He turned around and started walking.

“What?” Buffy spoke up, and quickly followed Giles.  “This isn’t good, is it?”

“No, Buffy, this is bad,” Giles spoke.

“Shit, just my luck,” Buffy muttered and shook her head as they came passed a wall holding urns.  Something caught the corner of her eyes, and she paused for a moment.  She turned to face the wall, and took in one urn seat that was adorned with flowers among many barren ones.  Wondering she took a step forward and read the name underneath cared for urn. “Jesse McNally,” she whispered out the name, and her eyes widened in shock, feeling a lump form in the pit of her stomach.

“Are you coming?” Giles called from a bit far away.

Buffy turned, and said, “Yeah, I’m coming.”

*****

While Jenny was looking through another book for a cure for Willow, and through it herself and Lotion.  Willow, and Xander sat in chairs at the same table looking through more books, while Buffy leant on the chairs they were occupying.  Giles came from behind a book case, and explained, “Du Lac was a priest, a brilliant magician, mathematician and demonologist at the turn of the century.   Unfortunately, his experiments went much too far, and too dangerous according to the Catholic church, and so they excommunicated him and his followers.”

“Banished, /and/ sent to Sunnydale,” Xander said impressed.  “This guy had to be seriously bad news.”

“Indeed,” Giles answered.  “He performed rituals with virgin sacrifices, summoned demons, and many more things.  It is said he wrote all his secrets down in a book - which happened to be the one stolen from the Sunnydale museum two weeks ago.  They say it contains many dark magics and rituals, but written in an unbreakable code.”

Willow was the one who ventured nervously, “Rituals?  Like the ones you need to open Hellmouths and stuff like that?”

“Yeah,” Buffy spoke dejectedly, “and I suppose with them stealing from the tomb, they found a way to translate the code.”

Giles placed the book he was holding down on the table, sighed, and said, “Exactly. It is said he created a cross, the Du Lac Cross.  It was designed so one could decipher texts and take hidden meanings from them.  All but the one buried with him was destroyed.  Which means we got to find out what’s in that book before the vampires do.  This will be an all night research session.”

“Hey!” Willow called out in annoyance, “Xander and I were supposed to be going on the repeat date tonight.  I wanted him to go as Lexa even, test out female - female date!”  Willow pointed out.

“I’m sorry,” Giles said, as Xander was about to say something.

Buffy though stopped him, as she started speaking while slowly backing away, “Well, I can’t.  I still have homework from my law enforcement booth, my mom wants me to do the dishes, and even vacuum the house while she’s away.  And I’m not good with books anyway, you guys are much better than that.  Right, Willow?”  Buffy gave a open-mouth Willow a look, and then turned around.

“Hold it right there,” Willow spoke dangerously, several sparks of energy flowing around her, and a splash of water landing right in front of Buffy.  The Slayer’s reflexes made it so she wasn’t wet again, turning around rapidly, looking at her best friend.  The witch said in no uncertain terms, “If we’re not going on a date, you’re not going on a date with Angel.”

“Willow,” Buffy whined with disappointment.  She noticed Xander’s dark look, and winced.

“Buffy,” Giles spoke with a little disappointment, and heard giggling coming from Jenny. He looked over, and she quickly ducked back into her book.

“Come on,” the Slayer whined again.  “I’m really bad at researching anyway, must be a Slayer thing.”

“But you go on the donut runs that provide the necessary sugars to get the Xan-man’s super research mind the proper stimulation,” Xander pointed out with a grin, making the Slayer pout.

Willow tried again, “Please, Giles.  Just one uninterrupted date with Xander.  We’ll research till the time to comes to leave, we’ll come back right after.  Those few hours and a translated book can’t possibly be the end of the world.  Look how strong we are together, especially if we ask Deo to come along and help fight, she did agree to that - despite her annoying . . .”  Willow trailed of.

Before Giles could explain the danger of what might be in that book, Xander spoke up, “Yeah.  Besides, can’t you find two other suckers to fill in for us while we’re gone?”

“Nihau!”

The Slayerettes turned as one to the door, where Lotion entered followed close behind by Cordelia.  The cheerleader told the Amazon, “Can’t you quit using that annoying word?”  She folded her arms across her ample chest.

“I don’t ask you to stop doing those annoying cheers at sports games, do I?” Lotion returned just as snidely.  “I respect your culture, even though I despise it.”  Cordelia’s eyes narrowed at the other girl.

Buffy watched it happen with a shiver of delight, happiness, hope, fear and a tinge of jealousy.  After a moment of taking in the two new arrivals Xander and Willow turned back toward each other.  Just one moment of silent communication with their eyes showed they were already on the same page, and then sweet, yet evil smiles lit up their faces.  Smiling still, they turned back to the new arrivals.

“What?” Cordelia asked noticing the smiles she most definitely did not like.  Lotion looked behind her confused for a moment, and turned back just as Cordelia repeated a bit more forcefully, “What!?”

*****

The bus stopped at the bus stop.  The door opened, and up front came a powerful-looking man, with scars in his face, and long, black hair.  A white sleeveless shirt, having only straps adorned his torso.  His left eye was gone, a scar running across it.  He looked around for just a moment, and walked off.

*****

The man wore a drab brown suit, he was bolding and small.  He carried a suitcase, and with a thin smile he walked through Buffy’s neighborhood.  Soon he found Buffy’s house, and took it in for a moment, the wind lovely breezed through the tree in the front garden.  Then he turned to his right and walked up the drive way of the house opposite of Buffy’s.  He rung the bell, and a moment later an older, thickly-set woman with curls opened.  “We don’t buy at the door,” she bit out at the man.

The man just smiled, and said, “Can I interest you in some free samples?”

“Free?” she said.  A few moments later he walked in, and once the door closed, the woman shrieked out a final scream.

*****

Powerful arcs of electricity, almost lightning bolts in there right, arched around the thick electric wires that lead electricity from a far off electric plant.  Once the arcs reached the edge town, they crunched together and shot down to the floor.  A cloud of electricity formed, electric bolts sizzling around and out; a vague outline that looked just a bit like a face formed higher up in the electricity.  The only material thing, a odd glistening metal object swirling about.  Then it shot underground, and into Sunnydale, the gliding along on the ground.

*****

A speed boat surreptitiously entered Sunnydale’s harbor.  Inside sat a woman with an amazing figure.  Blonde hair flowed above the thin white vest that showed off her breasts and offered plenty of cleavage.  It didn’t even reach her belly button.  Her clothes continued with a short black skirt that barely reached her thighs.  Dark green boots finished her outfit.  She picked up several bags, put them over her shoulder, and stepped out of the boat, walking onward with sure steps.

*****

The plane smoothly landed on Sunnydale airport and taxied to its spot.  A little while later a airport attendant drove up to the belly of the plane in a cart.  He opened the cargo compartment, and read off of a clipboard with a piece of paper.  From the corner of his eyes he noticed a shadow moving.  He frowned, and went into the cargo hold.  “Hey!” he called out loud as he moved deeper into the hold.  “Anyone in here?”  He thought he saw another moved and turned to his left, walking towards the many suitcases and other cargo.  “Nobody is allowed in here!” he called out.

A moment later he was clobbered, and beaten.  He gives one last groan, before sinking to the ground.  A moment later an exotic girl in a red tight pants, heavy makeup, earrings, and a black top with long sleeves.  It stopped right beneath her breasts, and the round collar of the top, made a sharp, narrow downward slit in the middle, stopping only just low enough to show glimpses off her cleavages.  Carefully she looked around for others, and then quickly slunk away.

*****

The sexy black-haired girl smiled sweetly at the man in the red sports car, as he drove his car into Sunnydale and aimed at the nearest motel.  Parked, he told her, “Wait here, I’ll be right back.”

Indeed, a short while later he arrived with some keys, and the two entered a room.  Once the door was closed he started kissing her almost desperately.  He pulled her toward the bed, and she started kissing down his neck.  Suddenly her eyes opened, turning to slits, but he couldn’t see that.  Large fangs slid down from her lips, and with a quick motion struck into his neck.  He gasped, and then gave a yell, pulling away easily.  He jerked back, falling on his ass onto the bed, having grabbed his neck.  He pulled it, seeing blood on his hand.  He looked at the beautiful girl, who smoothly gained scales, the legs disappearing.  The body elongated, becoming smoother, uncoiling, her head turned into a large flat one, a forked tongue flicked out once, looking at him.

Fear gripped him, and he tried to move, but he started convulsing.  With ever greater terror in his eyes he tried to wiggle away, but he moved less and less.  Falling onto his back on the bed, he went into shuddering convulsions.  Finally he lay still, a flow of drool from his mouth.  His eyes were still wide open though - terror written in them.  The snake quickly felt the man’s pockets, removing his keys.  Then its jaw opened, wider and wider, and engulfed the man’s lower legs.  The snake gulped, taking move of the man inside if its body.  Once the feet and lower legs were passed the head, powerful muscles in the snake body contracted, and the man’s bones crushed audibly.  In the man’s eyes, there was unfathomable pain and terror.

An hour later, the snake was finished eating the man.  Once again it morphed, soon after having gained the man’s appearance.  Smilingly it tossed the car keys up, and caught them, before exiting the motel room.

*****

The sand rippled and shuffled at the edge of Sunnydale.  First a few small points emerged, but they grew ever larger until a two meter tall porcupine stood there.  Except its eyes glowed green, and it stood on its hind legs.  Its stings were easily over a meter long.  It sniffed and snorted, and then hurried toward a sewer entrance.  It opened it, pushed its stings flat, and entered the sewer.

*****

The LA police helicopter landed smoothly in the middle of a clearing in the woods on the mountains at the south of Sunnydale.  A red-skinned demon in a long brown cloak stepped out of it.  Its yellow, narrow eyes were ominous.  Its muscled body deadly.  The lower and upper fangs coming over the lips even more so.  Its green hair hung gently down its face.  It took a look at the policeman pilot and the other two police occupants.  They looked slackly ahead, only the pilot was a bit more alert, since it had to fly.  The demon made a flick with its finger, and the pilot nodded.  Then the helicopter lifted off again, flying away.  The demon turned to Sunnydale and started walking.

*****

Smoothly the car drove into Sunnydale.  Inside sat a woman, black hair, black skin tight, easy to move in outfit.  The outfit had multiple sheaths, for daggers, knives, swords, two of them on her back.  She was casually polishing one sword, as she drove and steered with her feet alone.

*****

Buffy glided smoothly across the ice.  Her skates moved perfectly as she prepared, and jumped.  She swivelled through the air perfect, and landed . . . she felt herself losing balance, and then went down.  Sliding on her ass over the ice till she landed at the boards surrounding the ice rink.  Dang; she realized Slayer agility was not built for ice.  Her instinctive attempt at keeping balance had produced the exact opposite, and she knew it too.  Her trainer once made her train to not do what she just did to try and keep her balance - it was the wrong thing to do on ice.  She had gotten rid of the impulse, but now it was back, which must have come from her Slayer activation.

An arm reached from above her, and wrapped around her just under her head.  She smiled, saying, “Angel.”  Suddenly she was yanked up, and a second arm wrapped around her, now around her neck, the first hand joined and they squeezed.  Behind her was the long-haired man who had come with the bus.  Buffy panicked as she noticed her attempts at dislodging the impossibly strong hands were useless.  She kicked, attempted to gasp for breath, but all was useless.

“Buffy!” a voice called out that she recognized instantly: Angel.  A few moments later the souled vampire smashed into the man squeezing the life out of her, and he let go.  Coughing for air Buffy slumped back down to the ice.

Behind her a vamped out Angel smashed his fist across the man’s face, but other than a quick movement with his head, it had no effect.  The return punch from the man however, made Angel stagger back.  Angel attacked again, with a flurry of blows; after the third however, the man grabbed Angel’s wrist, smashed his own powerful fist into Angel’s stomach, and lifted the vampire up.  He tossed Angel painfully against the wall, and then rammed his foot into Angel’s face.  Fed up with the distraction, the assassin turned around and walked back toward the ice rink, walking onto the ice through an opening in the surrounding boards without fear.

Buffy had just scrambled up from her position, and landed a solid blow on the assassin who shrugged it off, and bashed Buffy over her cheek.  She stumbled sideways, grunting in pain, and this time didn’t make the same mistake as earlier.  She stayed standing and quickly skated off, making a quick circle and coming back at the assassin.  Her right foot whipped out, and the skate crashed into the assassin’s throat.  The man grabbed his own throat, gurgling as blood streamed from it.  Buffy already skated onward to where Angel rose from his position. A moment later the assassin sunk to his knees, and then fell over, the ice staining red with his blood.

“Are you all right?” Buffy asked concerned, holding Angel.  The vampire tried to turn away, but Buffy pulled his face back.  “You’re eye,” she said concerned as she noticed a gash on Angel’s vamped out brow.  He turned away again.  “I didn’t know you were a crybaby,” Buffy said, pulling his face back yet again.

“It’s not that,” Angel told her.  “You shouldn’t have to see me when I’m like this.”

Buffy smiled, and pulled him back, then placed a kiss on his vamped-out brow.  “It doesn’t bother me,” she said gently.  Then she leaned forward, and kissed Angel fully on the mouth.

In the back of the ice rink, an exotic girl appeared, took in the vampire couple kissing, and then slowly snuck out.

Back on the ice, Buffy and Angel slowly slid apart, her heart beating in her chest.  Was it possible to love more than one person, Buffy wondered.  The kiss was odd, sure, his skin cool. So very different from the burning hot, seemingly feverish lips with Xander.  But the kiss was pretty nice after all.  Angel was nervous, and to cover it up he went over to the dead assassin. He shrank down and turned him over.  “The corpse is more fascinating than the kiss?” Buffy asked slightly miffed, slightly amused.

“Uh, no-no, of- . . .” Angel’s eyes fell on the ring on the assassin’s right ring finger, and he immediately stopped talking.

“What?” Buffy asked not understanding.

“Buffy,” Angel said with dread as he took the ring off of the man’s finger, “do yo know what this is?”

“Uh . . . Super bowl championship ring?” she guessed.

Angel looked up at her, and got up.  “No, it’s a ring warn by the member of the Order of Teraka; an assassins guild.”

“So?  He’s dead,” Buffy said, pointing at the corpse.

“There will be others,” Angel spoke fearfully.

*****

Willow had her arms wrapped around Lexa’s bare midriff.  She was pushed against the wall, while Lexa was feverishly kissing her.  Both were in short skirts, and sexy tops, and were obviously enjoying it on each other.  They broke apart, and Lexa looked down at Willow, a little hint of guilt in her eyes.  Willow smiled broadly, looking up, and whispered, “I definitely like girl-girl kisses.”

“Hmm, me to,” Xander as Lexa.  Willow placed her head against the taller girl’s shoulder, partly on her breasts, and just took in the empty street and the houses around them.  The small strip of the moon above gave a romantic notion to the event, but not quite.

“We should have kept our hands off of each other till we reached the beach,” Willow said with a smile.

“Y-you know thi-this is not- . . .” Lexa started guiltily, still feeling the love for Buffy, and some for Lotion and hating putting the girls in this position - of course, they had put themselves in the position he reasoned, but that didn’t quench that little voice of guilt.

Willow put her finger on his mouth to shush him, saying gently, “I know, you haven’t made up your mind yet.  Don’t worry, I won’t take anything as a commitment except sex or a ring . . .”  Lexa was about to point something out.  Willow quickly added, “Buffy doesn’t count, she screwed up what she could have had on her very own.”

Willow looked up into Lexa’s face, imprinting it in her.  So much like Xander, and yet so different, both sides were equally thrilling, equally sexy, equally heroic.  The possibilities were dizzying - she so immensely hoped the double gender exchange artist would be hers someday soon.  As she thus looked up, she saw something.  She quickly looked alongside Lexa, far in the difference, some hundred or so meters, on a low roof of a house.  Blonde hair just visible over the top, glistening in the moonlight, and a some flickering light.  Willow’s eyes widened, immediately grateful for all the times Xander and Jesse made her watch action movies with them.  “XANDER!” she screeched in fear, pointing.  At the same time three streetlights exploded.

Lexa whirled around, instantly tossing aside the pleasant haze of the kiss.  Her right hand shot out . . . and caught a long steel-tipped arrow right from the air.  As he focused on the shooter in the difference, he twirled the arrow absentmindedly angrily taking several steps toward the party pooper.

The blonde in the distance looked up from her scope, the crossbow she had used casually in her hands.  Two more arrows were on it, and it smoothly slid into place, as she said, “Interesting.”

Lexa stopped as she reached the middle of the road.  The same thing that drew his attention to his left, drew the female shooter’s attention away, as well as Willow’s.  There was a sizzle, and a flash of light.  Looking toward it, all three saw the mass of electricity and plasma float up from the street, forming a two meter high and one and a half meter wide cloud, having a face-like appearance in the middle.

“What the hell?” Lexa muttered, and then some electricity came forward, pointing toward her.  She took a step back, examining the strange thing.  Suddenly a burst of electricity shot from the outstretched limb-like mass of electricity, and struck Lexa square in the chest. “AAH!” she screamed out, instinctively raising whatever chi she could gather to protect herself, but it wasn’t enough to keep from being launched backward.  Eventually she reached the corner of the street, slammed with her lower back against the fire hydrant standing there, and fell over it backward, legs in the air.

“*XANDER!!!*” Willow screamed out in fear and pain at the possibilities, losing all control.  Energy whipped and boiled around her in an instant, every window in a fifty meter radius exploded outward, showering everything in shards of glass.  “You will pay!” Willow growled out at the cloud of electricity, its face turned toward her, a vaguely surprised expression on it.  “AAAAH!!” Willow yelled out, firing energy balls from her hands without even knowing how to do it; the poles of the streetlights groaned then folded.  The metal was squeezed all over and they were bent in multiple directions, many sticking out almost horizontally.

The energy balls though, hit the creature, and evaporated in it.  It pointed at Willow as it pointed at Xander and another burst of electricity shot out.  It penetrated Willow’s chi and magic seemingly easily, slammed in her chest the same way, and flung her backward, smashing into the wall.  Groaning with pain, and her face crunched up, she sank to the floor.  Slumping into unconsciousness, her energy bleeding away.  A few more tendrils of electricity sizzled around and in her body, making it jerk.

The cloud of electricity took in a job well done, and prepared to disappear back into the ground.  “Hey, you!” a female voice called out, and the electricity creature turned back, taking in the female form of Xander, who .

“Astounding,” the electric creature spoke with a crackling voice as it floated toward Lexa, “I was surprised enough I saw you turn into a female when I observed you earlier; but I still didn’t believe my employer’s claims of your power.  You’re only the third human to survive one of my electric bolts, and is still able to stand.”

Lexa sneered at creature coming ever closer, telling it, “We have a saying, ‘Come to momma, you piece of shit’.”  Lexa grabbed the fire hydrant, twisted it partially, and bashed off one of the hose connection.  A big powerful jet of water shot out, and doused the cloud of electricity in water.

“NOO!!” the thing screamed in pain, its electricity shooting out through the water in all directions.  Bolts flew up, and down, many smashing back into its ‘body’, as water burst through it, tearing at its innards.  The electricity short-circuited, long-circuited, crackled about and more, until it finally died away.  Xander quickly ran passed the large jet when he realized his plan had succeeded.  Coming closer to window he looked back up to the roof, but the blond sniper was gone.  He quickly knelt down next to Willow, and put his hand on her chest.

“Willow?” he asked with painful concern.  He sighed relieved when he felt a strong, but slightly irregular pulse.  The irregularity steadily became less, and she started wiping some pieces of glass off of Willow.  The witch groaned then, and opened her eyes.  She looked in Lexa’s face, and wrapped her arms immediately around her neck.  “You’re okay,” she whispered happily, and gave a happy sob.

They hugged, and then their attention was drawn by a sound.  They looked toward the spray of water, and saw a small metallic object being dragged along across the asphalt by the flow of water.  They got up, walked over and Lexa picked up the object, which turned out to be a ring.  As the spray of water started to die down, Willow muttered angrily, “First Deo, now a sniper and an electric demon.”  Then she looked sadly up at Lexa, and whimpered, “Why can’t we have just one complete date?”

“We’re having one,” Lexa said, slung her arm around Willow’s shoulders and after putting the ring in a pocket started to walk.  “The ring can wait, Giles is busy with the Du Lac stuff anyway.  We go to my place, enjoy the ocean view, take a nightcap and then go to Giles. What do you say?”  Willow nodded happily.

*****

Lotion sighed as she put away another magic book.  Once again she had found nothing of interest.  Across from her sat Cordelia, reading as well, and Giles was behind another table. Jenny had gone out, saying she had an errand to run.  Lotion complained, “I can’t believe we’re here sitting and reading, while the Slayer, Xander and Willow are out on dates.”

Cordelia looked up.  She glared at lotion, saying, “Do I /look/ like I need to hear that?” Xander and Willow were frighteningly efficient team that she would never underestimate again. Ten years of experience with each other, they had laid a string of arguments and the occasional guilt trip upon them, never letting Cordelia or Lotion get a word in.  At the end, when they had said half of the first letter of respectively ‘yes’ and ‘okay’, the two were already out the door, dragging Buffy along.

“I’m just saying,” Lotion returned a little gruffly, and went to grab a new book.

There was a roar and a crash.  The large porcupine demon came straight through the wooden floor of the library, and peered at Lotion.  The three humans present, looked with surprise at the intrusion.  It turned around, and shot a contingent of its spines at the two girls. The spines grew back almost instantaneously.  Lotion having faster reflexes jumped forward, tackling Cordelia including chair to the ground.  The spines sailed just past and embedded in multiple places in the library, including . . .

“Those are books!” Giles shouted in horror, before diving toward the weapons cage.

The demon ignored Giles and advanced on the girls.  Lotions gritted her teeth as she got up, taking in the spines on the demon’s back and arms.  More spines shot out from its arms, and Lotion somersaulted backward, as Cordelia dove under the table to avoid the new spines. Lotion landed on a pillar, and jumped forward, slamming her foot in the demon.  The demon stumbled back a bit, blocked her follow up punch, and bashed her aside with one of his own. Lotion kept herself from falling to the ground, and charged forward again, not being able to hit the demon anywhere than on full frontal where there were no spines.

Her first punch missed barely, her second was blocked while she blocked the monster’s. Immediately after she hit it in the stomach, making it double over.  It whipped its right hand out, catching her across the chin, and pulled back.  The spines on the arm raked over Lotion’s face, scratching her open.  “Aah!” she hissed, and kicked out, slamming into the demon’s gut. It grunted and jumped forward, twisting around and fired a new round.  Lotion jumped high into the air, making a screw flowing into a somersault.  “Sword!” she ordered as she jumped again.  Giles had just retrieved two swords, and tossed one of them, aiming just above Lotion.

As Lotion came down she grabbed the sword and sliced it down.  The demon put up his spines on his arms, and caught the sword against it, blocking it.  Lotion grunted in frustration, making a quick backward motion.  The demon fired another load of spines from his arm, one of which Lotion stopped using her sword as a shield.  The others passed her, and Lotion jumped forward again, slicing the sword underneath the demon’s arms.  Grunting with effort she missed, and pulled the sword back before the demon’s slam downward would have either destroyed it, or made her drop it.  The demon came up, and the Amazon kicked the demon’s head further away.  Rapidly she moved into the demon’s guard, and stuck her sword into its belly.  The demon howled painfully as green blood oozed from its wound, and Lotion quickly pulled back, finishing up with a rapid horizontal strike.  A moment later the demon’s head came off, and bounced on the floor exactly once.  “Die already,” Lotion told the dead demon. A moment later it dissolved in a spectacular glowing goo, which quickly disappeared as well. Only a small object was spared the demon’s fate, it dropped to the ground and stayed still there.

Lotion looked confused, went over and picked up the ring.  “Mr. Giles, any idea what this is?”

*****

Jenny had hid her feline nature in a hooded robe, along with the darkness of night, nobody would really notice.  She knocked on the door to Lotion and Deo’s home.  The door was at the side of the building that housed the restaurant.  A few moments later the Amazon opened the door, and before she could say anything Jenny stepped inside.

Deo looked amused as she closed the door, and then a little surprised as she saw Jenny take off her hood.  “So the witch got to you too, huh?” Deo questioned.

“I cannot believe you are this irresponsible,” Jenny hissed at the Amazon, her whiskers twitching with anger.

Deo shrugged and walked passed the cat-woman, not really caring about her objections. Both of them walked further onward, into the small kitchen, and Deo asked much too politely, “Coffee?”

Jenny growled as she grabbed the amazon’s shoulder and yanked her around so she faced her.  “You’re playing with lives, Deo,” Jenny growled out in a feline manner.

Deo smiled coolly, and said, “She can’t harm anyone, and your transformations are not permanent.  All she has to do is request me to disrupt the technique, and remove any claims on my future son in law, and the problem will be solved.”

“Not directly,” Jenny corrected angrily.  “Tell me what you did, and how I can reverses it.”

“No,” Deo stated with resolution.

A growl came from Jenny’s throat, and lashed out with her close, long nails shooting out the tips.  Deo smoothly grabbed her by the wrist, and pulled her over her shoulder.  Jenny landed with a smack against the counter.  Growling cat-Jenny stood up, and realizing she couldn’t defeat the Amazon, hissed, “/This/ is /not/ a game.”

Deo took two steps forward and grabbed Jenny by her collar tightly, growling back. “You /think/ I treat this as a /game/?  My daughter’s honor, my daughter’s future, and my daughter’s happiness is /not/ a game to me.  She /will/ marry Xander Harris if I have anything to say about it.  I love my husband, and I’m happy with him - most of the time.  There are times when I’m frustrated with him, wished he had more of a backbone, wished he dared talk back to me.  Just wished for once he initiated the sex.  My daughter can have that; and I will do anything in my power to make sure she does.”

“Reverse it, before people get hurt, or worse,” Jenny said one final time, but knew what the Amazon’s answer would be.

The doorbell rang, and Deo let go of Jenny.  The cat-woman trailed behind in defeat as Deo went through the narrow hallway to the door.  The Amazon opened it, and there stood a tall imposing red demon.  Deo was surprised for a moment, and the demon’s golden eyes glowed.  “Go to your daughter, and kill her,” the demon spoke almost bored.  “Then kill the rest and finally yourself.”

Deo dazedly nodded, as the demon looked up, and casually looked at Jenny’s silhouette in the door opening to the kitchen.  “You stay here,” the demon said, still bored.  Its eyes widened when a throaty, feline growl came from the human he had dismissed as unimportant earlier.  Perhaps he should have looked better.  Jenny crouched as Deo started to walk forward, her eyes flashed as the light of the moon fell just fell on her eyes.  “What the?” the demon muttered in surprise as Jenny suddenly ran forward, half on her hind legs, half on all fours.  With a hiss Jenny jumped over Deo and slashed at the demon.  The demon rapidly stepped back, raising his cloak, saving his torso from being scratched open, instead his cloak was ruined.

The demon rapidly walked backwards, and Jenny jumped out of the house.  In the alley, she hissed, her tail up and her hairs straight up like a house cat.  “I’m going to rip you apart,” Jenny growled out.

“Stay back, you bitch!” the demon said in anger and a little fear.  Jenny jumped, attacking once more.  The demon brought its fist forward, but Jenny just bit into it with her fangs, holding onto the bigger demon.  Screaming in pain, the demon shook his hand, and kicked at Jenny.  It hit, and with a painful growl Jenny let go of the arm, falling backward.  She ignored the pain, and got up, ran forward.  She through a punch that the demon clumsily blocked, and flung a fist with his other one.  It slammed in Jenny’s chin, but she shrugged it off.  Her smaller size allowed her to easily duck underneath his next punch, and she jumped forward landing one in his stomach.  The demon coughed, and Jenny made a jumping uppercut, but not with her fist, with her opened claws.  A loud scream of pain tore from the demon’s throat, and behind the two, Deo shuddered to a stand still.  As yellow blood started to ooze from the demon’s wounds, Deo shook her head to clear it and Jenny came down with her claws.  The demon backed away, but her left claw still grazed his shoulder.

Grimacing, the demon kicked out viciously, and hit Jenny in her chest.  The cat-woman was sent flying backward, and the demon quickly turned around and ran.

Jenny got up, and for a moment considered going after the fleeing demon, but then turned around and went back to Deo.  “You okay?  What was that?” Jenny asked the Amazon.

“It controlled my mind, somehow,” the Amazon told her.

“Why not mine?” Jenny wondered.

Deo shook her head, and said, “I don’t know, perhaps it can’t do it with more than one person.”

“I suggest we get to the resident demon expert and ask,” Jenny told the Amazon, and she agreed readily.  Deo was pretty sure she wouldn’t have been able to shrug off the control when facing her daughter, but she didn’t want to not have an option if she was wrong.

*****

In Spike’s and Drusilla’s hideouts, Drusilla turned over one card, then a second above it, and finally a third in the upper corner.  “Ooh, three down, six left,” Drusilla sang out.  “You were right, Spike, three wasn’t enough.  Such good fighters we face, but the stars are still in our favor, Miss Edith says.”

“Good,” Spike said with a grin.  “Succeed or not, it’ll keep the bloody white hats busy till it’s far too late.  Well, Dalton?”

Dalton was translating the final passage using the golden cross.  “I got it!” he said and handed over the paper.

“Oh, bloody brilliant, all this time looking . . .” Spike trailed off with a smile.

Drusilla finished for him, “and it was right beneath our entrails.”

*****

The door to Xander’s apartment opened smoothly, and Lexa and Willow entered the place, sharing a kiss.  Lexa closed the door behind them, and then they took in the lovely centered living room, and the ocean view through the windows, and past the balcony behind it.

“Hmm,” Willow muttered, and then looked up in Lexa’s eyes.  “I gotta go the bathroom.”

“I’ll get us some root beers,” Lexa said with a smile.  Willow smiled back and went to the bathroom.

Lexa circled the counter, entering the kitchen.  She pulled out two glasses and poured root beer in it.  Then she went to the table in the middle and placed the glasses down.  The building bell rang, and Lexa frowned.  Who could it be at this hour?  She went over and pushed the intercom.  “Hello?”

#Hey, Lexa, it’s Buffy,# sounded through the machine.

“Oh, hey,” Lexa said, a little disappointed at another interruption, but it had to be important.  He opened the outside door with a push of the button, while saying, “You can just use the key I gave you, you know.”

#Don’t have it with me,# Buffy answered, and Lexa nodded.  A few moments later the doorbell of Xander’s apartment rang, and she opened the door.

“Hey, Buffy,” Lexa said and stepped aside.  Buffy took the non-explicit invitation, and walked in.

“I’m sorry to barge in like this,” Buffy said, her hips swaying sexily as she walked toward the couch.  Lexa was close behind, unable to keep himself from checking out the Slayer’s ass wrapped in a tight black skirt.

*Damn,* she thought, *Angel is one lucky son of a bitch.  The date!*  Lexa walked close behind Buffy, asking, “Didn’t your date go well?”

Buffy seductively turned around, her eyes teared up a bit.  “No,” she whimpered, eyes slightly teary, “that is, I just realized he’s not for me.  I made such a big mistake Xander.” Lexa was drawn to Buffy’s big, blue, sad eyes.  The Slayer wrapped her arms around Lexa, and gently maneuvered him down to the couch, telling her, “I’m for you, even with the gender switching, I’ll adapt.”

“R-really?” Lexa said dreamily, a pang of guilt for Willow as she let herself slip down in Buffy’s embrace.  Her eyes were so mesmerizing.  Lexa knew Buffy’s eyes were a powerful weapon on the weak minded, but she never considered this.  Buffy’s lips touch touched Lexa’s, and they kissed, making Lexa groan.  Buffy slowly started kissing down Lexa’s chin toward her neck.  Lexa closed her eyes with the pleasure of the fluttering kisses.

The toilet flushed, and a moment later Willow came out.  As she tucked her top back in her skirt she asked absentmindedly, “Who was that, Lexa?”  Willow looked up, and a moment of pure jealousy raged through her when she saw Buffy kissing Lexa down her neck.  The jealousy disappeared with one shocking thought raced through Willow’s mind, *Since when does Buffy have giant fangs?!*

“*GET OFF HER!!*” Willow screamed out, waving her hand at the female figure. Everything seemed to explode.  The Buffy-like figure was blasted off of Xander, crashing through the already exploding windows as her shape twitched in pain and reverted to a much more snake like appearance.  Then it fell down behind the balcony and was out of sight.  Water came exploding from the faucet, spraying the apartment.  The glasses shattered, making the root beer spill.  A fire flame of anger surrounded Willow and flashed around the room for a moment, heating the water from the fountain.  The couches and chairs were flung in all directions, crashing against the walls and falling down - luckily not broken.  Lexa was pushed upward as the couch she was on flew away.  The warm water reverted her back to Xander, and he painfully landed on his butt, making him groan out loud.

Willow rapidly walked out on the balcony and looked down.  The man-sized cobra with arms looked up at her, slitted eyes narrowing with anger and annoyance.  Then the shape coiled back in, and a moment later the snake was a man, whose gaze lingered on the astonished Willow for one more moment.  Then he ran off.

“Ow, what hit me?” Xander groaned out, slowly getting up, looking a little comical in a skirt and top, but Willow’s concerns didn’t even notice it.

“Are you okay?  Did it hurt you?  Did I hurt you?” Willow whimpered hopefully.

“No, I’m fine; oh, god, Will, what happened?” he said, looking around, and then everything rushed back.  “Will, when I’m on a date with you, I wouldn’t kiss some other girl, even if it was Buffy; there was something about her eyes . . . where did she go?”

“It was a Cobra snake demon, Xander,” Willow whispered, a sob coming from her as the emotions and adrenaline drained from her system.  “It ran off as a man in a business suit, it could change its shape; I guess it can hypnotize with its eyes too.”

Xander blinked, and then reached underneath his skirt, pulling out the ring from under her panties where he had stashed it.  “I guess this can’t wait after all,” Xander said holding up the ring.  The two looked at each other sadly.  “I’ll go put on something male, and then we go to the library,” he said, and Willow nodded sadly.

*****

Buffy barged into the library, saying, “Giles, we’ve got- . . . whoa.”  She looked around the mess that the porcupine demon left; and Lotion wearing very satisfied grin, casually stretching - like the cat that ate the canary.  Giles was bent over a book, holding something shiny in his hand.  Cordelia was looking through another book.

As Giles got up to look at Buffy, she heard him mutter, “I’ve seen it before, where have seen it before?”  Then he said out loud, “Buffy?”

“Giles,” Buffy send and quickly jumped down to the lowest level and walked to the table at which he stood.  She put the ring on the table and said, “Some seriously strong bastard wearing that ring tried to kill me . . .”  Buffy’s eyes widened as she now took a better look at what Giles was holding: another ring the same one.  Subdued she continued, looking back at the smiling Lotion, “I see there was a visitor here for me as well.  Angel was freaked Giles, said the ring belonged to something called the Order of Tenaka.”

“Order of Teraka, oh dear god,” Giles spoke out loud.

“I hate it when he says that, don’t you, Will?” Xander’s voice sounded, and the occupants of the library looked back to see him and Willow standing just inside the library.  Willow nodded vigorously, and Xander punted something from his hand with his thumb.  It sailed through the air, and Giles caught it.  Holding it up, they could see another ring, the same one. “I took that off of a electric demon I killed by spraying it with water,” Xander explained, making Buffy’s eyes widen in shock.  “There was a sniper with a crossbow, that got interrupted by the electric demon, then at my apartment . . .” Xander looked at Willow.

“It was a shape shifting snake demon, about five meters long body I think, came at Xander as Buffy,” Willow added hurriedly.

“Then they aren’t just coming for Buffy,” Cordelia observed from her position at a table.

Buffy blinked, and dreading guessed, “What?  Me, Xander, and . . .”

“Lotion,” spoke Jenny.  Giles, Buffy, Cordelia and Lotion turned around, to watch Deo and Jenny walk in from the book cases - obviously having snuck in through the back door.  “A demon took Deo’s mind under its control and I heard it order her to kill her daughter.  I chased it away, for some reason it couldn’t control me.”

“O-okay,” Buffy said, her voice wavering a bit as she attempted to gain control of the situation.  “We just find these bastards, how many are there?”

“Nine at least,” Willow spoke always the mathematician.  “Xander had three different ones after him, we can assume that means each one of you has at least three as well, making nine.”

“That makes at least six remaining,” Giles added with a concerned frown.  “Each one of you has killed one of them, we’ve seen another three, which means that there are at least three more of which we have no idea what they look like, or what there abilities are, one more that can change shape, and one that possibly has enough mind control ability to make you not see him . . . this is bad.”   He looked up, and said, “I have a book on the Order somewhere here. We should look if the assassins you’ve seen are already known, and whether they have weaknesses we can exploit, but . . .”

“Great!” Buffy said, with hope.  “Three down, six to go, time to kick some ass.”

“Buffy,” Giles said, deeply concerned.  “This is not going to be that easy.  The Order of Teraka is a deadly order that dates back to the time of King Solomon.”

“And didn’t they beat the Elks this year in the Sunnydale adult bowling championship?” Xander wondered walking down the few steps, making everyone frown at him.

Giles continued, “Their credo is to sow discord and kill the unwary.”

“Bowling is a vicious game,” Xander said with a grin.

“That’s enough Xander!” Giles snapped, making Xander look up at him, and the others down.  “This is no time for jokes.”

“Personally, I think it’s the perfect time for jokes,” Xander said, surprising himself with his bold statement, and the others gave him a quick look.

Giles shook his head, and said, “I think you three should find a place out of the way to hide, at least until we’ve learned more.”

“Wait,” Buffy spoke up, with fearful look in her eyes.  “Angel told me to head for the hills as well.  What are you saying?  That we can’t handle this?  That these guys are too much for us?”

Giles explained, “Buffy, the order is a breed apart.  Unlike vampires, the assassins have no earthly desires except to collect their bounty.”  Willow and Cordelia look stricken, and Buffy just listens a little defeated.  “They find the target, and . . . uh, eliminate it.”  Buffy takes a step back, and looks down.  “You can kill as many of them as you’d like, it makes no difference. Where there is one, there is another, and another . . . they won’t stop coming until the job is done.”  Xander tried to speak up, but this time Giles waltzed right over him, continuing, “Each on works alone, in his own way.  Some are human, some are not, you won’t know who they are until they strike.”

“B-but . . .” Buffy said and then bolted out the library.

“Buffy!” Xander called out desperately.

But the Slayer was already out the door, muttering an inaudible final two words, “Y-you said . . .”

“Oh, that was brilliant, Giles,” Xander muttered out bitterly, turning back.  The girls looked up at the pissed Xander, a slight bit of hope returning if he wasn’t defeated.

“Uh, I may have overdone it?” Giles asked.

Jenny crossed the distance between her and Giles, and slapping his arm said, “You think?”

“You’re not even correct,” Xander added with a little irritation.  “What you described is putting a bounty on someone’s head and bounty hunters come for the bounty.  The Order are assassins, there’s a difference.  Assassins you pay up front, and they take out the target.  They fail though, and you want more assassins to try, you’ll have to put up more money before another one comes.  Whoever hired the order, hired multiple assassins.”

Giles looked a little sheepish, as Deo said, “He is very much correct.”

“How do you know, Xander?” Lotion asked him.

Xander pointed at his head, “Halloween, soldier boy.”  He sighs, and walks to the door, “I’m going after her, hopefully I pick the right direction, and I’ll catch up with her.”

“Xander!” Cordelia called out, and he turned around, everyone looking at him.  “Be careful.”

“I can handle myself, don’t worry.  You guys find Du Lac, and the Terakans’ weaknesses, I’ll find Buffy,” Xander said, and was out the door.

*****

Buffy had run aimlessly through the darkened streets of Sunnydale.  She stopped, and cried. Tears streamed down her face.  For only a few moments she had allowed herself to hope, hope for a better future, a long future, with her friends by her side; as Giles had said was possible. And now it was gone, just like that.  A never ending train of Assassins would be coming for her and two of her friends - and sooner or later they’d succeed.

Buffy wanted to feel safe now; despite its impossibility.  Have strong arms wrapped around her.  She thought of Xander, but dismissed it.  First he was most likely still back there, where she didn’t want to be, and if he wasn’t he was a target.  Which made going to his apartment useless as well; if her assassins didn’t track her there, Xander’s would get her.  Mom wasn’t home, the rest was still back there . . . that left Angel.  That was good!  The vampire wouldn’t be listed anywhere, good chance the assassins didn’t know where he lived.  Whether he was there or not, she’d be safe, at least for a little while.  So, Buffy headed off toward his apartment.

*****

Xander arrived at Angel’s apartment.  He checked it out for a moment, looking for a way in. “Buffy!?” Xander called out.  “Buffy?  Angel?”  He shrugged, and easily kicked down the door.  “Buffy!” he called again, quickly checking all the rooms - all empty.  He gritted his teeth, closed the door behind him, and left.

*****

Not long after Buffy arrived there.  She opened the door and entered, too distraught to wonder why the door was unlocked.  Looking around, she called, “Angel?  Angel?”  There was no answer, so put herself down on his bed, and with tears leaking from her eyes, attempting to sleep.

*****

“We’re closed!” Willy, the proprietor of the dingy bar called to the figure in the doorway.

“I’m not here for a drink, Willy,” Angel said, and came inside the bar.

“Angel!  Buddy!  How have you been?” Willy called with a big grin.

Angel shortened the distance quickly, and hissed, “Spare me the theatrics, Willy.  I want to know who hired them.”

“Hired who?” Willy asked innocently.

Angel grabbed him by the throat and slammed him back on his own bar.  “The Order of Teraka, obviously.”

“Angel, friend, I swear I don’t know.  I went legal, no more funny business,” Willy explained with a smile.

Angel squeezed his hand around the man’s neck tighter, and said, “Willy, Willy.  We don’t really want to see how much I remember about torturing from my days as Angelus, do we?”

“Okay, okay, it’s Spike!” Willow called out frightened.

“Why?” Angel asked dangerously.

Willy swallowed, and whimpered out, “I don’t know, all I heard is something about a restoration ritual, that’s it, I swear.  Now you got to protect me, Spike’ll kill me if he finds out I spilt.”

Angel was about to offer a return when he was suddenly launched off of Willy with a painful impact.  “Holy Mary,” Willy muttered with drool as he saw who was his savior.  Angel crashed off to the side against a wall, and ground out.

“Get out, leettle man,” the exotic girl spoke with a heavy accent.

“Right, no problem, won’t get in your way,” Willy said and quickly ran out his bar.

Angel slowly got up, taking in the dark-skinned girl, and asked, “Who are you?”

“Your death,” she spoke and rammed a right cross across Angel’s face.  He stumbled off to his right, and turned around to face her.  Bad choice, because the girl was in the air and both her feet came flying at his chest.

“Aargh!” Angel groaned out as he was launched back, crashed through a half-closed door and tumbled down a short staircase, to land in the bar’s dirty basement.

With effort he got back up, and saw the girl land in front of, jumping down the five steps in one bound.  “I don’t wish to hurt you,” Angel tried one last time, but got a fist in his face for his effort.  He vamped out, having had it, and attacked.  He avoided her second hit, and slammed a fist in her face.  To his surprise, the girl took it without much effort, only her face whipping to her left.  He blocked her next punch, but got her rapid kick in his stomach.  He stumbled back, moaning in pain, quickly collecting himself.

His centuries experience helped, as he managed to deflect the next right punch, and whipped around, slamming his foot in the side of her face, making her stumble backward, passing carrying beams, and into a section of the basement holding kegs with who knew what. The girl collected herself easily, and looked at Angel with a dangerous intensity.  She jumped forward and twisted with a devastating roundhouse punch, that connected with Angel’s face and made him stumble backward.  Before he could do anything, the girl had already slammed her shoulder in his stomach, making him double over and tumble further back, directly at an opened door of a caged off section.  A followup immensely powerful kick to his chest, made him stumbled backward all the way into the caged area.

Angel looked up from his position and got up readying to continue the fight, till he saw the cruel smile adorning the girl’s face.  She reached for the still opened, heavy steal-barred door.  Angel’s eyes widened and quickly jumped forward . . . the girl was faster though, and the door slammed shut.  Angel slammed against the heavy bars that separated his section from the rest of the bars.  He yanked at them, but it was all steel, too thick for even a vampire to budge; almost as if built for one.

The girl looked coolly at him, and asked, “De girl . . . de one I saw you weeth earleeur.”

“Don’t you dare hurt her, or I’ll- . . .” Angel snarled, trying to grab her through the bars.

She interrupted him, “Den I suggest you hurree.”  She pointed up to her left with her eyes. Angel looked where she was pointed and saw a small barred window.  “Eastern exposure,” she told him with an even crueller smile, “dee sun weell be high enough in at most two ours.” Angel locked shocked, and then she simply turned and walked away.

*****

“Willow, Cordelia,” Giles called, and the two girls suddenly jerked awake.

“Don’t wake the tadpoles,” Willow called out, and then looked around confused.

Cordelia just looked around wide eyes, noticing Lotion rubbing sleep from her eyes, obviously just getting awake as well.  Jenny was off to her left, the cat-woman oddly, or perhaps not so oddly quite alert.  Next to her was Deo, gulping down large mouthfuls of most likely black coffee - strong black coffee.

“Giles, what are you doing here?” Willow asked the watcher, as Cordelia was still blinking the sleep from her eyes.

“You fell asleep during researching, you’re in the library,” Giles said with a smile.

“I’m sorry,” she said.

“You don’t have to, all you girls went well beyond the call of duty today,” he said, looking around the sleepy girls.  “Tadpoles?”

Before Willow could answer thought, both Lotion and Cordelia came to the same realization.  “Xander isn’t back yet?” they asked simultaneously, fearfully.

Giles shook his head, and said, “We figured out what’s in the book though; there’s a ritual to restore master vampires back to full health.”

With wide eyes Willow asked, “Master vampires like Drusilla?”  Giles nodded solemnly.

“Somebody should go looking for Xander,” Jenny pointed out calmly.  “And I should stay with Lotion; the demon with mind control, can’t control cats.”

“I’ll go, I can take my car, and they’re not after me,” Cordelia said, and rose up.  “That black coffee,” she asked as she wobbled about.  “What time is it anyway?” she asked, as Deo poured Cordelia easily a cup.  Jenny glared at the Amazon with unmistakable hostility, Cordelia supposed the techno-pagan still hated the woman for not lifting the test off of Willow in this dire situation.  Her yelling about it had kept her longer awake than she thought had been possible for her last night.

“About four o’clock in the morning, and somebody finding Xander is why I woke you,” Giles said gravely.  “The library is easily defendable, we should be here till we have a plan of attack.”

As Cordelia finished her coffee and went for the exit, Lotion told her, “You better bring him back alive.”  Cordelia nodded once at the Amazon girl, and then left.

*****

Cordelia drove through Sunnydale, making several wrong guesses, but finally spotted Xander walking along the pavement.  She slowed down next to him, and lowered her window with a touch of a button.  “Hey Xander, anyone attack you?” Cordelia asked him with a relieved smile.

Xander turned to her, and give her a tired smile.  “Apart from a couple of vamps, no,” Xander answered her, and leaned on the door of her car, obviously tired.

“You haven’t found her, you don’t think?” Cordelia asked him with a little fear, surprising herself that she actually let Xander see she had come to care for the annoying, short blonde.

Xander smiled at her, telling her, “Hell, no, if Buffy was dead, we’d have know.  She wouldn’t go down without a fight big enough to level Sunnydale with the ground.  But where she is I don’t know, I don’t know.  I’ve looked everywhere, cemeteries, the Bronze, her house, even Angel’s apartment.”

“You went back to her house yet?” Cordelia asked him.  Xander shook his head.  “Then get in, dumbass, she could have gotten there after you checked, you know.”

“Right,” Xander said sleepily and slid across the hood of the car to get in next to Cordelia.

“God, you need coffee - hell, you probably need something stronger,” Cordelia told Xander in no uncertain terms, and peeled off toward a slowly lightening horizon.

*****

They arrived at Buffy’s home and got out of the car.  Xander opened the door with his key, and called, “Buffy!”  He went up the stairs, as Cordelia walked into the living room, checking the couches, but they weren’t occupied.

Across the road, a man carrying a suitcase opened the door of the other house, and came walking over with a creepy smile.  He banged the gold-colored knocker several times. Cordelia came over and opened the door.

“Hi, I’m Norman Phister, can I interest you in some free samples?” he asked with a big smile.

“Free?” Cordelia asked her face lighting up.  Smiling the man stepped inside, and followed her to the living room.  The man opens the briefcase with the samples, and casually looks around the living room, as Cordelia is like a kid in a candy store, taking out one piece of makeup after another.  “How much is this?  After I try it for free of course,” Cordelia asked picking out a nice lipstick.

“Nine ninety-nine, tax included,” Norman spoke in a completely even tone.  “Say, are there any other ladies of the house?”

“Now, they’re not at home right now,” Cordelia answered, checking out some mascara. She looked up, and said, “And how much is- . . .”  Cordelia swallows her choke as she notices a mealworm run along the man’s cheek.  He turns to look at her, just as Xander comes back down the stairs.  He realizes she notices something.

“Buffy’s not- . . . hey, who’s this?” Xander asked confused.

“He’s a nice businessman,” Cordelia replied backing away toward Xander, “Who’s just about to leave, right?”

The man turned, and smiled just a bit more, several more mealworms come crawling out of his sleeve.  Xander noticed it, and also noticed the ring on the demon’s finger.  “Well, well, a bug Terakan assassin,” Xander said, crackling his knuckles.  “I’ve actually been looking forward to some payback on your kind.”  The assassin just looked a bit confused at this. Xander brought his right fist back, and threw a rapid, devastating punch - which simply passed straight through the assassin, who turned into a mass of mealworms at the impact.  “What the!?” Xander exclaimed, as Cordelia shrieked in fright and ickiness.  Xander pulled his arm back and tossed some of the mealworms off of him, while the bug assassin already finished reconstituting himself.  “Shit,” Xander muttered, and tried again with a roundhouse kick, with the same result although there’s less of the body left.  “Run,” Xander said, and pulled Cordelia along, heading for the kitchen.  The cheerleader shrieked, and worse once more when they reach the kitchen and the bug assassin is already there waiting, just finished reforming there.  A casual smile was on his face, which made him extra creepy.

Xander immediately reversed course, continuing to pull Cordelia along.  He reached the hall and the stairs but the bug man is there waiting for them, making Cordelia shriek once more.  In one move Xander twisted, picked up Cordelia, and put her in a fireman’s carry.  She looked completely dumbfounded at her sudden prone position.  He grabbed the railing of the stairs and swung around it, kicking out his feet.  He caught the assassin in his head, spraying some bugs along and landed at the bottom of the stairs.  With one single bound he went all the way upstairs.  Cordelia gave a horrified shriek, and yelled, “GET THEM OFF ME!”

Xander didn’t listen.  He went left and ran down the short hall, to the window at the end. “Sorry, Mrs. Summers,” he said, and with one kick shattered the window and sent the frame flying out the house and down.

“Xander!?  What-?”  That was as far as Cordelia came, when Xander put one foot on the lower edge of no longer window, and jumped high through the air.  “AAAAH!!” Cordelia screamed.

A moment later Xander landed on the roof of the next house, some ten meters away and two meters higher.  He put Cordelia down and quickly wiped away the few mealworms that had managed to stick to her legs throughout the flight.  Then he did the same with his own legs, after which he turned and looked down at Buffy’s house.  The assassin stood there, at the window, looking up at them with a cool, unreadable expression.  Xander narrowed his eyes at him, and then put his arm around the waist of a still terrified Cordelia, who looked at the assassin as well.  “Come on, Cor, let’s get away from here,” Xander said, and pulled her along. She ran along with him across the roof.  His grip tightened when he reached the edge, and Cordelia tensed up with nervousness.  The next moment he jumped and smoothly sailed through the air before he landed on the next house, at which point Cordelia learned to relax a little.

*****

Buffy lay sleeping in Angel’s apartment, on his bed, which stood with the long side against a wall.  Luckily for her, Slayers never slept tight, because when the wooden stake came down at her heart, she rolled up against the wall, making the exotic girl miss.  With a rapid motion, Buffy crunched up, and twisted, bringing out her right foot, and kicking the stake out of the girl’s hands.  Holding on to the wall with her superior strength, she shot out her left foot and hit the girl in her stomach.  She staggered back, and Buffy smoothly got to her feet.

“You must my number two,” Buffy sneered at the girl, ruthlessly pushing her fear away. “I’m so gonna kick your ass.”  With a growl of frustration she attacked, throwing a punch which the dark-skinned girl deflected.  The exotic one returned the punch, but Buffy ducked underneath it, immediately going into a leg sweep.  With unnaturally fast reflexes, the exotic girl jumped over it, but Buffy sped up, twisting fulling around and coming back up, kicking out right in the other girl’s stomach as she came down.

With a groan, the exotic girl was launched away from Buffy, he stalked after her quarry with an angry growl - fear starting to ebb away when she realized she could take this bitch. The exotic girl landed painfully on her ass, rolled back and jumped up in on smooth motion. She came at for another attack, throwing a powerful punch, which Buffy blocked with open palms at wrists, and pushed back.  With grunt she twisted around, slammed her elbow across the girl’s face, and followed it up with a knee to the gut.  With the other girl bent over in pain, Buffy grabbed her neck, planning to twist the girl around and slam her on her knee.  Instead the girl rapidly brought her right leg all the way up and over her head, slamming into Buffy’s face, and making her stagger back.  The dark-skinned girl made a short quick somersault using her momentum and a boost from her left leg, or else she would have fallen flat on her face.

With an grunt of effort from herself, Buffy’s opponent attacked again, determined to kill Buffy.  Buffy counterattacked exactly as the girl planned - throwing a high punch.  “Rah!” she yelled as she ducked and rammed both her fists into Buffy’s stomach.  Buffy grunted and stagged one step back, to the girl’s surprise, but she smoothly adjusted, ramming a left, right combo across Buffy’s face.  She followed up with a high kick that Buffy blocked with her left fore arm.  Buffy rammed her right open palm on the other girl’s stomach, making her stagger back and groan in pain.  Not giving up, she stepped forward again, and made a rapid jab at Buffy’s chest.  Buffy twisted her upper torso, put her left arm on the girl’s outer forearm in the same motion, and twisted the punch out of harm’s way.  Buffy grabbed the arm, and twisted it onward, and up as she said, “Three months ago . . .”  Buffy rammed her right hand in the girl’s stomach again, making her double over once more, but holding on to the girl’s right arm, made it impossible for her to get away from Buffy.  “ . . . you could have beaten me,” Buffy finished. “HAH!” Buffy yelled out, as her right arm moved upward, ramming the lower cushions of the palm in the girl’s chin.

“Nng!” she yelled out with pain.  Buffy followed up with rapid roundhouse kick that sent the exotic girl flying several meters away from her, crashing into one of Angel’s low tables painfully, and rolling onward to the ground, groaning in pain.

“Now you’re too late,” Buffy hissed, jumping on the table and then down on the girl.  She grabbed her arms and pinned them above high above the girl’s head, while putting a knee down on her throat.  “Now, Terakan bitch,” Buffy said with an angry look, “tell me who hired you! You can send all the creepy crawlies . . .”  Buffy paused and remembered the man whose throat she slit with her skit, then continued, “and not so creepy crawlies you got after me, but when you succeed, you can say bye bye to money, because a corpse won’t pay much, now will it?”

The exotic girl was scared, but she didn’t show it, her eyes darting around for a way to get out of this, while stalling the blonde on top of her.  “Teraka?  I not Teraka,” she told Buffy.

“Ri-ight, and you were probably coming to give me a back rub,” Buffy replied sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

“Check for dee reeng,” the exotic one implored, while trying to find some leverage to kick Buffy off of her.

Buffy frowned, and looked up at the girl’s restrained hands.  Indeed, there was no Terakan ring on the girl’s fingers.  Buffy blinked, and looked down at the girl’s determined face with confusion.  “Okay,” she said slowly, wheels almost audibly creaking in her brain. “Sooo, who are you if you’re not a Terakan assassin?”

The girl debated for a moment whether it was wise to give her captor the truth, but then decided the reputation might help out.  “I’m Kendra de Vampire Slayer,” she told Buffy, whose eyes bugged out in surprise.

~~~~20~~~~

“What?” Buffy asked from her superior position, down at Kendra.

“De Slayer, one girl in all- . . .” Kendra started.

Buffy interrupted her mightily pissed, “I know what the slayer is, bitch. /I/ am the Slayer.”

Buffy saw the momentary confusion in Kendra’s eyes, but then returned, remarkably collected for a girl having a knee on her throat, “/You/ are de other Slayer?  Dee one before me?”

Buffy blinked, took her in.  “You can’t be the other Slayer.  She’s in . . . uh . . . South America somewhere, and her name is . . .” Buffy spat out, frowning, trying to remember.

“Kendra, dat’d be me,” Kendra replied.

Buffy kept looking, remembering the shapeshifting snake demon Xander and Willow had talked about, but this girl didn’t seem the snake, none of her alarm bells were ringing now that she had her, and the girl’s eyes weren’t all hypnosy either.  Slowly Buffy eased some of her weight off of Kendra, and said, “Suggestion, we quit el fighto, and we go to my watcher to figure out what’s going on, okay?”

Kendra took the blonde in with suspicion for a moment, then took the offered hand, got up said, “Okay.”

*****

Spike was heading out of his hide out, a few minions behind him.  Just before he would reach the exit, he felt his throat constrict and lifted off the floor.  He gurgled, and then gasped in pain as he was painfully slammed against the wall of the hallway.  He looked surprised as a big red demon seemed to emerged from thin air, his head first, and then rippling down.  Spike looked right just a bit, and so his minions stare blankly forward in mid-step, unmoving.

“*Vampire,*” the demon hissed angrily, “your information, was incomplete.”

“Ugh,” Spike gasped out, “is that you’re exc- gargh-”

The demon squeezed harder, and took a step closer, saying, “I don’t give excuses, vampire.  Upon your hiring us, you were instructed to give us all the information you had. Nowhere did you mention a werecat.”

“Were-what!?” Spike spoke out starting to get fed up with this.

The demon smiled thinly, and explained, “Somehow I don’t see how you can fail to notice a humanoid cat running around.  If it weren’t for the werecat, you’re girl Amazon would have been dead by now, killed by her own mother.”

Spike got angry, and slammed hard at the demon’s hand around his throat.  The demon winced and decided to let go.  “Listen, buddy,” Spike hissed out angrily, “I have never seen a bloody big cat around here, except in the zoo.  I don’t see what the problem is with it anyway, cat, no cat, just use it the same way.”

“I can’t,” the demon whispered, although it sounded like a yelled order, “cats, I hate them, they are my only weakness; the damn things are just too damn pigheaded to be put under control.”

Spike was about to leave, when another voice interrupted him.  “Does the same go for a super witch?”  Spike and the demon looked at the entrance of the hideout, where a man in a business suit stood.

“Super witch?” Spike muttered in annoyance.  “What in bloody hell are you talking about? And who are you anyway?”

The man morphed, and formed a snake demon.  It slithered closer a bit, and told Spike, “The redheaded super witch.  She blasted me out my target’s living room with nothing more but her anger and concern, didn’t even need to mutter a spell,” it hissed out, its forked tongue slipping out regularly.  “Last time I ate a witch with that kind of power was a 150 years ago; there are only a handful, if even that many witches with that kind of power across the world.”

Spike frowned, and then said, “Redhead?  The only redhead I know whose with those bloody white hats, is no witch, she has no power, and if she does, it won’t be enough to lift a sodding pencil.”

The snake suddenly slid forward, fast enough for Spike to get nervous.  The mind controlling demon just smirked and took a step back to give his fellow Terakan some room. “/I/ am not a liar, imply that again, or for that matter if I find out you’re lying to me,” the snake hissed out, its fangs and slitted, golden eyes glowing with anger in Spike’s face.  It shrugged, and added, “You won’t very filling, with you turning to dust before you can nourish me, but it won’t be for nourishment.  The Order of Teraka frowns upon killing customers, sometimes I don’t care if they frown.”

“Right, well,” Spike spoke, a little shiver of fear running down his spine.  He was pretty sure he could take these demons, but still . . . especially seeing the snake slip smoothly back into its human disguise.  “You can still finish the jobs, right?”

“Don’t worry, by this afternoon they’ll all be dead,” the mind controlling demon spoke casually.

“Good,” Spike answered with a huff, “Now, would let my minions move again, I’m somewhat in a hurry.”  The demons shuddered back to life, took a startled look at the two new demons, and then shrank in on themselves with fear.  “Let’s go,” Spike ordered his minions, and walked out.  The minions following, taking in the demons nervously.  Once Spike was gone, the demons each went another way.

*****

Angel was smoking, as he had covered himself with the meager protections he could find.  He groaned with the pain that the sunlight was inducing.  He was already weakened, and soon the little protections he had managed to find wouldn’t even be enough to keep him from bursting into flames either.

He looked up weakly as heavy steel-barred door opened noisily.  Willy came in, grabbed Angel by his feet, and started dragging him out.  “Don’t worry, I got ya,” Willy said as he continued dragging.  As Angel was dragged through a short distance of sunlight, the smoking became heavier and he groaned with the pain.  Then Willy opened a small trapdoor in the ground, and dumped Angel down it.  He followed him down into the sewer.  A moment later from the shadows emerged Spike.

“Hello, Willy,” Spike told the weasel.

“Hey, Spike, see, I told ya,” Willy replied, indicating Angel.

Spike grinned, nodded, and made a gesture with his head.  Some of his minions came from the shadows and headed for the weakened Angel.  “Hey, we had a deal remember?” Willy asked a little afraid they were just going to take him.

“Yeah, Willy, we did,” Spike muttered and pulled dollars from within his coat.  He started counting and dumped the bills in Willy’s head.  “Remember, mouth shut about this,” Spike told Willy and then dumped a few extra bucks on his hand.

“Not a problem,” Willy said, and then Spike dropped the last bill into the sewage water as his minions disappeared into the darkened tunnel dragging Angel.  Spike shook his head in disgust at the money grubbing bastard, as he actually bent down to get the last bill.  As Willy straightened back up, he asked, “Hey, what are you gonna do with him anyway?”

Spike gave a smirk, and told him, “I’m thinking, dinner and a movie, don’t want to rush into anything.  I’ve been hurt y’know.”  He then turned and walked after his minions.

*****

“My car!” Cordelia suddenly very loudly realized, as she and Xander jumped through the air.

“Ow, my ears,” Xander complained, landing a little wobbly and walking normally across the slanted roof instead of running like he did before.  He freed his head and attempted an ear massage.

“Damn you, Harris!” Cordelia told him with dread, much less loud now.  “My car is still back there with that evil assassin!”

Xander sighed in frustration, stopping altogether, and turned around to face Cordelia and said, “Last time I checked, Queenie, bugs don’t eat cars, and I’m pretty certain he wasn’t hired to kill yours.”

“Oh, yeah, laugh it up, Dweeb Boy,” Cordelia told him angrily, “You’re just a nobody, a wimp.  All here sprouting around as if he’s mister super hero, and now he runs like a coward.”

“Hey, I attacked it, beat it, kicked it, it just turned to bugs and back again!” Xander yelled back at Cordelia, most assuredly pissed off.  “It’s called a tactical retreat, but I don’t suppose you would understand something like that.  Nah, you would want me to continue fighting, and in a lucky moment have that thing kill you no doubt!”

“Yeah, right; all you were thinking about was an opportunity to grope me!” Cordelia accused him taking a step forward.

Xander took a step forward as well, and added, “I’m not the dumb one who let bug assassin into the house.”

“How was I supposed to know it was an assassin!” Cordelia yelled right back at him. “He looked human, sold makeup and gave free samples!”

“AT FIVE O’CLOCK IN THE GOD DAMN MORNING!?” Xander screamed back at her, actually making Cordelia take a step back as she realized how little she had been thinking.

“Well, I thought he had really big family to support,” Cordelia muttered, making Xander roll his eyes.

Just as he was about to say something about feeding a million mouth, a gun shot rang out, and some hail zipped right alongside Xander.  Both of them looked down, seeing a portly, balding man with a gun leaning out a roof window, already yelling, “DAMN RIGHT IT’S FIVE O’CLOCK IN FUCKING MORNING!”  He aimed his double barreled hunting rifle once again, making Xander grab Cordelia and started running.  A second shot destroyed on of the roof tiles just behind Cordelia as the man yelled, “SOME PEOPLE ARE TRYING TO SLEEP HERE!”  Xander tightened his grip around Cordelia’s waist as the man reloaded.  He jumped, and another gunshot rang out, while the man loudly added, “WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING ON MY ROOF ANYWAY!?”  A tile broke on the new roof, and Cordelia’s face was contorted in terror.  Xander ran on, and quickly jumped a second time, pulling Cordelia along.  Behind them, the man stopped firing, and suddenly questioned to himself softly, “How did you get there in the first place?  And uh . . .”  He blinked twice as he reminded himself at how high and far the two of them had jumped.  He took it in one more time, cocked his head, and then quickly disappeared back into the house, shaking in fear.

On the second roof after the lunatic with a gun, Xander paused again, his hand still around Cordelia’s waist.  He looked back for a moment, than at Cordelia’s face.  Their eyes locked, and then they kissed hungrily, deeply, passionately.  After a moment they broke apart, and they looked shocked at each other.  Xander then muttered, “We need to get back, there I need sleep, and very strong, black coffee.”  Cordelia nodded agreement - fine she wanted Xander, but this was just way too freaky.  Xander then continued jumping from roof to roof.

*****

“Giles, Giles!” Buffy called distraught as she entered the library.  She took in Giles reading in a book, Jenny doing the same.  Lotion and Deo were doing a light sparring match, while Willow wasn’t present.  The bunnied Amazon had taken off the hat, so her ears were clearly visible. Since her skirt was whirling about in her movements, the tail too was already very visible. When Lotion noticed Kendra, it was no surprise she went rigid with embarrassment.

Kendra came in after her, and taking in the others, and noticing Jenny and Lotion, she went immediately in a battle stance.  Just before she could attack, while everyone stopped what they were doing to take in Buffy and thus Kendra, Buffy grabbed her fellow Slayer by her shoulders holding her back, and said, “Calm down, they aren’t demons, they’re good girls - just a temporary magic mishap.”

Kendra looked with distaste at all the non-Slayers and non-Watchers assembled and said, “What . . . are dey all doing here?”

“They’re friends,” Buffy exclaimed as Giles stately walked around the counter to go to the new girl.

“Friends?” Kendra asked confused.

Buffy nodded to her, saying, “Yeah, friends, amigos . . .”  Buffy paused as she took in Lotion and Deo, and added, “Some more than others; comrades in arms.”

Giles reached Buffy and Kendra, and said cautiously, “I am Rupert Giles, and who might you be?”

Kendra opened her mouth to answer respectfully, but Buffy beat her to it, “This is Kendra, the Vampire Slayer.”

“That is not possible,” Deo spoke coming closer, her daughter in tow.  Her eyes were on Kendra cold and narrow, actually making the Slayer shiver for a moment.  “There is only one Slayer.”

“Actually, Buffy died, was revived by CPR and a new Slayer was called.  Her name /is/ Kendra,” Giles answered calmly, resetting his glasses, “are you certain she is who she claims to be, Buffy?”

“No,” Buffy answered again, before Kendra could tell something to verify her identity. The exotic Slayer flashed an annoyed look at Buffy, as she added, “But she’s not a Terakan assassin.  I made sure, no ring, and apart from her viper tongue, there’s nothing snakey about her.”

“Viper tongue?” Kendra questioned with an indignant look.

Buffy sighed, and told her annoying sister slayer, “It’s a joke, okay?”

“She’s human,” Deo said, making Giles take a look at Deo, “My senses are quite a bit more sensitive than future son-in-law’s and my daughters, Watcher, I sense nothing demonic.”

Giles turned back to Kendra, and explained, “One of the Terakan assassins is a demonic shapeshifting snake.”

Kendra looked with large eyes at the Amazon, jerked her head toward Giles at his explanation, then shook her head, and said, “Mr. Giles, my watcher can corroborate that I am indeed the Slayer.”

“Slayer?”

Kendra whirled around and saw a somewhat awake Willow standing there in a red overall, and some fresh makeup, her hair was still grungy.  Kendra’s hands went up to fight, and Buffy grabbed the Slayer’s shoulder, telling her annoyed, “Calm down, another friend.

“Apparently this is Kendra, and there’s been a screw up,” Buffy told her best friend, indicating Kendra with her free hand.

“Oh!  You’re the other Slayer,” Willow said, and told Buffy, “Freshening up a bit in the bathroom.”  Willow then frowned and asked Kendra, “What are you doing here?”

Buffy folded her arms across her chest, and added, “Yeah, and why didn’t you contact us on beforehand or something.”

The redhead slipped past the Slayers, looked at Lotion for a moment, and then moved over to Jenny with a hopeful look.  The cat-woman shook her head just a bit, making Willow’s eyes fall.  She looked back up and then glared at Deo, who just returned a smile.

“Mr. Giles, I still do not understand,” Kendra spoke up, looking around, “a Slayer is supposed to work alone, so her identity is not revealed, and she does not endanger others.  I do not see why you would let Buffy have friends.”

“What?” Buffy asked shocked.

“Ah, well,” Giles answered the exotic slayer, fidgeting, “I came to realize that with Buffy, I had to make allowances.”

“What is /that/ supposed to mean?” Buffy wondered out loud.

“They cannot help,” Kendra continued not understanding, “even if they know; they’d be too weak.”  Kendra indicated Lotion, while adding, “Bunny or no bunny.”

That was it.  For a whole long time, Lotion had turned inside, attempting to find her balance with the weird placing of her ears, more so while adding the tension of flatting them over her head.  Even more so, the embarrassment, the mortification of being part Bunny in front of her friends and her mother, who was the one who got her into this.  And now this.  “I KILL!” she yelled in rage, speeding forward and slamming a devastating punch across Kendra’s jaw.  The Slayer didn’t even have time to try and deflect the blow, before it hit, and she was launched backward, till she crashed into the wall perpendicular to the doors.  Kendra groaned in pain, and had difficulty keeping her eyes open.

Lotion appeared before her, pulled her out of the wall, and as she rammed a fist in Kendra’s stomach said, having lost all care about proper English, “I not bunny!  You tease! Then worse, dare say I weak!”

Kendra blocked the following knee with extreme effort, groaning out.  With an enraged yell Lotion threw another punch.  Kendra blocked it, but yelled in pain as her arm was jarred. Then she felt herself be lifted off the ground by her shoulders, and so the girl pull back her leg.   “Lotion!” Giles snapped, and Lotion snapped her head back at him.  “I believe that’s enough.”

With Kendra looking fearfully hopeful at Lotion’s face, the Amazon contemplated Giles words.  Then, without opening her mouth, she growled and powerfully put the Slayer back down on her feet.  Lotion turned away a bit, and Kendra stumbled back to her own place.

Buffy smirked evilly at Kendra, and told her smugly, “A word of advice, don’t piss off the crazy Amazon chick.”

Kendra gave Buffy a glare, and then spoke up with some difficulty, “How is this possible?   No human can be this strong without the use of dark magics.”

“I DO NOT CHEAT!” Lotion screamed as a new punch connected to Kendra’s chin.  The Slayer was once more launched back, until she smashed into the same place she smashed into before, making the Kendra-shaped indentation a little deeper.  There she stood for a moment, groaned, before she slowly sank to her knees and then fell down further.

“And I warned her too,” Buffy said with mock-regret, than gave bunny-Lotion a big smile and  two thumbs up.  The Amazon gave Buffy a glare who quickly took a step back closer to Willow.

“Was that really necessary?” Giles asked of Lotion as she returned to her mother, who didn’t seem to think anything was wrong.  Jenny looked concerned at the delirious Slayer, and hoped she was alright.

“She accused me of cheating,” Lotion just replied, making Giles sigh.

In the meantime the watcher had gone over to the phone, while taking a note book out of one of the counter’s drawers.  Everyone looked expectantly as Giles moments later started dialing a number.  A bit later, Giles started speaking, “Ah, Mr. Zabuto, I am Rupert Giles.  I am Buffy Summers’ watcher in Sunnydale.”

The others couldn’t hear the other end of the conversation.  Then Giles spoke a few things that made no sense at all; probably some identifying code to verify they really were watchers, Willow thought.  Then Giles continued speaking understandably, “Samuel, I have here a girl who says her name is Kendra, and that she is the Slayer.

“Mmh, mmh,” Giles returned into the phone, and then proceeded with giving a description of Kendra.  “Indeed.  I see, then she is who she says she is.”  Giles nodded, and finished, “Thank you, and godspeed, Samuel.”

As Giles put down the phone, there was a groan from the downed slayer, and slowly and painfully Kendra got up.  Giles turned to the group of waiting people, and said, “Well, Kendra indeed is who she says she is.”

Willow asked subdued, still struggling with her enhanced magic, “Shouldn’t they have called us before they sent her here?”

Kendra was finally to her feet and shook her head to clear it.  Jenny arrived at the Slayer and looked her over, just to be sure Lotion hadn’t actually hurt Kendra.

“There we have it then,” Buffy told Kendra bitingly, “You didn’t give us your schedule, we don’t need you, you can go home.”

Giles spoke up, pacing back and forth, holding his glasses, “Mr. Zabuto and I have already agreed that for the time being Kendra will remain here, until the present crisis is averted. Kendra, why exactly did he send you here?”

Kendra made a tiny bow, and said, “There were signs, all pointing that a dark power was about to rise in Sunnydale.  Mr. Zabuto that there was a larger chance of success if the forces of darkness did not know I was present.”

“So she attacks me,” Buffy muttered with rolling eyes.  “Brilliant scheming.”

Before Kendra could answer, Jenny said, “Drusilla.”  Everyone looked over to her, as she continued, “We found a ritual from Du Lac’s work, it is to revive a wounded master vampire, on the night of the new moon.”

“That’s tonight,” Willow said with wide concerned eyes.  Jenny nodded.  “Then Spike is the one who hired the Order of Teraka; to keep us from interfering,” Willow added with annoyed revelation.

The door to the library opened, and in came Xander and Cordelia.  Kendra was still recovering to attack the new entries.  “Speaking of the Order,” Xander said, apparently having heard the last words, “We just met the king /freak/ of the Order.”

Kendra went rigid, and looked down.  Cordelia came after him, and said, “And you left my car with bug guy.”

“Will you quit with the damn car already!?” Xander spat at her.  Cordelia glared at him as she walked past them all to a seat at the table.  “It isn’t like you left the keys inside, did you?” Cordelia huffed and folded her arms across her chest.

Buffy smiled at Xander, asking him sweetly, “Xander, what is it with you and bug people?”

“Oh,” Xander said, turning back to look at his love, “But this is different.  Praying Mantis lady /was/ a bug, this was a guy /of/ bugs.  I was just looking forward for some payback too, but fists and kicks just went straight through.  The guy turned into a mass of bugs for a while, and then he was back to his guy-form again.  Seriously . . .”  Xander paused as he finally lost enough frustration to notice Kendra half hidden behind Jenny - and Kendra was hot.  “Oh, hello, and who might you be?”

“Kendra the vampire Slayer,” Deo supplied casually.  Xander turned to look at the Amazon, who added, “too long a story to tell, son in law.”

Xander narrowed his eyes at her, and said, “If I weren’t hunted by the Order of Teraka, I’d be finding away to kill you . . . or at least hurt you very badly.”  Deo smirked at him. Xander turned back, smiled at the shy, sexy Slayer and offered his hand, “Nice to meet you, how are you?”  Cordelia rolled his eyes at Xander’s flirting, while Buffy just looked even more annoyed.

Kendra tried to answer, looking half up, very much aware of Xander’s physique, the muscles in his bare arms, and the ones in his legs, covered in a skintight jeans, something else covered by those jeans.  His gender was unmistakable, and much more important, “I . . . uh . . . tank . . . uh, I tink . . . I will be of service.”  Buffy rolled her eyes.

“Great, it’s good to help people out,” Xander answered with a smile, not quite knowing what else to say to such a statement.

He then backed away, while Giles pulled a book from the counter.  “Xander, see if you can see him in here, and whether he has a weakness,” Giles said, while Xander nodded and came over.

Lotion in the meanwhile, had walked over, and grabbed Kendra by the neck, pulling her closer.  The Slayer looked up and afraid at the freakishly strong Amazon.  Before anyone could warn her, Lotion said, “Go for my future husband, and I will kill you.  I’ve tolerated enough.”

“Lotion,” Willow spoke up, feeling sad for Kendra, seeing her former self reflected back on, “don’t worry, she’s too shy to try anything.”

“She better not,” Lotion whispered and backed off from the exotic slayer.

Buffy looked back up and then settled on Kendra, asking her, “There’s one thing that’s still bugging me though.”  Buffy flashed a quick look and smirk over at Cordelia and Xander, both of which had sent a glare her way.  “How come you attacked me?”

“Because . . . I tought you were . . . a vampire,” Kendra answered with a little difficulty, still feeling her banged up body, eying Lotion with a lot of respect.

“Oh, neato, score one royal miss for the newbie,” Buffy said rolling her eyes.

Kendra got a little pissed off at the elder Slayer, and replied, “I had good reason to teenk you were a vampire.  Did I not see you kissing one earlier tonight?”

Willow went rigid and slung a supportive arm around Buffy, saying, “Buffy would never do that . . .”  Buffy smiled at the support, but then Willow frowned, “. . . except for that you on a rare occasion do that.”  Buffy gave Willow a quick look of confused betrayal.  Willow once again added though, “But only with Angel.  Right?”

“Of course,” Buffy answered with just a little offence.

“Angel?” Kendra asked with a frown.  “Do you mean Angelus?  I’ve reat about eem, ee’s a monstar.”

“Not anymore,” Giles said cleaning his glasses, looking over Xander’s shoulder as he flipped another page in the book.

“He’s got a gypsy curse now,” Buffy explained.

“Gypsy curse?” Deo asked intrigued.

Xander gave a grumble before explaining, “They stuffed the soul of the guy he was before becoming a vampire back inside the body.”

“Ee didn’t seem any better than the otter animals when I- . . .” Kendra started, and the quit the moment she saw Buffy turn her head and glare dangerously at her.

“When you what!?” Buffy hissed, stepping up to the other Slayer.  “When you /what/!?”

Kendra swallowed, as she could feel Buffy’s hate radiating off of the older Slayer, directed straight at her.  “When I locked eem in a dungeon wit eastern exposure at tis dingy bar,” she explained, seeing Buffy’s eyes widened with fear and a cold simmering rage.

“*Show me,*” Buffy growled out with rage, grabbing the exotic Slayer and dragging her along to the exit.

“Hey, Buffy, don’t split up, there are assassins out there,” Xander called out, as he continued flipping through the book.

Buffy threw open the doors, almost tossing Kendra out, and returned with a smile, “I’ll keep her safe.”  Then Buffy was out the door.

“Buffy!” Willow tried calling but she was already gone.  “Be careful,” she added softly.

“Damn,” Deo said annoyed.  Everyone remaining looked at her.  “Now I’ll have to teach them mental shields later when they return.”

“Mental shields?” Cordelia asked confusion.

“The Dinuano demon, the mind controller,” Deo explained calmly, her beautiful face seemingly in a perpetual scowl.  “We cannot fight him if he can simply take over our minds.”

“You can teach us?” Willow asked incredulously.  The woman was an annoying bitch, who may have put them in even more danger than the all the Terakan assassins combines, and now she was helping again, even though she refused to remove what she did to Willow.

As Deo nodded, Jenny said sarcastically, “Forgive me if I seem rude, but you couldn’t keep the demon from taking you over; what do you think you can teach them in a few hours, or even less.”

“Twelve I think,” Giles said with an educated guess, “I highly doubt they’d attack in the middle of the day with witnesses.”

Deo took back over, “I wasn’t prepared; and no, I don’t, I don’t think even if I was prepared I could keep its mind out of me indefinitely.  But that’s not necessary.  When you attacked it; it was not able to simply command me to kill you.  He was not prepared for your presence, and I don’t know if its limitations are less when it is, but it has demonstrated it has them.  You need to be able to keep him out of your mind just long enough to reach it and fight it physically.  If it’s fighting a physical battle, its mental abilities seem diminished.”

“That is a good idea,” Giles spoke as he walked in the middle of the room.  “I myself have some mental shield abilities, and no doubt Jenny as well, or not?”

“Limited, very limited,” the werecat replied, almost purring.

“Needed it to keep Eyghon from taking over, huh?” Willow said as she came to the middle of the library, where Cordelia joined them as well.

Giles nodded, “It is six thirty right now, school starts in two hours.  I suggest we start right away.  Each of us teaching the others all we now, there are multiple mental shield techniques, we will likely have different ones, and our chances of success increase if we have more than one.”

“Agreed,” Deo spoke as she sat down in a lotus position.  Xander joined them, as did Lotion and all of them sat down to learn.

*****

Buffy and Kendra entered Willy’s basement, and then into the open dungeon.  Buffy looked around and saw nothing; Kendra did the same, saw the same, but realized the meaning.  “No ashes,” she pointed out.

Buffy who was in the back looking around some boxes, turned around and asked, “What!?”

“No ashes, when a vampire dies, ee leeves ashes,” Kendra explained to the blonde Slayer.

“I know that, I’ve killed vampires,” Buffy told Kendra her concern not making the connection.

Kendra then calmly clarified, “Eef there are no ashes, that means that he was not eere.”

Buffy stepped up to Kendra.  She growled, “That’s good, that means I don’t have to kill you.”

Kendra took a step closer, and replied, “You could try.  Eet eesn’t my fault aneeway.  I’m supposed to keell vampires.”

Buffy narrowed her eyes, and then turned around, walking back out the dungeon.  Kendra followed and together they climbed back up the stairs.  They found Willy coming from a side door, and he looked with wide eyes at the girls.  “Hey!” Buffy blurted out, rapidly closing the distance between her and him.  She grabbed him by the collar and spun him around facing the bar counter.  With a quick shove she pushed him back against it, making his bend back.  She took another step closer and bent menacingly over him, grabbing his collar.  “Where’s Angel?” Buffy requested as Kendra stepped next to her, peering closely at the sleaze bag.

Willy in the meantime was in heaven, a scary heaven, but a heaven.  Two of the hottest girls he’d every seen was partially leaning against him.  He had his hands up at his head to show his innocence, or at least harmlessness, and so he could feel Buffy’s breasts press against his side and stomach, along with the crooked sweater she wore.  Her hair was still mostly a mess; for once in her life the ex-cheerleader wasn’t in the mood to mess with them.  Of her makeup of the night before, only a bit was left, her lips just a bit more pink that without any makeup on.  The sexy face was just centimeters away, a small pat of him urging him to kiss it. At the same time, he could feel her strength, and her hot breath and glaring eyes made it very clear she willing and able to use it.  The second girl was an exotic one, dark skin.  Her hair was done in a loose tail; and she wore thick red lipstick, and deep orange eyeshadow.  She too had raw power, he could tell.  The cleavage-rich small top, leaving her midriff bare above a pare of tight pants, gave the girl an almost naughty, sexy look - if her eyes weren’t those of cold, trained killing machine.  He felt fear coursing through his veins, as the other substance usually in his veins went south.  “Huh?” he managed to blurt out from his confused, aroused, fearful position.

“Tee vampire I locked up down dere,” Kendra clarified.

“Oh, Angel!” Willy exclaimed making the pissed off Buffy roll her eyes.  “He’s fine.  I saved him in the nick of time too.  Five more minutes and he’d be extra well done.”  Buffy got a little closer, a bit more menacing, a bit more arousing.  “What!?  You’d think I let my buddy Angel fry?  Me and him go /way/ back.”

“Then where is he?” Buffy questioned the bar weasel.

Willy smiled like one too, when he replied, “He went down below, you know, to recuperate.”

Buffy grimaced, but Kendra spoke up, “Dere, ee’s fine.  Let’s go back to Mr. Giles for furder eenstructions.”

Buffy gave Kendra a look, and then let Willy go.  She straightened up, and said, “Fine, let’s get back.”

She started walking toward the exit, and Kendra came right after her.  Willy got up, walked to straight across from the exit, seeing Buffy and Kendra walking just at it, and he said, “Hey, I /gotta/ ask you two something.”  Buffy and Kendra stopped, and turned around.  Buffy placed her right hand in her side, and cocked her head, while Kendra just turned half, and turned the rest with her head.  “Have you thought about doing nude modeling?” he asked the two hot girls, who showed no reaction, apart from Buffy raising her eyebrows.   Willy continued, “I know this guy who has a camera, and he’s really good.  Strictly high class art photos - just nude.”  The Slayers just turned around and walked away.  “Call me if you change your minds!” he called after them.

*****

Buffy was reading through a book with known Terakan assassins in order to find Xander’s bug guy.  Xander himself was across from Buffy at the counter reading through a different book, as were others.  Buffy was doing two more things at the same time.  The first was to keep up the mental block Deo and Giles had just told her to do.  Basically, the two went thus.  Deo’s was to generate a barrier around the mind of energy, my envisioning a wall or something else that felt unpassable to her wrapped around her mind and head.  Giles’ was twofold, first keep the mind totally empty, and second whenever one was forced to think, making it go utterly chaotic, without pattern, with lots of emotions.  Buffy found she had no trouble with Giles’ instructions.  Blank was what she wanted to be in the first place, and in combination with her friends and one boyfriend under attack, and the irritating newly arrived Slayer - chaos and emotions were practically unavoidable.  Periodically Deo, Jenny, or Giles would attempt with some magic to breach her, and the other’s barriers, for now they all held.

The second thing she was doing, was watching said Slayer.  Kendra was with Giles at the counter, talking and joking with him.  If she didn’t know better she’d say Kendra was coming onto Giles.  Worse, they were laughing and joking about research, boring old books, and more. Next to her sat Willow and she was practicing her mental shields, while keeping her magic down.  Cordelia sitting across from Willow, seemed mostly bored and annoyed.  Lotion finally, had retreated to the back of the library, hating her bunnyfication and being mortified by it.  Deo and Jenny were in some kind of heated argument that Buffy had no interest in.

“Look at that, Giles junior,” Buffy muttered just a little jealous.

“Oh, well,” Willow started, looking at the two, “well, don’t worry, Giles will always consider you his Slayer.”

Buffy sighed, and then leant back.  “Yeah, I suppose,” she answered her best friend and rival.

Willow blinked and asked Buffy, “Then what is it?”

Buffy chewed her bottom lip for a few moments, and then answered, “You and Xander.”

“Huh?  What did we do?” Willow asked Buffy confused.

“Help me,” Buffy replied sadly.  Willow blinked, a little surprised and confused.  Buffy pulled her feet of the table and properly faced Willow.  Then softly she explained, “I’m the Slayer, I was chosen to do this, and I hate - hated it.  Then you two come along, and you start helping me; you don’t have to do it, but you do.  You choose to fight on my side, and it will probably mean we’re all going to die together young; or just you.  I’m supposed to protect you guys, but instead, you’ve been protecting me.  I wish I could teleport you both to the other side of the planet out of harm’s way - except that you probably be back in a day or two, fighting with me.  And me; I’m trying to do as less as possible, then I look at her, a watcher, no friends, far away from her family - and I realize something; I’m the luckiest girl around with you guys as friends - and I suppose even Lotion and Cordy.  Then I remember again how I was just a few days ago . . .”  Buffy paused, looked deeply into Willow’s eyes, and finished, “It makes me feel guilty.”

“H-hey, no guilt, Buffy,” Willow said.  Realizing her emotions were going up, and not wanting to go out of control again, got her anxious.  She took a deep breath, pushed her every boiling and rising magic deeply away, and continued, “You got a big death sentence, eternal fighting, and the weight and fate of the world slammed on your doorstep, everybody who gets that is entitled to some moping.”

Buffy smiled, and then added, “Well, no more moping from me.  From now on, Will, I’m demon asskick gal and loving it.”

“Okay,” Willow answered a little uncertain at Buffy’s smile.

“Aha!” Xander exclaimed triumphant, and everyone looked over at.  “Found him, Mr. Bugs R Me!”  Buffy and Willow quickly walked over, as did Giles and Kendra.  “Can only be killed in his disassembled state,” Xander read from the book with a small drawing.  “You hear that Cordelia?  That means when it’s in its itty bitty bug parts; which it wasn’t.  So if we’d stayed, we’d be bug food.  You got any more complaints about your car?”

“It better not be dirty on bug poop, Harris, you’re paying the cleaning bill,” Cordelia told him, folding her arms across her chest.

The others looked with odd looks at the couple firing barbs at each other.  “Ha!” Xander called with a superior grin.  “You wound me with your . . .”  Xander paused, his triumphant turned down.  “How much would that be?”

“It’s a Mercedes, ten thousand bucks wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility,” Cordelia stated with superiority.

“Hey!  I’m just a poor emancipated boy, with a little well fare and a part time job at a bookstore!  I’d be broke!” Xander complained deeply wounded.  He turned to Giles and pleaded, “Tell her I can’t be blamed for what some demon does!”

Buffy grinned, as did Willow, while Kendra looked both amazed and a little intimidated at Xander.  Buffy placed her hand on his shoulders, and said, “Don’t worry, Xan.  An assassin won’t soil a car.”

“Of course, he might put a bomb on it,” Willow supplied thoughtfully.  Xander looked at her with shock.

“Yep, to kill the owner when she starts the car,” Buffy added with a delicious grin as Xander blanched further.  “I hear the bomb squad just detonate the bomb to be safe.  That would come down to some hundred fifty thousand dollars.”  Xander whimpered.

“Which you do not have to pay, Xander,” Giles spoke casually.  “She can’t blame you for what an assassin did.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure,” Cordelia added thoughtfully, “you wouldn’t believe what a lawyer can spin in the courtroom.”

It was time for Kendra to jump in, albeit a little timidly, “D-de council has lawyers; good ones . . . uhm . . . they’d be of service . . . free of charge to close allies, I teenk.”

“How do you know the council has lawyers?” Buffy asked astonished.

“Eets in de Slayer handbook,” Kendra answered with a smile.

“There’s a Slayer handbook!?” Buffy asked surprised, then turned to Giles.  “How come I didn’t get a Slayer handbook?”  Cordelia, Xander and Willow looked at the interchange.

“Ah, well,” Giles said with a smle, “you were found so late you were already chosen, Merrick put in his journals he thought it was best to give you a crash course in how to fight and stay alive before going on the next stage.”

“And what about you?” Buffy asked him dangerously.

Nervously Giles swallowed, and explained, “Well, I thought that in your case, the handbook would be . . . uhm . . . not for you?”

“What I want to know is,” Willow butted enthusiastically in with a smile, “is there a tank top too, ‘cause that would be cool.”

“Swim trunks,” Xander added as Buffy, Kendra and Giles were giving Willow a strange look.  “A nice cross with a stake emblem, with a blazing yellow sun behind it low on the pipe.”

“A bathing suit,” Cordelia mused, as she pictured Xander’s emblem, “‘Cause that emblem will be the big fashion hit!”

With a wide grin and a low voice Xander added, “Bikinis.”

“You are three are spazzes,” Buffy told them rapidly.  “You do realize that, don’t you?”

“Hey, I can’t help it you’re such a dork, the biggest geeks in school have better fashion sense than you do,” Cordelia told the Slayer far too sweetly.

“I do not understand?” Kendra asked them confused.

Buffy rolled her eyes, and checked out the clock in one smooth movement, then said, “On that note, I better get to my police thingy, before Snyder is going to blow a fuse.”

Xander looked up, and Deo took notice of it.  He got up and started walking after Buffy, saying, “Yeah, I gotta go put in an appearance as well.”

“Me too,” Willow said and left the library as well.

Kendra followed them out the door with her eyes.

*****

Outside the library Buffy turned right, while Xander went left.  Willow went in the same direction as Buffy went.  Xander took the first right.  The corridor moved onward to the left as well, to the front of the school.  Facing the street was a large window.  After a few steps he stopped, looking directly at a hot girl in a short skirt.  Behind there wasA small top  and high heels completed the brunette’s ensemble.  “You’re not fooling me a second time, Snakey,” Xander said coldly.  The other students in the room just looked confused.

The brunette looked at him surprised for a moment, and then she chuckled.  “How did you know?” the girl asked him sweetly.

“You can change your shape, but you can’t change your demonic essence,” Xander spoke softly with a thin smile.  “There’s been several times I failed to notice the signs my energy sense told me, not any more.”  The students around him and the girl who took a step to the middle of the hallway, looked with greater confusion and concern from one side to the other.

The brunette’s eyes gained the unnatural sparkle, but Xander averted his eyes, looking down and a way, keeping an eye on the girl from the corner of its eyes.  “Well, then,” the girl with a sigh in her voice, “I suppose we’re going to do this the hard way.”

The next moment everyone screamed in fear as the girl morphed in her true cobra-like form and jumped forward, fangs bared.  Xander quickly jumped back, once again coming into the cross corridor.  With a hiss the cobra bit down at Xander’s neck, and just barely moved his body to the left.  He twisted to his left further and rammed his left fist forward.  The snake was no slouch either, and pulled its head and body back, while bringing up its right arm to block Xander’s punch.  It bit at Xander’s exposed side, but with a roar he brought up his right fist in an uppercut.  It smashed into the Snake’s chin before the fangs could bit into Xander.  With a painful groan the snake was launched off its feet and backward toward the library entrance.  As around Xander people screamed, and Buffy and Willow had turned to look, the Snake somehow used its tail as a spring board, launching itself at Xander the moment its body hit the floor.

With all the speed Xander could squeeze from his body, he let himself drop down, and the fangs snapped shut just above him.  The demon flew onward, as Xander landed on his hands twisting around.  With a quick motion Xander swiped at the demon, smashing it in the lower part of its snake body.  It growled in the pain, as both were once again at the cross roads of the corridors.  The snake’s fist shot down, and as it hit Xander full in the face - making him slide back and yell with the sudden pain - a gunshot rang out through the corridor.

At the other side of the corridor, Buffy had just named her presence to the police woman, as a loud round of screaming rang out.  Buffy and everyone else, including Willow who was a little further behind her, turned as one toward the sounds of fear.  A moment later there was loud hissing growl, Xander came sliding back out of a side corridor, and a man-sized cobra with arms came jumping in, nearly snapping its fangs into Xander.  Buffy jerked with fear for her fried as she saw it happening, in her minds eye her Slayer instincts told her how to fight that thing already.  The quick quiver of fear, was what saved her life.  It made her see in the corner of her eye, the police woman pull a gun from her holster and aim it at Buffy.  Her body reacted on pure instinct, twisting off to the right, toward the raging fight, with inhuman speed. The gunshot rang out, as the bullet already zipped centimeters away from the slayer.

The students on this side screamed out as well, and the bullet hurtled straight at the suddenly terrified Willow.  Daniel ‘Oz’ Osbourne who was standing next to her jumped . . . then hung in the air as Willow energy blasted out from her.  Her hand shot up, and the bullet stopped moving hanging in the air just before or, her eyes wide as she felt her magic erupt from her being.  As cop fired several more shots, a whirlwind of energy flashed around the witch, several lightning-like bolts shooting out from her.  A water pipe sprung where one struck, making water rapidly flow across the floor.  More screams sounded as several fire bolts were flung from Willow - and casually twisted around anyone on its path par Deo’s technique - at least the deadly ones that was.  Many weaker flashes hit there mark, turning students to singed delirium before the cold water sloshing their feet made them run away.  After Buffy jumped up to the ceiling to avoid another bullet, it went straight for Jonathan who stood off to the side against the wall nailed immovable by fear.  How she could know, Willow didn’t understand, but she knew the bullet went for it.  The fright of his impending death made Willow’s power shot out from her again, making Oz drop to the floor without mercy, and turned the bullet to a pie which slammed into Jonathan’s shocked face.

“Ow,” Oz muttered from the floor, and then looked up at Willow, having multi-colored arcs of energy and resulting wind flash around her.  “Wow,” Oz muttered with wide eyes.  The other students didn’t have the same cool, and were too busy trying to run for safety and screaming out; they were hardly aware of Willow’s magic.

Buffy had finally managed to get close enough to the gun-wielding Terakan fake-cop woman to beat the gun out of her hands, which she promptly did.  The gun skittered off to their left, and Buffy followed up with a punch to the woman’s face, roaring out her displeasure.  The woman got launched off her feet, landed a few meters away as Buffy stalked after her.  As she got up, she pulled another gun from an ankle holster and fired.  Buffy was already moving, forward and twisting off to the side.

Xander blocked the right cross with his right for arm.  The punch coming from the snake demon had his arm buzzing with the impact though.  He threw a punch which connected to what past for the snake’s chest - which was really just a really thick hose, with a small piece a little wide then the rest where the arms were attached.  Xander surged forward, and landed a knee in the demon’s body, making it jerk and give a grunt of pain.  Suddenly Xander felt his legs being grabbed.  His surprised look down, even if it was for a fraction of a second was his critical mistake.  From grabbed came secured, and the same happened to its legs higher up. The knee had brought Xander very close to the snake, had been his undoing.  In less then a second the snake had wrapped himself around Xander’s lower legs.  Another moment later it was up to his torso.  Finally it wrapped Xander’s hands tight to his body, and a moment later it was up to his chest.  Xander struggled, but the snake’s body design to strangle was too strong. “Now you die,” the demon hissed amongst fleeing students, grabbing Xander by his shoulders with an iron grip.  It opened its mouth wide, baring its poisonous fangs, and lunged down . . .

“AAAH!” the demon suddenly screamed, its right arm reaching over to its left, where purplish blood oozed from a wound.

Xander wasted no time capitalizing on his good fortune, and slammed his forehead with all his might into the snake’s nose.  Wrenching his arms free, he followed up with a devastating right cross, which would normally have sent the snake flying meters away.  As it was, the Snake was still half coiled around Xander, and so it only served to loosen the snake’s coil, and sent it slithering back till it fell to the floor.

As the snake rapidly got up, Xander took a peak at what had been his fortune.  The demon rose and did the same, looking behind him for just a moment.  He obviously recognized the perpetrator and hissed out, “That incompetent bitch!”  Then, deciding that with his still injured arm, fighting Xander was to big a risk, it turned to its right and bounded into the side corridor Xander met it earlier.

On the other side of the school hall things changed for the worse.  As the fake police woman rounded the corner she fired another shot, while Buffy pursued her, confident in her speed and agility as well as the woman’s lousy aim to survive it.  That is when it happened. The students hysterical screaming - and Oz’ awed look - stopped.  Instantly they were calm and turned around to face Buffy, most behind her, but some before her on her path toward the woman.  Willow looked confused as Oz turned away from her as he got up, and went after Buffy along with the rest of the students.  Buffy hesitated for a moment as she saw the large imposing red demon casually walk in Sunnydale High’s corridors in front of her, coming toward her.  The moment of hesitation was enough for her to miss one student’s punch, and another’s swipe.  A moment later she caught said punch on her chin, and the swipe across her legs, and down she went.

As more and more students started beating and kicking the down Buffy, the demon grabbed the other Terakan assassin by her neck, lifted her smoothly onto the floor and rammed her painfully into the wall.  The Dinoano demon looked over at the Slayer being pounded by her fellow students and whispered, “Mental shields - she even saw me.  Expected, albeit annoying.”  The demon whipped his head to the woman, and whispered dangerously, “As for you, you’re antics have ruined the element of surprise.  You have no elegance, no art, nothing discrete, just point and shoot.  It’s a miracle how you even managed one hit, and why the Order keeps you on, perhaps I should bring that up.”

Buffy, still half trapped under the pile of students, whispered as the pain started to get to her, “Sorry, guys.”  With a roar she fought back, easily removing the group of students off of her, then kicking and punching them aside; however there were still many more students coming.

Buffy turned to the demon, and took in the scene of the demon holding up the fake police woman for just a moment.  The demon looked over to her, grimaced and tossed the other Terakan assassin behind her, hissing, “Get lost.”  The demon grinned at Buffy and focused his gaze on her.  Buffy who just started to charge the demon, was confused for a moment, then felt her mind tingling, as if someone was attempting to shove a thousand needles into her mind. She grabbed her hand, and groaned with the painful sensation, then realizing the demon was about to pierce her mental shield.  This allowed the students to once more pounce on her, beating her in her face, and kicking into her stomach.

“NNGG!” Buffy groaned out, at the multiple sensations of pain.  One student appeared amongst the crowd holding a knife, steadily moving toward the helpless Slayer.

Willow had followed Oz onto the side corridor, and looked in shock as the sweet guy was kicking her best friend.  She had been busy reigning in her emotions and power, simply because she was afraid she might hurt someone, or turn them into a toad or something.  Luckily for - and possibly many others - the cavalry had arrived.  Jenny and Kendra came barreling past her.   Jenny was partly on all fours, growling viciously.  They wasted no time getting to the students and tearing them off of Buffy.  When they saw writhing on the floor clutching her head. Jenny’s eyes flashed and then attacked the demon.  Kendra remained behind, shaking Buffy to see if she could get her out of it.

Jenny reached the demon and slashed at it with her claws.  The demon caught her at her wrists and lifted her off the floor.  “I’m not unprepared now, you cat bitch,” demon growled at her, and slammed his foot into Jenny’s stomach.

She groaned, and told him, “Fuck you.”  Her entire body twisted up and slammed her knee into its chin and the demon staggered back, letting go of the werecat.

*****

Meanwhile back in the library, the remaining occupants just saw Kendra and Jenny tearing out of there at the commotion outside.  They had remained for a short while to see if no one would attack inside as well, but had soon lost the war between patience and concern, good thing too. That left Lotion, Deo, Cordelia and Giles.  “Quite impressive,” Deo spoke with a satisfied smile, looking at where Xander was fighting the snake demon as if she could look through the wall.  Giles looked at her questioningly, and she added, “Young Xander felt the snake demon and went to face him.  He’s becoming better with his sixth sense - that is good.”

Giles and Deo were standing with the counter while Lotion was sitting at the table, gnawing her teeth.  A huge part of her wanted to go out and help the others, most notably her fiance, but if she went out and fight, everyone would see her as a Bunny.  There was no way she could keep her present condition a secret if she had to make all kinds of fighting moves. Besides, she didn’t know how many assassins were outside, and how many would come in here.  Giles and Cordelia might need the help of both her and Deo - with all her strength, the mother still couldn’t be in two places at the same time after all.  That, and her shame made her stay put.

Cordelia was mostly tense as gunshots, screams and the occasional yell of pain filtered muffled into the library.  She was still sitting at the counter just left of Giles, and was both stricken with a little fear and guilt.  Was the bug guy out there?  Should she help?  Are you crazy even thinking that?

There was a sound, and a filter high up in the far left corner of the library came tumbling down from its place.  There was a flash, and Giles instantly dove at Cordelia, yelling, “Down!” He yelled in pain as he collided with the cheerleader and forced down and off the stool, but not before Cordelia yelled out in pain and reached for her left cheek with her left hand.

“AH!” she yelled a second time, as she collided with the floor Giles on top of her, he yelled out even harder.  Cordelia was on her side, with Giles over at her waist, and he she could see his legs.  Two handles of what had to be throwing knives stuck out of his right leg. The rest of the knives were obviously in his flesh: one just above his knee, the other embedded in the dividing line between his leg and groin.  Blood oozed steadily from the wounds, coloring his greenish pants a dark ugly brownish-purple.  Cordelia’s eyes were wide, more so when she felt blood flow against the hand she still held against her cheek.  Her face!

The assassin had thrown knives twice in rapid succession before slipping just as rapidly from the ventilation shaft.  The first volley was at all four occupants of the library, the second only at the two remaining upright.  Both throws were eight knifes - that meant the first time it was two per person, the second time four.  The first time around Lotion and Deo had rather easily dodged the two knives thrown their way.  The second time with four they had more trouble.  Lotion - not as fast, strong and agile (yet) - as her mother had the most difficulty. Jumping back onto the table she sat at, made her avoid one knife.  The second coming at her face she avoided by pushing her head out of the way.  A third coming at her heart she swatted aside, the fourth coming at her stomach she only barely avoided by jumping back, down and twisting herself end over end.  It still wasn’t quite enough to keep the last knife from cutting through her skintight top.

The next moment the assassin was already there - dressed in black leather pants, a black top, a black leather jacket and black boots.  Her black hair fit perfectly with her dress sense - which was completed by having knives, daggers, and swords in every available position.  The only thing that disrupted the theme, was the bright red lipstick.  With a grunt she had pulled two curved swords from sheaths on her back and slashed then down at Lotion.  The bunnyfied Lotion jumped backward, off the table.  Her foot caught behind one of the chairs, having lost some of her balance and familiarity in her new form - most notably the unfamiliar place of her ears and with them her sense of balance.  Worse, bunnies weren’t exactly fighters or acrobats, making it impossible for her to land properly and so she landed painfully on her tail.

“YOW!” she screamed out, quickly rolling herself onward and off her offended new body part.

“Too easy,” the female sword master whispered with a satisfied grin and drove both swords down at Lotion as she jumped off the table.

“NO!” sounded loudly through the library, and a moment later the swords stuck into the wooden floor just in front of Lotion who looked up surprised.  The assassin looked angrily at the one who had interrupted her kill.  Deo had jumped forward with amazing speed as she saw her daughter’s predicament, grabbed the assassins wrists, and forced the swords back just enough to miss.  Growling angrily, Deo said, “You don’t touch my daughter.”

A moment later Deo kicked out with a vicious kick to the assassins torso.  With a crack of some of her ribs.  Doubled over, she was launched backward and up like a bullet, till she crashed through a book case, which instantly shattered.

Giles had just finished maneuvering himself off of Cordelia, while the cheerleader started to rise, as he noticed the destruction of the book case.  “WATCH THE BOOKS!” he yelled in dread.

“The books!?” Cordelia questioned the librarian in disbelief.  “Watch the books!?”  Giles shrugged.

Deo jumped up the higher section of the library, and actually growled.  Her long brunette hair flowing with the movement.  She stepped down off the railing, just as the assassin got up, holding her broken ribs in pain.  The sword mistress grimaced at the enraged face of the Amazon as she stalked toward her.  “Damn it,” she hissed.  Forcing herself up, turned around and ran.  She jumped up a book case, and then jumped onward through narrow window at ground level.  She rolled over the grass, got up again, and ran off.

*****

As the wounded snake demon tried to run off to recuperate from the bullet wound, Xander quickly chased after it.  “You’re not getting away,” Xander growled at its retreated form, catching up to the demon quickly.  It suddenly turned around and swiped the back of its snake body at Xander.  Xander halted, pulling back, making the swipe miss barely.

“AAH!” Xander screamed out in pain, clutching his own right arm.  He pulled back and turned around, flatting himself against a wall.  The snake demon hesitated for a moment to see if their injuries cancelled each other out, but the decided not to take a chance.  Xander rapidly checked his bleeding upper arm, and noticed it was just a grazing wound.

It couldn’t have been the fake cop that had probably shot the snake in his arm; they were outside a line of fire.  Extending his awareness of the environment, he rapidly looked around, and noticed the window at the street side, the building across from it.  Growling he jumped up and forward, twisting around, landing against the ceiling with his feet, and pushed back down. At the same moment a bullet hole tore in the wall where Xander had just been standing.

Xander landed on his feet again after a particularly impressive somersault, and ran for the crossroads.  He jumped, ducking into the right corridor, while the blonde woman across the street fired again, hitting a rolled-up fire hose.  “Upgraded to a rifle, huh, bitch,” Xander hissed and ran onward, quickly formulating a plan as he painfully held his arm.

*****

Across the corridor, Kendra was fighting off the students under mind control, trying not to hurt them permanently.  She was standing over Buffy, determined to protect her sister Slayer.   With a roundhouse kick , she send three charging students flying back to slam against a wall. She grabbed a clumsy punch and threw her own perfectly executed one, making the girl slump to the ground unconscious.  She took a look over at the vicious battle between werecat and demon, and the demon seemed to be winning.  From the side came another student holding a fire extinguisher to smash her brains in with, and she grabbed the arms, pulling onward and tossing the boy into another one.  As she started to feel her own mental defenses erode under the demon’s telepathic onslaught, she kicked Buffy.  “Come on, Buffy, snap out of eet, we need to help out Jenny and make de theeng withdraw its mind,” Kendra told the blonde girl desperately.  “Eet will hurt your friends,” Kendra added, tossing aside a student once again revived from its unconsciousness.  She winced as the girl slammed against the wall with her head, and muttered, “I ope you don’t have brain damage.”

Below her, Buffy’s eyes snapped open, as Kendra’s sentence about her friend filtered through her painful mind.  She gritted her teeth, as rage over her friends burned through her mind, keeping the demon’s mind at bay.  She rose to her feet with her teeth visibly clenched shut.  “RAH!” she yelled slamming her fist into the wall, making a nice star.  She turned around to face the battle between Jenny and the demon, and she growled out, “Let’s kick its ass, Kendra.”

Kendra grinned, and said, “I was ‘oping you’d say dat.”  The two nodded at each other, and jumped over a new wall of charging students, while behind them Willow smiled with satisfaction, still a little magic swishing around her.  The students that came at them from the front, now collided with the students that came at them from their back, making the mindless puppets drop comically to the ground before getting back up again.

The Slayers raced toward the demon, who just got a scratch across his chest form Jenny. With a vicious backhand to the cat woman’s face, she was slammed painfully against the wall. The Slayers jumped, Buffy high, Kendra low.  The mind-controlling demon blocked Buffy’s flying kick, making Kendra’s hit his knees.  He groaned and took a stabilizing step back.  Buffy came down, twisting herself around as she punched down and over its nose.  “Oah!” he exclaimed at the pain, staggering back.

Kendra ran forward, and kicked out, as behind her and Buffy the mass of students started running at them.  The demon deflected blow, spinning a little to its left and back.  Buffy’s follow up he avoided and landed a solid blow in her stomach.  “Oof!” she exclaimed as she clutched her stomach and took a few steps back.  Her stomach may hurt, but the buzzing in her mind was gone now.

With a growling miaow, Jenny got back into the fight, kicking out at the demon’s left knee.  As the demon took the leg back to avoid getting hit, Jenny suddenly jumped up with her still standing left foot, and with a hiss sliced her extended talons once more across the demon’s chest.  With a moan of pain he staggered back, and the students hesitated, looking confused for a moment, before starting the charge again.

The demon grabbed for Jenny’s neck - a bunch from Kendra slammed against it making him let go.  Kendra kicked out high, as Jenny threw a punch at the demon’s stomach.  The demon staggered back, and then as it righted itself it looked surprised as Buffy came jumping over the other two fighters.  A moment later she kicked out with all her might, and slammed her foot in the demon’s face.  “AARGH!” the massive demon yelled out as it was launched of its feet, and after a painful landing slid backward a bit more.  The charging students halted, looked around confused, and then blinked their eyes.

The demon gave an annoyed growl, then turning around got up, and ran out the school, muttering to himself, “That incompetent bitch, this is her fault.”

*****

The blonde peered through her scope, tracking where Xander most likely went, although at the moment she only saw wall.  She was moving her gun left, and saw Xander for a moment through the window of a class room, and an open door he ran past.  Further left there was another opportunity, through the window of a classroom, and then a window perpendicular to that one of the same room.  Xander was moving south now, he had turned.  The window was big and she squeezed off a shot.  The bullet was launched from the gun almost completely silent, the suppressor doing its job.  Two windows broke, but she just missed him.  Damn, he was fast.

A little further on he turned left; she could see it through a window as he opened a door into that room.  What the hell was he doing in the bathroom?

*****

Xander opened the door of a stall, an ducked behind it.  A bullet passed through the door overhead, and then slammed through the pot.  Water splashed up, and covered him, turning him instantly into Lexa.  “Ah, yuck!” Lexa exclaimed in annoyance, her breasts straining against the now suddenly tight shirt.  “At least it smells like it was flushed.”

Lexa jumped back to the middle of the toilet rooms, where a wide well was present.  With quick kick its cover was off, and she jumped inside.  “EEW!” Lexa exclaimed as the sewer smell assaulted her senses.  A bullet slammed into the toilet’s floor a moment later.

*****

“DAMN!” the blonde woman hissed out angrily.  What was he up to?  She moved the scope up and down toward the building she was lying on.  Which way would he go?  Would he actually try . . .?”

Suddenly she switched her gun back to her right, and immediately pulled her head up, her hand as well.  In a quick motion she snatched a crossbow bolt from the air, and then she looked down at the library.  A moment later she looked through the scope, seeing the brown-haired bunny-eared Amazon.  “Lotion,” the blonde hissed, as she saw the girl’s eyes widen.

She quickly switched the gun back toward where the sewer would be where Harris had disappeared into.  She scanned again, but she didn’t see him haven come out on the street or anything.  She switched back to Lotion and noticed she was about to fire again.

“Damn it,” the blonde hissed, accepting that her target really was coming for her, probably via the building itself; finding a sewer exit on the bottom floor.  Between the crossbow bolts, and the guy coming out the roof door directly behind her, her position just lost all tactical advantage.  She couldn’t shoot an emerging Xander, and stop the crossbow coming directly toward her back at the same time after all.  Quickly hanging the rifle on her shoulder, she picked up her case, and ran off to her right to the edge of the building, muttering, “That lucky bitch . . . bastard.”  There she jumped, making an annoyed sound, and sailed high through the air before landing on the following building’s roof.

Xander opened the door just then, and turned around searching for her, and found her jumping from roof to roof, just like he did escaping from the bug demon.

*****

Kendra and Buffy were checking up on the students.  But all they were was banged up, a few would be black and blue for a while, but nothing major.  Jenny though, had already run back to the library.  Luckily, the mind control seemed to have left most of the students’ memories a confused black - perhaps a few flashes here and there.

That was, except Oz, who took in the redhead of his dreams.  Willow had specifically searched him out, and was knelt close by, looking concerned at the bruises forming on his body.  “You tried to save me, not necessary, but . . .” Willow said with gratitude.

“Uh, ya, well, uhm . . . you really . . .?” he asked remember the energy swirling around him, it had made her look even more beautiful and sexy.

Willow smiled at him, as she continued suppressing the unnatural amounts of magic raging through her body.  She looked up at Buffy and Kendra finishing their inspection, and asked them with a sour tone, “Did you have to be so rough on them?”

Kendra and Buffy came over and took in the bruised Oz.  Buffy smiled at the couple, while Kendra just answered, “Eet was eider heem bruised, or me and Buffy gutted.”

“So who’s this?” Buffy asked with a smile, as Willow slowly helped Oz to his feet.

“This is Oz, you know, I told you about him, he got stuck with in the genius section as well,” Willow explained hastily.

“Very nice to meet you,” Buffy said with a far too big smirk.  Willow narrowed her eyes at her friend in suspicion.

*****

“Was that . . .?” Lotion wondered, and then looked back at her mother.  “Could that be . . .?”

“Be who?” Giles asked, as Cordelia attempted to bandage him.  She had already torn open the pants, and looked with dread and confusion at the knives.  What to do?  And worse, what about her face?

Jenny came back into the library fast, and almost immediately noticed the smell of blood and where it came from.  “Rupert!” she called in fear, and bounded to his side immediately. She turned to Cordelia, and said, “First aid kit, behind the counter.”

“Oh, right,” Cordelia answered, wanting to smash herself into her face.  With all the nerves raging through her body, she had completely forgot.

She went over, and soon returned with the kit, as Lotion and Deo came over, Giles still looking questioningly at them.  They stayed silent, as Jenny went to work on safely removing the knives from Giles’ flesh.

A few moments later Buffy, Kendra and Willow came back into the library.  “Oh, my god! What happened!?” Buffy exclaimed in shock as she saw Jenny remove the first knife, and immediately put pressure above the wound to halt the much more gushing wound now.  With her other hand she already pulled out the prepared a needle and thread.

“There was another assassin; three actually,” Deo informed Buffy who looked stricken. “Apart from the knife wielding bitch here, Xander went after the snake, and a blonde woman with a gun was across the street.”

“Yeah, look at my face!” Cordelia exclaimed indignantly, pointing at the scar.  Kendra immediately took a few first aid supplies and maneuvered Cordelia over to a chair.

“Seet,” Kendra told her, and a confused Cordelia did so.  Buffy and Willow looked astonished as the Slayer started with cleaning Cordelia’s wound, which had already stopped bleeding.

Buffy crunched her face, and she asked friendly, “Let me guess: Slayer handbook?”

Kendra looked back at Buffy for a moment, before turning back to examining and treating Cordelia’s wound.  She answered her, “Knowing how to treat wounds can save lives, innocents’, your watcher’s, and your own should you need it.”

Lexa came into the library, having completely forgotten about the bleeding arm, and said, “Damn it, both got away.”  The sleeve of his shirt on his right arm was red.

Kendra jumped up immediately, and went into a stance.  When everyone looked confused, she asked Buffy, “Anoder friend?”

“Not another, you’ve already met her,” Willow answered Kendra.

“Actually, Willow,” Lexa said with a sultry town and took two steps forward, swaying her entire body, “I don’t think she has, but I can tell you, Kendra, I’m a sweetheart.”  She gave the girl a wink, and the Slayer was even more confused.

Lexa looked over the counter, and grinned; Giles was always good for some war tea water.  She dipped her hand in the water boiler and it indeed was still warm.  She then brought the hands to her face and dipped it in the water.  Lexa grew a little taller, her shoulders widened, her hips narrowed jut a bit, and Xander grinned at Kendra, telling her, “Hi.”

“AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!” Kendra screamed out in shock.

Deo nodded as Kendra finished her screaming, then said, “Jusenkyo indeed great curse.”

Xander chuckled as Jenny continued her treating of Giles wounds.  He spoke, “I fell into the Cursed Spring of the Drowned Girl.  Cold water makes me a girl, warm a guy again.”  Deo reached Xander and pointed out his wound to him.  He looked confused at it for a moment, and then remembered.  He allowed her to move him to a seat, where he sat down, and she started examining the wound.

Kendra nodded slowly, and then turned back to Cordelia, continue her treatment much, much too calmly.  Willow and Buffy smiled at each other, and Cordelia turned her glare to Xander.  She pointed at the wound, and told him, “I haven’t quite figured out why yet, Xander, but I know this is somehow your fault!”

Xander blinked at her as Deo got some of the first aid stuff.  “Me!?” Xander exclaimed in surprise.  “They’re assassins, and I didn’t hire them.  How is that my fault: if you didn’t have the hots for me, trying to seduce me, you wouldn’t be here?”

“I /knew/ it!” Cordelia told him with a glare.

Xander rolled his eyes, and told her, “That won’t even leave a scar.  At most a white line, which just one layer of makeup will cover up, you usually where ten.”  Cordelia growled.

“Hold steell, or eet will be much beegger,” Kendra told Cordelia, which promptly shut her up.

Giles spoke up as Jenny started on treating the second wound.  “Will one of you two finally tell me who you saw?”

They looked from him to the Amazons.  Mother and daughter looked at each other, and then Lotion replied, “Several years ago, an Amazon named Oilay stole a holy artifact.  She was caught, the artifact retrieved, but she managed to escape and left the tribe - the blonde sniper looked a lot like her, and she moved like us as well.”

“Shit,” Willow muttered with a little fear, “So now we have a super strong Amazon after us as well, just great.”

“She’s not as strong as I am,” Deo added carefully, looking around the occupants of the library, “Just a little stronger than Lotion.”

“And that matters what, exactly?” Willow requested annoyed, and a moment later a mass off flowers came falling from the ceiling, quickly covering everyone and the library floor and tables.  Flowery looks of annoyance turned to Willow, and giving an apologetic wave she said, “Hih-hih, sorry.”

Giles groaned, and everyone but Kendra and Cordelia looked over to see Jenny start to stitch his second wound.  Kendra had finished cleaning Cordelia’s wound, and placed a gauze on it, sticking it to her face with a few pieces of tape.  Cordelia felt the gauze, and grimaced - her beautiful face.

Xander was irritated.  Several times there had been attempts on his life and friends, and he had taken out only one of the assassins.  Six of them were still out there, and they could come back anytime they wanted to.  He shook his head a bit, as Giles gave another groan. Xander noticed Lotion standing off to the side, next to her mother.  She no longer had the ears tucked underneath a hat, and he noticed her sadness.  Slowly he inched toward her as Giles spoke up to keep himself distracted from the needle entering and re-entering his flesh, “We need to take the fight to them, we can’t sit here waiting for them to try and kill us again.”

Xander wasn’t exactly in love with Lotion, but he definitely had feelings for her.  He considered her a friend, one of ‘his girls’, she was also highly attractive.  So there was a little more than friendship, a ‘potential’.  He took in her sad form, and then gently put an arm around her waist.  When she looked up startled, her eyes brightened a bit, enjoying his arm.  At the same time, Buffy spoke deeply concerned, “With ‘we’, you mean ‘us’, as in ‘we minus you’, right, Giles?  There’s no way you’re walking, much less fighting like that for the next few weeks.”

Giles gritted his teeth, and focused on the problem at hand.  “We have several problems, if one could be solved we could possibly solve all of them,” Giles said with pained face.  “First, we don’t know where Spike’s lair is.  Second, the ritual must be held at a church, and we have no idea which.  There are forty-three churches in Sunnydale, so once the sun sets, we can’t possibly search them all before Spike completes the ritual.  Third, is that he needs Drusilla’s sire, but we don’t know who that is.  Fourth is the Order.”

“Sire?” Buffy questioned with dread.  “As in, the vamp that made her?”

“Indeed,” Deo supplied casually.  They all looked at Buffy.

Buffy looked around the library for a moment, and then said, “Angel, that is Angelus made Drusilla.”

“Shit,” Xander muttered annoyed.

Buffy walked resolutely over to the phone, and called.  Everyone looked at her with bated breath.  After a while she put the phone on the hook, and said, “He’s not home.  They must have gotten him.”  Buffy turned to Giles, as Jenny finished the stitches.  “Will this- . . . will this ritual- . . .” Buffy started in fear.

“-kill him, I’m afraid so, Buffy,” Giles answered her gravely.

Everyone was silent, as Buffy looked down.  Emotion coiled around her.  Fear, helplessness, pain.  Spike had Angel!  She loved Angel!  He tried to have Xander killed! She loved Xander!  Down on the floor there was a sudden purring, and then watched as Jenny was rubbing her body like a feline against an embarrassed Giles and then started kissing him.

“Get a room,” Cordelia told them rolling her eyes.

Suddenly Buffy looked up, a cold look on her face.  “That does it!” she hissed out angrily. “I’m done.  No more Miss Nice Slayer!”  Everyone looked at her with wide eyes at her outburst, but she wasn’t done yet.  “I’m going to kill Spike, I’m going to tear him limb from limb.  He can try and kill me, that’s fine.  He can send assassins after me, no problem - *but nobody messes with my boyfriends and lives!*”

“Boyfriend/s/!?” everyone but Cordelia exclaimed.  Xander was both annoyed at being just one of two and extremely happy that Buffy actually called him her boyfriend.

Before Buffy could answer though, Cordelia finally lost her cool.  “Boyfriends!?” she snapped angrily.  “Boyfriends?  That’s it?”  She took a few steps forward and pointed at the bandaged side of her.  “You see this!?” Cordelia screamed furiously.  “Take a number.  After I’m done with the bitch who did this, the bastard who hired her is going down.”  She whirled around and walked over to the weapons cage, attempting to open the locked door.  She twisted around again, and hissed, “Giles, keys!”

“Uh!” Giles started.

“Now!” Cordelia yelled, making everyone look at her with wide eyes.  A moment later a bundle of keys flew through the air.  Cordelia caught them, found the right key and opened it. She entered, took two short swords from the wall, and stalked back out of the cage.  She swung the swords around, making several expert slashes, thrusts and twirls.  Grinning dangerously she muttered barely audible, “Just like riding a bike.”

“Uh, Cordelia?” Xander asked a little nervously, taking a step forward, letting go of Lotion.  “I can’t remember teaching you swords . . . in fact, /I/ don’t know swords.”

Cordelia’s teeth were bared as the dangerous grin refused to leave her face, and she said, “When I was little, my parents forced me to take a ‘high-class’ sport for several years.  I could choose between ballet, golf . . . and fencing.  Take a guess.  The teacher taught me a bit more than just a foil, thank god.  I’m sure your training will help with this too.”  Then Cordelia looked confused at the swords, looking down at her skirted outfit.  “I just need a place to put them . . .”

*****

Angel was bound to a bed, arms spread wide to the two poles.  Drusilla poured holy water from a cup over his chest.  His skin sizzled and smoked, and he screamed out in pain.  There were more marks of where Drusilla had been torturing him earlier.

“Daddy,” Drusilla singsonged.  “I remember my daddy, he was nice.  Then you ripped out his throat.”  She poured some more of the offending water, making Angel scream in pain once again.

“Oh!” Drusilla suddenly exclaimed, and looked up happily, lightheaded.  Then she turned and walked out of the bedroom.  Outside she found Spike, their minions, and all but one of the Terakan assassins.  The blonde Amazon was to the right, next to her stood a smiling bug guy. A bit further on stood a woman in cop’s clothing, then a red demon.  At the left there was the snake demon, who was poking with tweezers in the wound of his arm.

“You failed again,” Spike murmured with great annoyance.  “So what’s the bloody excuse this time?”

The red demon growled and turned to the cop woman.  “Her.”  His hand reached out, grabbed her by the throat, and walking forward and he slammed her against the wall.  “She screwed all of this up.”

“Try it,” the cop wheezed out through the tight grip.  The demon felt something called and looked down, seeing the gun under his chin.  “And we get to see which is faster, strangling or a trigger finger.”

The snake demon gave out a strangled curse, and then he pulled a bullet from the wound. Once it was removed, the bullet hole he inspected started to heal steadily, but slowly.  “I had him,” he growled out, and then flashed its snake eyes at the cop still held above the floor, “I was just about to sink my fangs into his neck, when . . .”  He held up the bullet while pausing, before finishing, “this is your bullet, you amateur hussy.”

The snake seemed ready to finish what the red demon started, when Drusilla interrupted. She had hands to her head, and whimpered, “Pain.  It hurts when such nice friends attack each other . . .”

“Dru,” Spike said quickly coming over, as the assassins and the minions watched.

Drusilla’s eyes opened again, and for a moment blazing with non-existent strength, she added, “must not, must kill bad guys, must kill nasty Slayer and friends.”

Spike nodded, and flashed the Dinoano demon a look, and humoring his employer he put the woman down.  The final assassin came struggling into the room next to the Cobra.  He and Drusilla looked over and saw her watching them.  She straightened up painfully, held her hands in front of her stomach and started chanting.  Her hands lit up green, then a lot of small green light balls flew from her hands into her stomach.  After a few moments of this, she stopped, and stretched.  Then she told Spike, “You hired me to kill the Amazon, you however did not mention the mother is ten times stronger, faster, and more agile than her daughter is.  That, annoys me.”

“I could have told you that,” the blonde amazon spoke up with a grin.

Spike angrily blew air out through his nose, and then turned to the blonde, “And why didn’t you, or better yet, why did /you/ fail?”

“I did not fail, I just have yet to succeed,” she answered him flatly, and finished, “that Harris kid must be the luckiest son of a bitch this side of the equator, hell, in the world.  Luck goes only so far, he will go down next time.”

The cobra hissed, then said, “It will take about an hour before this is healed, then I’ll finish what I started.”

“Oh, I like our new friends, Spike,” Drusilla muttered pressing her hand against his shoulder.

Spike breathed out in irritation, and said, “You heard her, you bloody wankers.  You just stay here and come with us, guard the church and the ritual - I’d like to see the them try and stop us with all of you present.”  He then turned around, and led his beloved back to the bedroom.

*****

Buffy and Kendra were in Giles’ office.  Buffy was wearing black workout pants with a white line and a blue spaghetti-strapped shirt.  Buffy was angrily cutting a stake as Kendra looked outside through the windows.  There Buffy’s friends were busy trying to figure out where Spike could be, or which church he might be using.  A few who had mass that night had fallen off, but there were still too many to manually search after night fall, and they didn’t have enough people to stake them all out.  Stake out?  That had to be a cosmic irony?  Or did a Slayer actually come up with the phrase to begin with.  “Ah, now dat’s going to be bugging me all day,” Kendra complained with a little annoyance.

“What is?” Buffy asked her counterpart without looking up from the forming stake.

“‘Stake out.’  Wheder a Slayer tought dat up or not,” Kendra answered Buffy.

Buffy grinned at the Slayer, and told her, “I get that too sometimes.”

Kendra sighed and looked back outside.  “Your friends are crazy, in about a hundred ways,” Kendra said, taking in the oddball crew.  Buffy frowned and then looked up, about to ask whether she meant that as an insult, but Kendra continued with a smile, “I can see why you feet so well togeder.  Boyfriend/s/?”

“Ah, well,” Buffy replied a nervous, yet a happy smile on her face, “It’s a long story.”

“Hmm, would ‘you’re a pervert’, about sum eet up?” Kendra asked her pointedly.  “A vampire?”

“Uh, yeah, well . . .” Buffy started nervously, then brightened, “Xander’s got four, girlfriends that is.”

“Four!?” Kendra asked with eyes bugging out.

Buffy smirked, and clarified, “Me, Willow, Cordelia and Lotion all want him, and he’s dating all of us.  See, I’m not so bad.”

“Yeah, Xander . . .” Kendra started then nervously looked down.

Buffy paused her stake making, and asked, “What?  He’s hot?”

Kendra swallowed, looking up at Buffy panicked while she said, “Well . . . dat ees . . . kinda . . . muscles . . . but . . .”  Buffy just looked amused at Kendra.  “I’m not allowed to talk to boys - they are a deestraction.”

“Can’t your parents put a stop to that?” Buffy asked the exotic Slayer immediately.

“My parents?” Kendra asked surprised.  “My parents gave me up to de Watchers when I was three.  Dat’s how serious dey took de calling.”  Buffy looked appalled at Kendra.  “You do not ave to feel sorry for me, I don’t feel sorry for me.  Dey tought dey did right thing for me, and I guess for de world.”

“I guess,” Buffy sad sadly looking down at her almost finished stake.  “I couldn’t miss my mother and my friends.  They’re amazing, sometimes I feel completely inadequate compared to them.”

“So do I,” Kendra replied looking intently at Lotion researching something in a book, “She ees so strong; I almost can’t believe eet’s natural, what you just showed will actually make me dat strong, and not some dark magic.”

“Well, it will,” Buffy said, frowning.  She looked back up, and said, “You don’t get it, at all.  Xander is stronger than Lotion.”

“What?” Kendra asked shocked.

Buffy nodded, and explained, “And what you felt is nothing.  That bunny thing, if she’s normal, one punch would have put you unconscious . . . or at least wish you were.”  Buffy gave Kendra a pointed look, and said, “I got hit by her before they trained me, so I know, trust me.  Deo though, she’s even more powerful than Xander, like ten times or so.”  Kendra looked with wide eyes at Buffy.  Buffy grinned and added, “And we can get that strong as well, but that’s not what I was talking about.”  Buffy looked down, and then explained, “Look at them. They fight because they chose to, not because they were chosen.  Then they cheer me up, and look at me like I’m some grand champion or hero . . .”  Buffy frowned and then looked back up.  Smiling she added, “Although I suppose that last has been going down lately.  They’re starting to see me as just a friend, I guess.”

“We should be going after Drusilla, not save your vampire boyfriend,” Kendra said suddenly.  There, she had finally said it.  She was about to say something earlier, but Cordelia’s outburst had interrupted her train of thought then.

Buffy stood up straighter and narrowed her eyes at Kendra.  “Saving Angel means we’re going after Drusilla,” Buffy whispered dangerously, “They are the same thing, but if they weren’t, we’d still be going after Angel.”

“So eet’s true den, a boyfriend does distract you,” Kendra returned, growing angry.

“I don’t care,” Buffy returned angrily.

Kendra nodded, and growled, “Den you are right, you certainly are not a hero.”

Buffy was about to return a more deadly statement, when the door opened and Xander casually walked in.  “Excuse me, lovely ladies,” Xander said with a big grin, looking from one to the other for a moment.  Then he walked forward.  He maneuvered smoothly around Giles’ desk, and went to one of the metal cabinets in the back, right in the middle of Buffy and Kendra.  He opened one drawer, and then stopped.  He looked to a silent Buffy, and then turned his head to look at an even more silent Kendra.  The exotic Slayer looked down, then carefully angled her head up just a bit to take a peak, and swallowed when she noticed Xander examining her.

Buffy took a few steps forward and placed her hand on Xander’s back.  He figured something out, and asked, “Uh, so why are you looking at the ground.”

“You . . . you . . . you’re a . . . boy,” Kendra struggled out.

Confused, Xander muttered, “I could splash some water on me.”

Buffy giggled, and then explained, “Her watcher forbade her to talk to boys, they are apparentlee a deestraction.”  Kendra glared at Buffy.

Xander’s eyes rose in even greater confusion, and more so when he took in Kendra’s apparel.  Lovely makeup, large earrings, tight pants, and an even tighter top that left her midriff bare, and was low enough there was a hint of cleavage - not that the tightness required cleavage to show off her lovely breasts.  Something was filtering at Xander’s consciousness, but he could quite figure out what it was, and so he asked instead, “So what if you’re a lesbian?”

Buffy’s eyes widened at that, her mouth quirking in a smile, and then Kendra said confused, “A what?”

Kendra’s expression and question were comical, and Xander’s dead on dry comment on how that measure couldn’t keep the problem away, was even more so.  Buffy burst out in giggles and laughter, partly doubling over, and only holding onto Xander’s back kept her somewhat upright.  Xander turned to her, and looked with confusion at the blonde Slayer, who only slowly got herself under control.  While Buffy was still busy, Xander shrugged and explained to Kendra, “You know, a girl that likes other girls.”

“Dat happens?” Kendra asked surprised, and Buffy’s laughter grew worse again, but only a little bit.

Finally the blonde put herself under control and turned to one of the guys she designated ‘boyfriend’.  She pulled him down, and before she realized what she was doing, she planted a sweet kiss on his lips, feeling the heat of his lips in the touch.  As Xander righted himself, he looked down at Buffy and said, “Wow.  It’s been a long time since we’ve done that . . . have we even done that?”

Buffy blinked, and remembered the hot, fiery, passionate kisses they shared, and the even hotter, passionate and sweaty sex . . . but no gentle sweet, loving kisses.  She gave a tiny shudder at the remembered encounter, and then quickly answered, “No, I don’t think we have.”

Kendra looked with total confusion at Buffy and Xander, and finally said, “You two are weird.”

“See!” Xander said happily, “You can talk to a boy after all!”  Xander went back to the drawer and looked through it.

“Hey, Xan?” Buffy asked slowly.

“Yeah.”

“We’re gonna save Angel, right?” Buffy asked him just a bit uncertain.

Xander sighed as Kendra frowned.  “Sure,” Xander said friendly, burning with jealousy at the inside, as well as rage.  How anyone could love a corpse was beyond him.

“Angel!” Kendra called out suddenly, remembering.  The other two looked at her.  “He was threatening de weasel at de bar, I just tought he wanted to eet him, but - if Angel’s good . . .”

“Than that bastard isn’t a friend,” Buffy said with a huge, predatory grin.  “Which probably means he knows where they’re going to have the ritual.”

“You teenk he’ll tell us where eet ees?” Kendra asked Buffy.

Grinning widely, Buffy answered, “I teenk we mite make im.”  Then they turned and headed for the office door.

Xander followed them out, and he said, “You two realize how scary you two are like that was, right?  Not to mention hot as hell.”

The Slayers didn’t listen as Buffy headed straight for the door, saying, “I figured it out, Giles.  It’s the dirtbag in the bar.  Come on, guys, we’ll have Angel back in no time.”

“Hold on a moment,” Giles stated resolutely from his chair at the main table.  Buffy took a few more steps as Kendra stood still right away.

When she noticed nobody was following her, Buffy turned around, and said, “What!?”

“Most of the day has passed, and there have been no more attacks, Buffy,” Giles explained carefully.  “That probably means Spike is keeping the assassins with him to guard the ritual. Just finding the site is not enough, you need a strategy, and I have just the thing . . .”  Giles outlined his basic idea and everyone nodded.

“Good,” Deo said and took center stage, “then I shall lead.”

“Why!?  You’re putting Willow through that, attacked Xander,” Buffy listed off pissed, and decided to quit the rest of the list for speed purposes.  “I should lead this mission.”

Cordelia huffed, and quickly got in, “And you hogging the bitch for yourself no doubt.  I should- . . .”

Willow coughed exceptionally loud, and everyone looked over at her.  “Remember last time we had this problem, we had a simple solution,” Willow said and pointed at Xander.

The others looked over to him.  “Me?” Xander asked a little nervously, and then looked at Willow’s confidence filled face.  “Oh, okay, I guess . . .”

*****

Buffy and Kendra burst in through the door of the bar.  Willy - just next to his counter - looked frightened as he saw the two dangerous, and beautiful girls come at him.  He turned around to run, and he did, but the Slayers were much faster.  They crossed the distance in no time at all, and Buffy grabbed him in the back of his jacket.  “Alright sleaze ball,” Buffy growled at him, and flung him toward the bar counter.  She walked over and grabbed him again.

“I didn’t do anything,” Willy whimpered, hands up in innocent defense.

“Where’s Angel?” Buffy hissed at him, pissed.

Willy once more whimpered out, “I don’t know I swear.”

Buffy pulled her hand back ready for a punch as Kendra stayed back a bit.  “Quite lying, you bastard.  Where are they holding the ritual!” Buffy told him angrily bringing her hand threateningly forward.

“They didn’t tell me, I don’t know,” Willy tried desperately.

“Just hit heem, Buffy,” Kendra told the blonde.

“Last chance,” Buffy growled, and Willy looked much more frightened now.

Willy hesitated and Kendra took a step forward, saying, “Alright, I’ll do it.”

Buffy smirked at Willy as Kendra came into view of the snitch, looking extremely dangerous and pissed off.  “She wants to hit,” Buffy growled angrily.

Willy nodded, “Okay, okay, okay!  I’ll tell ya, I’ll tell ya!”  Buffy eased her grip and lowered her arm again.

“Where?” Buffy requested, pulling him at the collar of his jacket to the middle of the bar.

“I can’t tell you,” Willy started, seeing the dangerous frowns on the slayer, and see he continued without missing a beat, “I’ll have show you.”

“Alright, let’s go!” Buffy said, grabbing the sleazy man and pulling him toward the exit.

“Wait, we have to go back to our watcher for orders,” Kendra told Buffy.

“I don’t take orders,” Buffy spat back.

Kendra’s eyebrows raised and told her, “No wonder you died.”

“Listen,” Buffy said angrily to the other Slayer, “right now, they could be killing Angel, and I’m going to stop it.  You can either come with me, or stay here.  I’m not going to let Angel die.”  With Willy in tow, Buffy left the bar.

Frustrated Kendra called after her, “He /should/ die.  Why am I the only who sees that?”

*****

“Here it is,” Willy told Buffy as he led her into the beige-stoned church.  “See, remember that your friend Willy always comes through in a snitch.”

The two bent left, and soon reached another door that entered the inner church itself on its corner.  Suddenly three vampires appeared from the door, and three more from a niche behind Buffy.  Buffy looked around shocked, as Willy said, “Here’s the Slayer.  See, remember your friend Willy always comes through in a snitch.”

*****

Inside the church, Drusilla and Angel were chained together just in front of the altar.  Drusilla’s left hand was wrapped into Angel’s right hand, and that’s where they were tied together.  The Terakan assassins stood in several positions around the place.  The red Dinoano demon stood in the middle, amidst the church benches, while the others were spread around, apart from Oilay, she was nowhere to be seen.  Further there were vampire minions spread around as well. The church was light beige on the inside like it was on the outside, oil worked windows everywhere; paintings of Jesus’ last ordeal around the place.  Candles burned in several positions, most notably around the altar area.  Spike walked around, spraying incense from a golden vaporizer to the four corners of the earth, while speaking an ancient tongue.  Having done the corner in the right in front of the two strung up vampires, he moved over to the left, where he chanted onward.  Done, he put the vaporizer down and he walked over to vampire and sire.  Chanting again, he pulled a stake, and rammed it through the hands of the two. Angel groaned, while Drusilla gave a pleasurable moan, then a bright white light emitted from the stake and their hands, then died down.  Angel continued to groan.

“Right,” Spike drawled with a pleasant tone, “Now we just let it simmer till it boils, and yum, yum.”

“Hey, Spike,” Willy called as he entered the church, while Buffy escorted by several vampires came in after him.  “I came for the reward.”

“WHY DID THE HELL DID YOU BRING THE BINT HERE, YOU SOD!” Spike yelled out angrily.

Willy looked intimidated, and said, “You said you wanted her.”

“Dead!  I wanted her dead!” Spike yelled at him pissed off.

“S-sorry, I thought dead or alive,” Willy said backing away a bit.

Buffy’s gaze had been locked on Angel all the time, and finally couldn’t keep quiet. “Angel,” she said with dread.

Spike looked back for a moment, then returned to Buffy, and said, “Yeah, I hate to see him like this too, luv.  On the bright side, he’ll be dust in five minutes.”  Buffy glared at Spike angrily.  “Will someone kill her already?” Spike asked impatient.

*****

Outside was Xander, leading the group of warriors of light, minus Giles and Buffy who was already inside.  “Outer guards first,” Xander said crouched behind a bush.  He nodded backward, and the returned the gesture.  Then they made a beeline to the entrance of the church.  They entered and the split up in two groups.  Cross bow bolts flew, and a moment later there were a few piles of ashes.

Xander took in the church, quickly, hoping their faith, especially Willow’s in him was justified.  He found the soldier’s memories of tactics and strategy coming to him easily.  He checked the outer hallway, which lead forward on both sides of the church.  There was the inner sanctum, Xander realized, and a corridor going fully around hit.  Most likely a few exits to allow the mass of people normally inside back out.  No doubt the corridor would lead even around the back - or front,  depending on how you looked at it - but was likely closed off.  No matter, he doubted the old doors could hold back an Amazon.  “Alright,” Xander said and everyone listened.  His heart beat in his chest, and continued, “If I had a sniper in my team, I’d place her in the middle in the front or the back on the second floor, that way anyone who goes in can be shot right away,” Xander said resolutely; shoving away his self-doubt.  “Lotion, can you take your sister Amazon?”

Lotion nodded determinately, her hat having fallen off on her way running from the bushes, so her ears were up.  Xander accepted the answer, trusting that Lotion wasn’t making herself feel better, and so he said, “You go take the rifle away from the sniper then, as other ranged weapons.  Only when she’s not able to shoot, can we go inside.”

They all nodded.  Xander got out a whistle, gave it to Lotion, and told her, “Three quick bursts is the signal she can’t shoot anymore.”

“Got it,” Lotion said, taking the whistle, and then rapidly ran off taking the right side corridor.

“All right, this is how we’re going to play it . . .” Xander muttered out, his fingers tingling.

*****

Lotion quickly navigated the church, dispatching two more vampires on the way.  She reached a door leading to the left.  Three was another door forward leading to the priest’s or reverent’s residence.  She quickly kicked the on to the left in.  There was a staircase going, up, and Lotion rapidly went up.   This was a small room, just next to the highest part of the crucifix.  A small niche leaning into the church, and having a hole through which would could see inside the church.  The room was some three meters long, and one wide.  At the hole sat a blonde woman, the rifle stuck through the hole.  “Oilay,” Lotion put all her effort into the snarl.

Surprised the Amazon looked up, and said, “Lotion.”  With quick movement, Lotion pulled her nunchakus from her back and sped forward.  As the blonde got up, she pulled the rifle back to aim at Lotion, but she was too fast.  Two luscious bodies collided together, and Lotion wrapped her nunchakus around the rifle, wrenched, and sent it skittering to the floor. A punch to her face was the reward for her effort.  As she staggered back, she grabbed Oilay by her collar, and pulled her along, backward, till the both of them rolled down the stairs. Painfully their bodies banged against the stairs.  Once they were down, they scrambled back to their feet, and Lotion quickly brought the whistle to her mouth.  She blew three powerful times quickly.

*****

“Will someone kill her already?” Spike asked impatient.

The cop drew her gun with a grin, and started aiming it at Buffy.  Three shrill whistles sounded suddenly.  They all looked up, except for Buffy.  With a vicious kick, Buffy beat the gun out of the woman’s hand, as Spike muttered, “What the bloody hell?”  She followed up with another one, sending the woman tumbling away from her, and then two doors opened.  In came Kendra, Willow, Deo, and Jenny.  Xander remained with the door, as a third one opened at the front, emitting Cordelia.  Willow, Deo, and Jenny wasted no time staking vampires as they made their way to the mind control demon, who casually stayed standing, waiting for them with a smirk.  Willy in the meanwhile, did everything he could do to sneak away.

“Hey, larvae boy,” Xander called and the bug guy turned to face him, grinned and then quickly walked at Xander.

In the front, Cordelia pulled out her swords from her back, and said, “Hey, sword bitch, you’re going to pay what you did to me.”

The mistress of the swords turned to her, pulled her own, and said, “Oh, I’m sorry, but I forgot my wallet.”  With a yell she attacked, their swords clanging together.

Kendra jumped over Buffy, dropping a stake, and flying feet first into Spike who was launched back.  Buffy caught the stake and dusted two vampires right away, and followed up with two more.  Then she moved over to Kendra where Spike rose to his feet.  “Who the sodding hell are you?” Spike asked in confusion.

“It’s your lucky day, Spike, two Slayers, no waiting,” Buffy told him with a grin as she and Kendra advanced on him, “You get to face the weaker opponents here, you might actually get lucky.”

Both Slayers kicked out, and Spike blocked Kendra’s, but Buffy’s hit him and he staggered back.  From the side the cop lady got back up, pulled a knife and running over a bunch of benches she attacked Buffy.  The blonde turned to face her new attacker and grabbed the woman’s wrists before the knife could hit.  The fake cop then slammed her knee in Buffy’s stomach.

Deo landed a solid blow on the mind-control demon, and he was flung back, crashing through the benches.  With a growl he got up, and blocked a slash from Jenny, pushing her back.

As Willow grabbed a vampire’s fist and twisted him aside, slamming a stake in his heart, Xander closed the doors.  He grabbed a bottle of glue that he had standing next to it, and poured it on the ground.  The bug guy transformed in his component parts and came through the crack underneath the door, right into the glue.  Right away Xander started crushing the mealworms.  After several seconds of doing that, he was pretty certain the demon was dead.

“I think our business got rudely interrupted, twice over, don’t you agree?”

Xander twisted to his right and saw the snake demon standing there, its snake eyes glowing.  It had come through the second door, and Xander said, “Oh, yeah, let’s finish this.”

The demon grew some twenty centimeters in size and lashed out its arms, stretching out. Xander blocked the first, and twisted in between the arms, avoiding the second.  The arms crossed and came back, attempting to catch Xander.  He jumped though, over the arms, and kicked out viciously across the snake’s face, it’s wide outstretched Cobra hood flapping as its entire body jerked sideways.  With a yell, Xander landed another kick in its snake body, before a backhand sent Xander flying and slamming in the wall, making him groan in pain.  With all his speed and effort he twisted off the wall and away before the demon’s hand crashed into the wall where he had been with a roar.  Chunks of wall came tumbling down, and Xander kicked the demon in the shoulder, making it flying back, and roaring in pain.  Xander stalked toward it.

*****

Lotion looked hatefully at her fellow Amazon, wearing the short skirt, and told her, “You joined an assassins order working alongside demons.  You have dishonored all Amazons, I will restore it with your death.”

Oilay laughed out loud, before replying, “/I/ have dishonored all Amazons?  Have you looked in the mirror lately?  You’re a bunny.”

With a roar Lotion jumped forward, swiveling her one remaining nunchakus at Oilay, but the blond ducked coming forward.  She came up, slamming her head devastatingly into Lotion’s chin, while grabbing the right arm which held the weapon.  With a quick slamm of her forearm to Lotion’s inner elbow, the brunette was made to let go of her weapon.  Lotion slammed her knee into Oilay’s stomach, then slammed her fist forward, landing easily on Oilay’s two armed block.  A rapid jab came from the blonde, which the brunette barely avoided.  Lotion jumped slightly, and kicked high, twisting around.  Oilay ducked and slammed both her hands into Lotion’s stomach.  Lotion rammed painfully against the wall, which cracked around her shape.  She moved forward, punching with her left fist, but Oilay blocked it.  Lotion twisted around, making a vicious roundhouse backhand.  Oilay smoothly ducked underneath it, and successfully landed an uppercut, making lotion fly back.

Oilay flashed forward, and drew a sword from a side sheath.  The curved blade sliced down, and Lotion just barely rolled aside.  With a vicious kick to the blonde’s hand the brunette forced the sword out of the equation.  Lotion got up, and walked into a powerful left punch that smashed on her chest, and she was launched off her feet.

She landed on her hands, and with a flick she was righted again.  Lotion took a step forward and kicked high.  Oilay ducked, and slammed a foot on Lotion’s still standing knee. With a scream of pain lotion staggered back, and then fell to the ground.  Oilay took a running start and slammed her right fist straight into Lotion’s bunny nose, making her shove backward till stopped against the wall.  Oilay growled, and smoothly retrieved her sword, then lunged forward.

*****

The cop Terakan’s knife hand came down sharply at Buffy’s neck.  The Slayer almost casually bent back, and then with a rapid left-right-left combo sent the woman staggering back.  A powerful kick to her stomach sent her flying back.  To Buffy’s surprise she saw the woman getting back up.  She was still grabbing her stomach, but it was a testament to the woman’s training she was even getting up at all.

Buffy gave a quick look back and saw how Spike landed a solid blow to Kendra’s face, following it up with a kick to her face.  She blocked the following swipe and managed to land a punch in Spike’s stomach, but the master vampire recovered quickly, making a bit toward the exotic Slayer’s neck.  Having to draw back was enough for Spike to punch a powerful blow on Kendra’s chin, while telling her, “I could do with eating another bloody Slayer.”  He chuckled at his own pun.

Buffy knew Kendra couldn’t beat Spike, but she was pretty certain she could beat the woman who had just climbed back to her feet.  “Switch,” she said, and dunked moving backward.  Kendra rolled over Buffy and charged forward to the woman.  Kendra grabbed the hand making an underhand cut, and bent it out of the way, as she rammed her right fist into the woman’s chin with a roar.  The woman’s head snapped sideways, and she staggered back, but she already recovered.

Meanwhile Spike told Buffy, “I much rather be fighting you anyway.”

“Same here,” Buffy told him, and threw a left.  Spike grabbed the punch and threw her over his shoulder.  Buffy landed on her back, but immediately kicked up in Spike’s face, making him stagger back.  Buffy jumped back up, her feet first and then pulling her body up. She threw a right, which Spike blocked, and the Slayer twisted around to the left.  She blocked Spike’s next kick, and he grabbed her left fist.  He did the same with the right coming after, and he grinned as Buffy tried to pull her hands back uselessly.  Then she suddenly jumped forward and slammed her forehead in his nose.  “ARGH!” Spike exclaimed as he fell back.

*****

Two swords clanged against two other swords.  Cordelia twisted hers down, forcing the assassins down with her.  With a yell, she pulled the upper one back and made a swipe at the assassin’s neck.  The assassin blocked the hit with her own sword, and then they tested their strength, one sword down at the floor, Cordelia’s right, high up.  Their faces wee close together, both grimacing.  “You’re good,” the assassin admitted, “but not good or strong enough.”

“Save for the other side after I cut off your head, bitch,” Cordelia snarled back, as they were fighting in front of the door she had gotten into.  With a quick twist and a kick, the assassin made Cordelia stagger out the door and fall to her ass.  The cheerleader quickly moved her swords to in front of her, blocking the downward arc of the assassin’s swords. Cordelia kicked the S&M mistress in her stomach, giving her time to get up.  She twisted to her left while bringing her up to deflect the assassin’s blow.  Twisting her swords onward she unbalanced the assassin and made a stab at the woman’s kidney.  The assassin twisted out of the way and brought one sword down at Cordelia’s jugular.  The cheerleader deflected it with her left sword, while twisting aside and slicing with her right at the assassin’s side.  There the Terakan’s other sword met hers.  The assassin twisted rapidly around, swords screeching against each other.  The right sword slung around, as the left stayed against Cordelia’s right. Cordelia brought up her left, holding it with the blade down and out.  Then Cordelia jumped back and twisted to her left, making the sword scrape against each other, and pushing the assassin away.  The assassin had to take a step back.

For a moment, the two women looked at each other, breathing heavily.  The assassin had thought she had had Cordelia, most people would twist the onward to the right, leaving the back fully open, but not this one.  She grimaced and then attacked, twisting around her and letting the swords swivel around.

Cordelia deflected the first sword with her left, then twisted aside herself.  Letting her right swivel around and slam down, where it was met with the Terakan’s other sword. Cordelia twisted around, pushing the swords away.  She was facing the assassin with her back now, where she laid her swords.  A cling and the vibration up her arms told her the assassin had struck them.  Cordelia swivelled once more around, keeping the swords facing the assassin though.  The cheerleader thanked her cheerleading practices as she let both swords swivel about, one downward and one upward, both meeting a sword from the Terakan with a clang. The sword mistress moved her right sword up and lunged forward.  Cordelia twisted back to her right, deflecting the blow with her right sword.  Twisting around again she met the Terakan’s left blade with her own left, and she continued her rapid turn.  She brought both swords together again and slammed the down.  The assassin blocked it with her left sword, and continued her own turn bringing her right down rapidly.  Cordelia turned rapidly back, bringing her left sword to meet the downward arcing right, and then both them turned around, back to back, and finally facing each other closely again, swords locked together.

“Cheerleading, you gotta love it,” Cordelia told the assassin to get her angry enough to make a mistake.

*****

Meanwhile, Willow dusted another vampire.  Just barely as the vamp had managed to push her high up against a pillar and was about to suck her dry.  Coughing for breath she fell down, and managed to get up, while fires erupted around the church as a result of her near death experience.

Deo slammed a powerful foot into the red demon’s back, making him double over.  She followed up with a bunch that cut open his face, and made him scream in pain.  He twisted and threw a powerful punch, but she smoothly twisted away, a smile on her face.  This thing wouldn’t stand a change, certainly not with Jenny helping out.  The cat indeed sprung forth from the other side, and slashed her claws with vicious mewl across the demon’s arm.  His skin cut open, showing more of its yellow blood.  “YOU BITCH!” the demon screamed in anger, grabbing Jenny suddenly by her face and tossing her into a couple of vamps who had decided to go for Willow.  She’d be busy with them for a couple of minutes.  That didn’t help much though, as Deo slammed her foot into the demon’s torso with all her might.  Bones cracked and broke audibly and the demon was launched off its feet, flying toward Willow who got surrounded by another small group of vampires.

Ignoring the pain, the demon rapidly grabbed the vampires, and tossed the vampires at Deo, keeping her busy not much longer than a few seconds the demon estimated, but that was all he needed.  It was time to finish this, and getting up it groaned in pain, rising to its full height in front of Willow, who stiffened with surprise of the demon towering over her.  The demon grinned, and pointed his left hand at Willow.  He poured all its might into Willow, and where earlier the quick mental shields could hold, because he had been controlling a few dozen kids, this time there was just Willow that he threw his power into, and her shield shattered like a tool shed in the way of an avalanche.  Willow shuddered, and then went slack.

The demon gave a laugh, and then ordered, “Now, my sweet, use all that power of yours you seem so afraid to use, and kill your friends for me.”

Willow slowly nodded, and started to gather her magic.  Inside though, something happened.  Inside Willow’s logical mind, meticulously planned the deaths of her friend.  A toad here, a lightning bolt there - she’d squash the toad later - she would let Buffy be consumed by fire.  While her logical mind did that, her emotions went haywire; panic, horror, pain, love, all voiced in a single despairing emotional outrage at the depth of her being: *NOOOOOOOOO!!*

Outside, as Deo’s twisting of Willow’s magic and chi activated, a cone of see-through black energy swivelled up around Willow like a whirlwind, her hair flying up.  Instantly everything went haywire.  Lightning bolts shot out from Willow everywhere, some incinerating a vampire instantly, one smoothly twisting around Jenny, another around the suddenly astonished red demon.  The undirected attacks wouldn’t hurt anything, but after all, the demon and Jenny were alive, the vampires weren’t.  More lightning bolts slammed in the stones of the church, exploding outward, debris falling down.  The windows instantly shattered, sending colored glass flying inward everywhere.

“Fool,” Deo muttered with a grin as she watched the shocked red demon and the witch’s magic being set free.

Buffy just finished giving Spike a devastating uppercut, and sent him tumbling over a turned bench, when Willow’s magic erupted, fires started everywhere, wind gripped at her being, and the windows explode inward.  Buffy ducked as the glass shards flung past her.  She then turned around and saw as glass shards from the large rounded window at the front of the church embedded into Angel and Drusilla and tumbled over them.  “Angel!” Buffy exclaimed in shock and quickly jumped onto the altar area and ran over.  She grabbed his cuffs and tried to undo them, yanking and pulling.  A lighting bolt from Willow slammed into the chain that held the vampires and they fell down.  Buffy went down with them to continue her efforts to get Angel free.

Kendra and the cop halted for a moment, looking over at the spectacle, as did almost everyone else.  Then the cop grinned and sliced at Kendra with her knife.  Only Kendra’s supernatural Slayer reflexes saved her, making jump almost of her own accord backward just in time.  However, it was not fast enough to keep the cop from cutting open her shirt and leaving only a shallow cut between her breast.  “That’s me favorite shirt!” Kendra exclaimed looking down at her shirt, holding it to inspect it.  She suddenly realized something, looked up, and exclaimed, “That’s me /only/ shirt!”  She suddenly surged forward with anger, slabbed her knee into her stomach hard, while grabbing her knife arm by the wrist.  Kendra twisted underneath rabidly, and a moment later she slammed the Terakan’s own knife into her chest. The woman coughed once, and then dropped down.  Kendra looked angrily down at the assassin.

Meanwhile, inside of Willow the battle raged on.  Telepathic control, versus completely chaotic magic, which bounded from one side to the other, and casually found a completely different direction to bound into.  The magic ate more and more away at the control as Willow’s fury over the soon death’s of her friends grew.  Finally the control shattered, and Willow’s rage took a hold of the witch.

Willow’s eyes regained focus, and turned pitch black, not just her pupils, but even the whites turned to an oily blackness.  “What the . . .?” the Dinoano demon muttered in shock, as suddenly Willow’s veins become pronounced, and turned black.  Her red hair turned pitch black as well.

Willow looked up at the demon; one giant coil of power.  She put her right hand out and a ball of black see-through energy formed there.  With an inhuman, growling voice, Willow snarled, “*You die!*”  With a scream of rage Willow threw her right and forward, and the black energy surged forward in a deadly beam.  The see-through black beam, as if a billion microscopic bats flew out from Willow’s hand, slammed into the demon’s body and enveloped it, blasting onward behind it.  Willow’s inhuman snarling scream of fury mixed with the demonic scream of pain, giving surround sound to the spectacle.  The energy burned at the demon’s flesh, and started disintegrating it, down the molecular level.  First it’s skin was torn open, yellow blood splashing forth, which was slammed backward away from Willow along the energy beam’s path.  Then the demon’s flesh dissolved, steadily revealing its skeleton, until finally that too evaporated.

Once the demon was completely torn apart, Willow’s magic suddenly shut down.  The lightning bolts disappeared, and the cone of energy flashed away.  Then as she dropped exhausted to her knees, her eyes, hair and veins returned to normal.  Then she collapsed further down to her stomach.

Behind her, Jenny suddenly yelled, screamed and scratched, as she contorted her body. Her cat ears shrank back in her head, as did her fur and face.  A moment later good old Jenny lay still on the floor.  Then she looked up, took herself in, and noticed three vampire who had survived the onslaught rising next her.  “Shit,” she muttered as noticed her predatory instincts and superhuman agility and strength were gone as well.

Before the situation got dire though, the vampires turned to dust, three stakes dropping to the ground.  Jenny looked up and saw Deo offering a hand.  “That’s why I didn’t remove the condition, even with the demons coming after them,” Deo told her with a big grin.  “I knew it would sooner or later go after Willow to use her power.  And if she were strong enough, worthy enough, she do exactly this.”  Jenny let herself be pulled up, and Deo finished, “You see, you teaching her control kept the condition going, her magic and chi constantly in a tug of war.  The original test was too see if she recognized she should go somewhere and release everything she had, burning it out.”  Deo turned around and took in the unconscious witch. “What a rival; she may still be after my future son-in-law, but the stories of who Lotion had to beat to get to Xander, will remove any question about why she didn’t get him right away.” Deo nodded with satisfaction.  Jenny sighed in annoyance.

*****

Oilay lunged the sword forward, directly at Lotion’s heart, as explosions rang out everywhere. Oilay didn’t care, closing the gap between her and the other Amazon in no time.  Then Lotion’s body convulsed, her ears retreated and reformed human ears, and unseen her tail shrank back.  There was a slap, and suddenly Lotion’s hands were slammed at either side of the blade, keeping it locked between them, the point just barely a centimeter away from her heart.  Lotion’s eyes snapped open and looked directly into Oilay’s annoyed eyes.  “No more weakened, fluffy, nice, sweet, silent, imbalanced, bunny Lotion,” Lotion growled out. “Nihau.”  Suddenly she twisted up and over the sword, her left foot pushing off the floor.  A moment later her right slammed into Oilay’s stomach and she was launched off her feet. Lotion tossed the sword aside once she was up, and walked toward Oilay who groaning got up.

“You disgust me, Oilay,” Lotion spoke with a wide grin as she walked over.  “You couldn’t beat Shampoo despite her being so much younger than you, and so you went to get shortcuts for power and skill, stealing to get what you needed.  You get caught and you’re tossed out, and now look at you, pitiful assassin working with demons.”

Oilay growled and attacked, throwing a powerful right punch.  Lotion smoothly bent back, making her miss, and grabbed the arm.  She bent it back, making the blonde yell out at the pain.  Lotion followed up with powerful kick to Oilay’s stomach, and then an uppercut to make her fly up and away.

“You’re going down, you could defeat me before, but not anymore.  I won’t let you,” Lotion said with a smile, making Oilay grimace and spit out some blood from her bruised face. She quickly came over and started with a low kick, followed it up with a powerful left hook, which Lotion deflected.  Oilay continued turning on her left leg, and swivelled her right one up. Unprepared, Lotion got the roundhouse kick full in her face.  Blood drawn, and pain flaring in her cheek Lotion was launched back, slamming back against the wall, painfully cracking it.

Oilay snickered as she came at Lotion, saying, “You just got lucky.”

Lotion growled and attacked, throwing a right fished that Oilay deflected.  The brunette rammed her feet into Oilay’s right upper leg though, making her stagger back.  “That should even things out a bit,” Lotion spoke, the knee Oilay had kicked earlier still making her limp a bit.  Oilay made a devastating left kick, but Lotion blocked it, and then slammed both her fists into Oilay’s stomach.  The blonde staggered back, groaning in pain.  “Now you die,” Lotion hissed at her.  Oilay attacked with a right punch, and Lotion grabbed it, quickly twisting herself underneath, then kicked Oilay’s right knee, making her sink down.  Quickly Lotion grabbed Oilay’s head, the blonde’s eyes widened in terror, and then with a snap her neck was broken, and she slumped down dead.  Lotion then turned back and walked away.

*****

On the other side Cordelia and the assassin were in a furious exchange of blows, parries, and lunges.  Twisting around, and slicing at each other, the four swords slashed, and scraped against each other over and over.  It was almost a dance as the two twisted around.  Swords clashing high and low, and Cordelia jumped back.  The Terakan lunged forward with both swords at chest height.  Cordelia swivelled her swords and placed them in between against the swords, then forced them out.  She let herself fall backward and kicked with her feet into the assassin’s stomach, launching her up and over her.  Cordelia rolled onward to her feet, jumped up, and turned around.  The assassin was up as well and blocked Cordelia’s double sword strike at the side.

The assassin twisted Cordelia’s blades and arms up and over her.  Cordelia was now twisted bent over, but instead of two arms there, it was already one.  Using her bodies maneuverability she had already twisted one sword out of the lock, and twisted her entire body to the side.  The assassin wanted to push Cordelia back up, and completely unprotected slice her open.  Instead though, Cordelia let the locked sword go, making the sword mistress make a stabilizing step forward, as Cordelia jumped and twisted with her remaining sword through the air.  A moment later the sword sliced through the assassin’s neck, while Cordelia yelled out with the exertion on her body.

Cordelia landed and saw the body seemingly balance for a moment.  Then the head fell off, blood sprayed everywhere, and the Terakan’s body dropped to the ground.  Cordelia jumped back from the spraying blood, and waited a moment until most of the pressure was equalized. Then she walked over, and fished her blood-covered sword from the ground.  Once standing she looked down, forcing away her tears and gag reflex, and said, “There can be only one, bitch.”  Than she spit once into the blood and walked onward to the front of the church, careful not to step into the blood.

*****

Back inside, Spike noticed Buffy with his Dru, and getting up, he snarled, “DRU!”  He quickly jumped onto the altar area, and slammed his fist in Buffy’s face.  The Slayer, too concerned for her boyfriend, didn’t see it coming, and groaned as her body slammed back.  Spike pulled some keys from his leather duster, unlocked the cuffs, and quickly picked up Drusilla.  He took in the devastation, all the windows gone, chucks off stone away, fire burning everywhere, the demons dead, as were most of his vampires, Willy that weasel was sneaking out the back door, and all around him were the white hats.  Only one option really; run like hell.  To the same left door Willy had just snuck out of.  So that’s what he did.  Running with Drusilla in hands he jumped over a bench and ran toward the left along the organ.  As Deo and Jenny were slowly picking up Willow, nobody was in his way . . . or so he thought.

Buffy had gotten up, so him running.  She immediately got the vaporizer Spike had discarded earlier, and tossed it with all her might and her supernatural accuracy through the air. It slammed hard against Spike’s head, and he careened of into the organ that promptly collapsed on top of him.  Buffy gave a satisfied nod, quickly picked up Angel, slung him over her shoulder and jumped down, as the fires kept spreading.  “Come on, Kendra, let’s get out of here,” Buffy said and the exotic slayer followed her.

  In the middle they met Deo and Jenny, the latter was carrying Willow in her arms.  “Let’s go,” Buffy said and the four of them got going, leaving through the door.

Once out the door they came across Xander fighting the snake demon.  “Jesus,” Kendra muttered in shock, looking at the amazing display.  Left and right arrived Lotion and Cordelia who looked at the event the same way.  Angel managed to look up just a bit, groaning with weakness and followed the fight as well.

The battle was amazing.  A battered and bruised snake demon, versus a battered and bruised Xander Harris.  The demon flung a rapid punch that Xander avoided barely by leaning back.  The snake’s tail wrapped around his feet.  This time, Xander did not hesitate at all.  He jumped up, continuing leaned backward, and slammed first his left and then his right foot in the snake’s chin, while he flipped onward through the air, and landed two meters further back. The snake hissed in pain and staggered back.  The demon wasted no time with small talk, and simply charged Xander again, its eyes now glowing with its power and anger.  Xander pushed the rapid right punch aside with his left hand, and twisted himself fully around, bringing his right fist to bare in a twisting punch.  The demon ducked, and twisted around as Xander brought his leg around for a spin kick.  The demon grabbed Xander by the waist though, and prepared bit him with his fangs.  Xander rapidly slammed a punch in the demon’s nose, making it let go and stagger back.  Xander struck, taking a step forward and crashing its foot in the long snake body right where it straightened up.  Xander added a punch to the middle of the straight up part.  The demon suddenly snapped down for a vicious bite.  Just in time Xander let himself fall backward, avoiding certain death.  He went into a handstand, and slung his feet up, slamming it in the demon’s throat.  As the snake grabbed its throat in gasped in pain, Xander finished the backward flip and then jumped up.

With a yell he stretched out his feet toward the snake’s head.  It quickly jumped up and over Xander, grabbing him by the shoulders and pulling both up.  As both fighters tumbled about up into the air, Xander threw a vicious punch at the snake’s head.  It moved his head on time, and threw his own, landing it solidly on Xander’s face.  Xander’s face reeled back from it, but kicked out hitting the demon in the head.  Both started tumbling down to the floor again, and the demon managed to get a hold on Xander’s ankles.  He twisted and then with a roar slammed Xander onto the floor below, cracking the stone.  Xander coughed, and groaned in pain, but forced himself to twist aside before the downward snap of the demon would have imbedded him with poison.  With a quick motion he twisted around and slammed his feet in the section of the demon’s snake body slithering on the floor.  The snake growled, and watched Xander get back up.

The snake threw a punch that Xander parried, and kicked out.  The snake undulated its body, making the kick miss.  It swung its tail end around and Xander jumped over it, then blocked another punch, before slamming his elbow in the side of the demon’s head.  The demon staggered back toward a pillar, and Xander suddenly surged forward with a yell.  He slammed his shoulder into the snake and pushed him onward, both leaving the ground toward the pillar.  The snake grabbed Xander by the shoulders, wrapped its tail end around the pillar, and then with a yank from the tail, accelerated around it.  Half-way around the pillar the demon let go of Xander, who twisted away toward the inner church wall.  With extreme effort Xander landed on it with his feet, grunting with the strain, and then pushed off.  The demon had removed himself from the pillar and came at Xander.

“Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire!” Xander yelled, using his ace up his sleeve at the right time.  Just as he reached the demon, he started throwing over a hundred punches in a single second.  The snake put its arms up in front of him, but the sheer amount of bruising punches were too much, they breached through the snake’s defenses, its arms falling back. More punches followed on and then up the demon’s equivalent of a chest.  Xander pulled his hands up and slammed repeatedly on the snake’s fangs.  Cracks formed, and then they shattered under the onslaught.  Xander’s flight came to an end as gravity got a hold of him, but the heavily injured snake was now flying backward, screaming and hissing from the extreme pain of its shattered fangs.  Xander ran forward rammed another punch in the snake’s gut. Then grabbed an arm and tossed the large snake over his shoulder, slamming it on the ground.

“Rah!  You!” the demon hissed out with difficulty, but Xander had already pulled his stake and slammed it down, right where in a human would be its heart.  The snake pierced, the snake jerked, and then fell silent.  Xander pulled the snake back out.

Heavily breathing, Xander looked down upon his defeated opponent.  “Cordy, can I borrow one of your swords?” Xander asked, and Cordelia quickly came over.

“Sure,” she said and handed him a sword as the fire in the inner church was now a powerful blazing inferno.

Xander took the sword and as the others got closer, he chopped off the snake’s head. Xander handed the sword back over, saying to everyone, wheezing with exhaustion, “Just in case.”

“Let’s just get out of here, before the whole place collapses,” Lotion pointed out, as some of the others took in Xander.

“Yeah,” Xander said take deep slow breaths, then the left the church.

*****

“Hey, Willow,” Jenny greeted from her desk, as Willow - once more in her new clothes - entered the computer room the next day.

“Hi,” Willow greeted steadily.  She walked over, hesitated for a moment, and then told Jenny, “When I- . . . when the magic, when I let it all out . . .”  Jenny’s eyebrows raised questioningly.  “I wasn’t me,” Willow explained to Jenny, “I didn’t feel like me.  There was just power, just all that rage, all that hate, and darkness; I was magic, almost craving it . . . I don’t ever want to feel like that again.”

Jenny looked questioningly at her, and then asked, “You want to stop our training?”

“No!” Willow half-exclaimed.  Then explained, “Don’t worry too much with teaching me new spells and such.  Control first, leave the fireballs.  Absolute control, and focus on avoiding magic taking over, you know.  I don’t want the magic taking over, /ever/.”

“You got it,” Jenny said.  Willow nodded, turned and left.

*****

“Hey, Cordelia, we need to talk,” Xander said, catching up to the cheerleader.  Still somewhat bruised, he gestured toward and empty classroom, avoiding the other students milling about.

“Okay,” Cordelia answered subdued and they went inside.

“So?” Cordelia asked him.

Xander took a deep breathe, and started, “Cordelia, you’re a great girl, surprisingly.”

“Oh, no, where’s this going,” Cordelia asked him stricken.

“If you let me get there,” he said tersely, and she shot up.  “Okay, you’re a great girl, Cor, but we can’t date anymore.  Love to keep you as a friend, but not anymore like that.”

“Why!?” Cordelia asked with trembling lips.

Xander sighed, looking down, and then told her, “Our insults.  We go at it, and then we’re kissing.  I can’t do that Cor.  You know my father sold me to the mob, he shouted insults at me and my mother all the time as well.  I don’t want to go that road, and however unlikely it is I’ll turn out like that, I just don’t even want to tempt fate.  If insults is what et us going, we have to break even the possibility off.  You’re the first that gets a definite answer; not the one you wanted, but . . .”

“Please, Xander, give me another, I’ll bet we get to kissing and passion without the insults,” Cordelia asked almost desperately.

“Sorry, Cordelia,” he said, and then on impulse hugged her.  “We’re still friends if you want us to be.  You need anything, I’m there for you.”

He then broke the hug and left the classroom.

*****

Nervously Willow searched through the school, and quickly found him.  “Oh, hey, Oz,” she said, walking tall, wearing a pair of tight jeans and a green top.

“Hi,” Oz said, brightening up and quickly joined the witch, taking out an animal-shaped potato chip from a bag.  “Uhm, what I saw?” he asked softly.

“Ah, ya, well . . .” Willow let it hang there, and turned around to go in his direction.

Slowly they started walking, and he said, “Your secret is safe with me, I don’t remember anything from when . . .”  Softer he said, “when it was in control.”  Oz then smiled at her and said, “For the rest, everyone else seems to repress.”

“Yeah, that’s good,” Willow said, most of her nervousness is gone and smiled at him.

“You have the most beautiful smile I’ve ever seen,” Oz told her with a smile.

“Wha!?” Willow exclaimed a little taken aback, then blushed.  Oz started a funny story, but she suddenly interrupted.  “Hold on,” Willow told him, putting her hand on his chest. “Listen, Oz, you’re great guy, but . . . uh . . . I have my eye on someone else, you know?”

“Oh, well, yeah, whoever that is, is lucky,” Oz said, then brightened a bit, realizing something, “or stupid.”

“No, it’s complicated,” Willow turned his hope down, “Sorry, Oz, but I’m going for him, and I’d love for us to be friends, but no dates, and kissing, well unless we’re on a double date and the one dong the kissing with you is someone other than me.”  Willow faltered realizing her babble, and smiled at a still smiling, albeit sadly, Oz.  Willow noticed Cordelia walk slowly toward her.  “Oh!  I know!  If you wanted a date,” Willow exclaimed with a smile, just a hint of sneaky in there, and grabbed Oz, pulling him along to Cordelia.  “Cordelia, this is Oz, Oz, Cordelia.  At first glance she seems like a bitch, but trust me, she isn’t that bad once you get to know.  Oz wants a date, have fun you two.”  Willow walked off, and gave Oz a sexy smile and a far too innocent goodbye wave.

“Uh, wha, huh?” Oz managed, for once in his life flabbergasted at the sudden change of events, then looked up at the cheerleader; wearing a lovely skirt and shirt.

For a moment the two were silent, in which time Cordelia suddenly got an idea; one last ditch effort - jealousy.  “That’s great,” Cordelia said with a bright smile and pulled Oz along, turning him around.

“But- . . .” Oz attempted.

Cordelia barreled right over him, “You’re a band member right?  That’s good, so interesting.  I’m looking for a date as well.  Say, Friday?  Bronze?  Will you pick me up at eight?”

“Uh . . .”

*****

Another day later

Kendra and Buffy with Xander next to her walked across Sunnydale High toward a taxi cab. She was wearing a green top now.  “Now remember,” Buffy told Kendra.  “When you get there, you . . .”

“Use de ticket, not de cargo hold,” Kendra answered with a smile.

Buffy nodded with a smile, as they reached the taxi cab.  “Good, you need to stand up for yourself a bit you know.  See about decent work hours, and vacations, spent here in good old Sunnydale of course.”

Kendra smiled at Buffy, and said, “Why do you keep doing dat?  Talk about the Slayer as eef eet’s a job.  But eet’s not, eet’s who you are.”

“That in that handbook of yours?” Buffy asked her sister Slayer.

Kendra shook her head, and said, “No, learned eet from you.”  Buffy smiled.  Kendra looked wistfully at Xander and said, “A Slayer with two boyfriends, one a vampire.”  Buffy looked down embarrassed as Kendra shook her head.  “Xander, tank you for de extra training.”

“No, problem, stay alive, Kendra,” Xander told her with a smile.

Kendra nodded, and then turned to Buffy again, “You remember, look at beegger picture more, okay.  And tanks again for de top.”

Buffy made a half-hearted salute, and said, “Will do, and no problem.  Goodbye, Kendra.”

“Goodbye, Buffy,” Kendra returned, hugged Buffy quickly, and then got into the cab.

Buffy and Xander watched the cab drive off and then turned around.  “You know, Buffy, there’s something about Kendra that keeps me going, ‘eew’,” Xander told her as they walked toward the school.

“Her?  She isn’t ‘hot’?” Buffy asked, pretty certain Kendra was someone guys and Xander would consider very sexy.

“That’s not it, it isn’t so much her, as it is . . . I don’t, I can’t quite put my finger on it,” Xander explained with a frown.

Buffy took him in, and then asked with a grin, “Hyena smell coming back and she’s got bad-smelling makeup on?”

Xander turned to look at her, was about to say no, and then his eyes widened.  “That’s it!” Xander exclaimed softly.

“It is?” Buffy asked him with a confused pout.

Xander then swallowed, and asked Buffy, “She’s not allowed to talk to boys, right?” Buffy nodded.  “So, how come she’s wearing makeup and lipstick that tells every guy, ‘Come here, kiss me, and make my knees buckle with that tongue of yours?’ Then that bare midriff, tight top.”

“Uhm,” Buffy frowned, shrugged, and answered, “Blending in better?”

Xander looked at her with a ‘huh’ expression and returned dryly, “So she rides a cargo hold?”  Buffy’s eyes quirked up, and then frowned down.

~~~~21~~~~

“Ugh, wha?” Lexa muttered, bit by bit forcing her eyes open.  What time was it?  Why was her head pounding?  She didn’t get grand stupid drunk last night, right?  Of course not, she didn’t drink.  Wait!  Her head wasn’t pounding, something else was /being/ pounded.

“HARRIS!  OR HORNE!!” a screaming muffled voice sounded.  Lexa got up, looked around, and figured it came from the front door.

“What the . . .?” Lexa said, as he noticed the clock; 6:00.

“WHOEVER THE HELL IS IN THERE!!” the man’s voice continued.

“Yeah, yeah!” Lexa yelled angrily, getting up out of bed.  She was wearing boxers and nothing else.  Yawning she started walking, and then sped up as the complaining continued. Into the living area of her apartment, past the kitchen and finally to her front door.  She unlocked the door, and opened it pissed off, “WHAT!?”  The man, and behind him a small throng of people, all her neighbors stood there, having varying degrees of annoyed and angry faces, as well as wearing varying degrees of night dress.  The man stopped his hand before it would have slammed into Lexa’s face, and then he stopped.  An even more muffled sound of greater distance slowly filtered into Lexa’s hearing.  The neighbor looked down at her fantastic naked breasts and swallowed, his annoyance instantly forgotten.  A few of the other man looked the same, while the women continued to be pissed, or got even worse - some even making tut tut expressions and sounds.  Lexa looked down at herself and then snarled, “Oh, grow up, all of you!  You woke me up at 6 o’clock in the friggin’ morning, what the hell do you expect!?”

The annoyance returned, and he hissed, “We /*know*/!  Go tell your little lover that, and get him to shut up!”

“Lover!?  I don’t have a lover,” Lexa yelled back.

“OH NO!?” the neighbor yelled at her, and pointed into the apartment, behind her, to the balcony and the beach.  “I can’t believe you it didn’t wake /you/ up!”

Lexa turned around, and indeed the far away sound seemed to be coming from outside, albeit not through the balcony window.  “I had double glass installed,” Lexa muttered, and quickly walked over, while her neighbors contemplated getting the same thing.

Lexa unlocked and then opened her window, instantly assaulted by a voice calling out loud, “LEXA!  LEXA!  LEXA!  COME OUT, MY LOVE!”

Lexa’s eyes narrowed and walked to the edge of the balcony.  The beach was some meter lower.  A stone staircase lead from the front right of her balcony down to the sand.  A small half-door that could be locked closed of the balcony.  Lexa crossed the two an a half meters and then looked over the balcony down.  “LEXA!” Deke Fisher yelled happily from the sand below now that she was finally out.  He was in his football jacket, and had a radio standing on the sand.  He turned it on, put the volume to max, and as romantic music started to play, he started to sing a self written song professing his undying love, and Lexa being so beautiful . . . you get the picture.

As Lexa stood there dumbfounded for a few fleeting moments she had to admit he had a good singing voice, then annoyance and anger took over.  Her fist clenched, bringing it up next to her face while clenching her teeth and holding back a growl, producing the approximate sound of someone choking.  When that didn’t quit his singing, Lexa lost.  She jumped over the railing, left hand leaning on it and came down.  Deke quit his singing, and said happily, “Lexa, my love, I knew- . . .”

Lexa’s foot slammed painfully in his face, and Deke was launched back several meters, unceremoniously being dumped in the sand.  Lexa turned off the radio then crushed it.  He walked over to the dazed Deke, yelling, “HAVE YOU LOST YOUR GOD DAMNED MIND!”  The first punch punctuated the last word of the sentence, and Lexa grabbed Deke’s collar with her left hand, starting to punch him repeatedly in the face with her right, “IT’S SIX O’CLOCK IN THE FUCKING MORNING!!”  A final powerful blow slammed Deke’s upper body down on the sand.

“Ehhhhh,” he managed as he razed his black and blue head and his left index finger a little. He moaned out, “Serenade - not - romantic?”

Lexa growled, and as she slammed her right foot in Deke’s face she yelled, “AT TEN AT NIGHT MAYBE!!”  Deke was launched backward another meter.  Lexa turned around and stalked back toward her apartment up the staircase, muttered expletives to herself.

Behind her Deke groaned and moaned in pain, the see water washed over him, rousing him to wakefulness and he quickly scrambled back up the beach.  Then he noticed how dirty his jacket had become, and he cried, “My jacket!”

Back in her apartment Lexa went over to her front door and told her neighbors, “/He/ is /not/ my boyfriend.  He does it again, don’t wake me, call the cops!”  Then she slammed the door in their faces, locked it, and headed back to her bedroom, muttering more profanities. Half way there, she moaned, “Ah, fuck, I’ll never get back to sleep.”

*****

Yawning Lexa walked onto the Sunnydale High grass, wearing tight jeans, and a sleeveless shirt, that wrapped tightly around her breasts.  A small backpack finished her ensemble.  Soon she reached Buffy and Willow, who was smiling brightly, having her hair in a ponytail, wearing a short red skirt and white top that left her midriff open.  She was holding a few books in front of her.  Buffy comparatively was in a black skirt of her own, and a purple blouse that hugged her form without become tight everywhere, not a book in sight.

“Nightmares?” Buffy asked the girl.

Lexa shook her head, and explained, “Deke Fisher thought it was romantic to serenade a girl at six in the morning.”

“You didn’t kill him, did you?” Willow asked a little stricken as the three of them slowly turned toward the entrance and started walking toward him.

“I came close,” Lexa said sourly, still pissed remembering the event.

Buffy nodded encouragingly, and said, “Good for you, your self control is improving.”

Lexa gave Buffy a glare, who smiled innocently.  Lexa asked, “So what’s new with my two favorite babes in the world?”

“That Slayer emblem,” Willow answered softly.  Buffy looked at Willow with wide eyes. “I’m thinking of drawing it out, and seeing how much it costs to have made in print.  If I plant it right here on my chest, it will not only look good, but I can also scare off vampires, and hypnotize them before I dust them with my breast.  That’d be so cool.”

Buffy groaned out in horror.  “I can’t believe you, Will.  That’s so tacky, besides, I doubt you need an emblem to hypnotize vampires with your chest.”

Willow sputtered out something that attempted to be an answer.  Luckily for her she was saved by an Amazon.  “Nihau!” came an enthusiastic voice, and saw a far too happy Lotion bouncing toward them.  Her flowery, tight, Asian dress/tunic fluttered about.  It didn’t have any sides, just wide, rounded slits, only two stylish flaps at the front and the back.  If she walked normally it would be almost invisible that the dress had no sides.  She jumped quite high and came down close to the group, as she said, “I’m so happy I’m not a bunny anymore. I’m back completely!”  As she sailed down the dress fluttered up, baring her naked legs, and a lovely, lacy, black g-string.  Lexa’s eyes were glued to the g-string, as were Willow’s although she was struggling not to and some annoyance at herself and embarrassment filtered across her face.  Lexa landed and made a pirouette, making the flaps flutter about more, and said, “I hated being a bunny.”

“Oh, it wasn’t so bad,” Lexa muttered barely audible.

“That’s so cheating,” Buffy commented pointed just a bit to the dress at Lotion’s crotch area.

As Lexa and Willow shook themselves out of it, Lotion commented, “All’s fair in love and war.”

“Let’s just get to class,” Willow said, as they reached the entrance.  “Which kinda means, you have to disappear,” Willow said to Lexa, a little regret, which soon disappeared realizing who would be in her place.

Lexa nodded, and walked off toward the bathrooms for some privacy.  The three girls turned to the left, and Lotion spoke, “Ah, life as a human being.  To love an amazing- . . .”

“We get it already!” Buffy told her in exasperation, wishing she was still an unassuming Bunny.

A little while later they arrived at their classroom, and Xander caught up to them about the same time, slowing down.  “Hey,” Buffy said, with a smile, giving Lotion just a quick look with a movement of her eyes.  She stepped forward, pushed her body, and especially her chest into Xander, pulled his head down, and gave him a deep passionate kiss, rubbing her body up against him.  Then she broke the kiss, and took a step back.  Xander stood there with a smile.

“And she says I’m cheating,” Lotion muttered to Willow, indicating Buffy.  The witch shrugged sadly.

*****

Buffy and Xander were sparring in the library.  Close by, Lotion and Cordelia were doing the same thing, the first giving pointers to the latter.  Jenny and Willow were in a meditation session sitting on the main table.  As Xander parried a punch and kick combination from Buffy, Giles standing behind the counter, said, “I must say, Xander, that your observation about Kendra is quite disturbing on its own.  However, I have not seen any signs in Kendra’s behavior to indicate she might be suffering from sexual abuse.”

Landing a kick on Buffy’s chest, he pointed out, “Except barely manage to say word in front of me.”

Giles nodded, but continued, “True, however that is explainable by what she was taught. Don’t you think that if she were truly abused by her watcher, she’d have most trouble with me, being a watcher myself?  However, not only did she not show any sign with me, we enjoyed each other’s company greatly.  It might even be called having fun.”

“Yeah, Xander,” Cordelia spoke, before having her legs being swiped from under her by Lotion, and groaning as she hit the floor.

“Don’t get distracted during a fight,” Lotion lectured with a grin.

Cordelia glared at Lotion, getting up quickly, and finishing, “I didn’t see anything about her that told me she wasn’t another happy, gung-ho, too aggressive Slayer.”

“I have to agree with her, Xander,” Jenny entered the conversation from her position.  “I think you going down to Equador is unnecessary and a waste of time.  Kendra is not being abused.”

“Quite,” Giles added once again, “especially since sexual abuse of the Slayer assigned to you, is the most frowned upon thing within the council.  A watcher has great leeway with the Slayer, but that is one thing you cannot do.  I can tell you, that no watcher will do that.”

Xander parried a punch from Buffy, and then grabbed her followup holding it tightly.  He muttered out, “I can’t tell you how often I wished someone wouldn’t have said that, and come to check out my home life.”

Everyone was immediately silent.  A tear flowed from Willow’s face; having known about Xander’s home life, but having been too young to know what to do about it.  The strength in Buffy’s arm left her, and she looked at Xander.  Cordelia and Lotion looked at him sadly, Giles looked apologetic.  Aafter an uncomfortable moment, Xander knocked Buffy to the ground.

“I realize that, Xander,” Giles started gravely, his voice pained and even guilt, “but I promise you, that that is not the case this time.  Kendra is well taken care of, and is in a healthy environment.  That is as healthy as a Slayer can get it; barring perhaps Buffy’s.”

“You promise?” Xander asked.

“I promise, Kendra is safe,” Giles told him evenly.

Xander hesitated for a moment, and then decided that the grownup that the most experience with the watchers and the council was right, and let it go.

Willow though, had another pressing matter weighing heavily on her mind, and she said, “Giles, about this Drusilla rising ritual?”

“Yes?” Giles asked.

“Well, correct me if I’m wrong, but didn’t they basically get all the answers, because Buffy let one vamp get away?” Willow asked with an uncertain expression.

“Hey!” Buffy exclaimed with some betrayal.

“Well, actually, yes,” Giles answered.

“Hey!” Buffy added louder, not liking this.

“Why?  Did you have something in mind?” Giles asked her.

Willow scratched herself behind the ears, smiled and said, “Well, I was thinking; Lotion and Xander do their own patrols and scheduling, and, uh . . .”

“Yes?” Lotion prompted.

Willow swallowed as she saw Buffy’s and Lotion’s angry glare pointed at her, and then babbled onward, “Also they want the most time off of course, but shouldn’t we have you make up the schedule, and make sure no one patrols alone?  For you see, if Buffy weren’t alone, than the vampire couldn’t have gotten away, and . . .”

“I think we get the picture, Willow,” Giles spoke thoughtfully, taking off his glasses to clear them, “And I must say, I rather like you’re idea; if you’re not alone, then I think it’s even possible for you and Cordelia to patrol - should you want to of course.”

The others looked at each other, and realized Willow was right.  “Brainiac Willow, you rule,” Xander told her with a smile, and Willow blushed, but grinned widely.

“That is definitely a good idea,” Lotion added in with a smile, “was starting to find patrolling lonely; despite all the fun of dusting vampires.”

“Well, count me in,” Cordelia said with a grin, “I just found out, I’m still a master with swords; I’m looking forward to chopping some more heads.”

“I’ve got dips on Xander as a patrol partner!” Buffy exclaimed with a big grin.

“Buffy,” Giles admonished her sternly, “I do believe the point of me making the schedules, would be that /I/ also make the pairings for that night.”

Buffy pouted, but Giles didn’t budge, which made Buffy decide to switch the depressing subject, “So?  Are we going bronzing tonight?  Girls’ night out?”

“I can’t,” Lotion said somewhat sadly, restarting the sparring with Cordelia, “my mother has me doing some chores and some special training with her.”

“Well, I’m there,” Willow said happily.

Cordelia barely deflected a blow, and said, “I might be in the Bronze, but not with you; I’ve got a date.”

“Really?” Xander asked surprised, twisting away from Buffy’s fist.  It was good, and he was happy for sure that Cordelia moved on.  “Well, I’ll definitely be coming, I can use a good breezer.”

*****

Willow had just taken a shower, preparing for the Bronze.  She was naked apart from toweling off, and came by her fish tank.  She grabbed a pot with fish food, and tossed some in.  She smiled as she watched her fish swim up to get something.  She walked over to her bed - more like hopping on one foot, then changing to the other as she dried her feet.  Now fully dry, she removed the plastic hair covering, and shook her long hair free.

Across the bed was a mirror and she took in her flowing hair as it bounced about her head a bit.  Before Xander had come back a girl, she’d never had the guts to have the hair dresser work on her hair like this.  She took herself in.  Her breasts were pretty nice, good size too, she decided, not big, but certainly not small, and then she took in her curves.  She modeled back and forth a bit, pushing out her hips, then smiled.  She about to go get a pair of panties and put them on, when she stopped.  She turned back, and looked in the mirror.  She couldn’t really, right?  But why not?  She bit her lower lip, trying to decide, her head almost spinning. It would be so naughty, so . . . well, Willow had masturbated before of course, but to herself? And why not?  Don’t they always say on Oprah, if you want to get love, you most love yourself first and send out that love?  She might as well make it more physical; she was bi after all.

She climbed on her bed, then paused.  She quickly got off and went to her door, making sure it was locked.  Then she got back, and once more crawled onto the bed, on her knees. She seductively crawled forward, arching her back, and looking herself in the mirror eyes.  She licked her upper lips, and then giggled.  Growing serious again, she took in her downward hanging breasts - who didn’t really ‘hang’ all that much.  “You’re hot,” she told herself, and giggled again.  She blew herself a kiss, and licked her lips, giving herself seductive looks.  Her body tingled clearly now, her nipples tightening.

Was she wet already?  Only one way to find out, Willow decided.  She let sucked on her right index and middle fingers, and then let them slowly sink along her body.  She paused at her breasts, fondling them, sending shivers down her body.  Then she quickly moved her hand further along her body, making sure to touch and fondle it all.  Then she reached her short pubic hair, and hesitated a moment.  Then she went further, exploring a bit; but even blind she could find her pleasure knob pretty quickly.  “Ooh, mmh,” she whimpered as she gave her clitoris a few expert rubs.  But that hadn’t been the goal, hadn’t it.  She moved forward, and gently dipped her middle finger between her folds.  “Definitely wet,” she told herself hotly as her finger sank smoothly into her moist depth.  She added another, and moaned at the pleasurable intrusion.  She pulled them back out again, the plunged them back.  Breathing heavier he fingers went in and out, in and out.  “You’re hot, Willow,” she whimpered to herself between moans.  “So sexy, yeah.  Boys and girls want you, all you have to do is spread your legs,” she told herself, then shuddered at the image, while her fingers stimulated her moist depths.  After a few more seconds of heavy breathing and pleasuring herself, Willow decided this wasn’t the way to do it.

No, indeed, this was the position to take with another present, but she was alone, and there was barely anything to see of herself.  She couldn’t make love to herself like this.  She removed her slick fingers and wiped them off on her breasts, eliciting an aroused groan from herself.  She quickly turned her ass forward, shifted her legs off the bed, placing her feet close together on the ground.  She took herself in now, and smiled naughtily - the utter her returned the gesture, turning her on.  “I’m so naughty,” she whispered to herself, her head buzzing with forbidden arousal.  Resolutely, but steadily with a teasing pace, she opened her legs, moaning as she could see herself in full glory.  “Oh, god,” she muttered, and quickly, almost of their own accord, her right fingers made the journey back down to her vagina.

Her two fingers once again slipped in her tight depths, which gripped her fingers now. “Oh, I want it,” she told herself hotly, and starting moving her fingers in and out.  Slowly at first, but in no time at all they found a breakneck speed, plunging in an out at dizzying speeds, and bringing forth even greater pleasures.  Her left hand started squeezing her tits, while she kept her eyes on herself in the mirror, roaming up and down, lingering at interesting parts.  She made kissing motions to herself as her pleasure rose rapidly.  Her hips started bucking on her fingers of their own accord, her inner muscles grasping the pleasure-bringing digits with greater ferocity.

“Oh, my god, I’m going to come,” Willow told herself, speeding her hand motions up just a bit.  Her hips bucked harder, as she slowly arched her back.  The sound of her breathing was quick and heavy, gasp in, gasp out, gasp in, gasp out, rapid, almost like a dog.  It was happening; the tingling started in her feet, drew up her legs, and then slammed in her vagina and clit, who took it over and blasted it outward in pure bliss.  “Ahmng!” Willow gave one powerful moan in her release, then clenched her lips and teeth shut, not wanting to alert her mother.  Her body jerked, her hips shuddered and rippled into her fingers, and her inner muscles seemed to want to suck them inside.  Her body trembled uncontrollably, the muscles in her stomach clenching and unclenching, before it locked in position, her back arched fully. Amazing pulses of pleasure flowed through her body, as she sat there, riding them out, muscles powerfully, but only slightly rippling as they sent the bliss up into her mind.

Her orgasm broke, and she let her mouth go, letting out a low moan and then she collapsed backward onto the bed.  Her right fingers were still in her pussy, and her left quickly joined them.  Only slowly she came down from her high, gently moaning out, still feeling aroused, staying high up there.  When she found herself growing tender she gently removed her hands, and rested them on her stomach.  She rested a bit, before sitting bolt upright.  “Shit, I got to hurry,” she said, reaching for the drawer with her panties.

*****

Xander looked himself over in the mirror.  He was naked, and he took in his muscles, the shape of his shoulders.  He flexed a few of them, testing himself with his awakening bisexual side. Part of it was still a bit scary; he was a pretty heterosexual guy, so he was a heterosexual girl, and the two tastes were blending to make him (and her) fully bisexual - or at least that’s what he had gathered from Willow’s explanation back then - he hadn’t payed that much attention, seeing as he had mostly been panicking inside at the time.  Over time he had gotten mostly used to the idea however; having decided that the drawback of starting to think sexually about guys, just couldn’t possibly way up against the benefits . . . not to mention the fact that if he dismissed the concept outright, fought it tooth and nail, he’d basically be saying to his best friend in over a decade, whose own bisexuality was arising, ‘you’re dirty and bad.’  That was something Xander would never be able to get across his heart, so he decided to go with it.

He still remembered the relief when he found out he wasn’t gushing over every ‘hot guy’ he loathed with a passion, like all the heterosexual girls in school.  Once that obstacle was out of the way; there was nothing stopping him from grasping the bull by the horn so to speak. “Xander Harris, you’re hot,” he told himself with a grin, then cocked his head.

He reached over to a bottle with water, and said, “Of course, however hot you are as a guy . . .”  He splashed a little water in his face, dried it off with a prepared towel, and then as she ran her hand through her hair, she told herself, “you’re out of this world as a girl.”

Lexa took herself in, and grinned, putting the towel aside.  “Oh, yeah, definitely worth it, I’ll always have a girl with me,” she smiled at herself, checking out her voluptuous hips, her C-cup breasts, and her soft but strong legs.  The muscles she had, elevated from just another hot girl, to smoking - the leg-muscles promising a sweet captivity, wrapped around someone’s waist.  Lexa took in her shaven pussy-mound, smirking at herself, and letting her fingers glide over her lips.  “Uh, uh!” she told herself suddenly, forcing her hand away.  “No time, and you’re not turning into one of those girls who always late . . . waait a minute, so that’s why they’re always late, no self control!”  She chuckled, and wiggled her eyebrows at herself once, finishing, “Can’t say I blame ‘em.”  She laughed, and got out her lacy black g-string, slowly and seductively pulling them up along her legs.  Finally they fit snugly around her crotch. “Damn, quit looking at yourself, before you soil the panties,” Lexa admonished herself, and sped up the changing process.

*****

Buffy finished putting on her lipstick as the doorbell rang downstairs.  “All girls’ night out,” she told herself, shaking her head.  It had been several months since Xander returned gender challenged, but there were still times when the concept amazed her.  He really was one of the girls now - and at the same time, the complete opposite.  She shook her head at the irony; becoming a girl in order to become a boyfriend.  She quickly went down the stairs, and opened the door, behind which Willow and Xander were waiting.

“Wow, smoking,” Lexa said, taking in Buffy’s black, tight, shiny leather pants, and purple top.

“Uhuh,” Willow said, eyes wide.  Dang, it wasn’t fair to have so many hot girls around.

“Thanks, guys, you’re yummy too,” Buffy commented on their short skirts and high heels; the tops obscured by their coats though, “At least, I’d be able to claim if I weren’t straight.”

“Hey, girls,” a voice said, and Joyce summers in pair of tight jeans and low cut top arrived from the living room, “Have fun tonight.”

*Definitely not fair,* Willow thought taking in Buffy’s mother, then quickly shook the notion from her mind.

“We will, Mrs. S,” Lexa sounded from next to Willow, smiling, while Buffy grabbed her coat.

“We’re going, see ya mom!” Buffy called back, and quickly went out the door, not wanting to be around when her mom remembered to set a curfew.

As Willow turned around and Buffy’s behest, she wondered for a quick moment if Xander found . . . couldn’t be.  Their two gazes locked for a moment, *OH, MY GOD!*

The look hadn’t lasted a second, and the had turned almost completely smoothly, but Buffy’s Slayer senses picked up on it.  “What was that look you two just gave each other?” she asked suspiciously.

“What look?” Xander answered innocently.

“No look here, uh, uh, no sirree, Bob,” Willow quickly added.  Buffy looked suspiciously at them for a few moments, and then they went on their way.

*****

The three of them were sitting at a table in the Bronze, dark except for the flashing lights off the stage, and the low mood lighting.  They had drinks in front of them, and took the occasional sip as they talked about his and that.

“This is nice,” Buffy said with a smile.

“Yep, definitely with the nice,” Lexa added with a smile.

Willow nodded saying, “Yep, no Deo messing with my magic, no assassins, no Spike and Drusilla - nice quiet times.”

“Yep, quiet is good; just me, my two best friends, and talk and dance . . .” Buffy said as she looked around the bronze, seeing people sitting, standing, talking, and a good number dancing.  “I’m  bored.”

“Me too,” Lexa offered, as Willow looked at her two friends - she was far from bored. Lexa suddenly sat up, and then said, “Okay, a little less bored.”  Buffy and Willow looked where she was looking, and there was Cordelia, in plain view of the three of them, passionately kissing Oz.

“Wow, she moves fast,” Buffy commented, and Willow nodded with a grin.

“You can say that again,” Lexa said somewhat bitterly.

Willow looked over at her, and said, “I thought you broke up with her.”

“I did!” Lexa defended herself, and fumed, “it isn’t like I’m jealous or anything, but I’d expected to have given a bit more of an impression than . . . what?  Two days before she’s snogging the next guy.”

“I kinda coupled them,” Willow said with a cheeky grinned.  Buffy and Xander looked questioningly at her.  Willow grinned, and said, “He was about to ask me out, I nipped that in the bud with me being your, and all.  Then I introduced them; he’s so nice and quiet, and she’s one giant egotistical blabber mouth; they complement each other perfectly.”  Willow finished her rather comfortable babble, grinning widely at her two incredulous friends.  When she noticed their expressions, Willow added conspiratorially to Buffy, “If it succeeds, it’s one less rival.”

Buffy’s eyebrows widened, then grinned, and told her, “Great going, Will.”

“I am sitting right here, you know,” Lexa pointed out to his two friends, who just turned to look at him as if they had no idea they did anything wrong.

The band lowered its song, and the singer spoke into the microphone, “It’s ten o’clock right now, and someone asked to sing something for a certain someone.”

Lexa’s eyes widened, and kept her gaze locked on Buffy and Willow.  She was with her back to the stage, and so she asked the other two, “Please, say it isn’t so.”

“What isn’t?” Buffy asked Lexa.

“Hello, all, you all know who I am,” the familiar voice came through the speakers.  Lexa’s eyes twitched and more so when he saw Buffy and Willow look surprised at the stage.  “I’m Deke Fisher, Red-Streak Quarterback of Sunnydale High.”  Lexa’s right hand balled into a fist, as she bared her teeth.  Deke continued, “I’m here to serenade my beloved Lexa, may our love triumph.”  The band started playing a gently song, and then Deke started to sing.

Oh, Lexa, beautiful Lexa,

Your eyes as mysterious as the stars,

Oh, Lexa, my sexy Lexa,

With the most amazing legs . . .

“I’m gonna kill him,” Lexa hissed and twisted around on the seat.  Instantly Buffy and Willow surged forward, grabbing her by the shoulders and holding her down.  Lexa struggled, grunting, “Let me go kill him, damn it.”

“Lexa,” Buffy admonished needing nearly all her strength to keep Lexa down.  “Unlike waking you up at six o’clock in the morning, this is not a hittable offence.”

“Certainly not a killable one,” Willow added as Lexa still struggled.

Oh, amazing Lexa, with your bright smile,

You light up the whole Bronze,

Indeed Lexa, I love you,

You are so free, so lovely,

“Can’t I hit him just a little?” Lexa whimpered slowly stopping her struggling.

“No, sorry, Lexa,” Willow told her with resolve.

Lexa stopped, and then surged forward, “Then let me go tell him what I think at least!”

“Only if you promise,” Buffy demanded.

Lexa said, “I promise I won’t hit him.”

Buffy pushed her head around, looking in her friend’s eyes.  Lexa sighed, “Or kick him, or hurt him in any other way, apart from using words.”  Buffy nodded to Willow and the two let Lexa go.

When your quick wit is unleashed,

Everyone can see your beauty,

And no one will not laugh,

Apart from the victim,

Oh, Lexa, I love you- kzzzgt

Lexa still standing on the dance floor, but right at the stage, had yanked the microphone stand away from Deke.  “WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING!?” Lexa screamed at him, stopping the entire floor and the band.

“Serenading you, my love, showing my love for all- . . .” Deke started.

“QUIT IT!” Lexa yelled at him with anger.  “Don’t you get it yet that I’m not interested in you?  I’m not in love with you, I’m not even attracted to you.  To me you’re just a stumper who gets lucky running around with a stupid ball!”

“I can change your mind, just let me have this dance,” Deke tried anyway, looking hopeful in a happy sort of way, extending his hand down at the girl.

Lexa started to growl, closing her eyes, softly whispering to herself, “I promised I wouldn’t hurt him, I promised I wouldn’t hurt . . . oh, what the hell.”  She readied her fist, then caught someone in the corner of her eye.  A smile crept up her face, and looked up at Deke, “Watch this, dick face.”  She turned to her right, and walked straight at the geek guy standing near a pillar.

“Hey, handsome,” Lexa started with a seductive face, running her right hand gently through his hair until it reached the back.  “I remember you, you helped me, do you remember me?” she asked riding her body up Jonathan’s body.

Jonathan gulped, hoping in god’s name that she didn’t notice his rising erection at the touch and proximity of her scantily clad body.  He managed to nod, and mutter, “Y-yes.”

“Oh, don’t worry, handsome,” Lexa purred placing a kiss on his forehead, “by the time I’m halfway done, you won’t be erect anymore, unless you have fantastic control.”  Jonathan’s eyes widened in utter shock, and whimpered before Lexa’s lips pressed against his, her tongue pushing inside a moment later, starting a passionate kiss.  She pulled him backward toward the dance floor than broke the kiss, her left hand snaking around his back to his ass, and she added, “Or perhaps a little sooner.”  Lexa then frowned and turned to the stunned band, “Hey, music, I’m trying to dance here.”

The lead singer snapped out of it, and said, “Yes, ma’am.”  He took a step forward and took the microphone from the silent, jaw-dropped, pained Deke.  He slapped the quarterback on his shoulders and said, “It was valiant try, man, it wasn’t meant to be.  Sorry.”  He then gently pushed him to the right, toward the end of the stage, and Deke very slowly, like a man going to his execution, walked onward.  Behind him the band started a much more vibrant and sexy sound, and the singer started singing.

*****

Buffy and Willow watched as Lexa started to perform an amazing sexy dance, purely designed to titillate her dance partner . . . and the rest of the bronze.

“Mmh, looks like fun,” Willow said with a grin, and nudged Buffy.  “Come on.”

Buffy swallowed, and said, “Dance with you, or get a partner?”

Willow grinned and looked over to a defeated guy next to the podium, and said, “I was thinking I was always too insecure to dance with a quarterback.”

Buffy blinked, and several Bronze-damaging scenarios filled her mind as she pictured possible reactions from Lexa.  “/You/ wouldn’t!” Buffy exclaimed to her redheaded friend.

Willow flashed her a downright evil grin, and the witch walked off.  Buffy shuddered, look around, and decided she wasn’t going to sit this one out again.  She got off the stool, and looked around, seeing if she could find an available guy, or otherwise dance solo.  She smiled as she found a nice-looking, blonde guy talking to his buddies.

Willow reached Deke, and gently laid her arms around his neck.  “Hello,” Willow said, smiling up at him.  She wondered what effect this would have on Xander, it could range from the good to the bad she knew, but there was no turning back now.

Deke’s eyes fluttered, life returning to him.  “Huh?’

“I’m Willow, wanna dance?” Willow asked, and didn’t give Deke time to answer.  She pulled him up on the dance floor and rubbed her body against his, swaying to the music.

Deke looked down, directly into Willow’s cleavage, and saw her naked legs from under her short skirt.  “Oh, boy,” he muttered, as Willow’s ass gently undulated, pushing her crotch against his upper legs.

“That’s right, Deke, just focus on me, I’m hot, aren’t I?” Willow asked him, her heart fluttering nervously waiting for the answer, hating herself that she still hadn’t quite lost her insecure days fully.

“Oh, yeah, sizzling,” Deke muttered without thought, and Willow’s heart smelled with pride.

Lexa gently moved to the beat of the musing, shaking everything she had to shake, trying to get Jonathan to steer her a bit, lead so to speak.  It seemed to work here in there, but quickly forgot about it, as she felt Jonathan’s and every other guys eyes on her body . . . well except a good number.

Lexa opened her eyes to take a good look, and suddenly her eyes widened as she saw a redhead ride up against Deke, and he seemed to enjoy it.  Taking over leading for a bit, she went closer to Deke and bit at the jock, “Oh, how grand your claims of love are.”  Deke blanched, and blushed, trying to stammer an explanation of ‘just dancing’ and ‘no love’, but Lexa continued onward, “And here you are, riding up to the first, trashy redh- . . .”  Lexa’s voice caught as she took a closer look.  The redhead turned around, exposing her front and continued riding her body, now backward, against Deke, her eyes closed and obviously enjoying herself.  “Willow!?” Lexa exclaimed in shock, looking from Deke’s face to Willow’s and back.  “How?  Wha!?  How could you!?”

Willow opened her eyes, and told her best friend, “Hey, I have to be able to tell my grandchildren the true story, of how despite being a geek, and could wrap everyone around my finger, including the star quarterback.”  Willow knew it was a bullshit reason, and then Lexa wouldn’t believe it for a moment, but that was the point.

“Low, Willow,” Lexa told her with narrowed eyes.  “You’ve really sunk low.”

Willow shrugged, and then grinned she called out over the music, “And about to go lower.”  She brought her left arm and sensually wrapped it around Deke’s upper left leg, stimulating him.

“If you think that’s low . . .”  Willow and Lexa looked over, coming across Buffy dancing with a blond guy, pushing her leather clad crotch into his.  Buffy looked back at them, and grinned, “Watch this.”  Then wrapped her right hand around his ass, and looked up at him seductively, “What’s your name?”

“Sean,” the guy answered with a happy smile.

“Nice name,” she told him, blinking her eyelids sexily at him.

Lexa looked annoyed for a moment, and then, pointed at the band, making an upward gesture with he index finger, and said, “Hey, turn it up a little.”

The lead singer grinned, stopped his singing, and loving a good show, told his band mates, “Guys, you heard the lady.”  The beat went up, and turned into a more sweaty, sexual-energetic song.

Lexa grinned, and then pushed Jonathan’s face in between her breasts, as she sped up her movements to the beat.  She wiggled her eyebrows superiorly to her friends, as Jonathan muttered with a barely-seen, /huge/ smile, “I’ve died and gone to heaven.”

Off to the side, Cordelia stood watching the show of the three girls one upping each other. Oz stood next to her, looking with an unreadable smile.  “Well, I’ll be damned,” Cordelia muttered with a huff.  “Those, those . . . that . . . he . . . here I am, working my butt off, and he just goes onto the dance floor and . . . and . . .”  She gestured at the lewd scene.

“He?” Oz questioned.

Cordelia turned to face him, took him in for a moment, and then said, “Let’s dance.”  She grabbed Oz by the arm, and pulled him along.

“I don’t really dance,” Oz muttered as she stumbled behind Cordelia.

“You don’t have to,” Cordelia said with a grin, “just stand there, and I’ll use you like a strip club’s silver pole to blow everyone off the dance floor.”  Oz’s eyebrows actually rose at that statement.

*****

Later

Cordelia sat in the passenger seat of Oz’s van as he slowly drove her home.  “I can’t believe it,” Cordelia spoke angrily.  “I kissed you right in front of his face, and he goes off to make Jonathan’s life bliss.  Then I join in, and barely a flicker, now he’s off with his dork friends.”

“Exactly who is this ‘he’, again?” Oz asked carefully.

“Xander, Xander Harris!” Cordelia hissed out his name.

Oz looked her in the eyes, and looked deeper.  Cordelia jerked back.  “I didn’t see him.”

“He was there, trust me,” Cordelia said, tightening the arms folded across her ample chest.

“So what’s so special about Xander Harris that you tried to make him jealous by kissing me?  Good kiss, by the way,” Oz asked dryly.

Cordelia sighed, and lifted one finger, “He’s good looking . . .”  Then she raised the next finger, thus counting onward every point, “He’s got an amazing body, muscles, mmh, he’s confident, he stands up to evil, he had the guts to stand up to me, saved my life a few times . . .”

“Ah, a veritable white knight,” Oz said, understanding, Cordelia looked over to him, “although isn’t the bad boy these days?”

“Do I look like I care?” Cordelia asked him, and he looked over, taking in her eyes again. There was no way he couldn’t see them brimming with pain.  Xander breaking up with him - and her failure to sway him back, hurt her more than she was willing to admit, he was sure. But why?  Hmm . . .

“Saved you from what, though?” Oz asked a gently.

“That’s . . . not important,” Cordelia answered.

“From some of those monsters?” Oz asked, and Cordelia looked surprised at him.  “I do not succumb to panic, I did see them at the school when they attacked.  Rather odd everyone else seems to have chosen to not remember them.”

“Yeah, yeah, from some of the monsters, the vampires, the whole forces of evil thing,” Cordelia said, sinking down, then leant back.

He noticed Cordelia leaning back, looking dreamily, yet sadly up at the roof of his van. “‘s There more?” he asked smoothly.

“Multiple orgasms, he can give multiple orgasms with just his fingers,” Cordelia answered, and then suddenly blanched as she realized she’d said that out loud.

To her surprise, Oz casually remarked, “I can do that too; although perhaps not quite with just my fingers yet, then again, I /am/ a guitar player.  There was this groupie once - I am not proud of some of my past decisions - who most definitely had multiple orgasms.  Of course, she came pretty easy, but I’ll bet if I have the time to explore a girl’s body and reactions . . .”

Cordelia looked shocked at him.  “That isn’t a lie?” she blurted out.

“No,” Oz grunted.

“Oh, uhm,” Cordelia muttered, not knowing what to do.

Oz once saw the sad look, and it intrigued, intrigued him definitely.  There was more here than just a shallow cheerleader.  “Listen,” Oz said, mustering a smile, “I’m willing to overlook the whole use-me-to-get-another-guy-jealous thing, provided you go out with me again, and this time for real?  Give me a fair chance?”

“You would?” Cordelia asked a little surprised, even more so when she felt some of spirits rise.

“There’s this new movie out, that they say is good, I’m reserving judgement though,” he offered, as he pulled up to the Chase mansion.  “Friday, eight o’clock?”

Cordelia looked at him for a moment, and then told him, “Okay.”  She smiled weakly, and then gestured to the house.  “Uh, here, yeah,” she muttered nervously, and steadily opened the door, getting out.  She hesitated for a moment, and then said, “Thanks.”

“No problem, Friday, don’t forget,” Oz told her.

“I won’t,” she said and closed the door.  Then Oz’ van drove off.  “‘I won’t?’” she asked herself, going over her muttering.  “God, Chase, what’s wrong with you?  You sounded like a loser back there,” Cordelia admonished, then steeled herself before opening the small door in the larger gate with her key.

*****

“I can’t believe I did that.  I can’t believe it was so much fun!” Buffy said, as she walked on Lexa’s right toward her home.  Lexa, and Willow on the other side of her, nodded with a smile.

“Yep, letting go and enjoying the music and the dance is a lot of fun, especially if you can get everyone else to watch you put them to shame,” Lexa grinned with a twinkle in her eyes, and Willow nodded enthusiastically.

“And did you guys see ice-queen Cordelia?” Buffy asked them, still surprised at superior cheerleader.

“Yep, she was smoking,” Willow said with a grin.  She blanched and turned to look at her friends, “I didn’t just think and say that about Cordelia, did I?”

“Sorry, Will, you’ve joined the club,” Lexa told her, and Willow whimpered turning her head back.  “Or left it, as the case may be.”

“Huh?” Buffy wondered.

“I was the president of the ‘I hate Cordelia’-club a few years back,” Willow explained mortified.

Buffy didn’t let Willow’s funk spoil her excitement, and said, “I still can’t get over how she danced their right with us, showing it all, letting it all go.  I can tell you, when I was Queen Bitch of Hemery High, I /never/ would have done that.”

“Too superior to lower yourself?” Lexa asked with a grin.

“Exactly,” Buffy said with a perpetual smile.  They split up between Willow and Lexa for a moment, for them to maneuver around a streetlight, and Buffy continued, “I was high queen, only low trash let themselves go like that.  Sure we danced, and we’d even be sexy, especially to our dates; but completely losing yourself in the music, hardly noticing anything around you . . .”

“Good thing you lowered yourself down to the trash, right, Buff?” Lexa said with a grin.

“Exa- hey!” Buffy replied, making Lexa and Willow giggle.  “That was low,” Buffy added, before joining in the giggling.

They reached the driveway to Buffy’s house, and so they walked up it.  Buffy reached for her keys, and moved to put in the lock, wondering why the lights were out.  The door just opened; apparently somebody hadn’t properly closed it; or broke it open.  Fear suddenly gripped her heart.  She gave her companions a look, who gave a determined nod.  Stealthily they entered the house, Buffy up front, peering left and right.  There was a sound, a yelp, and glass breaking, and for a tiny, single instant Buffy froze, then she the two ran forward, passed the stairs, and opened the door to the kitchen, finding . . .

Mrs. Summers making out with a man.  Their jaws dropped, as Joyce laughed a bit, then froze as she noticed Buffy and her friends.  The man froze too, and turned around.  “Oh, hi, Buffy, you’re home early,” Joyce said a little weakly.  “I pushed over a glass, uh . . .”

“Hi,” the man wearing an apron and holding a spoon said.

“Oh, uh, Buffy, this is Ted,” Joyce said, as Buffy closed her mouth, and looked with some distrust at the man.  What was it about him.  Willow just looked with wide eyes, while Lexa took him calmly.

“Hi,” Buffy muttered.

“Ted, this is Buffy and her friends Willow and . . . Lexa,” Joyce said, having to remember Xander’s female name for a moment.

Ted took a step forward and extended his hand toward Buffy, and she gingerly took it. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, Buffy, your mother has told me a lot about you.”

“Not the other way around,” Buffy muttered, getting creepy crawly feelings - this guy was just too nice, she could hear it in his tone of voice even now.

Ted laughed nervously - perfectly, /far/ too perfectly - and said, “We will rectify the inequality in no time I’m sure; I’d love to talk with you.”

Ted moved on to Willow and shook the surprised witch’s hand, “Hello, Willow, I think Buffy has a great taste in friends.”

“Oh, yeah, hi,” she said with a blush at Ted’s charming nature.

Ted turned to Buffy’s right, where Lexa had taken a step forward.  Ted held out a hand, but Lexa kept her arms folded across her chest.  Buffy looked a little surprised at that, and so did Joyce.  After a moment, Ted decided to talk without the hand shake, saying, “Well, Lexa, I hope we can get to no each other, but this isn’t very polite behavior, now is it?”

Everyone looked at the Mexican standoff, which was about to end.  Lexa looked down, taking in the still offered hand, then looked up, and said slowly, “No chi.”

“What?” Ted said as the others just looked surprised.

With rapid speed, Lexa’s hands shot out, her left grabbed Ted’s shoulder, and a moment later her right smashed into Ted’s chest.  The other three gasped, and then looked in more surprise when electrical sparks jumped from the wound and Ted’s head.  “Sex bots,” Lexa hissed out, angrily.

Ted stood shuddering, “This . . . this . . . is . . . is . . . un- . . . un- . . .”

“God damn, perverted sex bots,” Lexa cursed, and tore out a mass of wiring from the robot, making it glitch even more.  With an uppercut, Lexa rammed through Ted’s right shoulder and tore off its arm.  “First they hit on innocent boys, and now they go after lovely, pure, single mothers to corrupt!”  Lexa smashed the arm across Ted’s face, and then back again, making the robot stagger back and desperately try to maintain balance while it continued glitching.  “What’s this world coming to!?  Sex bots here, sex bots there, and if it isn’t sex bots, it’s pedophile, cowardly vampires!”  Lexa slammed the arm one last time across the robots face, and it dropped over, slamming against the cupboards in the back, sitting up, glitching.

“Pedophile vampires?” Joyce asked her daughter concerned as Lexa stalked over to Ted.

Buffy smiled innocently and said, “Some nasty bunch I had to dust last week.”

Lexa reached Ted, and growled out, “I mean, am I the only normal, average day guy left on this planet!?  Or is it just the hellmouth!?”  When one final roundhouse kick she decapitated Ted and his half-singed head dropped literally bonelessly to the ground, where it stayed.  Lexa breathed heavily with her anger and annoyance and took in the other three women.  “At least this one bothered to wear clothes,” Lexa finished with a grunt.

Willow pointed at Lexa and said, sweetly smiling, “You’re not exactly a normal guy either, Xan.  In fact, right now, you’re not a man at all.”

Lexa’s eyes twitched, and she looked down at her own breasts.  A growl sounded from the back of her throat.  She dipped her hands in a pain of heating water and splashed it on her face; and so Xander Harris stood their in a short skirt.  Buffy barely kept back a grin - Xander had been right, guy clothes could look got on a girl, but not the other way around.  “Better now, Willow!?” Xander asked her pissed off, and then slammed his foot down, crushing Ted’s head.

Steadily calming down, Xander walked over to the faucet and splashed himself with a little cold water again, so he didn’t look ridiculous.  “Willow,” Joyce said with an official tone. Willow turned to look, making a acknowledging, yet questioning sound.  “New rules in this house; when there’s a someone with enough strength to smash the entire house to pieces who is pissed off in the house - do /not/ annoy that person.”

“Uh, sorry, got it,” Willow said, shrinking back a bit at Joyce powerful tone.  Buffy shivered for a moment, she’d never thought she’d hear her mom use that tone of voice on anyone but her.

Lexa looked sheepishly at the destroyed robot, and said, “Uh, sorry for the mess, but uh . . .”

“No apology necessary, Xander, although I’m sad he turned out to be that,” Joyce spoke with a hint of sadness; Ted had been nice.

“Say, Xan,” Willow said, taking in the destroyed robot with big ‘oh goody’ eyes, “how do you know this wasn’t a nice android like Data from Star Trek?”

Xander looked at Willow incredulously.  Buffy was the one to answer Willow, “We’re on the Hellmouth, Willow.”

“Oh, right,” Willow muttered.

“What do we do with him?” Joyce wondered at the robot.

“Can I have him for spare parts, and you know, research?” Willow asked with a grin big enough for someone winning a hundred million dollars in a lottery, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

“Just don’t try to repair him, Will,” Buffy told her friend with warning.

“I won’t, I swear,” Willow replied.

*****

Some time later the three of them sat up in Buffy’s room on her bed, watching tv.

“Ooh, Buffy, look,” Willow said with a grin, “There’s David Chokachi, isn’t he hot?”

“I don’t know, Willow,” Lexa said with a grin, “Buffy, see, David Hasselhoff is there, a real man, not that polished momma’s boy.  You like that one better don’t you?  I certainly do.”

“I like both,” Buffy said with a grin, and the seen changed.  “Willow, Xander quick; there’s Yasmine Bleeth, hot brunette in a skimpy bathing suit, don’t you guys like that.”

“Oh, do I ever like her,” Willow said with a grin, sucking up the screen with her face.

“Uhuh,” Lexa said with hot eyes.

Buffy laughed out, and then put her forehead in her hands in shame.  “This is soo wrong, we should quit this quickly,” Buffy said, laughter in her voice.

“Yeah, Baywatch is way too easy,” Lexa said with a grin, making Buffy laugh out loud more.  “We all got what?  A thousand points already?”

“Yep,” Willow said taking the remote and flipping the channels.  “This sucks, no more hot guys or babes on tv, what’s this world coming to.”  Buffy rolled off her bed with laughter.

“Will, I think we broke her,” Lexa said, with a huge grin, pointing at the downed Buffy.

“We know the secret weapon to downing a Slayer - laughter.  With great power, comes great responsibility, Xan; this should remain between you and me,” Willow said with a cheeky grin.

“Absolutely, pinky swear,” Lexa said, and they did, making the laughter coming from the bottom grow louder.

After a few moments, Buffy managed to force her head over the bed’s edge, holding onto the bed.  She looked at her friends and muttered, “You two are impossible.”

The two shrugged, and Willow said, “Ten years of practice, Buffy, another few years, and you’ll be a well-oiled part of the machine.”

“Hubba, hubba, hubba,” Lexa muttered looking at Buffy with a tongue hanging out.  Then lolled out, “Well-oiled.”  Buffy fell back down laughing.  Lexa gave Willow a poke with her elbow and said, “Too easy.”

“Yep.  We need another target,” Willow said with a grin.  “How about Giles?”

*****

Friday

Oz had chosen a comedy for his night out with Cordelia.  Better to break the ice with some humor so to speak.  So far so good; they had left the movie theater in good spirits, and then he had taken her to a restaurant - the local McDonald’s, where Oz poured on the charm and the humor some more.  Cordelia had an amazing laugh, he found, and he wanted to see and hear at as often as he could.

“So, the chicken says to the chick in the egg still stuck in her passage, ‘If you don’t come out, I’ll get my husband and have you ripped out, you probably won’t survive,’” Oz said, smiling as he watched Cordelia snicker in anticipation.  Then he finished, “Says the chick from the egg, ‘No, you won’t.’  ‘Why not?’ the chicken returns annoyed.  Says the chick, ‘There’s no way he’ll mistake a half-hawk chick for one of his own.’”

Cordelia laughed out loud, and almost sprayed Oz with her diet coke.  “Oh, god,” Cordelia blurted out, “Oz.”

Oz smiled at her.  “So, I’m in the neighborhood of the White Knight yet?”  Cordelia’s smile faltered and she looked down at her half-eaten hamburger, suddenly not in the mood anymore.  “Do you want to tell me the real reason why you want him so much?” Oz prompted, deciding with the laughter to mellow her into it, he could get to the answer, the answer he somehow knew he needed desperately in order to get to this girl.

“Why do you say they aren’t the real reasons?” Cordelia asked him a little angrily, not liking how he could cut to her so much.

Oz smiled wistfully, and said, “Because apart from the hero bit, all of them are superficial. And you’re not that shallow.”

“I most certainly am,” Cordelia protested immediately.

Oz grinned and brought up his hands, starting to count on his fingers, “I’m short; not that well kept; I change my hair color to weird colors all the time; I barely have any ambition, most certainly not money wise and I told you that; you apologized for using me to make someone else jealous; you gave me the opportunity of a real date; you not once complained about my dingy van; you’re laughing to my jokes in a McDonald’s,. and if I put my mind to it, I can probably think of a few more.”  Cordelia looked at him with a dropped jaw, then blushing.  Oz smiled and added, “Now, those reasons will be great additional reasons, icing on the cake, but they aren’t enough for you to really want him.”

Cordelia shrank back, suddenly a little afraid of the guy in front of her.  She knew he was smart, but she never thought this smart, or this observant; it was almost like . . . Cordelia shook her head - no, don’t think about it.  She couldn’t afford that, she knew Xander for ages, and he had shown her several times over he wouldn’t . . . but she didn’t know that about this guy.  “Hey,” Oz said, feeling guilty all of a sudden, he hadn’t quite expected this reaction, “don’t worry, I’m not going to hurt you or anything, or use that against you.”

“Please, bring me home,” Cordelia requested weakly.

“Okay,” Oz said, and got up.  He had no interest in spooking Cordelia more, so he’d bring her home no questions asked.

A few minutes later he was driving along merrily, or perhaps not so merrily with a pained Cordelia sitting next to him.  The cheerleader had her arms wrapped around herself, a clear sign she was hurting.  She was more then hurting; a volcano of emotions burned through her being, boiling inside her, the pressure mounting by the minute.  The confusion and pain she had felt ever since Xander slammed the door shut on any possibility of a relationship between the two, and really the night before that even.  The damn she had built around her emotions so long ago threatened to burst; for the past months she had lowered it bit by bit, thinking it less and less necessary, and now suddenly a massive flood had been poured inside her, and Oz had slammed a hole in it with simple ease tonight, the waters coming through.  “Pull over,” Cordelia whimpered, swallowing deeply.

Oz did as asked, and turned off the engine.  “You’re not going to walk are you?” Oz asked concerned.  Cordelia shook her head, and then turned to look at him, a pleading look in her face.  Oz took a guess, and slipped his hand along side her arm, placing it on her hand.  He squeezed it, and asked again, “Why do you want him so much?”

Cordelia just looked down staring at his hand holding hers.  “I-I . . .” Cordelia whimpered, and then it came all flooding out.  “I’m a bitch; I’ve made myself into one.  I’m the most popular girl in school, but I don’t have any friends, except him . . .”  She looked up, and looked into Oz’ eyes, tears flowing from hers.  “None want to be friends with ‘me’, they just want to be friends with the richest girl in town, or date her, but not him,” Cordelia whimpered, swallowing away a lump.  “He’s never been intimidated by me, unlike the others.  I insulted him, he insulted me back; the only others who dared that were his friends and when he was with them . . .”  Cordelia went back to whimpering.

Cordelia hadn’t really said much, but to Oz it really was already pretty clear now.  *My god, she’s beautiful,* he thought suddenly, *and I didn’t see it until I spent time with her on these dates, he did, no doubt.*

His suspicion was about to be confirmed.  Cordelia returned her eyes to his, and she continued, “He never cared about the money; he didn’t even really tell me, ‘you’re evil, quit bugging me’, like some of his friends wanted to.”  She paused again, whimpering, “The fighting back, always felt to me . . . ‘you can be better’ . . . he even said so, when I tried pursuing him . . . if you want me, you have to become better.  He saw what I hid . . . what I walled off . . . what he wanted me to release so we could possibly be something.”  Cordelia sobbed, and sank her head down.

*She’s so beautiful,* Oz thought again, and asked her tentatively, “Why did he break it off?”

“The insults,” Cordelia whispered, “th-they showed me he didn’t care about the money. They make me feel good about myself; they got us going.”  She swallowed heavily again, continuing, “His mother is an uncaring drunk, his father an abusive one, verbally, physically, he even sold Xander to the mob as a sex slave - he escaped though, and had his father arrested.”

“Harsh,” Oz noted, and finished, “and he didn’t want to go down his path, so trading insults with a girlfriend was out of the question?”

Cordelia nodded, giving a sob, “I need him, I need him, he’s the only friend I had.”

Oz’s super mind went into overdrive, connecting dots, putting puzzle pieces together, and so he concluded, “There’s more, isn’t there?”  Cordelia actually shrank back from him.  “You wouldn’t have told me this if there wasn’t more; you’re much too good at hiding your real self. There’s something else, something big.”

“You’ll hate me,” Cordelia whimpered.

Oz leaned toward her and whispered, “I won’t hate you, you are beautiful, and sexy, and so deep.”  Cordelia looked at him with some suspicion, so Oz added, “I’m like him you know, on a few key fronts.  For one, I don’t care about money, not one little bit.  If I did, I’d be much more ambitious.”  He slowly pulled her toward him, and he found she didn’t pull back.  Gently, very gently, he placed his lips on hers, and gave her a short, but very feeling kiss.

Cordelia looked surprised at him, the kiss had been amazing.  No tongue, no passion, just pure caring.  Cordelia swallowed, and said, “I can’t tell you, I can’t.”

“It’s tearing you up inside,” Oz said, not as a persuasion, just an observation.  Cordelia shook her head.  “Let’s go find him.  What’s his address?”

“He doesn’t want me,” Cordelia answered weakly.

“Not as a girlfriend, but from what you told me about him, he’d never turn you away as a friend,” Oz pointed out, calmly, giving her a gently expectant look.  A moment later Xander’s address came rolling off her tongue.

*****

A little while later Oz parked his van in an empty parking space next to Xander’s apartment building.  He ushered the still pained Cordelia toward the entrance, and then looked through the bells.  “X, X,” Oz started.

“A. Harris,” Cordelia whimpered out.  “Alexander.”

“Ah,” Oz said and rung the bell, then rung it again.

Finally an heavy breathing male voice came over the intercom, “Harris.”

“Hey, Xander, this is Oz, and I’ve got Cordelia with me, could we come in?” Oz asked.

“Oh, yeah, sure,” came the confused reply.  A buzzer went, and the door opened.

Oz ushered Cordelia inside.  “Where to now?” Oz asked her.  Cordelia pointed forward. They rounded a corner to the right, which went immediately to the left, and Cordelia pointed to the door in the corner.  Oz rung the bell there, and a few moments later, Xander opened the door.

If Oz didn’t have a perfectly cool composition of uncaring about nearly anything, apart a few extremely important things - he’d feel inadequate and probably jealous.  He had checked out his competition in the past few days in school of course, but however well he dressed, it didn’t have the same impact as this.  Xander was in sweat pants, and a loose sleeveless, training shirt.  Sweat poured off his muscles, accentuating them, and with them still strained and tense from the serious workout he must have been doing; he positively looked like a Greek god.

“Hey?” he greeted, as in a room behind him where grunts and female yells, crashes.

“I’ll get you for that!” one yelled, and then there was the distinctive sound of something hitting a body.

“Don’t mind them, they’re really going at it tonight, as you can see,” Xander said with a smile and without missing a beat as explanation, and then immediately focused on the pained Cordelia.  “Cordy?” he asked obviously surprised at Cordelia’s state.

Cordelia couldn’t take it anymore.  She surged forward and threw herself around his neck, and cried.  “What’s wrong?” he asked, as he backed up a little, beckoning with one of the hands behind Cordelia’s back for Oz to enter.  Oz did so, and closed the door behind him, as Xander gently maneuvered the crying cheerleader toward the couch in the middle of the living room.  Oz took the place in, and nodded impressed.

Xander made comforting sounds as he sat down, holding the cheerleader.  He rubbed her back as she sobbed.  “Hey, Cordy, what is it?” Xander asked, a little uncomfortable, not really knowing if he could do anything for the almost girlfriend, and now good friend.

“I killed,” she said softly and burst out crying harder, having stopped caring that Oz might overhear - Xander would protect her, he wasn’t turning her away.  Xander blinked in confusion, looking at Oz who had rounded the couch.  Cordelia’s crying, alerted two more occupants of the apartment.  From the gym Lotion and Buffy emerged, both sweaty and bruised, and looked in confusion and surprise at the sight.

“Can you explain that a bit,” Xander said gently to her.

“I killed,” Cordelia sobbed out, “I killed, and it wasn’t a demon . . . that sword master . . . she was human.”  She hugged Xander tighter, sobbing, “I killed a human being; and the way I did it . . .”  Cordelia coughed, and cried, and stuttered, then breathed in deeply before going on, “I’ve never- never moved, or f-fought l-li-li-like that before, Xander.  I w-w-was a machine - a killing machine.  I h-h-ha-have no right to fight like that . . . I ex-ex- I rose above myself; I reveled in it.”

Cordelia cried out again, as Xander tensed the hug, and went, “Ssh.  It’s all right.”

The cheerleader shook her head, and continued, “It-it was like; like everything I had ever learned- learned came together . . . dancing, fencing, the sword training, your and Lotion’s training, all brought together, woven together i-in a single bright feeling; it was like it burned in my veins - a single need to stop her, for what she did to me, but- . . .”  She felt her cheek, feeling a tiny thin line there still, which soon would be gone as well, “. . . what she was going to do to you, and the others, kill you.  Th-th-that was my whole world; the burning need, the assassin, and the sw-sw-swords; she even seem to slow down . . .”

“Adrenaline,” Oz coolly supplied, making everyone but Cordelia look at him, “Speeds up the brain, makes things appear to slow down, often focuses the mind on a single necessary task.”  As cool as he appeared, inside Oz’s heart swelled, if Cordelia allowed it, he’d be her boyfriend for sure.  She was amazing, she had from what he gathered stopped a highly trained, mistress of the sword assassin with lots of experience at being a cold-blooded killing machine with her own choice weapons, because her need to protect her boyfriend and friends propelled her in another state of being.  She was a hero, an angelic hero.

“Xander, I don’t want to be evil, I don’t want to be a killer,” Cordelia whimpered out.

“You’re not, Cordelia,” Xander told her with a smile, hugging her tighter, “You’re not a killer, you’re not evil.  The Terakan needed to be stopped.  Yes, she was human, but she was no better than the demons and vampires we kill.  She was an assassin, and she was going to kill us if she got the chance.  What you did was a good thing, no different from a policeman shooting a criminal.”

“Then why do I feel so horrible?” Cordelia asked Xander, straightening up a bit, looking at him.

“So do policemen,” Oz remarked casually, once more drawing attention to him.  “Many need weeks if not months of therapy, and the support of their significant other.”  Everyone, even Cordelia looked at him now, continuing to look.  Oz shrugged, “I have a good memory, notice how I don’t know the exact reasons why someone feels so bad.”

Lotion came forward, and placed a comforting hand on Cordelia’s back.  “You don’t have to feel guilty, or pained, I killed a human too,” Lotion said, remembering the satisfaction of snapping her neck.  “An Amazon, she was evil, she was going to kill us, she needed to be stopped.  You are a good person, Cordelia, and a good sparring partner, or as I call it, punching bag.”  Lotion smiled down at Cordelia, and the cheerleader’s mouth quirked up just a bit.

“Yeah,” Buffy added, shaken to the core of what she was allowed to witness.  “You’re not bad, Cordelia.  If you hadn’t done what you did, then we all might be dead.  I’m more worried about Lotion being evil, than you are.”

Lotion whipped her head at Buffy, and asked, “Does pig-nosed girl want another beating?”

“See what I mean?” Buffy told Cordelia with a grin.

“Buffy’s got a point though,” Xander said, turning Cordelia’s much calmed down face toward him.  “Lotion may not feel like you do, doesn’t make her evil, but as long as you feel bad about being forced to perform a killing, you are most definitely not evil.  Evil wouldn’t only not feel any guilt, they’d revel in the feeling, in the sensation, they love killing.  So you are a good person, Cordelia Chase.”

Cordelia wiped away a few of her tears, and then suddenly felt embarrassed.  Here she’d been bawling like a child, /her/, Cordelia Chase, Queen C of Sunnydale high.  She rose from the couch, and mumbled a thank you to all of them.  “Cor,” Xander interrupted her, “if you feel bad again, need to talk, we’ll be there for you, all of us.  I’ll make you a key too, and Lotion as well, I should have done that earlier.  You’re not bad, you’re not weak for this, and there’s nothing to be ashamed of, got that?”

Cordelia nodded.  “Yeah, no worries,” Buffy felt the need to add in, “consider us your therapists; this is between us.  Won’t even tell Willow and Giles if you don’t want us to.”

“Th-thank you,” Cordelia said, surprised that Buffy and Lotion seemed to consider her a friend, not just another rival for Xander’s love.  “I-I think I’d like to go home, sleep.”

“You can crash here if you want, both of you, I’ve got sleeping bags,” Xander offered.

Cordelia shook her head, taking a deep breath, sniffing to get the last of the crying done. “I want to sleep in my own bed,” she said, looking around lost.

“That would be my cue,” Oz said with a smile, and gently placed his arm around Cordelia’s waist.  “Shall we?” Oz asked her.  Cordelia nodded weakly and let herself be gently walked out.

“See you in school, Cordelia, or earlier if you feel like it,” Xander greeted and, Buffy and Lotion added their own greets.  Cordelia gave them a smile before walking onward.

Slowly Xander closed the door, feeling pained.  “Damn,” Buffy said, surprised at the rawness of her own emotions, “That was intense.”

“Yeah, definitely, fuck,” Xander said, never having given this possibility a single thought. To him, it had been simple; assassins come kill Buffy and Lotion and as a result other friends? Kill assassins before they succeed.

“How come you don’t feel guilt?” Buffy asked Lotion.

The Amazon shrugged, and said, “Don’t know for sure, but I suppose if you’re raised with the idea that killing is bad, bad, bad, bad, or taught that killing is not good, and should be avoided, but there will be times when you can’t . . .”  Lotion shrugged, and said, “Even if you’re mind knows you had no other choice, I can see you’re emotions tell you it’s bad.”

“She’ll be alright,” Xander said, turning to face his remaining two friends, “Cordelia is tough, she’ll get through it, we just need to be there for her.”

“We will be,” Buffy said, resolutely.

~~~~22~~~~

Spike rolled up into his hideout in a wheelchair, a thick book in his lap.  He grimaced, as he watched a fully powered Drusilla make preparations for something from her deranged mind.  A few minions were around, and Spike addressed a few, “Hey, you!”

The group of five minions turned and came over.  He handed out a small piece of paper, and said, “Follow the instructions to the letter.  You will be finding me two items, that you’ll bring me.”

The vampire had a cocky streak, and bending over a bit, said with a grin, “Are you certain your little mummy lets you?”

Spike’s hand snatched out, and grabbed him by the throat, pulling him very close to himself.  “Do you want to bloody live, or should I send you to hell?” Spike hissed out, as his claws drew blood.

“Live, live,” the vampire gurgled out, barely managed to get air past the viciously powerful grip.

Spike nodded and turned to the other four, “Anyone else think just because I’m temporarily in this here contraption, they get disobey me?”  The vampires quickly shook their heads.  Spike nodded again and pushed the vampire he held with this right hand back.  He held out the paper, and said, “Then get going.”

*****

Buffy’s fist moved with enormous force through air.  She grimaced as she saw Xander bend back just in time.  He kicked out with his right leg and she avoided the kick, by twisting sideways to her left.  With a yell of effort her left fist connected with Xander’s kidneys. Xander groaned, but had his muscles tightened so he was well protected.  He staggered while turning around.  Buffy didn’t give him the opportunity to recover and followed up with a right to Xander’s chest.  When it connected, she grimaced satisfactorily.  Xander jumped over her leg sweep though, and in turn gave her a good solid upper cut.  Buffy groaned with the pain as she was launched into the air, but with effort and ignoring the pain she managed to go in a backward somersault and then stretched out again, smashing both her feet into Xander’s chest who had come after her.  As Xander was flung back with a grunt, Buffy landed on her hands and flipped further onward.

Breathing heavily she watched as Xander got up from his position against the wall of the library’s second level.  Above him was the wooden railing.  Buffy’s eyes widened with surprised as Xander suddenly came at her with great speed, and obviously power.  She managed to block his first punch, but after that came a flurry of blows she couldn’t block.  A few moments later, with an elbow across her right cheek, she slumped into unconsciousness.

An exhausted Xander staggered back, and bent over to lean on his knee.  His breathing was labored, and there were several bruises on his face.  “Fuck,” Xander sighed out, and then forced himself to stretch out, groaning.  He looked over to see Giles, Jenny, and Willow watching the fight, and taking him and Buffy in.  “She’s definitely the Slayer,” he offered. Slowly he walked over to a chair at the left table and let himself fall into it.

“Wow,” Jenny said with a little surprise, “She’s definitely better.”

“Indeed,” Giles added unable to suppress a proud tone.

“You’re telling me?” Xander asked still breathing hard.

Buffy in her tight workout outfit groaned, and slowly came to.  She sat up, and groggily took in the library, with the exhausted Xander and the others sitting around.  “Damn,” she groaned and slowly got up.  “I still can’t beat you.”

Willow was the one who spoke up, “Yeah, what’s with that lately, Buffy?  You seem hell bent on beating or friend and love-interest to death for the past weeks.”

“Well, no that, uh . . .” Buffy - also breathing hard but Slayer healing rapidly bringing it under control - then decided to come clean with the feelings she had, “The Order of Teraka. They managed the almost kill me a few times, the same for you, and some of them were human - /human/!”  Buffy looked down a bit, apologetic for her outburst and then continued, “I’m the Slayer, and I felt useless and weak.  I want to be strong, I don’t want to be useless anymore . . .”  Buffy whimpered weakly, defeated almost, “I want to fight alongside Xander and Lotion and you guys and actually make a difference, help protect you and others.  I mean I’m the Slayer, I’m supposed to be stronger than even the strongest human so I can take on the strongest demons, right?  I’m pretty sure I’m gonna get my ass handed to me on a silver platter by anything with even just a little bit of power by hell’s standards.”

Xander came over, besides his exhaustion and took her in a tight hug.  Willow only arrived a moment later because she was further away.  She was a red whirlwind when she took Buffy and Xander in her arms.

After the comforting session was over and the three of the broke apart, they looked over embarrassed to Giles and Jenny but found them in each other’s arms, relaxedly.  “All right,” Xander decided to take over, looking at Buffy, who perked up at the tone of his voice, “I was going to do teach you this tomorrow so you had a time to rest, but let’s eliminate this whole ‘I’m useless’ bit, okay?”

“Okay,” Buffy said, wondering what he was talking about.

“The Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire technique,” Xander said with a smile, while Buffy’s eyes became huge.  “Now, Buffy, it’s really simple once you figured it out and have enough energy to pull it off; punch using your chi, not your muscles, to make the movement. Like a leaf that’s caught in an air current, it can move ver fast.  You need to get your arms get caught in your chi.”

Buffy nodded, tried, and failed miserably.  Xander grinned and came over, giving her pointers.  She tried again, but failed.  Xander then gave several more pieces of advice, and indeed Buffy’s hands moved very fast.

Buffy looked with wide sparkling eyes at her hands, and Xander said, “All right, now perform it on me so we can see if that was fast enough to consider a real Chestnuts.”

Xander walked to across from Buffy and beckoned.  “You better be ready, Xan,” Buffy said with a grin.  She took a few rapid steps forward, and yelled, “Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire!”  At the same time she made the technique and her fists flashed with amazing speed.  Xander did his own Chestnuts, but as a defensive moves, blocking all of Buffy’s.

“Yep, that’s it, Buffy,” Xander said with a proud grin, “you did it!”

“YES!” Buffy roared out suddenly, while an evil gleam formed in her yes.  “Lotion can’t! Time for some payback; I’ll kick her ass!”  Buffy then raced out of the library.

“What!?  No!  Buffy!  AAAH!” Xander yelled after her and then prepared to follow her.

“Let them get rid of some estrogen, Xander,” Jenny said with a unconcerned smile.  Giles nodded.

Xander gave them a horrified look, and said, “Kiss of Death remember!?”  He then raced after Buffy but he was still somewhat tired.  “Damn Slayer healing,” he hissed under his breath in the hallway outside the library.  Willow looked stricken and then raced after both of them.

Giles and Jenny looked at each other, and Giles said, “Oh, boy.”

*****

Buffy entered via the back entrance to Lotion’s and Deo’s house.  In the small backyard / courtyard, Lotion and Cordelia were sparring.  They looked surprised and stopped as Buffy came noisily barging in.  “Alright, Lotion, payback time,” Buffy said with a huge grin, cracking her knuckles.  “For all the times you knocked me and my fellow Slayer out, I’m going to beat you up good.”

Lotion smirked, and asked Cordelia, “Pig-nosed girl really likes pain, doesn’t she?”  She turned back to the advancing Buffy and said, “Maybe you should get a job at an S&M parlor.”

“Yeah, as the mistress,” Buffy returned the joke calmly with a wide smirk.  That made Lotion’s eyebrows rise and take Buffy in more carefully.  This wasn’t the quick to anger and charge in Buffy, which was mostly a sign of her weakness.  Buffy added, “And I’ll take you with me as my slave.”  Lotion’s eyes narrowed dangerously.

“Oookay, I’m out of this,” Cordelia said backing away to the side, having no interest in getting in between the two super powered girls.  She wasn’t weak herself, but she knew she couldn’t get anywhere near the Slayer, let alone Lotion, or was the other way around from now on.  Either way, judging from the seriously sharp insults they’d thrown each other, it was best not to get in between the two.

A moment later the two hot-headed girls clashed.  The tall, Amazonian Amazon versus the short-statured, ex-cheerleader Slayer - it would be an epic battle.  The fact that Buffy deflected Lotion’s first two punches, ducked underneath the kick, and landed a solid blow to Lotion’s stomach attested to that more than anything else.  Normally, Buffy’d be knocked out with just one punch or kick, but now she was the one that landed the first punch.  It made Lotion back up and seriously reevaluate her opponent, as well as bring Deo out to the backdoor to take in the fight.

Lotion then surged forward, twisted her body to avoid Buffy’s next blow, and slammed a solid fist across Buffy’s cheek.  The slayer staggered back under the force, but stayed standing instead of being launched off her feet and slam into a wall.  Indeed, her chi control and absorbing the strength of blows with her body had greatly increased.  Buffy blocked Lotion’s next right with her left hand, and kicked hard into Lotion’s stomach.  The Amazon bent over a bit, but refused to be fully doubled over.  With a angry yell suddenly grabbed Buffy’s shoulders and slammed her knee with all her power into Buffy’s stomach.

“OOF!” Buffy wheezed out as she sucked int air.  She had breathed out before the impact and tightened her muscles to absorb the blow, but it had still been magnificently powerful. Seeing Lotion attempt a follow up with high kick, Buffy suddenly made a leg sweep to the Amazon’s standing leg.  But Lotion jumped up, making Buffy mix.

Buffy grinned evilly as she sped up her twist and stood up, Lotion was still in the air at the perfect height.  “BUFFY NO!”  Cordelia, Lotion, and Deo looked surprised as Xander burst into courtyard and made the scream.

Buffy didn’t listen.

“Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire!” Buffy yelled, and to Deo’s surprise the Slayer actually did pull off the extremely difficult technique - no doubt taught to her by Xander, because there was no way the dumb blonde would be able to figure it out on her own.  Within the next second, Buffy landed more than a 100 powerful punches into Lotion’s stomach, who was gasping in pain and for breath.  The chestnuts finished, Buffy decided to add one final power right cross across Lotion’s chin before she even landed.

“Agh!” Lotion exclaimed in pain as her head snapped back before she was launched across the courtyard.  Pain blossomed in her face, and some blood flew from her mouth, which filled with a metallic taste.  A moment later she crashed painfully against the wall of the house and slumped down, only half conscious, groaning.

“Yes!  YES!” Buffy yelled out with girly shrieks, jumping up and down like a small kid about to be handed a candy store.  “I beat you!  I did it!  Payback is bitchy, revenge is better kept in the fridge, and more of that!  WHOOW!”

“Oh, no,” Xander muttered - he was too late, his eyes transfixed on Lotion’s prone form, which was starting to stir.

Buffy quit her happy behavior and looked a little perturbed at her boyfriend, “I finally defeated the pompous, unfeminist pain-in-the-ass, and /that’s/ what you say?”

Coughing for breath, Willow came staggering through the door and fell through her knees.  “You . . . fast . . .” she managed to wheeze out, trying to catch her breath.

Xander payed her now mind, just looking with dread as Lotion steadily became more active.  Cordelia look at the small gathering of her friends and wondered what was going on now.  “Xander?” Buffy prompted and then looked as Lotion slowly got up.

Buffy looked at the Amazon who was starting to get a bruise on her chin.  Buffy got ready in case she had to fight again, smiling a bit.  Lotion spit out some blood, and then slowly came walking over to Buffy.  Buffy got out of her fight stance and looked surprised at Lotion.  She had expected a lot, but not Lotion walking over to her gently, seemingly swaying her hips slightly.  When she was about two meters away, Lotion moved her lips in a kissing position. What the hell?  It was only men they were marrying weren’t they?  Amazon defeat man in combat . . . yes, definitely man only.

“Catch,” came Deo’s voice, breaking the silence and a sword twisted through the air, and Lotion casually caught it.  Buffy took a step back, and watched in shock as Lotion started bending over to reach her cheek, still wanting to kiss her it seemed.  The sword brought it all back to her.  ‘/Kiss of Death./’  That was what Xander had said.  Defeated by a woman outside of the tribe.  Buffy froze in shock.  It was one thing to fight her unarmed, but a sword would allow Lotion to slice her in itsy, bitsy, little Buffy-bits, and that was not something she was looking forward too.

“No!”  Xander ran over with all his speed and placed himself in between Buffy and Lotion, arms spread out.

Lotion straightened back up, and said with a resolute but painful voice, “Step out of the way, Xander . . . it’s tradition.”

“You’re going to spend the rest of your life in jail?” he countered Lotion, knowing the cops would come after her.

“Step out of the way,” Lotion spoke with a growl, pain in her eyes.

“I won’t let you kill her, Lotion, that’s a guarantee,” Xander said dangerously.

It was Deo who answered this time, “It must be done, son-in-law.  Honor demands.”

“Fuck honor, and fuck you’re antiquated traditions,” Xander hissed, angry now.  He looked close into Lotion’s eyes, and said angrily, “I will /not/ let you kill her, Lotion.  I /will/ kill you first, and I don’t care what kind of deal about dating we got.  You will keep your fingers off of her.”  Lotion and Deo looked stricken, and Xander pressed on.  “Do you really want that, Deo?  Not getting me is one set of dishonor for your daughter, but being killed by him, or her mother killing him to keep it from happening - what will the tribe say to that?”

“It’s tradition, defeated by woman not part of the tribe, kill woman,” Lotion said almost pitifully pointing her free hand at Buffy, who instinctively put herself behind Xander’s protective form.

Xander wracked his brain, and repeated, “I will not let you do it.”  Then he had an idea, “Consider her part of the tribe then.  You’re friends for god’s sake, practically family, think of her as an honorary Amazon!”

“Hmm,” Deo said rather loudly, stepping outside the house.  “Every Amazon as a right of passage and adulthood must undergo a ritual.  Someone not born of the tribe may join it by undergoing that same ritual.”

Lotion and Buffy perked up.  Buffy looking over Xander’s shoulder, while Lotion looked back over her shoulder.  Lotion’s eyes widened, and said, “They may?.”

Cordelia, always keen, got up and said, “Hey, I think it better I do that too, what if I accidentally defeat Lotion in a sparring match?  And your tribe is nuts if they actually consider this and especially that an offense worthy of killing someone.”

“I’m not going to become an Amazon!” Buffy said indignant, seemingly revolted with the idea.

“Buffy, please,” Xander said.

“No,” Buffy said and then noticed Lotion’s eyes narrowing.

Xander turned around, took Buffy by the shoulders and looked deeply in her eyes, “Buffy, please, for me?  I don’t fancy having to fight Lotion and Deo . . .”

Buffy looked up into Xander’s brown orbs, and felt herself grow weak.  She sighed and said, “Oh, oh well, fine, okay.  But don’t you think just because I’ll be ‘part of the tribe’, I’m going to kill any girl not part of it who manages to defeat me, or marry any man who gets lucky.”

“That is your choice,” Deo spoke diplomatically.  “Although the tribe will consider you dishonored should that happen, but I don’t think someone who doesn’t care about that will take any value to what the tribe thinks of them.”

“Damn, straight,” Buffy grumbled folding her arms across her chest.  “Not that I have no honor, but I have higher honor.”

“Oh,” Lotion started, preparing to put the smack down on Buffy for that slight.

“So what does this ritual entail anyway?” Willow interrupted quickly to stave off another catfight - although that could be fun to watch; problem was they’d be really fighting, not dragging each other around in the mud tearing each other’s clothes off.  Willow had found a few of her dad’s Playboy tapes, which made her blush a little - luckily she was still red with the heat of running here.

Deo nodded and explained, “The women must sit on a symbol with two members of the tribe who will be witnesses to the pledging.  Amidst fire and envoking the goddess the applicants must pledge allegiance to the tribe, there will be some chanting and asking the goddess for her blessing.  Finally, one will get a tattoo on her right upper arm.”  Deo pulled up her sleeve showing that the tattoo.  The tattoo was an intricate design of circles, a few quare crosses, and some more exotic symbols - the whole was very colorful.  Undoubtedly the symbol had something to do with the Amazon goddesses and possibly gods, as well as the Amazon tribe, its history and their philosophy.  Deo then added, “The whole ritual is done naked . . .”  Xander visibly perked up, as did Willow a bit, while Buffy and Cordelia looked shocked at the announcement.  Deo finished, “. . . this to show you have nothing to hide, no weapons snuck in to kill people with, and you tell the bare naked truth, it’s very symbolical.”

While Cordelia and Buffy were still digesting the thing, Xander shared a quick smirk with Willow who returned it.  Then he said, “Ah, I think me - that is, Lexa - should join the Amazon tribe as well.  Indeed, should some Amazons come this way, I don’t want to be condemned to death if I feel its necessary to beat a few up.”

Buffy looked shocked at Xander now, while Cordelia folded her arms across her chest and said dryly, “You just want to see us naked.”

“Moi?  What for?” Xander asked innocent, “I’m just concerned for my life, that’s all.”

“Hell no!” Buffy exclaimed once more indignant.  She turned and told to Deo, “Tell him he can’t join us, girl-Xander or not.”

Xander looked at Buffy, and told her, “What’s it to you?  I’ve already seen you naked.” Buffy shot Xander a deadly glare, that made take a step back.  “I’m just saying . . .”

Lotion was the one to tell Buffy, “Lexa welcome to join, in fact, I insist on it - future husband should be part of the tribe.”

“What!?  But why!?  What do you care?  /Should/ he marry you, he’s automatically part of the tribe!” Buffy exclaimed.

Cordelia rolled her eyes and explained dryly, “That way she can show of her magnificent body and have Xander inevitably make comparisons between her, and you two, and she’d have better chances.”

“Me!?” Lotion replied with even more innocence that Xander.  “No, I’m thinking of the tribe.  To have a fighter of Xander’s and Lexa’s caliber in the tribe, would bring great prestige.”

“I think I want to join as well,” Willow spoke with a little smirk.

Buffy turned around and faced her best friend with shock, “Willow!?  Why!?  What happened to ‘these Amazons are nothing but weak-willed, pathetic girls who’re potential abuse victims?’”

Cordelia sighed with the obviousness, and once more coolly explained, “She just wants to see us naked too, as well as Lexa.”

“Me!?” Willow answered with the same innocence.  “No!  Since becoming a witch, I’m interested in Goddess rituals, this one seems very interesting.  Of course, I’ve always been interested in the Amazons and there way of life, it is interesting, even if they aren’t quite the champions of women as I saw them.  Besides, best friend here, wouldn’t let you go through the ordeal alone.”

Buffy looked with utter disbelief that Willow had managed to say that with a straight face. “Willow,” she said with disbelief and disappointment.

“What?” Willow answered innocently, already imagining the upcoming ritual, and noticed Xander had the same twinkle in his eyes as she had, while having the smile of the cat that ate the canary on his face that was threatening to form on hers as well.

“Then it’s settled,” Deo said, saving Willow from Buffy’s scrutiny.  “You four will become Amazons.  We shall hold the ritual Saturday.”  She then turned around and went back into the house.

“Don’t look so smug,” Buffy warned Xander, who quickly hid his smile.  “How the hell am I going to get this past mom?”

“Lie by omission of certain details,” Cordelia supplied with a grin, actually starting to look forward to it.  There was a certain appeal to being present to see how this disaster would end up.

From outside came the sound of a heavy bike, making everyone look toward the sound. The sound turned off, and a familiar voice called, “Lotion!”  The still opened back entrance gate, swung open, showing Pike Ambrose.

“Oh, no,” Lotion said, shaking her head.  “What’s /he/ doing back here?”

“Lotion!” Pike called with everyone looking at him with wide eyes, except for Lotion who looked down embarrassed and continued  shaking her head.  “I have trained with great karate masters; I can defeat you in combat now, and take your hand in marriage.”

“What!?” Buffy exclaimed, while Lotion walked toward the gate grumbling annoyance.

“I can’t believe this,” Cordelia muttered, while Xander sighed, already knowing the outcome of this.

“Let’s get this over with quickly,” Lotion muttered as she reached Pike and pushed him outside.

The other four occupants of the yard exited along with the two.  Lotion stayed with the gate, while Pike backed away a bit to the right in the alley.  He went into a karate stance, and said, “Don’t worry, my beautiful angel, I will go easy on you.”

Lotion rolled her eyes, while the other’s eyes widened in disbelief.  Buffy spoke up with concern for her ex-boyfriend, “Pike, she’s more powerful than a Slayer.  A few months- . . .”

“Not now, Buffy,” Pike interrupted her with anticipation in his eyes, “this is important.”

“But . . .” Buffy whimpered in defeat, as Pike came forward at Lotion who just stood there with her arms by her side, looking decidedly annoyed.

“Yah!” Pike yelled throwing his first karate chop, which Lotion deflected with an air of indifference.  “Yah!” came Pike’s second chop, which she tossed aside easily.  Tired of this ridiculous game, Lotion threw one devastating punch to Pike’s chest, using mostly her chi so she wouldn’t break every bone under her fist.  “AAH!” Pike yelled in pain, and surprise as he was simply launched backward, in a big arc through the air.  “Woaw!” he added.

Lotion watched him fly away with satisfaction, and then saw a man carrying a big tray of eggs coming from a side street from behind a wooden fence.  Her eyes widened as she noticed Pike hurtling right for him, and since she recognized the man she yelled, “MR. WHITMORE, LOOK OUT!”

“Huh?” Mr. Whitmore muttered, stopping and looking up from the eggs to his left.  Thus, Pike did not slam into the teacher, but only in the eggs and the teacher’s hands holding them. Pike tumbled down, along with the eggs.  He crashed painfully to the floor, and then the eggs slammed on top of him and the pavement around him.  They broke, and the insides of the eggs splashed over him, covering him instantly in red, blue, and whitish sludge.

The five teens ran over, as Pike lay lolling half-unconscious on the floor, covered in egg gunk.  “Blalolanieeh,” he said, eyes rolling about randomly in his sockets.

“Are you alright, Mr. Whitmore?” Willow asked concerned at the slightly overweight, middle-aged teacher.

“Ah, fine, Ms. Rosenberg, but the eggs for the parenthood experiment are ruined,” Mr. Whitmore spoke indicating the broken eggs and the young man covered in them.  “I will have to buy new ones.”

Pike spit some of the gunk out of his mouth with a disgusted look, and blabbed, “Sheee’s amaaazing.”

“Well, look on the bright side, Mr. Whitmore,” Xander said with a big grin, “They were all rotten eggs obviously.  Now the classroom won’t stink.”

“It does seem that way, Mr. Harris, always look on the bright side,” Mr. Whitmore spoke with a smile.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Whitmore, he was bothering me, and . . . uh . . .well,” Lotion spoke with an embarrassed smile, hoping she wasn’t going to get in trouble.

“Oh, no, Ms. Lu, knowing a healthy dose of self-defense is a must for girls these days,” Mr. Whitmore said with a smile to the Amazon.  “I’ll have to go back to get a new tray of eggs, unless . . .”  The teacher looked down at the still out of it Pike, and said, “What about him?”

“Oh, don’t worry,” Buffy spoke up, taking a few steps forward to stand at Pike’s head. “He’s my ex, I’ll take care of him . . . uh, I didn’t mean killing him, obviously . . . just give him a shower . . . not with me in it . . . you know what I mean . . . sorry, I didn’t wish to sound snooty, Mr. Whitmore . . . I’ll shut up now.”

“Don’t worry, Ms. Summers.  I’ll see you in class tomorrow, students,” Mr. Whitmore said pleasantly, then turned around and walked off to buy new eggs.

“Ugh,” Buffy commented at the dirty Pike.  She grabbed his left hand which seemed slime free, and pulled him to sitting position.

Pike blinked, and looked up.  “Buffy,” he said, and Buffy nodded glad.

“Come on, get up,” she ordered, taking Pike low around the waist where there shouldn’t be any gunk.  “I tried to warn you, didn’t I?  She’s stronger than a Slayer, although no longer stronger than me.”

As Pike rose to his feet, looking with in-love eyes at Lotion.  The Amazon narrowed her eyes at Buffy and warned, “Don’t be so smug, Slayer.  You might have defeated me just now, doesn’t mean you’ll defeat me all the time.”

“Come on, Pike, I’ll get you a shower, ew those eggs stink,” Buffy said and supported him toward his bike.  She turned around and said, “Guys, I’ll see you guys later okay?  Mom’s taking me to the mall, and I shouldn’t be late.”

“See ya, Buffy,” Xander and Willow greeted.

“That loser is Buffy’s first boyfriend?” Cordelia asked in disbelief at the vagrant.  “No wonder she’s all messed up, if she didn’t start out that way, he’d have make sure she ended up that way.”

“You mean, like you had this huge crush on loser Xander?” Willow asked sweetly.

“Hey!” Xander exclaimed as Cordelia turned to look at the witch, up ahead Pike started his motor and drove off with a very careful Buff on the back, making sure she didn’t go into the gunk.

Cordelia told Willow icily, “Temporary insanity, already cured.  I’ve got a lead guitarist for a boyfriend now; super cool, nothing like loser Xander.”

“HEY!  I’m standing right /here/, you know?” Xander called out in disbelief.

“Anyone call future husband loser again, I will beat them to a pulp,” Lotion warned, still pissed Buffy managed to defeat her, making her test the bruise on her chin.

“Thank you,” Xander said with a smile at the Amazon, who smiled back, and batted her eyelashes at him.

*****

“Mother, what are you up to?” Lotion asked once the others had gone.

“Nothing, dear,” Deo said with a smile.

“Oh, no!  I don’t trust you, you agreed to that solution much too easily,” Lotion exclaimed.  “What are you up to!?”

Deo opened a cupboard and pulled out a scroll.  “Nothing, dear, just preparing for the ritual,” she said again.

“Mother, if you try anything, I will hurt you,” Lotion warned angrily.

“Sweetheart, my daughter, I have only your well-being in mind.  Trust me when I say, that constantly trying to kill a stronger-growing Slayer might be bad for your health.  That is the only reason why I agreed to it, and why I now prepare for the ritual,” Deo answered her calmly.

Lotion held up the curved sword, and asked dangerously, “Is that why you tossed me this to kill her with?”

“You still had the element of surprise then, if was obvious the happily jumping Slayer wasn’t expecting you to try to kill her,” Deo answered Lotion calmly.

Lotion scrutinized her mother for a long minute, and then said, “/Don’t/ try anything.” She then hung the sword back into its rightful place, and walked to her room.

*****

“I cannot believe you,” Buffy muttered as she got off Pike’s bike, her nose still wrinkled at the awful smell.  A very dejected - and disgusted with the smell as well - Pike slowly got off as well, taking in his ex’s new home.  “You actually want /her/ as your wife, and you thought you could beat her up with a few months of training.  What do you see in her anyway?”

Pike looked with disbelief at Buffy, opting not to speak and get more of the disgusting egg taste in his mouth, since it was still plastered over his face.  Buffy rolled her eyes, and said, “Despite the boobs.”   Pike narrowed her eyes at her.  Buffy sighed with frustration, and said, “Let’s just get you a damn shower first.”

Buffy opened the door, and her mother’s voice sounded from within immediately.  “Buffy, you’re late.  We’re supposed to be off- . . . what’s that smell?”  The figure of Joyce Summers entered with the visible field in the living room from the hallway.  She looked through the same door to the hallway where Buffy and Pike stood in front of the front door.  “You!”

Joyce Summers came forward with an angry look, while a surprised and afraid Buffy tried to calm her down.  “Mom, he’s just here to use the shower, he got his ass handed to him, and rotten eggs splashed all over him,” Buffy quickly burst out.

Pike looked a little afraid at the angry mother, who spat out, “You vagrant, dumb, dropout.  You better not try and corrupt my daughter again, you- . . .”

“Mother!” Buffy said sharply, blushing with embarrassment, “He’s not here to corrupt me. Hell, he’s not even here to get me back.  He wants Lotion, she’s the one who kicked his ass, because he’s decided to beat her in combat according to that ridiculous ‘ancient Amazon tradition’, if you remember.  I just offered a shower because that’s what good exes do, right?”

Joyce blinked, and then asked Pike, “Really?”

“Yes, the angel Lotion, one day she shall be mine.  I /will/ find a way to defeat her and marry the most beautiful woman in the world,” Pike muttered with a sweet smile and a look in his eyes that would be characterized with hearts if this were a cartoon.  Suddenly his expression changed and he started spitting, “Ptuh, ptuh, ptuh, ew.”  Then he closed his lips stiffly again.

Joyce immediately perked up and pointed up the stairs, “Well, in that case, my shower is your shower.”  Buffy rolled her eyes, while Pike made a grateful bow, not daring to speak again.  He started up the stairs.  “He’s quite a nice young man, isn’t he?” Joyce said with a big grin.  Buffy rolled her eyes again and started for the stairs.

Joyce sniffed the air again, and then told her daughter, “A shower and a change of clothes wouldn’t be a luxury for you either, Buffy.”

Buffy stopped and looked down at her sweaty, dirty workout clothes.  She raised her arm and smelled her arm pit.  Wrinkling her nose, she offered, “Was working out, be right back.”

Buffy raced up the stairs and easily sped past Pike, and dragged him into the bathroom, the second door left to the right into corridor.  “Okay, towels are in the cupboard above the sink,” Buffy said, pointing right to the large cupboard above and to the left of the sink.  “Wash cloths are there as well, but mom and me are going to the mall, and we’re already late so I’m taking a quick shower first, okay?”  Pike nodded, not wanting to talk.

“AND YOU DON’T GET TO WATCH!” came Buffy’s mother’s voice from down stairs.

“Exactly, wait in the hallway,” Buffy said pointing out the door.  Pike left, Buffy closed the door, and then muttered to herself, “How does she do that?  Is she psychic, or did I inherit Slayer hearing from her?”

“MOTHER’S INSTINCTS, YOU’LL GET THEM TOO WHEN YOU MAKE ME A GRANDMOTHER!”

Buffy groaned, eyes wide, at the scary vision.  Someday she had thought, but she was sixteen for gods sakes, those thoughts shouldn’t arrive till ten years from now, just the pleasantries that made them should be on her mind!  She quickly stripped, and got in the shower.

A few minutes later, having given herself a thorough but quick cleaning with shampoo, she raced with towels tied around her to her own room.  She got herself a new set of underwear, and put herself in tight black pants and a tight purple to dark pink shirt, which hugged her form.  It had a v-neck but stopped short just before any cleavage became visible. After putting on a pair of shoes with middle-high heels, that allowed her to move but just gave her sexy, feminine air, she went back out into the hallway.  She stopped for a moment and called out, “Pike!  We’ll leave keys on the kitchen table in case you wanna go out before we return, key!?”  There came an answering mumble, and Buffy quickly went down the stairs, finding her mother finishing a cup of tea in the kitchen.

Buffy stopped when she looked up, noticing for the first time how rather clear sound from the bathroom was rather clear in the kitchen.  She had never been in the kitchen while someone showered.  She turned to her mother, scrutinizing her, and asked, “So, does mother’s instincts make you buy a house that allows you to listen into your kids when they’re in the shower?” Joyce shrugged innocently, sipping the final tea away and got up to put the now empty tea cup in the dishwasher.  Buffy sighed and turned around, and then suddenly her eyes went wide, while her cheeks flared red.  Washing wasn’t the only thing she did - had done - in the shower.   There was just no way . . . her mother would at least vacate . . . no, absolutely no way that her mother even heard that little . . . uh, uh.  Buffy started walking, and said quickly, refusing to look at her mother, “Let’s go, we’re late remember?”

“Yes, dear,” Joyce said with a completely innocent tone while catching up to her daughter.

*****

Joyce and Buffy walked through the mall.  Buffy had been busy working up the courage with everything she had and finally managed it.  “Mom,” she started, hopefully.

“Mmh,” came Joyce’s reply as she checked through the list to see they had everything they should have so far.

“I need to become an Amazon,” Buffy said weakly as they walked along.

“That’s ni- . . .” Joyce suddenly stopped in her tracks, and turned to her daughter who had stopped as well.  “What?”

“Yeah, it’s this ritual.  We’ll all be sitting in a circle, chant some stuff, make a pledge, and that’s it,” Buffy said with a smile, looking at her mother’s face and knowing what the answer was.  “Willow, Xander, and Cordelia are doing it too, it’s nothing big.”

“I suppose if they jump off a cliff, you’ll jump too, claiming it’s nothing big,” Joyce told her daughter with a measured look.

“It really is nothing big,” Buffy said nervously.

“If it isn’t, why do you /need/ to do it?” Joyce asked her daughter suspiciously.

Buffy shrugged and said, “Because . . .”

Joyce narrowed her eyes further, making Buffy gulp, and said, “What are you not telling me?’

Oh, shit!  Her mom always could see straight through her.  Oh, please let this be enough. “I’ll get a tattoo on my upper arm,” Buffy confessed.

“Absolutely not,” Joyce stated resolutely and started walking again.

Buffy caught up to her quickly, and whined, “It’s really small, you barely see it, in fact nobody probably will, it’ll be underneath the sleeve.  And it isn’t some tattoo for the heck of it, it’s this entire symbolic, historical, ritualistic thing with deep meaning.  It isn’t like I /want/ a tattoo.”

Joyce stopped again and turned to her Buffy, and asked exasperated, “Then /why/ do you /need/ to become an Amazon?”

“Uh, well . . .” Buffy fidgeted, and after making sure nobody was close by explained, “. . . because if I don’t, Lotion will try to kill me for the rest of my life, or hers whatever the case may be.”

“WHAT!?” Joyce screamed out loud in shock.

“Sh!” Buffy hissed.  Then continued softly, “It’s another stupid Amazon tradition; when a woman not of the tribe defeats you, give her the Kiss of Death and kill her.”

Joyce sputtered, and then said grimly, “I will have a word with that Deo.”

Buffy’s hands started waving in panic, and she said, “No, don’t.  That won’t help, she actually tossed her daughter the sword she could use to make Buffy-slices.”

“What?” Joyce muttered again, this time panic and concern on her face.

“Didn’t happen, I’m still intact,” Buffy said quickly, trying to calm down her mother.  “So, mom, I kinda have to.  Please?  Just chalk it up to the Slayer side of things, it won’t actually influence my life, I don’t have to go live in a hut in the desert tying up men or anything.  I’ll be an Amazon in name only.”

Buffy watched her mother visibly make attempts to calm herself down; something she’d seen her mother do a lot more times since she found out her secret.  Finally relaxed, but obviously concerned still for her daughter’s well being, she sighed, “Okay, fine.”

They started walking again and Joyce started rummaging in her purse, while saying, “Buffy, since we were late, and Everyday Woman closes early today, I want you to go there quickly and get the dress I reserved, while I go get the flyers for the opening and our food before they close.”

“Everyday Woman?” Buffy wondered while Joyce pulled out a receipt, “why not just go to Mumus R Us?”

Joyce looked directly at Buffy, and said, “Don’t insult your mother when she just gave into you, she might change her might.”

“And then what?” Buffy half-challenged, partly because she wanted to protect her mother from herself, or rather her sense of fashion.

Joyce shrugged.  “I’ll just have to buy a sniper rifle, kill Deo and Lotion to protect you, go to jail, where you can visit me, and I’ll be behind glass wearing a horrid, all-orange outfit that’ll make a mumu look fashionable, and you’ll have to go live with Giles, you’re middle-aged watcher turned librarian,” Joyce said with a sweet but hard smile, while Buffy’s face gained a new depth of horror with every addition Joyce made.  “He’ll probably have lots of books lying around, possibly no tv.”

“You wouldn’t dare,” Buffy said with absolutely horror.

Joyce inclined her head, and smirking told her daughter, “You wanna take that chance?”

“Uh,” Buffy grumbled, snatching the receipt from her mother’s hands, “I’m going already.”

“That’s my girl,” her mother said with a grin and walked off toward the printers.

Annoyed Buffy walked toward the escalator and took the one going down.  She casually looked around, bored.  A couple, a girl in a short, blue dress and a guy in jeans, a blue shirt and a cowboy hat went up on the escalator next to hers.  For a moment she thought how horrible their clothes looked and turned her head right, where there was a nice reflective surface . . . only showing the girl and the other shoppers, but not the cowboy.  Buffy’s eyes widened and then she turned her head left and up where the girl and the cowboy moved upward.  She looked around, looking for a way, but didn’t find anyone but the one she didn’t want to take. She placed her hand on the middle rail, and jumped smoothly over it, and attempted to run up the stairs.  Unfortunately there were other shoppers and she was forced to go up slowly, excusing herself constantly and asked to pass - the ceiling was two low for her to simply jump up.

Finally back at the second level she looked around, and found the cowboy and his date entering a room in the back.  Buffy quickly veered slightly to the left in their direction, and ran after them.  She entered through the same door and entered a barely lit room.  She passed an arcade machine and found the room was full of them.  There was giggling and slightly dirty suggestions, the first from a female voice, the latter from a male voice.  A midsection blocked the view of them though, and so Buffy navigated around it.  She found the girl bent over a pinball machine, with the guy behind her pushing against her and pawning her everywhere.

“You know it’s illegal to that in public?” Buffy asked smartly, and the two of them looked up.  She frowned and added, “I think it’s illegal to that anyplace, actually.”

“Get lost, little girl,” the girl bit at Buffy, “go back to kindergarten.”

“Yeah,” the cowboy joked along, “come back when you’re no longer under age - then again.”  He whispered something in the girl’s ear which made her giggle, and Buffy - although not hearing it - roll her eyes.

“You know, you should really find out more about the guy’s you decide to fuck, haven’t notice he doesn’t have body temperature?” Buffy wondered out loud, taking a step closer.

The vampire realized Buffy knew what he was and vamped out, his fangs close to the girl’s neck but she still was oblivious to the danger.  That was until the vamp’s hands tightened around her arms, and said, “Well, well, go out for dinner, and you get dessert freely delivered.”

Buffy looked incredulous at him, and said exasperated, “Can’t you guys come with /any/ new material.  Seriously, this is getting really old.”

Meanwhile the girl had forced her head to look back, and looked into the demonic, yellow-eyes face and screamed out loud, trying to struggle.  The cowboy focused on the struggling girl, and Buffy struck.  With one smooth rapid movement she planted her foot in his face, and he staggered back on the impact.  The girl screamed again, and ran off.

“Not even a thank-you,” Buffy muttered as she placed herself in front of the cowboy vamp.  “Everyone’s ungrateful these days, no manners, you must be pissed about that as well.”

The vamp snickered and licked his fangs.  “Oh, well, I like eating just dessert anyway,” he told Buffy.

Buffy rolled her eyes as he charged her.  She ducked beneath his clumsy punch, which she most likely would have considered a decent one a few months ago, and slammed her fist powerfully into his stomach.  The vamp doubled over with a painful groan, and the only reason he wasn’t gasping for breathe, is because he didn’t need any.  With a rapid roundhouse kick Buffy sent the vamp flying till he crashed painfully into the wall.  Buffy had already followed him over there.  She pulled out her stake, and before the vamp had time to recover she rammed it home.  The vampire looked shocked, and then he turned to dust.

“Slayer one - vampire zip,” she said with satisfaction, slapping her hands.  She smiled until she remembered.  “Mom’s mumu!” she said with a pained face and sped out the arcade hall.

She quickly ran down to the escalator, and ran down with everything she had - which wasn’t much because once again she had to excuse herself and weave past the shoppers on the stairs.  Reaching the bottom she turned to the right around back and ran.  Behind the escalator there was a way right, and further onward.  The ‘Everyday Woman’ sign was visible, and so Buffy sped up.  Her eyes widened when she saw a guy start to close the grates in front of the shop from the inside.  “NO, NO, WAIT!” she called, slamming against the grate, only ten centimeters from the floor.  “Please let me in!”

“Sorry,” the guy said muffled, smiling.

“Ah, come one!” Buffy pleaded pulling out the receipt.  “I don’t have to find anything, it’s already waiting for me, not even paying for it, I got the receipt and everything!  You just have to hand it over, /pleaaaase/.”  Buffy gave her best puppy-dog face, but eight hours of work made the guy immune.

The grate touched the floor with a resounding final thud, and he said, “Come back tomorrow.”

“Oh,” Buffy moaned her shoulders slumping, and then she let herself sink down to her knees, her hands sliding along the grate.  “Mom’s gonna kill me.”  Her eyes widened, and then she let herself sink further down, placing her head pitifully on the floor.  “Slayer one - vampire one.  This is /soo/ unfair!”  She looked up at the ceiling at called, “Couldn’t you give me a break this /once/!?”  She gave two sobs which were part fake, part real; exaggerating her emotions, and she dragged herself upright along the grate.  She turned around and found a few kids and two grown ups looking at her theatrics.  “Never seen a girl before!?” she questioned them bitingly and they quickly moved on.

Pouting she started her long trek toward her execution, which she reached a few minutes later.   Poutingly she stood next to the table, at which her mother was already sitting, having two plates of fast food on it.  Joyce looked up, and noticed a certain something missing. “Where’s the outfit?” Joyce asked sharply.

“Well, you see, it’s like this,” Buffy started thinking about how to make this look positive. “I was too late, but his much,” Buffy said, bringing two fingers very close together.  “Grate wasn’t even fully closed.”

“Buffy,” Joyce said with disappointment, “can’t you even pick up an outfit?  You were distracted again weren’t you?  Was it a boy?”

“Kinda,” Buffy said, letting herself drop into the seat across from her mother like a sack of potatoes.

“Buffy,” Joyce said still sharply, but with a decidedly motherly-advice tone added to it, “boys may seem like they the entire world to you right now, but . . .”

“The dusty kind,” Buffy interrupted with a pout.  Joyce blinked at Buffy.  “Saved a girl’s life too,” Buffy added softly, reflecting that her mother knowing the big secret was a good thing after all.

“Oh,” Joyce said, not quite knowing what to say, both disappointed she didn’t have the outfit yet, having to come back, and proud that her daughter had saved another life.

“But can she thank me, nooo,” Buffy complained softly.  “She just runs away screaming like a girl.”

Joyce suddenly realized something, and was starting to think Buffy was making it up to get out of punishment and pointed, “But it’s day out.”

“Out, yeah, inside there’s only artificial light, no sunlight,” Buffy muttered, looking up at the many lamps and pointing at them.  “Which can’t be good for my complexion, or my eyes,” she complained onward.

“I thought vampires slept during the day?” Joyce asked softly.

“When they’re tired, I’m sure they try to do their sleeping during the day,” Buffy muttered, slowly unfolding the paper wrapper around her hamburger.  She halted for a moment, frowned and added, “Which I’m not even sure about if they even get tired.  I should ask Giles.”

“So I have to worry about the day as well?” Joyce asked not liking this at all.

“Yeah, definitely not invite any crouched, heavily cloaked people in during the day,” Buffy said dejectedly and took a bit from her hamburger.  Then she added still with a full mouth, “Of course, it could just be someone allergic to sunlight.  Back in LA I thought I was so clever; house with drapes, almost killed a normal human with allergies.”  She swallowed, her well chewed bite.  “Is he smoking though, definitely a vamp - no matter how allergic to sunlight, no human starts to smoke, certainly not with a heavy cloak,” Buffy philosophized, then took another bite.  “There’s always the demons though, but most of them you’ll notice from afar . . . unless they come out your toilet.”  Joyce looked horrified at her oblivious daughter, who swallowed again, and added, “Life sucks.”  Buffy blinked, and then put her hamburger down, “And to think that on the day I finally kicked that dumb Amazon’s ass - somebody up there better start noticing Buffy Summers’ file and realize they need to make some serious amends.”

*****

A cowboy vampire searched through the mall well after closing time, having crashed through a window, triggering the alarm - not that any cops were coming at this hour.  “Lyle!?” the solid vampire called out.  “Lyle!” he called again - he still didn’t get any answers.  He reached the arcade and searched through it, soon finding a pile of dust.  He took it in for a moment, trying to think of a way for it not be what he thought it was.  Him being not to bright, couldn’t come up with anything else, and screamed, “LYLE!  I will find who did this, and avenge you my brother!”

*****

Mr. Whitmore finished writing ‘sex’ on the blackboard, and underlined it thoroughly.  He turned around, and looked around the classroom.  “Sex.  It’s an important part of life, as well as a powerful drive in human behavior.  With you teenagers with hormones raging through your bodies it is even more powerful.  Who here hasn’t wasted time with sex in one form or another when they could have been using it for something more valuable?”

“Yep, right here, uhuh,” Xander said, raising his finger, remembering all the times multiple women were vying for his attention, as Lotion made similar vocal proclaims and raised her finger as well.  Buffy, not too scholastically talented, looked from one to the other and raised her finger uncertainly.

“Ms. Summers, Ms. Lu, Mr. Harris, that was a rhetorical question,” Mr. Whitmore said with a bit of a smile.  Buffy rapidly withdrew her finger, as Xander and Lotion lowered theirs more casually, while the rest of the class laughed at them.  Xander and Lotion didn’t seem to mind, while Buffy blushed, ducking close.  Next to her sat Willow who flashed her a smile. Buffy gave her a frown in return.

Mr. Whitmore walked around his desk and leaned his ass on it, and said, “Of course sex can have some serious consequences.  Anyone here know one?  Mr. Harris.”

“When the other one is still in love with someone else, there’s the real heart ache, let me tell.  Horrendous disgusting pain, although the benefits are worth it,” Xander said with a big grin, making everyone look at him in a completely different light than the laughter earlier. Buffy in the meantime ducked away slightly embarrassed, while sporting a secret proud grin.

“Uh, yes.  Anyone else?” Mr. Whitmore asked.  Lotion raised her hand rapidly.  “Ms. Lu.”

“When your future husband doesn’t have the same morals as you, better kill your rivals before you announce to him and he can lay down the law, or else you’re stuck with ugly girls, and man-hating bitches in between you and him,” Lotion spoke sincerely, drawing glares from three girls, while Xander looked down in disbelief.  The rest of the class laughed out loud at the perceived joke.

“Uhm, right,” Mr. Whitmore said, shaking his head fighting not to join in the laughter. When the laughter died down Buffy’s hand was up in the air.  “Ms. Summers, you have something more along what I had in mind?”

Buffy nodded vigorously and with a gesture from the teacher she said, “Icky and deadly diseases.  Don’t leave the condoms at home!”

“Very good, Ms. Summers, that’s a very good point,” Mr. Whitmore said, and Buffy smiled happily at the compliment.  Then shrank down and remembered she and Xander had /not/ used condoms.  How the hell something that was good, felt so right, could be done so wrong and be so screwed up was still beyond her.  “Anyone else know another one?” Cordelia and Willow raised their hands, and Mr. Whitmore pointed to Cordelia, “Ms.  Chase.”

“Getting knocked up,” she stated bluntly, making students laugh.

“Ah, pregnancy, correct,” Mr. Whitmore said with a raised voice so the laughter died down.  He turned around and raised the lid of the square box of eggs.  “And from pregnancy comes a child.  Now to make you all acquainted with the burdens and responsibilities of having a child, I have brought these.”  Mr. Whitmore indicated the eggs, and continued, “For the next week these will be your children.  You’re expected to keep it intact, keep it clean, take time away to feed it, although you won’t ‘actually’ be able to feed it.  I wish I had the budget for the baby dolls with computer chips, instead you will have these.”  He pointed to his other side where a stack of notebooks lay.  “You will have to keep a log of everything you did.  So pair up, and come get your child and log.”

The students came forward, Cordelia with Oz who had sat behind her.  Willow quickly went to Xander, but he told her gently, “Sorry, Will.  Several dates, being fair means someone else gets a chance, plus she asked earlier.”  Lotion stepped up next to Xander and smiled at Willow.  Willow looked dejected, but accepted it.  She watched Lotion and Xander walk forward in front of her and get their egg and notebook.  More students paired of, and when she finally reached the front, only Buffy was left.

“Ah, congratulations, Ms. Rosenberg and Ms. Summers,” Mr. Whitmore told the two and then looked over them to the class.  “Our token Lesbian couple,” he quipped and the class laughed while Buffy shrank down and grabbed an egg, while Willow got a notebook.

*****

“So, how’s muff diving treating you girls,” a joking remark called out.

Buffy grumbled in extreme annoyance as she sat down at the lunch table.  Willow sat down next to her, while the others had already sat down, Cordelia and Oz included.  Xander decided to stick up for his friends and called back to the guy, “Better than giving blowjobs for you, no doubt!”  The joker got laughed at, much to his annoyance.

“I can’t believe this,” Buffy muttered in pain.  “A lesbian couple, how did it come to this?”

“Hormones, dear,” Willow supplied with a big grin, finding this might actually be more fun than playing mommy and daddy with Xander.  Buffy looked over at her and then groaned.

“I’ll be the laughing stock of the school.  Worse, I can’t be gay.  I’ve already got enough people and demons trying to kill because I’m a tasty morsel as well as the Slayer, I don’t need the average gay-bashing crowd to try as well,” Buffy muttered out, and took in the egg she and Willow had wrapped in some paper tissues normally reserved for cleaning one’s hands and mouth after eating.

“Say, Buffy, did we adopt or get artificial insemination?” Willow asked, patting a pen against her chin looking thoughtful at the notebook.  “And if the latter, which one of us got it? Who’s the father?  Did we pick someone out of a book?  What were our criteria?  Or did we ask Xander to help?”

Xander blinked at the last part of Willow’s babble.  Buffy sighed, and then decided to plunge right in, and answered with a sneaky smile, “Xander, probably, and if so, why bother with the artificial.  I’m sure Lotion was so kind to lend us- . . .”  Xander spat out the water he was drinking at Buffy’s suggestion and the images it generated in his mind, it sprayed, fell on him, and a moment later there was Lexa.

“Stop trying to steal my husband and father of my child,” Lotion interrupted sharply, raising the egg in the air.  She indicated it, and said, “Think about her, you immoral sluts.”

“Or not,” Buffy said chastised while Willow was blushing.  Lexa was looking around briefly to see if anyone had noticed - if they did, they probably decided to forget it, because no one was screaming their lungs out.

She then picked up what Lotion had said.  “Her?” Lexa questioned her ‘wife’.  “She’s a she?  You certain?  I was kinda hoping for a son.”

“Our second will be the son,” Lotion told Lexa with a wide grin, making Lexa perk up. “And if you want, the third as well, or we could go back to a daughter.”  Lexa blinked at that later.

“Wow,” Willow muttered looking at Lotion, “you’re serious about the children, aren’t you?”

Lotion nodded, “Why do you think I came for my husband?  Very important to Amazons to provide the next strong generation for the tribe.”

Buffy groaned and landed her head on the table right next to her child, making the egg shudder.  “Look out, Buffy,” Willow said a little concern, reaching for the egg to make sure it wouldn’t break or roll.

“So what’s the gender of our kid?” Cordelia asked Oz, then taking a bit from her sandwich.

“Male,” he said without looking up from his lunch which he started to eat.  “And we’ll have five, all sons.”

“Five!?” Cordelia exclaimed in shock.  “No way, one, and no more.”

“Five, foot down, both in fact,” Oz said, pointing at the feet on the ground.

“One,” Cordelia returned with narrowed eyes, while the other four friends looked at the two with amusement.

“Five,” Oz casually remarked, and continued chewing.

“One,” Cordelia said, lowering her voice, and then took another bite.

Oz actually looked over at her, and then said, “Four.”

“One.”

“/Four/.”

Cordelia rolled her eyes, and said, “Fine, two.”  Four pairs of eyes moved Oz.

“Three.”  Four pairs of eyes moved back to Cordelia while chewing food.

“/Two/,” Cordelia returned tersely now.

“Two and a half,” Oz said completely serious, apart from the tiny spark in his eyes.

Cordelia gave a grumble, and then said, “Okay, but if the third comes out intact, I’m chopping it in half.  And you better make sure that band of yours makes some bucks, preferably big ones, because if you think I’m paying for all those diapers on my own, you’ve got another thing coming, buster - that other thing being: work.”

As they had gotten to know Oz better over time, they had found he barely made an impression, so the expression of horror was only more poignant and funny when it filtered on his face.  The others sniffled, and even Cordelia smiled at it.  Oz nodded, and said, “Don’t worry.  The Dingoes will make it big.”

“And you better be still with them when they do,” Cordelia replied with sparkling eyes. Oz grinned a bit - he loved cheering Cordelia up, and nothing seemed to cheer her up more than a good verbal spar.

“Okay, now we’ve witnessed that disturbing exchange,” Buffy said, having images in her mind of Cordelia with a meat cleaver going for her baby.  She turned to Willow and saw in her wide eyes she had the same idea.  Buffy wondered if there was something wrong with them if they considered Cordelia actually carrying out her threat, or if it was Cordelia’s sparkling personality that was the problem.  “Will, do we have a daughter or a son?”

“Hmm,” Willow thought about that for just a moment, and replied, “A daughter would be fun, but a boy being raised by two women - it’d be a nice experiment.”

“Okay, a boy it is,” Buffy said with a little smirk, checking out the egg, and giving a light shake of her head at the ridiculousness of the banter as well as how close to home it was.  “His name is Alex.”

Willow nodded vigorously, and wondered, “I wonder if the curse carries on through sperm.  Perhaps Alex is Alexandra as well.”

“We should get some water and test it out,” Buffy returned with a grin.

Lotion glared at Willow and Buffy, “Which part of ‘don’t try to steal my husband’, didn’t you get?”  Lexa shook her head, snickering.

Willow backed her body back as far as he could and said, “Artificial insemination, shees.”

“Which one of you carried him then?” Cordelia asked rolling her eyes.

“I did,” Buffy answered immediately with a proud grin, while Willow looked at her oddly. “Slayer strength, that way Willow doesn’t have to suffer an aching back.”

“Noble,” Oz commented calmly.

Willow didn’t agree though, and she said indignant, “Who says I don’t want to suffer an aching back if it means carrying Xander’s child!?”  Lexa choked on her food, and coughingly tried to wash it away with the water in her bottle.  As Lotion patted her back, Willow continued, “Besides, I could always do a levitation spell, and problem solved.”

“But Willow-” Buffy tried.

“Uh, uh!” Willow said, raising a finger.  “I’m the one who carries Xander’s child and no buts.”

When Buffy’s protest whimpered away, Cordelia said with a grin, “Well, we know who’s wearing the pants in that relationship.”  Buffy glared at Cordelia.

“You can have the second one, sweety,” Willow placated Buffy with a pat on her head. “Ouch,” she said as Lotion’s fist hit her gently in that sensitive spot on her upper hand.

“I warned you,” Lotion said with a glare.

“Hey,” Lexa said with a bit annoyance, “I’m the one who beat you up and now you have to marry me, remember?  I married you, got ourselves a lovely daughter, and so I’m faithful, but as far artificial insemination goes, only I decide where and how often my sperm does or does not go.  And I’ll always be there for my two lesbian best friends.”

“Sorry,” Lotion whispered, while Buffy groaned, and Cordelia snickered.

The Slayer muttered, “I’m doomed.”

“That’s a safe bet in this highschool,” Oz said approvingly and cool, making Buffy glare at him, and Cordelia snicker a little louder.

“Lexa!  I didn’t know you were here!” a male voice came from behind the buxom brunette.

Lexa groaned, “Nooo, not again.”

Deke Fisher arrived next to her, with big loving eyes.  “I have not yet given up, my love.  I ghag . . .”

Lexa had gotten up and wrapped her hand around his throat, “Which part of ‘no’ didn’t you get huh?  The ‘n’, or the ‘o’?  /What/ does it take to get you off my back?”

“Lexa,” Willow called warningly.

Lexa grumbled and eased his hand, allowing the quarter back to speak.  “But why not give me a chance?  Just one?  One date?” Deke whimpered out, his ego quite a bit deflated by the continuing rejections - painful rejections.  “It isn’t like I’m that Japanese pervert who just grabs your boobs?”

Lexa grinned evilly suddenly, and said, “Do you want to know?  Do you /really/ want to know?”

“Uhm, yes?” Deke said, uncertain.

“Okay, I’ll show you,” Lexa said, and started walking.  “Come one,” she said and her friends looked with confusion.  After a step Lexa stopped, and turned around to Lotion, “Got our daughter?”  Lotion held the egg up and then put away safely.  Lexa nodded, and continued, dragging Deke along.

The five remaining friends looked at each other for a moment, and then got up.  “Lexa,” Willow called concerned as they followed Lexa and the nervous quarterback.  “What are you doing?”

*****

The hike had turned into a dead run, and took some ten minutes.  Deke was huffing and puffing, while Lexa was just breathing a little heavier than normal.  A bit behind them were the others, who apart from Buffy and Lotion were just as much huffing and puffing as Deke.  Deke vowed he would have to up his endurance training if three girls could outrun him and stay so well.  They had arrived in front of Xander’s old house - his parents’ house, now his mother’s house, an old, run-down, dirty, ringy-ding of a house.

“Now I’ll tell ya,” Lexa hissed out, then continued in a more normal tone, “you’re grades are bad, and despite how good you think you are, the football team isn’t winning, and there’ve been no scouts, which means no football scholarship - you’re not going to college, at /all/. Which means, that’ll be your house.”  Lexa pointed at her parents’ house and Deke looked at it with wonder.  “To be precise, you’ll be /renting/ the house.  Whatever job you’ll be landing is going to be pathetic, you’ll be drunk half the time, and watching tv all day like the lazy sack of potatoes you’ll be, while beating up your wife and kid every chance you get.  Someday that kid will turn you in to the cops, and you’ll rot the rest of your life in jail.  Welcome to your future, and I will /not/ be your future battered wife.  Get it!?”

Deke’s face was stuck in wonder, and then slowly turned sad, before he whimpered out, “But-but I don’t wanna be a drunkard, lazy pig, and I don’t wanna abuse anyone.”  Tear stained his face by now.

Lexa rolled her eyes, and said, “Too bad, time to accept it . . . And stop crying.  Take it like a man, damn it!”  Lexa then kicked him in the stomach, doubling him over as he flew backward till he crashed against the fence of the garden of the house behind him.  There he stayed sitting.  Lexa nodded satisfactorily and walked the way he came.  His friends looked in wonder at the crying, defeated Deke, and then turned around catching up to Lexa.

“Wasn’t that a little too harsh?” Willow asked, still queasy at the crying Deke.

“No,” Lexa growled.

*****

Willow and Buffy entered Buffy’s home, grinning about something or other.  They walked inside and looked left into the living room.  There sat a dejected Pike, who looked up.  Willow carefully kept the egg in her hands, as she looked at the still bruised guy.  “Hi, Pike,” Buffy greeted a little nervously, not quite knowing how to deal with her ex and his crush on the annoying Amazon.

“Oh, hi,” Willow said, even more nervously.  Willow had gathered her confidence since Lexa whirled in their lives, but if Buffy didn’t quite know how to handle the, in her opinion, pathetic guy, how could she.

“Hi.  I can’t believe I still couldn’t beat her, I worked so hard,” Pike told the two girls.

Buffy rolled her eyes, her nervousness forgotten, and said, “Oh, grow up.  She’s been training since she was a kid, she’s stronger than a standard Slayer.  Now matter how hard you worked, you’ll never bridge the gap in strength within a few months.”

Pike nodded, and then suddenly got up with an enlightened face.  “Yes!” he said with revelation, and the two girls looked at him with some hope.  “I’ll have to beat her on skill then!” he yelled, making Buffy and Willow’s jaw drop.  “Must find a new, extremely skilled sensei!” Pike spoke and then burst toward the door, bumping into Willow on the way, making her lose the egg.

“Wah!” Willow exclaimed as the egg started sailing over her back as Pike sped past her. Buffy’s eyes went wide, and Slayer reflexes kicked in.  She jumped, and caught the egg just before it could hit the floor - instead she crashed to the floor, lying on her side, looking at the egg as if mentally willing it not to break.  “Oh, thank god,” Willow said with relief as the front door slammed close again.  “I’m going to turn him into a toad for almost killing Xander’s son!”

“Will, it’s an egg,” Buffy interrupted her angry friend dryly.  Willow turned and looked down at Buffy, who slowly got up.  “I know the little speculation was nice and all, and funny, and it’s important for our grades - but it’s still just an egg.”

“But, it’s this whole symbolic thing,” Willow countered, as outside the motorcycle roared and rode off.

“It’s an egg,” Buffy repeated pointedly, aiming a finger at the white egg in her left hand.

“Okay, fine, it’s an egg,” Willow relented.  “So, we going up to your room to discuss how to raise our son?”

“Yep,” Buffy said with a grin and the two friends went upstairs.

*****

Lexa and Lotion stepped into his apartment, and she placed ‘their child’ on the kitchen counter.  Lexa joined her there, but first got some warm water to turn back into Xander.

“So,” Xander said, pulling out the notebook, “father’s back.  I suppose we should decide on how to raise our daughter.”  He wrote down his and Lotion’s names as father and mother first.

“We’re not going to cuddle her.  Amazons believe in letting children learn through experience, including pain and failure,” Lotion explained with a grin.  “Not like I read about these people that just give their child every bit it wants, and take them to a doctor for a tine scratch.”

“Yeah, me too.  Train her, and our sons afterwards too, of course, in the ways of martial arts the moment they can walk, make them grow strong and capable, but not forgetting to play time either of course,” Xander philosophized.

“Sons?  Sons bad at training, we learned to leave them be when it comes to fighting,” Lotion said with a little hint of sadness.

Xander snorted, and said, “Amazon sons perhaps.  No, my sons won’t be like that, they’ll be strong and powerful like I am, even if I have to train them myself in the midst of all-hail-women country.”

Lotion’s eyes sparkled, and said, “You promise?  There hasn’t been a strong male in centuries.”

Xander nodded, grinning, and said, “We most not forget to teach them a sense of responsibility though.”

“We boil the egg,” Lotion said a grin.  “Toughens our daughter up but good, perfectly shows what we mean with the words.”

“I was thinking the exact same thing,” Xander said with a grin, scribbling what they were going to do, and the reasoning for it in the notebook.  “It also makes it much more difficult to break.”  Lotion grinned evilly as she nodded, and Xander pulled a pan from a cupboard in the counter.  He filled it with water, and placed it on the stove.  Then put the egg and turned on the fire.  Looking at it with a satisfied grin for a moment, he put the lid on, and turned back to Lotion.  She sat on a stool and stood right across from her.  “Okay, we should split the responsibilities.  You take her one day, and I the next?”

“Sounds good,” Lotion answered smiling, and was surprised to find his lips against hers. It was a quick kiss, and he broke it off again, she looked questioningly at him.

“You look sexy as a mother,” Xander said with a smile and a shrug, wondering how he could ever make a choice if it had to go between just Lotion on Willow.  If Buffy was in the running the choice was easy, but . . . Willow was amazing, Lotion was amazing.  Willow was his bestest friend since forever, Lotion was this fiery, crackling, gung-ho girl that definitely intrigued him, while Willow this strong, powerful, responsible girl, but had learned to loosen up and enjoy the ride.  They were like Buffy split in two, really, he reflected with a little bit of surprise.

Lotion placed a passionate kiss of her own on his lips, and then opened her eyes, looking into his.  “I wish you had already chosen, and that you chose me,” she told him smokily.

“Yeah, well,” Xander said and backed away a bit.  Buffy considered him her ‘boyfriend’ now - problem she considered that bastard Angel her ‘boyfriend’ as well.  She knew he expected a clear choice - he wasn’t going to share her with Angel, either all of her, or nothing at all.  How the hell did his life get this complicated?  Oh, yeah, daddy sold him to the Chinese mob - then again, he wouldn’t have it any other way.  It was just too amazing what had happened since that fateful day; he’d take the curse with the blessing.  “Wanna stay for dinner? I’m a mean cook.”

“Sure,” Lotion answered with a smile.

“Don’t need to call your mom for permission?” Xander asked.

Lotion said, “Nope, but I’ll leave her message where I am later, I just want to kiss you till her daughter as toughened up.”  She leaned forward.

*****

“So did you ask you’re mom, yet?” Buffy asked Willow, sitting next to the witch on her bed. “About becoming an Amazon, I mean.”

Willow nodded, and said, “More like somewhere in between of informing and asking, really.”

“And?” Buffy said hopefully, not wanting to sit there without her best friend - even if she was there to ogle naked girls.

“I quote: ‘That’s nice, dear, have fun,’” Willow answered bitterly.

“You’re mom is so cool,” Buffy replied with a shy.

“‘Cool?’” Willow echoed, looking at Buffy like she was crazy.  “/Your/ mom is cool, let’s you be yourself and supports you, but still shows she loves you, lays down boundaries.  My mom just doesn’t care what I do as long as I don’t make her look bad.”

“Oh, sorry,” Buffy replied and an uncomfortable silence grew, Buffy not quite known what to say or do at that.

Willow spoke up, then, “You know, I don’t care what Lotion says.  Xander did it for real with one of us, he just didn’t tell her.”

Buffy laughed.  “You’re right, Will.  He’d keep it a secret, and not even consider it cheating, because he would consider it an honorable duty to help out us poor lesbians!” Buffy said loudly, and the two went into a giggle fit.

“Lesbians!?” a female voice filled with several strong emotions questioned, the biggest one being confusion.  The door to the room opened, and in peaked Joyce.

“Oh, hi, mom,” Buffy managed to sputter out amongst giggles as Willow just snickered. Buffy picked ‘their son’ from the nightstand to her right, and held it up.  She forced her laughter under control, and said, “There weren’t enough guys, so we’re a parent couple - a gay one.  Meet our son Alex.”

“Oh,” Joyce said and a small smile.

“He’s Xander’s,” Willow cut in with a grin.  “Artificially inseminated . . . /officially/.”

Joyce smiled broader, then snickered at their ridiculous game of speculation, remembering good times like that when she was a teen.  Joyce was glad, happy, that her daughter seemed to be able to do some normal things after all, and not just slay vampires.  Buffy then said, “We haven’t decided in which one of us he grew though.”

“Me of course, if it isn’t artificial,” Willow said without thought, the most natural thing in the world.

“Why?” Buffy asked wryly, and with a little suspicion and anger.

“Well, because . . .” Willow started with an obvious tone, just about to say how Xander wouldn’t consider it fair, and Buffy would consider it too cruel if she got Xander twice and Willow not once.  She caught herself just in time, realizing that Buffy’s mom probably wouldn’t know about Buffy no longer being a virgin - and she really didn’t want to see Xander headless, she heard Joyce wielded a mean axe.  All her considerable brain power focused instantly on a solution.  “. . . X-xander and you wouldn’t consider it fair if you got him f-first - while I was pining away for him all this time.”

“Oohkay,” Joyce said backing away toward the door, “time to get out of here before I give in to the urge to lock Buffy in her room till she’s thirty.”

“Mom,” Buffy said with the patented tone of teenagers all over the world when embarrassed with their parents.  Joyce turned around and was about to leave with a smile on her face, when Buffy called out, “Mom!”  Joyce stopped and turned partially back.  “Uh, could Willow sleep over for the rest of the week?” Buffy asked timidly and sweetly, using the patented tone of teenagers all over the world when wanting something from their parents they thought would have difficulty getting - only to have a whole verbal assault ready and waiting because after all didn’t they ask nicely?

“Why?” Joyce asked surprised, as surprised as Willow looked.

“Well, us lesbians can’t get accidentally pregnant you know, lot’s of planning,” Buffy explained, while Joyce frowned.  Buffy hurried along, “So it’s very unlikely we’d be living in different houses across town - if this experiment is supposed to simulate having a baby, she should be here with me, shouldn’t see?”

Joyce pondered the question, and then nodded, “Okay, but only if Willow’s parents agree.”

Suddenly giddy at the unexpected prospect, Willow spoke up, “Shouldn’t be a problem getting their permission, they’re not exactly Mr. and Mrs. Involved.”

Joyce frowned and then nodded, any last doubts she may have head evaporating immediately, and said, “You can call them downstairs, then tell me.”  Willow nodded with a grin and got off the bed.

*****

“Hmm,” Lotion muttered chewing the steak in mushroom sauce he had made.  Xander smiled and took a bite of his own food, and nodded approvingly.  They were sitting across from each other at the low living room table, while Lotion held the egg to her left breast with her left hand.  “You’re amazing in the kitchen,” she muttered with a mouth full of food.  Xander grinned, and watched Lotion take the egg away from her breasts.  “Done,” Lotion said with a smirk.

Xander put a new piece of meat in his mouth.  After placing the fork on his plate, he picked up a pen and wrote down in the notebook while saying what he wrote, “Eighteen oh-three, mother starts breast-feeding daughter.”  He continued writing and speaking, “Eighteen oh-seven, mother burps daughter.”

“My daughters don’t burp,” Lotion said perkily.  Xander looked up at her with an incredulous look.  “Oh, all right,” Lotion said, realizing the falsehood of that statement, and tapped twice with her finger on the back of the egg - the front of which now had a face drawn on it.  “There, burped.”

Xander grinned, and said, “We’re going to make great parents someday.”

“I can’t wait,” Lotion told him with a seductive look.

“Not necessarily with each other, you know,” Xander answered her.

Lotion shrugged and told him, “We seem to be making a great team in that regard.” Xander quickly stuffed his mouth with some potatoes.

*****

The bell rang, and Buffy opened the door.  “Hi, Cordelia,” Buffy greeted with a smile.

“Hurry back, honey,” the overly sweet voice of Willow came from the living room, making Buffy and another woman unseen by Cordelia snicker - most likely Buffy’s mother she figured.  “Our son needs both his mothers.”

“I will, hon, don’t worry,” Buffy called back with a large grin, and Cordelia rolled her eyes.  After Buffy closed the door behind her, she asked, “So, where did you leave your son?” Buffy was in a comfortable jeans and shirt, and finished putting on her black jacket.

Cordelia in contrast was in a tight outfit, a zipper pulled down low enough to show her cleavage.  The pants and long-sleeved top were apart, and were made of some substance Buffy had lost the name of.  It was something that was a lot like rubber, protective biker suits, but flexible, and much thinner so Cordelia could easily move in it.  Cordelia had dubbed it her ‘Slayer suit’, or ‘Slayer fashion’.  As she had said, ‘Comfortable, fashionable, practical, and still sexy enough to distract any evil guy and lesbian-inclined evil girls.’

As Cordelia turned around and went to walk next to Buffy, she replied, “With my husband, and do you realize how tacky this whole thing is?”

Buffy nodded, having caught herself thinking and saying some icky or at least tacky things during the whole parenthood ordeal.  Of course, it was quite a lot of fun, and she answered the cheerleader, “Yeah, but a good kind of tacky.”

“Ugh,” Cordelia muttered in reply, and then looked up.  “Perhaps I should hire a nanny,” Cordelia said, while Buffy shook her head.  “What?  It’s done in real life,” Cordelia returned, and took in Buffy who looked up at her as they walked down the pavement.  “Hmm.”

“No, I’m not going to be your nanny,” Buffy returned half-annoyed, the other half still amused and happy.

Cordelia replied, “You could use the money.”  Buffy whipped her head back and glared at the cheerleader.  “Okay,” Cordelia told her, raising her hands in an I’m-backing-off gesture.

*****

The two girls were in the graveyard.  They had been walking along and spotted a vampire off in the bushes.  Cordelia had claimed him, and was ready to take off.  “I’ll keep an eye on you,” Buffy said with a grin.

“Oh, please, it’s just one vamp without swords to defend himself with,” she said as she drew two swords from the sheaths on her back.  “You better keep an eye on yourself.”  Then she was off.

“Just in case he gets lucky,” Buffy called softly after her, and indeed kept peering through the bushes.  That was, until she turned to her right to check out a presence.  “Oh, Angel,” she said, a smile on her face as the souled vampire entered the cemetery from the forest there.

“Ah, hey,” he said with a smile, the long black duster looked good on him.

“You’re not scheduled for patrol tonight,” Buffy said with a mock disapproving tone as she walked up to him.

Angel shrugged, and said, “The schedule doesn’t say I can’t come out and dust some vampires anyway.”

“True,” Buffy grinned and then wrapped her arms around his neck, before entering in a passionate kiss with Angel, which lasted . . . and lasted . . .

“There, that’s one more dusty- . . . oh, for crying out loud,” Cordelia said, first with happiness then annoyance as she returned and found the Slayer in her vampire’s arms. Annoyed she moved over to a gravestone and leaned on it, waiting.  After a minute, she got back up, and said, greatly annoyed with her fists in her sides, “Hey, don’t you think we she could get back to patrolling and leave the hormones behind for a bit?”  Buffy and Angel continued kissing.  “HELLO!” Cordelia said loudly, finally breaking the two apart, “Evil is afoot, likes to kill people, draining them of their blood, go dust when you kill them, which is our job?”

“Right, yes,” Angel said a bit chastised and looked down at the smiling Slayer in his arms, “We should get back to patrolling.”

“Okay,” Buffy said, and started kissing Angel again.

Cordelia rolled her eyes with annoyance, and said, “Hey, horndogs, get a room /after/ patrol, will ya?”

Buffy broke apart from Angel for a moment, and told her, “If Oz were here, you’d do the same.”  Then she went back to kissing.

Cordelia grumbled, and then hissed out, “Yeah, guess why Giles decided /not/ to team me with him, /not/ to team you with Angel or with Xander, /not/ to team Xander with either Willow or Lotion either, but team him with Oz?  Perhaps so we /wouldn’t/ be doing nothing but making out and letting people die because we failed to dust vamps?”

Angel broke apart, and then forced himself away from Buffy with a lot of willpower, and said, “She has a point, Buffy.  We better continue patrolling.”

“Okay, fine,” Buffy said with a smirk and started walking.  Angel walked next to her, and the two were looking at each other as they walked.

Cordelia rolled her eyes in annoyance and caught up with hem, and said, “I see that me without enhanced vision is going to have to spot the vampires . . . hormonal dumbasses.”

*****

The three of the had reached the next cemetery, much to Cordelia’s annoyance.  The fact that Angel was still around and the damn star-crossed lovers were still looking into each other’s eyes was annoying.  And who would want to look in his pale face anyway?  Didn’t she ever see him by day?  She must have, inside of a house, with him in the shadows.  Ugh.  She supposed is was good luck Xander had two, and when she was still after him three, other girls after him - all the time - or he and Buffy would be just as bad as Buffy and Angel were now.

Cordelia saw a vampire come up behind some tombstones, dusting herself off from sand. “A newby,” Cordelia said, and looked at Angel and Buffy.

Buffy’s eyes flickered over to Cordelia, and she said, “You want him?”

“Her, it’s a /her/, oh, fuck it,” she said with exasperation and drew her swords then ran at the newby vampiress.

The new vampire grinned as she saw three tasty meals . . . that was until she noticed one of the meals drawing two large, very-sharp-looking swords, as well as a murderous look on her face.  Deciding this place had gone nuts, she turned around and ran for the forest at the end of the cemetery.  “Don’t you dare flee!” she heard the meal that apparently liked to bite call behind her, and she decided to run as fast as she could.

“Damn you, bitch!” Cordelia screamed and ran after the fleeing vamp with everything she had.  This sucked, this seriously sucked.  She was sprinting and the vamp was getting away anyway.  With all her new martial arts skill and strength, as well as these nifty razor sharp blades Giles had given her, she could take on a vamp quite easily - despite their superior strength and speed, they were clumsy and more importantly, usually dumb - dumber than the humans that inhabited the body before a demon took it over.  Simply fleeing though, the superior speed was too great an advantage - didn’t take any skill or intelligence to run after all. “Shit,” Cordelia hissed as she entered the forest, and saw the vamp pull away from her.  She was starting to get tired, and she told herself, “Gotta train my speed.”  She then pulled her right arm back and hurled one of her swords forward like a spear.

The sword swished through the air with great speed, and a few moments later her aim was true.  The sword imbedded the vampire straight through her chest, and yelling in pain she sank to the grounds.

Off to the right of the event a cowboy vampire by the name of Tector Gorch saw the event, and he looked with rather surprised eyes how the mortal didn’t slow down one bit, then severed the female vamp’s head a moment later as she was trying to get back up.  The vamp dusted, leaving a sword which the brunette picked up.  “Slayer,” Tector whispered his conclusion.  “You killed my brother!” he then roared and stormed forward, closing the distance quickly.  Only five meters away he made a quick draw to his century old Smith & Wesson revolver, and fired.

*****

The sound of the gun being fired jerked Buffy and Angel out of each other’s dreamy vision instantly.  “Oh, my god, Cordelia!” Buffy said shocked, and then surged forward.  Then more gunshots rang out.

“AAAH!” Cordelia’s distanced scream came, making Buffy falter for just a moment with both relief and terror, then ran onward.  “You stupid super hero slut!  One of them is /shooting/ at me!  Come do your job!” once again sounded off in the distance.

With fear gripping Buffy’s heart she sped onward, easily outrunning Angel.  She surged through the growth, and quickly came across a vamp wearing a cowboy hat and shooting a cowboy gun.  Cordelia was hiding behind a tree, but quickly moved to hide behind another one as the cowboy vamp came closer.  Wasting no time, Buffy grabbed a stake and flung it with all her might, and all her supernatural aim.  The stack twisted through the air, and a moment later slammed in the demon’s back, who jerked and started to sink through his knees.  The hat left his head, just before the body turned to dust.  The gun landed on the ground, and the hat neatly floated down to cover the ashes.

“Cordelia, are you alright!?” Buffy called out loud.

The cheerleader peaked from behind a tree, seeing Angel come up behind Buffy, and then emerged.  She took in the shot-up side of the tree she had been hiding behind before the latest one, and then walked over to Buffy and Angel, sheathing her swords, and hissing, “You two go back to lovy-dovy or kissing, and I swear I’ll hack of his head, right after I see if hacking off his other head and what’s it attached to is enough to stop you two.”

Angel took a step back for security reasons, gulping at Cordelia’s pissed expression. “You wouldn’t,” Buffy blanched, making Cordelia growl.

Buffy swallowed and decided to change the subject, and took in the remaining hat. “Shees, what is it with the cowboy theme and vampires these days?  I dusted another one dressed like that yesterday,” Buffy pondered, and suddenly her face turned to horror.  “I didn’t miss some new fashion trend, did I?  Please don’t tell me vampires are more trendy than I am,” Buffy whimpered.  The concept that she, Buffy Summers, once queen of Hemery High, and trend setter for all seasons didn’t know a new fashion trend, but some corpses did, was too horrible to contemplate.

“No,” Cordelia said with a huff, “do you see /me/ wearing cowgirl clothes and hat?  The cowboy look is still just as out as a century ago, except in Texas.  They were probably real cowboys, this one was shouting about me killing his brother.”  Buffy sighed with relief, much to Angel’s silent amusement.  Cordelia squatted down and picked up the gun.  She stood back up examining it, holding the gun the way it was meant to be held, and said, “Yep, judging from this, real cowboys turned vamps.”

The gun went off, making Cordelia jump, Buffy scream, and Angel yell out with pain. “Aagh!” Cordelia yelped tossing the gun away.

“You shot me!” Angel groaned out, staggering back holding his side, then fell to his ass. “Argh!”

“You shot Angel!” Buffy yelled in fright and sank next to him, pulling his coat aside and ripping apart his shirt.

With more painful groans from Angel, Cordelia said, “Well, sorry, who knew the damn trigger was that sensitive?  Ever tried pulling the trigger on a toy cap gun?  Besides, he’s a vamp, he’ll live and he deserves it for almost getting me shot up.”  Buffy looked up at Cordelia with a scowl, but the cheerleader just shrugged, and said, “What!?”  Buffy turned back to a newly groaning Angel, a guilty look on her face.  “And you quit being a crybaby, you’re a vamp, a bullet shouldn’t bother you,” Cordelia spoke then grabbed him by the shoulder and forced him to his legs.

“Ow, owowowow, OW!” Angel yelled as he was forced along, getting to his feet.  Buffy quickly got to him and support his staggering form.  Buffy looked with concern at the blood staining Angel’s blue blouse and his duster.  “It’ll heal, Buffy” Angel gasped out.  “Just hurts a little.  OUCH!”

“A little?” Buffy asked him with a raised eyebrow.

*****

Xander entered the school library, the egg in the pocket of his sleeveless shirt.  He found he was the last one in at the quick early morning briefing.  “So,” he said walking up to the table having everyone present, “anything new on the big bad front?  No one trying to end the world?”

“Nope,” Cordelia said with a smirk, “but an old bad has been aching good.”  Buffy glared at her.

“What?” Lotion asked, from her sitting position.

Xander pulled up a stair as Cordelia explained, “Some crazy cowboy vampire tried to shoot me.  Buffy dusted him, I picked up his gun and accidentally shot Angel.”

Xander snickered as Giles, as usual reading a book, said from the second level, “He was not part of the schedule.”

“He decided to lend a helping hand anyway,” Buffy defended her second boyfriend.

“And got shot for it,” Xander said with a big grin, “I like it, I /really/ do.  The Hellmouth punishes immediately.”

“How’s the babies?” Willow butted in perkily, to take the whole group off that self-destructive path.

“Oz is a good baby sitter, he has potential,” Cordelia supplied with a grin.  Oz gave a stoic nod.  Then she pulled the egg from her stylish back pack, and put the egg, dressed in a stylish doll pants and doll top on the table.  “See,” she said, and everyone looked surprised at the dressed egg.  “What?” Cordelia asked at their surprised faces.  “You didn’t think I was going to let my kid wear something unfashionable, or heaven forbid go naked, did you?”  Giles gave a barely audible, long-suffering sigh at the antics of his charges, and disappeared back into the stacks of books.

Sheepishly Willow pulled her naked egg from a pocket in her perky, low cut blouse, and said, “Alex is doing fine.”

Xander pulled out his naked egg, and showed it to everyone saying, “Conda is great as well.”

Cordelia rolled her eyes, and said, “Of course, just when you thought the challenged dress-sense was healed, they bring their kids along naked.”

“Oh, please, that’s a real stretch, Cor,” Xander told his erstwhile nemesis with a grin.

“Conda?” Willow prompted.

Lotion spoke up with a smile, “Ancient and respected Amazon female name.”

Buffy blinked and then muttered, “Lotion and Conditioner, mother and daughter.”

“That’s not funny,” Lotion bit back and narrowed her eyes at Buffy.

Buffy blinked, and noticed Lotion /really/ didn’t like it, and said, “Sorry.”  Buffy put her feet on the table, leaning her chair back with a grin.  The bounce made Xander’s ‘daughter’ start to roll.  “Oops,” Buffy said, as the egg reached her, and she quickly grabbed it before it could fall to the floor.  Buffy smiled ready to give it back to Xander and then frowned, felt the egg.  “How come your egg feels weird?” Buffy asked testing it.

“It feels weird?” Lotion asked concerned and Xander took the egg back.

He tested it, and said, “Nothing weird, why?”  Lotion relaxed again.

“It feels different from our egg,” Buffy said wit a frown.

Xander grinned and said, “Boys and girls usually feel different, Buffy.  It thought you knew that by now.”

“Oh, very funny,” Buffy said, trying to scowl and look angry but failing miserably.

Cordelia snatched the egg, and her eyes widened.  She looked at Xander and asked sternly, “You /boiled/ your egg?”

“Yeah,” Xander answered with a grin, snatching the egg back, making Oz raise his eyebrows and take in his own son.

“YOU BOILED YOUR EGG!?” Buffy and Willow exclaimed as one, sitting up straight in one movement - except not quite.  Buffy’s eyes widened when her half tipped over chair wouldn’t would go smoothly back, and balanced and then fell over backward.  “OW!” she said as she tumbled over the floor.  “Ouch, oof, that hurt.”

From the stacks Giles voice sounded calmly, “Do be careful with the furniture and the floor, Buffy.  It doesn’t have Slayer healing.”

The rest snickered at that, but Buffy quickly got up and glared at Xander, “You boiled your egg!  You boiled your daughter!”

“I boiled an egg which is standing in for my daughter,” Xander answered with a huge grin.

Willow in the meantime was shocked at Lotion’s lack of reaction, “Why aren’t you saying anything!?  Xander just boiled your daughter.”

“And I helped him with it,” Lotion answered him calmly.

“WHAT!?” Willow yelled in shock.  “How can you do that to your daughter?”

“It’s called rather crudely, ‘tough love’,” Lotion answered with a grin.

“Yep, you see we raise our daughter to be tough, we teach her martial arts, train her body, learn her responsibility early on, let her fall so she can learn how not to, and how to handle when she does, we won’t cuddle her, and hug her, and walk after her with a pillow just in case she falls,” Xander explained with a proud grin, drawing two dropped jaws to him, “Perfectly shown off by hard boiling the egg - it also makes it more difficult to break.”  He casually tossed the egg over to Lotion who caught it, and placed it in a pocket in her long, form hugging Amazon dress.

“But that’s cheating!  You’re cheating!” Cordelia exclaimed with an indignant tone.

Giles had returned at his position overlooking his charges at the commotion, and said, “Actually, it’s an ingenious albeit devious way to go about getting to the goal - especially with that reasoning by it.”

“Well!” Cordelia said indignant, standing up, as Xander and Lotion basked in Giles’ comment.  Oz rose with his girlfriend, “We’ll see who has the last laugh when Mr. Whitmore fails you.”

Horrified, Buffy took her son from Willow and cradled it protectively away from Xander and Lotion on the other side.  “I could never do that to our son,” she said with some distrust to her friends.

Lotion nodded and said with satisfaction, “That’s why by the time they can walk, our daughter will kick your son’s ass in everything.”

Willow got up as did Buffy and gave Xander and Lotion a superior glare, then left to join Cordelia and Oz to go to class.  Xander laughed, and then told Lotion, “Did you see their faces?  I can’t believe they’re so upset about an egg!”

“I can,” Lotion returned with a grin, “they’re upset they didn’t think of it themselves.”

Xander snickered and got up, “Let’s get to class.”

*****

The school day was over, and so the six members presently making up the Scooby Gang were walking out of the building.  “So, I gotta go buy fertilizer,” Xander started, and pulled out his and Lotion’s egg.  “Do you want to take care of her, Lotion, or do you think she’d like a shopping trip with her dad?”

“I’ll take care of her,” Lotion said quickly and took the egg from him.

“Fertilizer?” Willow asked with a confused face.

“Yeah,” Xander said with a smile.  “The plants on the balcony for shade need a bit more than just water and a change of soil now and then, it seems.  They’re withering away, need to go to a speciality store, and get some advice from an expert along with the right products.”

Lotion seemed distasteful, and so Buffy decided to make use of the opportunity, and said, “I’ll go with you, Xan, if you don’t mind a side trip to the mall.  Mom needs me to pick up some new clothes for her still, and I can help with plants if you need me too.”

“That’d be great,” Xander said with a grin, as he turned right at as they reached the street. Buffy went with him, while the others had to go left.  “See you later,” Xander greeted.  The Scoobies returned the greet, apart from Cordelia, and Oz who gave a characteristic grunt that meant the same thing.

A bit later Xander and Buffy walked along.  “So what do you think of my feminine wiles to get me alone with you?” Buffy asked innocently.

Xander looked down at Buffy and said a dumbfounded tone, “I had to go to a store and you offered to go with.”

Buffy smirked at him, and said while batting her eyelashes, “Sometimes feminine wiles come in the form of taking the right opportunity.”

Xander rolled his eyes, and said, “Those are the wiles of an economic.  The dancing you did when that halfwit serenaded me and half the guys wanted to jump you, /those/ were feminine wiles.  And I know the difference, I got feminine wiles these days, you know.”

Buffy chuckled and went in front of him, placing her arms around his waist and looking up.  “After everything you heard Cordelia say about me and Angel, I figured you need a little reassuring you aren’t of the picture yet.”  She moved one hand from his waist, and used it to pull him down and placed a scorching kiss on his lips, tongue slipping inside moments later.  A few moments later Buffy broke the kiss, and she asked to Xander who still had his eyes closed, “Reassured?”

“Very,” Xander sighed opening his eyes, “I would be much more reassured if you dumped /him/ though.”

“Yeah, well . . .” Buffy sighed, turning around and starting walking again.  Xander joined her, and she continued, “I can’t turn off my heart.”

“I’m not asking you to, just the parts were /he/ resides.  I’m willing to operate,” Xander offered with a grin.

Buffy smiled back at him, and said, “You’ll just have to live with it, Xan.  Till I make a choice I have /two/ boyfriends.  Just be grateful I don’t demand you stop seeing the other two . . . that is, /if/ I make a choice.”  Buffy turned to look straight forward again, and added, “More and more I’m thinking: two boyfriends, can work completely.  If men can have harems, why can’t a girl?”

Xander rolled his eyes, and said, “Just don’t ever expect me to jump into bed with a corpse, demon-animated, souled or not.”

“Don’t worry,” Buffy grinned evilly, “I know which of my men to keep apart and which to put to work together . . . about Oz, do you think he’s cute?  Or should I just go with Jonathan, I know you find him handsome, and I don’t have the hassle of stealing him from Cordelia.”

“Buffy Summers, /don’t/ joke about that /ever/ again,” Xander said pointing a warning finger at her.

“Who says I was joking?” Buffy asked barely keeping her smile from blossoming into laughter.

Xander growled, and Buffy started running, laughing out loud.  Xander sped after her, and called out mock angry, “Come back here, woman, so I can give you a proper spanking!”  Buffy gave a mock scream of fright as she sped up, Xander right on her heels.

*****

Xander and Buffy came walking out of the plant store; Xander carrying two bags, and Buffy a small little one.  They stared ahead at the houses on the other side, and Xander muttered, “Wow, I didn’t know you had to do so much to keep a plant growing.  Don’t they usually do that all by herself?”

“Yeah,” Buffy answered with wide eyes, “but I believe I understood something about plants not being in the right climate and native soil and companion plants and animals or something.”  She turned her head to Xander, and added, “I’m not sure, most of the time I kept thinking, ‘I wish Giles were here to translate.’”

“Me too,” Xander answered and looked down at the two heavy bags.  “Do you think he scammed me?”

“If so, I’ll kick his ass for you,” Buffy offered sincerely.

Xander looked at the bags again, turned to fully face Buffy, and said, “I need a kiss.”

Buffy smiled at him, and replied, “You scamming /me/ now?”

“Could be,” he said and bent forward a bit.

Buffy grinned and took a step forward, then planted her lips on his.  After a while they broke apart, and she said, “You can scam me any time.”

“I need another one, to forget how heavy the bags are,” Xander said with a pout.

“Oh,” Buffy replied and kissed Xander again, their eyes closing to savor the sensation in their mouths.

From above sounded, “Oh, shit!  Look out below!”  The woman was far too late with her warning.  Halfway ‘look’ Buffy and Xander were splashed with cold water, instantly soaking their hair, faces and the upper parts of their jackets.  Xander and Buffy didn’t care, they kept kissing each other . . . that was until the concept registered to Buffy.  Xander had gotten a little shorter - their height differences easier bridged - her lips got a little softer, and her tongue a bit softer, smaller but no less ferocious in its exploration.  It was good, it was enjoyable, very nice even - Buffy didn’t care until it filtered through her mind Xander was now Lexa; a girl.   She jerked back, and looked up into Lexa’s face.  She opened her eyes, and Buffy saw the pain there.  “Really sorry!” sounded from above, but Lexa and Buffy didn’t pay attention.

“Sorry,” Buffy echoed the woman’s sentiment, guilt in her eyes, obviously realizing what it meant to Xander/Lexa.  “First time, I knew it could happen, but . . . unexpected.  I won’t flinch away again, I promise.  I suppose this is nothing something you ever have to worry about happening with Willow.”  The last Buffy tacked on out of nervousness, and feeling stupid for it.

“No, problem,” Lexa said with a forgiving smile, while thinking, *You jerk away from a girl, but not a room temperature corpse?*

“Let’s get to the mall, huh?” Buffy asked, and Lexa nodded.

*****

Buffy had her mother’s outfit slung over her shoulder as they left Everyday Woman.  The earlier incident forgotten, and Lexa asked, “So, how is Angel?  He lived?  Is he alive?  Bullet came out?”

Buffy sniffled, eying Lexa’s bouncy breasts contained in the now tight top, buttoned low, with a little jealousy.  It really wasn’t fair that a guy could have that magnificent breasts after getting cursed to be a girl.  Buffy wasn’t truly envious anymore, but there were times when she was reminded of unfairness of it all.  “He’s fine,” she answered Lexa.

“You sure?  ‘Cause, again, I’m willing to operate,” Lexa answered her with a grin.

Buffy rolled her eyes, and then that said thoughtfully, “Hmm, I definitely need to consider that third member of my harem.  He can keep you two from killing each other when I’m not at home, or spend time in the mistress bedroom for some peace and quiet.”

“What did I just tell you?” Lexa said with a dangerous voice.  Buffy looked innocently at her, and then ran off again.  “Buffy!” Lexa growled and ran after the blonde.

Buffy looked behind her, and called back, “You know, I still can’t believe you boiled your daughter.”  Xander sighed.

*****

That night Buffy arrived at Angel’s apartment and was let in.  “Hey,” Angel said, letting her in. “I-I’m sorry.”

“For what?” Buffy asked confused.

Angel looked down ashamed, and said, “For almost getting Cordelia killed.  I should have controlled myself, won’t happen again.”

Buffy rolled her eyes as she entered the apartment deeper, and asked him with a smile, “What is it with you and brooding?  Is it some kind of fetish or something?  Should I strike a brooding pose if I want to turn you on?”

“A-a- . . . I-I . . . uh,” Angel stuttered out.

Buffy grinned at him and sat down confidently in a chair.  Angel started to get nervous under her scrutiny, and he said, “I can only be with you at night, when you have to patrol, and I’ll endanger you and your friends.  I can’t take you into the light, I can’t give you children, I can’t make- . . .”

“God,” Buffy interrupted with a perky grin, “now you’re sabotaging yourself.  You really /do/ have a brooding fetish.”  Angel stuttered something unintelligible and Buffy got up.  Like a predator with a seductive look in her eyes she sauntered over, heavily swaying her hips.  She placed on finger on his chin, loving the power trip, and whispered, “You don’t have to, silly.” Angel’s surprised look went up several notches into complete shock and confused.  Buffy wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her body against his, most notably their crotches, and she said, “I’ve been thinking, and I like this more and more.  I won’t choose between you and Xander - I just take you both.  That way Xander can take me into the light, give me children should I want any, and you can make me happy while he sleeps.  Slayers need less sleep than normal humans, you know.  There, I’ll be completely happy, but to accommodate your brooding fetish, you get to brood about your position while I’m out with Xander during the day, and when I carry his children.  What do you think?”

Buffy pressed herself even closer to him, and enhanced the seductive nature of her smile, while Angel tried to grasp the concept and stutter out a response.  “If you really love me, you want to make me happy, and not take away my day life,” Buffy added, and kissed him deeply. She broke it a short while later, and looking sweetly up into his eyes she waited for an answer.

Angel coughed, then cleared his throat.  He squirmed underneath Buffy’s logic, her body pressed against him, and the fragile, sweet, seductive eyes.  He never stood a chance.  “O-okay, I-I I’m willing to sh-share,” he muttered out.

Buffy grinned and kissed him happily.  She relaxed a bit, and looking into his eyes, she said, “I was a bit evil using that against you, didn’t I?”  Angel’s eyes widened at that.  “So I should think of a reward for you,” Buffy said thinking and smiling up at him.  “Don’t know what yet.  Now I gotta find a way to get Xander to accept it, he’s going to be a lot tougher to crack.”  Angel’s eyes stared diagonally down, straight through Buffy’s forehead.  Buffy thought for a moment, and then noticed Angel’s look.  “Please don’t take that as an insult to your manhood or anything,” Buffy said with a smirk.

“I-I won’t,” Angel answered, but Buffy wondered.

The Slayer broke away from him, and found the Angel’s tv.  She smiled and said, “Tonight we’re going to sit on your couch, and watch tv.  Like the average, normal couple we can be, see?”  Angel nodded.

*****

Buffy’s living room

The next afternoon

Buffy, Willow, Lotion, and Lexa were sitting on the couch and the chairs.  They had done their homework together, and were now just talking and watching some tv.  Buffy and Willow, and especially Buffy, were nervous.  Despite having learned to get reasonably along with the Amazon, and even in their minds having accepted Xander’s Halloween accusation they were friends, this was still the first time Lotion was in Buffy’s house; the same going for Willow’s.

Lotion didn’t mind, and was her usual hyper self.  In fact, Buffy and Willow were pretty certain the Amazon didn’t even notice.  Lexa was her usual sexy and teasing self as well - as a girl, Buffy and Willow found, Xander enjoyed being more . . . ‘prickly’ was what they had come to call it.  Why that was, they didn’t really know; although Willow had posited the theory that as a girl he/she didn’t need to impress Buffy, which unsurprisingly affronted Buffy a little bit.

She had gotten over it though, and was now engrossed in watching a guy on tv so fat they needed to blow a house wall, and use a crane to get him out of the house.  “It’s horrible,” Buffy commented with large eyes, “it’s disgusting, he’s horrendously ugly, as well as amazingly eeew . . . and yet I can’t stop watching.”

“I can change the channel for you if you want,” Lotion offered happily.

Buffy turned her head to her newest, and most annoying friend, glared for a moment, and then with a softening look said, “Please hurry.”

While Lotion picked up the remote and started zapping, Lexa chuckled, and said, “He wasn’t so bad.  If you looked at him from a certain angle, he was kinda sexy.”

Three disgusted faces and equally disgusted voices sounded throughout the living room, each giving their own interpretation of, “Eeeeeuugghh.”

Lexa laughed, and then was reduced to giggles.  “Oh, the disgusting notion was worth your reactions,” Lexa said, continuing to chuckle and giggle.  Willow picked up a pillow and slammed it over Lexa’s head once.  “Hey,” she said.  An alarm beeped, and Lexa sat up.  She pulled her left wrist in front of her and checked the watch.  “Time for Conda’s nap time,” Lexa said with a grin, and Lotion nodded.

“What!?” Willow wondered out loud, while Buffy looked dumbfounded at Lexa, who pulled the egg from a pocket of her tight blouse.

Lexa placed the egg on a table and pulled out a handkerchief which she placed over the egg.  “Sleep tight,” Lotion and Lexa wished the egg at the same time while Willow and Buffy’s faces looked even more shocked.

Lexa pulled out the notebook, and while she wrote the same, she said, “16:30, mother and father put daughter to bed.”  She then put the booklet away again.

Buffy shook her head, and said, “But you boiled it!”

“Yes, to raise her properly, train her well, so?” Lotion asked the Slayer.

The blonde groaned and let herself fall back in the couch.  She then got back up, and said, “You’re actually taking this serious, really serious, Xander?”

Lexa shrugged, while Willow added, “Even if you didn’t boil it . . .”

“My mother’s instincts must have come out,” Lexa grinned at his oldest friend and somewhat girlfriend.  She stopped grinning, and said seriously, “Actually this has got me thinking, which probably means I was right.”

“You, thinking?” Buffy mocked him.

“How?” Lotion asked, always interested in her future husband.

“Well,” Lexa scratched her ears.  “Kids.  Pregnancy.  I was somehow wondering if I could actually become that; what it was like.  Before this whole thing I couldn’t be possible so I never even thought about it, you know: not even thinking about girls, mothers . . . but now . . .”

“What?  You wanna?” Buffy asked incredulously gesturing to Lexa’s stomach with both her head and her right hand a bit.

“Oh, no, at least not anytime soon,” Lexa answered, leaning back and looking thoughtfully at the ceiling.  “I did always kinda expect it to happen some day, with the whole kids thing, except I never thought about it.  Always something of future concern, and now I’m wondering; both sides of the fence so to speak.”

“I will make a great mother one day,” Lotion decided to butt in.

Lexa moved her head to grin at Lotion, while Willow spoke, “Hey, this is heavy stuff here, can’t you put our little competition for her heart aside for a few moments.  Go on, Lexa.”

Lexa smiled and said, “I suppose that’s about it; I’m still too busy thinking about everything to have come to any conclusions.”

Lotion smiled, and said, “I have mine all thought out.  Yours.  I used to consider which of the males of the tribe I choose to marry.  There were some nice ones, but all so . . . well, weak, and far too nice, and sweet.  Kind is good, love kind, love a good man.  Nice and sweet means no backbone, just clean and cook, as they were taught by their mothers and fathers, obey your wife always.  I always supposed I could fall in love with one, just like mom did, but . . . ugh . . . mom raised me in her image I suppose . . . then, out of the blue, one heavily slam in my face and out cold I went, the face of a handsome, hot, and /male/, so very /male/ stranger the last thing I saw before all went black.  Then the ideas changed - strong, equal man capable of talking back, and talking with me, thinking with me, and strong healthy children.  Only thing changing all the time is exactly where we’ll live.  Best day of my life.”

Everyone stayed silent for a moment, and then Willow muttered, “Hadn’t really thought about it like that.”  They looked at her.  “Amazons.”  Then she explained further, “I always looked at it from my perspective, women in the men’s positions, never considered the men’s positions, and how they’d be . . . well . . . raised - I suppose is the most neutral way of describing it - and what that would mean for relationships.”  Willow thought for a few moment, then said, “I can actually see now why a man capable of defeating you in combat - not beating you up for the hell of it - would be alluring, one taught to be strong.”

“Yep,” Lexa echoed, “wouldn’t want a partner, whatever gender, that just knows how to say ‘yes, dear’, either.  Which doesn’t make it too wondrous why a lot of men protested for women’s rights seventy years back, he?”

“Yeah.  Well damn,” Buffy said, folding her arms across her chest and pouted.  She looked at Lotion, and explained, “Now I can’t dislike you for that anymore either.”

Lotion grinned at Buffy and said, “Oh, I’m flattered.”

Buffy glared at her and said, “I still dislike you for being so annoying.”

Lotion shrugged, and looked over at Willow.  The witch in training looked a bit surprised, and then smiled, “I’ve been thinking about kids since I was some ten years old.  Wedding too. Never new for sure if I wanted them, but I’ve definitely imagined what they’d be like, with every crush I had.  Lately I’ve been imagining strong martial arts and witches the next generation guarding the Hellmouth.”

“Must be a favorite past time of girls,” Lexa said, and then straightened up, looking at Buffy.  The Amazon and the witch turned to Buffy at well.

Buffy’s eyes widened a bit, and then said with surprise, “Uh . . .”  Silently she asked with her eyes if they meant her, and then swallowed.  “Ah, well,” Buffy said with a sad smile.  “I’ve been thinking of my possible future kids when I was little as well . . . stopped when I was called.”  They all looked sadly at Buffy, who explained, “I’ve been to busy thinking of ways to avoiding death, stopping vampires, and how I could forget about any future with any husband and kids; so never a problem when I fell in love with a vampire, almost like- . . .”

“WHAT!?!?” Joyce’s scream came from the kitchen as she stormed into the living room. Buffy’s eyes were wide and in shock - she had completely forgotten!  The one thing she hadn’t shared with her mother yet, and her mother being in the kitchen.  “VAMPIRE!?”  Joyce reached the couches and looked at Lexa sitting in the middle of the sunlight streaming in from the large forward window.  “What’s this about a vampire!?  Evil!?  Dust!?”

Lexa, Willow, and Buffy were quiet, scared of Joyce and what she was going to do to Buffy.  Lotion had no such qualms and relaxedly explained, “Her second boyfriend, Angel. Some gypsies cursed him, returned the person he was before the demon took over back to his body, put his soul back.  Apparently he’s a good guy now, a nice guy according him and a few others.  I think he’s a better guy in the vacuum cleaner.”  Buffy and Willow glared at Lotion, having completely eliminated any chance to break this is easily as possible to Joyce.  Lotion misunderstood completely, and said, “What?  Xander thinks the same thing.”

Buffy and Willow groaned.  “Don’t you groan!” Joyce said angrily.  “Buffy, ever since the big reveal we’ve been talking much more.  I like that we restarted our relationships, I thought you were hones with, would come to me for advice, you even told me about your confused feelings for Xander . . .”  Buffy looked with horror, while Lexa blushed lightly.  “. . . so what’s this about the vampire!?  Why haven’t you told me!?”

“I . . . well . . . I . . .” Buffy started, while Joyce ire grew by the moment.

Lexa decided to help her friend out, and explained, “Because, Buffy’s mom, deep down she knows how bad it is to fall for a 240-year-old, demon-animated corpse that can’t enter the light, and was hiding in the shadows like a coward last school year.  It’s just her heart that’s the problem.”  Buffy looked at him in shock and disbelief that he knew that.  “Ampata taught me that,” Lexa said smiling.

“/Ampata/ knew!?” Joyce said angry that even a two-week exchange student know the whole deal, but not she, Buffy’s mother.  Lexa winced, and mouthed ‘sorry’ to Buffy.

“He found out accidentally,” Buffy said quickly as explanation, hoping she wasn’t grounded for the rest of her natural life.

Joyce’s anger deflated, she sighed, and said, “I suppose our talks, especially about parts of your love life are far more than I could ask for . . . but a vampire?  240 years old?”

“He looks young,” Buffy defended herself.  “If he looked 240 . . . well . . . I didn’t really know he was a vamp at the time I was falling for him - it was really more like, sorta in the middle.”  Joyce sat down defeated on the armrest of the chair Lotion was sitting in.  “He’s good, he really is,” Buffy added whimpering.

Joyce thought for a moment of forbidding Buffy to see the vampire again, but realized that wouldn’t stop her daughter, only alienate her, and she did say she trusted her daughter’s ability to handle herself.  She sighed and said, “I suppose there’s nothing to be done about that except cutting out your heart, and that seems a bit counter productive.  Can I at least, meet, this . . . male life form.  Does he have an address?”

“Y-yeah, I’ll give it to you later,” Buffy muttered, and then there was silence.

And more silence.

For once even a non-bunnied Lotion was silent; just to grasp the full scope of the situation.

“You’re a mostly heterosexual girl,” Willow broke the silence, having mustered all her new-found confidence, and all her brain power to think of a topic to get across her lips, wanting the uncomfort to end.  “I say that means you’re fully functional.  Of course, to be sure you can just stay a girl for a month and see if you get a period.”  Willow cringed the moment the words came out her mouth, and fully grasped what she just said - Lexa’s face proving her sudden realization.  From the verbal torture of her best female friend, she just started the verbal torture of her best male friend.

The others looked surprised at Willow for a moment, and then Buffy gained an evil grin. “Yeah, Xan, you did say you wanted to explore what it’s like to be a girl, there’s nothing more important or better to experience to find out about being a girl,” Buffy said, glad the whole situation was away from her.  Lexa looked uncertain, and Buffy delivered the punch line, “Or were you lying about that, and just wanted to toy with us?”

“Well, no!” Lexa exclaimed, and then faltered, gulping.

Joyce, glad the horrible moment was over, and glad she could apply her mother skills again, as well as help out her daughter’s friends, said, “Buffy does have a point, actually - about know what it’s like to be female, I mean, not her little entrapment.”  Lexa looked up at her, disbelieving what she said.  Joyce continued, gently, “You have a rare gift here, Xander.  I know at first glance exploring being a woman didn’t include exploring that particular physical aspect of it, but there’s a lot more to menstruation than just dripping blood; emotions, and mental processes for one thing.”  Joyce than smiled at Lexa, and continued, “It isn’t just pain, and cramps and irritability, it has its good points as well, and if you’re lucky you won’t have the bad at all.  The big bonus is you can for certain say if we’re all overreacting about the whole thing - should you find we are, none of these would ever be able to pull, ‘I’m pmsing’ on you ever again.”

“Hey!” Buffy protested a bit, thinking it would be just her luck that Lexa’s period would be a smooth ride and Xander never gave her any slack ever again once a month.

Willow felt guilty over putting Xander into this mess, and so she asked Lotion, “Hey, Lotion, you don’t have a problem with your future husband turning out all girly after a period?”

“Nope,” Lotion answered with a big smile.  “Xander and Lexa already more man than whole tribe could handle.  I think a period would only make him even more man; he /is/ my future husband that learned the Chestnuts in days where an Amazon takes months, after all, and in most cases not till she’s twenty-five.”

“Thank you for the vote of confidence, Lotion,” Lexa offered with sarcasm.  Lotion just nodded with a smile.  Lexa continued, “I can’t.”  She looked up at Joyce and said with a smile, “I like what you said, Mrs. Summers, but . . .”  She turned back to all her friends, and continued, “skipping the occasional class because I went there as Lexa, okay, but they’re going to notice for a whole month.  I would miss tests, which means I wouldn’t pass, and I’m not going to put my whole life on hold just to experience a period.  For one thing I want to graduate with my friends, for another I want to get out that hell hole as soon as possible.  After graduation there’s always time.”

“You definitely shouldn’t sacrifice school for this experiment,” Joyce said, once again motherly, saying the truth, and glad it helped the kind, young man, and occasional young woman out.  Lexa nodded with satisfaction, sighing with both relief and a little regret.

“Dang,” Buffy said, and sighed.

*****

“Catch!” Xander called with a grin and smoothly tossed the egg across the distance.

They were on the lawn in front of the school, and Lotion smoothly caught the egg.  Then tossed it back.  Cordelia, Buffy, and Willow who sat in front of a tree heaving lunch looked at them with the evil eye.  Oz barely batted an eyelash.

Around the lawn there were more ‘parents’, who looked with horror and disbelief at the display.  One girl managed to bring up the care to ask, “H-how can you be doing that?”

Xander turned his head to look at her as he threw the egg back to Lotion, and answered with a smile, “What, playing catch with my daughter?”  The girl nodded, following the egg with horror.  Lotion caught it, and once more it didn’t break open in sludge.  “Have you never seen parents toss their baby up just a bit and catching it?  Same thing, just with both of us.” He caught the egg that Lotion threw back, then looked back at the girl.  She nodded just a bit, and Xander explained, “Seen how much the babies smile?”  He held the egg out and pointed at the face with a big smile they had drawn on their egg, and said, “See, our daughter loves it too, she’s smiling happily.”

He then casually tossed the egg back to Lotion who was a few meters away from.  “But, aren’t you afraid she’ll break.”

“No,” Lotion answered, tossing the egg back, “we raised our daughter to be tough.” Their classmates looked with disbelief at Lotion’s statement.

Except for the female Scoobies, who continued to give the two the evil eye, and Oz who stayed his laid back self.  “Damn, cheaters,” Willow muttered.

“What type of people /boil/ their daughter?” Buffy huffed pissed off.  She looked over and saw ‘Alex’ lying on a soft hanky in between Willow’s legs, safe and sound.  “Look at all we do to keep our baby boy safe, and they . . . /play/ /catch/.”

Cordelia nodded, and checked up on her son in the stylish and safe backpack, while doing so said, “When Mr. Whitmore fails them, we’ll see who has the last laugh.”

Oz looked up and said, “Didn’t he say you couldn’t fail this, that it was about the experience.  I know he didn’t say it outright to keep some people from just tossing the egg first chance they got, but . . . that’s what it came down to, right?”

“They /boiled/ their daughter,” Buffy pointed out.  Oz nodded and shrugged, not feeling the need to argue the point.

Cordelia checked out her well-dressed egg, and said, “Nice and fashionable.  I’m like the best mom, ever.”

“I think being a mother takes a bit more than buying stylish clothes,” Willow pointed out.

Cordelia whipped her head about to look at Willow.  “As apposed to keeping my child naked, and boiling him,” Cordelia shot back with narrowed eyes.

“Hey,” Buffy defended ‘their’ choice - or rather their pride not to follow Cordelia’s example after her scathing remark the other day, “Alex is a beautiful child and he can choose his own clothes - he likes his shell.  You’re just being cruel forcing your clothes on top of Jamie’s own clothes, you might as well boil him by putting him in a pan and turn up the fire.”

“The shell is the skin, not his clothes,” Cordelia shot back with narrowed eyes.

“Is not,” Buffy returned.

“Ladies,” Oz interrupted, drawing two angry gazes to him, “it’s a free country.  Let’s just sit back, relax, leave each other’s parental choice to yourselves and berate Xander and Lotion for tossing their boiled daughter about like a piece of meat.”

Buffy and Cordelia immediately whipped their heads back to the tossing couple, and Buffy muttered, “Abusers.”

Cordelia added, “Cheaters.”  Willow gave Oz a grateful smile, and he returned a small smirk.

*****

Cordelia, Lotion, Deo, Buffy, Willow, and Lexa stood in front of a tattoo parlor.  “So exactly why did we have to meet here again?” Cordelia asked out loud.

“The tattoo for the ritual tonight,” Deo explained casually.  “Apparently one can’t just buy tattoo supplies and set tattoos yourself in this country.  So instead of doing it properly during the ritual, I am forced to improvise and must have them set right now at this shop.”

“Oh,” Willow said a little timidly, but then steeled herself.  If she could wear these days what she was wearing now, and had her hair, getting a little tattoo was nothing.  She took a breath and she went for the door first, the others following.

“Ah!  Deo!” the man apparently setting the tattoos said from his counter.  Unlike the cliched look of a tattoo parlor owner, he was well groomed, and didn’t seem to have any visible tattoos on his body.  “The food was delicious as usual; you are a true wonderful addition to our town.”  Deo smiled and gave only a tiny bow.  The man took in the girls and said, “I suppose these are the girls that want the tattoo.”

“All but my daughter Lotion,” Deo confirmed.  “Two Amazons need to be part of the ritual, and since this is supposed to be part of the ritual, she should be present during the setting of the tattoo as well.”

“Well,” the man said rubbing his hands in anticipation, taking in the beautiful girls.  “I readied all the colors, and it will be a honor working on such beautiful women.”

“Just don’t try to take a peek,” Cordelia warned him.

“Oh, no,” the man said with complete honesty, “I would never do that.”

*****

That night, they had gone to a place in the desert, that Deo had scouted out earlier.  She was now drawing the same intricate symbol in the sand that they all had tattooed on their arm.  The sight reminded especially Willow of the tattoo and she winced.  She pulled up her sleeve and looked at the cushion of bandages that covered it.  It had hurt quite a bit when it had been put on.

Once Deo was finished with the symbol in the sand, she looked up at the dark, starry night. The symbol was some ten meters in diameter, and so plenty of place for all of them to sit around.  The elder Amazon then went to her backpack and pulled out ten red candles.  Deo made one step from the outside of the symbol, at the head of it, and placed the candle there. Then circling the symbol a meter outside of it, she placed the candles with an even distance between them.  Behind her, Lotion lit the candles one by one with a box of matches; and the flames burned as red as the candles.  A rather thick trail of smoke pulled upward from each candle, and left a powerful odor.

Once all the candles burned, Deo nodded with satisfaction that all was right.  She went over to the back pack, and pulled out a bowl and a bottle.  The bottle was filled with a yellowish fluid, while the same symbol that was on the ground and their arms was on the bottom of the bowl.  She poured the bowl full of the liquid, and closed the bottle again after placing the ground at the head of the symbol.  She went to go stand there, and asked everyone, “You have the papers?”  All the yet-to-become-Amazons pulled out a piece of paper containing the Amazon chant written in how to pronounce it in the western alphabet, they would have to chant later, as well as the pledge in English.  “Good,” Deo said and pointed to the edge of the symbol.  “Find a place evenly dispersed around the edge of the symbol, stand there and place them on the ground there.”

The girls did as told.  Lotion was sitting closest to the head where Deo was, then came Lexa, Buffy - exactly opposite Doe - Willow, and finally Cordelia.  Deo nodded in satisfaction, and raised her hands to the sky, then she intoned, “We have gathered here under the sky, in honor of our ancestors and the goddess Xi Ama-lang, remembered only by us, the Amazons, her honored companions.  We shed our coverings . . .” Deo nodded at the others as she started unbuttoning her top, and the others started undressing as well.  As she continued talking without pause she tossed her top in the middle of the symbol, and the girls did the same with her clothes, “. . . to show we came here in good faith, that we have nothing to hide, and came unarmed.”

Buffy could not believe she was doing this.  The top, and now her jeans weren’t such a problem - she was used to bikinis on the beach - but now, and worse, she knew two of the girls present enjoyed naked female bodies the men enjoyed naked female bodies; actually one of those two girls really was a man.  Mustering her courage she unhooked her braw and tossed it on the growing pile of clothes, feeling suddenly very conscious as warm desert air caressed her breasts.  Left from her Willow put her blouse on the pile and proved she hadn’t worn a bra at all.

Willow herself would normally have been extremely nervous about the whole ordeal, if she weren’t so excited about watching naked female bodies.  She unabashedly watched as Lexa shed her top and revealed her creamy, round, large c-cup breasts.  As she started pealing off her short skirt she looked over at Buffy, a smile creeping up her face as she took in her best friend, who was obviously much, much more nervous than her.  Deciding to protect her best friend just a little, she looked over to Lotion, and had to admit the annoying Amazon was beautiful.  Muscles, curves where needed; if she wasn’t so annoying and a clear rival for Xander/Lexa’s affections . . . She moved on to Deo who just finished tossing her underpants on the pile, and Willow’s eyes widened.  She may have been older, and one giant bitch, but everything was very much still where it was supposed to be.  Deciding lusting after the woman responsible for several ordeals was bad, Willow looked over to the final girl; Cordelia.  Oh, yeah, the ‘I hate Cordelia’-club had most definitely closed its doors.  She was completely unaware of the grin on her face.

Lexa had no problems with shedding her clothes.  She knew she was smoking hot, and showing it off, including her trimmed pubic hair and the beginnings of her vagina was no a problem, it was practically a privilege.  Better yet, she could let her gaze go around the circle, deciding to save the best for last.  With a bright smile on her face she studied Lotion’s lovely body; the triangle between her legs looked inviting - not as short as her own pubes, but there was definite proof of grooming.  Her mother was no less delectable, and Cordelia was almost as smoking as Lexa herself.  Her breasts were prominent, and slightly bigger than Lexa’s and Lotion’s who were about the same size.  Cordelia’s pubes were non-existent though, and Lexa’s eyebrows rose approvingly, growing a bigger grin.  Then came Willow, and Lexa smiled.  Willow’s breasts were the smallest of them all, but they were most definitely not non-existent.  The rest of her body was lovely, the red, short pubic hair proving she was a natural redhead.  The physical training had done her good; although it had gotten a backseat lately to her magic-control training lately and although she was sexy to begin with, the somewhat enhanced muscle-tone enhanced her already considerable sexiness.  Their eyes cross, and they smiled an almost devious smile at each other - that is to say, they smiled a fully devious smile at each other.  They were very much enjoying the view.

Finally there was Buffy - before Lexa looked over, she took a deep breath in preparation.   Wow.  The blonde was amazing.  Although he/she had seen her naked before, it had only been for a short while; most of the time they’d been busy kissing and pressing their bodies together. She was not passing up the opportunity to study her more closely.  Albeit the shortest of them all, Buffy was no less sexy.  Her legs with Slayer-enhanced strength and muscles seemed as inviting to have wrapped around as they had been back then.  Her hips flared nicely and her tummy had a fantastic shape, a tightness of muscles, mixed with just the right amount of fat to have shape.  Her breasts were lovely, perking out, even more now that she nervously, defensively wrapped her right arm underneath them, grabbing her left arm.  The nervous pout, framed by blonde hair and adorned by her lovely, cute nose, and amazing bluish eyes finished her look.  It was an odd, yet lovely reversal, to see the great Slayer the least comfortable of all of them - it made her seem all the more beautiful.

Deo finished her speech, “With our nakedness, we also show the trust we give each other. We are the same whatever superficial differences we have, we recognize each other as sisters, and accept each other and our other sisters who could not be present at this great moment.” They were all naked now, the only thing still on the Scoobies bodies was the patch that guarded their tattoos.

Once Deo had finished, Buffy looked over to Lexa timidly, and asked softly, “Could you try not to look, Xan?”

“Sorry,” Lexa smirked, “not possessed by a demon, can’t turn my head backward.”

“Very funny,” Cordelia interjected with a scowl, “at least try to put the grin away . . . that goes for both of you.”  Willow blushed, and attempted to look innocent and totally not smiling while staring.  She failed miserably.

Deo grinned at the exchange, and Lexa just gave a shrug at Cordelia.  “Now we sit,” Deo said, and sat down, the others followed suit.

Cordelia grunted and said was on the female members of the Scooby Gangs mind, “Did this /have/ to be naked?  Nice wide panties would be nice, now I have all this sand in my ass.”

Despite their own somewhat discomfort, Willow and Lexa couldn’t help but smile while looking over at Cordelia, and from her to the other girls.  Lexa felt herself grow just a bit moist, and her nipples were hard.  This was definitely an advantage being female - arousal was far less obvious, she reflected.

Deo picked up the bowl, and held it to the sky, continuing, “Bless this drink, All-But-Forgotten One.  Enslaved to the monster god of mountains How-too, you were used and abused.  You picked up the sword and slayed your master, freeing yourself from obsession; then you went to the one who gave you to the monster, your father Di-guan, slaughtering every male in between him and you, mortal or god.  You destroyed his kingdom, and locked him, chained him, the same hell he condemned you.  It’s the reason why he forgives everyone today, because he still can’t forgive himself for what he did to you . . .”  Deo took a small sip from the fluid and handed it to Lotion, while the non-Amazons listened to the story with curiosity.

Lotion then raised the bowl and continued the tale, “Xi Ama-lang, honored teacher, in the state of hating all men, you found us - a group of lost women, with wailing children, three thousand nine hundred and sixty-eight years ago.  A tribe of farmers on the run, with no knowledge of the way of the sword.”  Lotion took a small sip, and returned the bowl to her mother.

Deo then raised the bowl, and spoke with a new power, a grander tone, “Rider of the Celestial Horse, you took pity on your sisters, and took us into your protection, taught us the way of the sword, and the bow, the life of a warrior.  Then you asked us how we came to be as manless as she, and so we told you; told you how the bandits came to our village, and we had no way to defend ourselves, how the men sent us away, and remained to fight - not to win, not to defend, they knew peaceful farmers could not defeat battle-hardened bandits - but to buy us the time to flee with their lives . . .”

The Scoobies looked surprised, shocked even, especially Willow.  Deo continued undisturbed, “you were surprised and moved, and you realized that not all men are evil.  You increased your training, taught us to tame the horse, and then we rode back - for vengeance. And vengeance we took . . . afterwards we made a pledged.  We pledged that from that moment onward, no man would have to sacrifice their lives for us, in honor and remembrance of men’s sacrifices, we would take up the sword, become warriors, teach our daughters to protect our honored men.  We forged this symbol then, to mark our passage, and our promise, which we burned into our very beings.  Today we are gathered together for another group of worthy warrior women to join us, and make the same pledge, to fight and protect our tribe, to guard our men in return for the protection they bought us with their lives so long ago, and burn it into their beings.”  She took a sip from the bowl again, and nodded to the Scoobies.

Buffy, Willow, Cordelia, and Lexa, all rather moved by the tale and the surprise origin of the Amazons, only slowly looked down at their arms.  Steadily they removed the patches, revealing the tattoos.  Willow’s, Cordelia’s, and Lexa’s were still slightly smudged, their skin still healing.  Buffy’s was perfect, her skin already healed due to slayer healing.  “Figures,” Cordelia muttered with annoyance.

Deo handed the bowl over to Lexa, and said, “Make the pledge, then take a sip.”

Lexa nodded and picked up her paper.  “I, Lexa LaVelle Harris, hereby pledge loyalty to the tribe, and the ideals it stands for.  I pledge to stand by my sisters, fight along with them, and guard the tribe from all human and inhuman evil in honor of our ancestors, and the honored men who bought our lives with theirs.  With this pledge I am an Amazon, and will be so to best of my abilities, and conscience.”  Lexa then took a sip of the alcoholic drink.

Lotion spoke up, “I recognize the pledge, made by Alexander Lexa LaVelle Harris in good conscience and faith.”

Deo spoke up, “I recognize the same, Alexander Lexa Harris is an Amazon, now so accepted by all of the tribe.”

Deo made a gesture and Lexa handed the bowl over to Buffy.  The blonde gulped, and took out her paper.  “I, Buffy Anne Summers, hereby pledge loyalty to the tribe, and the ideals it stands for.  I pledge to stand by my sisters, fight along with them, and guard the tribe from all human and inhuman evil in honor of our ancestors, and the honored men who bought our lives with theirs.  With this pledge I am an Amazon, and will be so to best of my abilities, and conscience,” she read out loud, and took a swallow from the drink.

“I recognize the pledge, made by Buffy Anne Summers, in good conscience and faith,” Lotion spoke solemnly.

Deo added, “I recognize the same, Buffy Anne Summers is an Amazon, now so accepted by all of the tribe.”

Willow was next, and finally Cordelia, the same pledge and recognition sentences spoken. Deo held out her hand and Cordelia returned the stone bowl.  The Amazon placed it on the ground, and spoke, “Four new Amazons are here, joined in blood and the fires of coming battles, we honor them.”  She lit a match, and then put the remaining alcohol drink afire.  As it burned, Deo gestured to their papers, and the whole group started chanting the Chinese chants.

As they did so, the flames on the candles steadily grew in size, and the wind around them bit by bit grew stronger, whirling in a gentle twister around the group.  The first thing to notice was the large flames that rose above them, making them stop their repeated chanting.  At the same time all the Amazons groaned out and grabbed their right arms, noticing the tattoo, the symbol of the Amazons glowing the same bright red as the candle’s flames.

“What the . . .?” Lexa muttered out and then looked at Deo in anger.  “What did you do!?”

“/This/ is *not* my doing, future son-in-law,” Deo answered with completely seriousness. “This is /not/ supposed to happen.”

“Oh, no!” Willow exclaimed wit fear in the gently breeze, “This can’t be the Hellmouth’s influence, can it?”

“*No, my sister, this is not the Hellmouth,*” a voice sounded from the wind, both loud and whispering at the same time.  In the middle of the circle, above the clothes formed something in the slow twister - a face, then a woman, then something else.  It never completely showed, always falling apart before it could form, a light came from whatever it was, but then was gone, and returned, the light was never bright or full enough to really be considered a light.

“Xi Ama-lang,” Deo spoke in shock, recognizing the face and figure in the fleeting moments there was something recognizable.

Lotion blurted out in utter shock, “Can’t be.  Last time she was supposed to have appeared was so long ago, it’s nothing but myths and legends.”

The goddess who seemed to have a face facing each on of them,  most definitely smiled for a moment, and then said, “*How could I miss this momentous occasion, my sister?*” She tipped toward Buffy a bit who looked wide-eyed, “*A Slayer, the protector, the Amazon beyond Amazons, . . .*”   The goddess tipped toward Lexa who had the same expression and spoke, “*. . . a woman that is a man that is a woman, carrying the name Protector of Mankind . . .*”  The goddess tipped toward Willow, and said, “*. . . and a witch all joining the tribe at one time.*”

“Hey!” Cordelia called out annoyed, “What am I, chop-liver?”

The goddess actually chuckled and tipped her amorphous form toward her, and spoke,“*No, singling you out.  A girl known to be utterly selfish only a short time ago, willing to give her life to protect her friends, sisters, and brothers from evil - a true Amazon - and joining the tribe as well.  How could I possibly not bless these myself?  Welcome sisters, and may your lives be long and fruitful, filled with joy, love, and glory in these interesting times.  Welcome to the tribe.*”

The gentle twister fluttered away, the form of the goddess withered, and then the candle flames went short again, all while the tattoos stopped glowing.  All was quite.  Lotion and Deo looked with amazing wonder at the scene.

“Oh, just /great/!” Buffy cursed throwing her hands in the air and dumping it on the sand.

“Yep,” Willow said in defeat.

“Shit, and running comes to mind,” Lexa grumbled.

Cordelia finished, “You really have the shittiest, stupidest goddess ever, you know that?”

The four of them got up and started grabbing for their clothes from the pile.  “What!?” Lotion asked in shock.

Lexa looked at the still sitting Amazons, and explained, “In some circles - China, I believe - that would be considered an outright curse, and if it wasn’t that, wishing us that on top of the Hellmouth jinxed us for the next thousand years or so.”

“Uh, guys?” Buffy started looking distastefully at her panties she was holding up, “should we put them on or go home naked?  She did do the whole jinx thing right on top of them, you know?”

They all paused, and then Cordelia bit out, “I’ll risk it, after all, it isn’t like we’re not doomed anyway.”

“She’s right,” Lexa said and started dressing.

Lotion piped up, “Don’t you guys think a goddess’ blessing’s power would defeat the Hellmouth’s energies?”

Willow said with a distasteful look, pulling on her blouse, “I wouldn’t assume that, be very, very careful.”  Lexa nodded.

*****

A few days later, Xander, Buffy, Lotion, and Willow were walking along toward Xander’s apartment.  “So,” Buffy started, “are you guys looking over your shoulder every chance you get as well?”

“Yep,” Xander said.

“Uhuh,” Willow said.

“Are you really that worried?” Lotion asked them.  “I believe in the goddess.  Couldn’t be that any bad stuff that comes along was already coming along, but now we live through it and find love despite it?”

“Nope,” Xander answered.

Buffy explained, “Anything bad that was coming, will be worse, and we’ll get a whole slew of bad stuff that wasn’t coming on top of it.”

Xander moved a little a head of the others, and said, “Something bad is coming, something really bad because of that damn goddess stupid blessing.  I just know it.”  A car drove by, through a small pool of rain water, and it splashed on Xander.  Lexa sighed with annoyance and she said, “Oh, yeah, it’s coming alright.”

The two four of them reached Xander’s apartment complex not much later.  It was then that the heavy voice sounded.  “Lexa!”  The four stopped in their tracks and slowly turned around.  There stood a demon, blue skin, three meters tall, and arms like tree trunks.  A few horns, and razor-sharp teeth in a long snout finished the look.  Lexa felt pity on whoever had to make the demon’s pants.

“Oh, yeah,” Lexa said nodding.  She took a step forward and looked up at the monstrous demon.  “That would be me.”

“What do you want?” Willow called out, and then shrugged at her friends disbelieving looks, saying, ‘What?  You don’t know?  Start with mayhem and death.’

“You’re hand in marriage, Lexa,” the demon spoke with a big grin.  Four dropped jaws looked at him.

Lexa recovered first and turned to Lotion, commenting dryly, “You still think we’re not jinxed?”  Lotion took a step back.  Lexa looked back up and asked, “And what if I refuse?”

“Then I will defeat you in combat, and you’ll /have/ to marry me,” the demon answered her.

“Future son-in-law!” sounded from the right and a moment later Deo skidded to a halt, looking up at the demon.  “Oh, I felt the portal through which he came opening.  I came to warn you.”

Lexa nodded, annoyance growing in her.  Buffy lost her cool first, took several steps toward Deo and yelled, “This is /your/ doing!  Your damn goddess blessed him, and you /still/ can’t leave him alone?”

Deo countered, “A blessing from the goddess would only make it more important for Lotion to marry Xander, but I had nothing to do with this!  Why would I send a demon after future husband?  I want him to live, to marry Lotion, not dead and buried.”

“Then how does it know Lexa became an Amazon and the stupid rule of being defeated in combat!?” Buffy snarled at Deo.

The Amazon shrugged, “Ask him.”

“/Mother/!” Lotion hissed in anger.

“*Enough talk!*” the demon demanded powerfully.  “Is it yes, or do we fight?”

“No,” Lexa said and pulled the egg from its safe pocket, and she continued, “Hold on a moment, I have to- . . .”

The demon’s fist slammed into Lexa and she staggered back, coughed and dropped to the floor screaming in pain.  She let the egg go and it rolled onto the pavement.  Any protests of Lexa not fighting the demon died instantly with the others.  They backed away with the sudden movement.  Too surprised they didn’t do anything immediately and, the demon noticed the egg.  “What’s with the egg?” it asked, shrugged, and brought his foot down upon it.

“NO!” Lexa screamed and jumped forward, managing to cover the egg just before the foot crushed it.  Instead it slammed on Lexa’s back and she screamed in pain.

“You’re trying to save an egg!?” the demon asked confused.

“Urgh,” Lexa groaned in pain, rising herself off the egg.  She grabbed it, and then quickly tossed it over to Lotion who caught her precious daughter delicately.

As Lexa painfully got to her feet, the demon muttered puzzled, “Why would you take a beating for an egg?”

“Nobody touches my daughter,” Lexa hissed in return.

“An egg?  Don’t humans have live births?” the demon asked in confusion.

Lexa jumped up painfully and landed her most powerful fist into the demon’s stomach, while roaring with the effort.  The demon didn’t anything but take a step back and keep smile plastered on its face; or with the snout, that’s the best explanation they could make out of its expression.  Lexa looked rather shocked, it felt like hitting stone, except that it didn’t break, and she’d thought she’d at least make the demon wince a bit.  “Impressive, you really are as strong as claimed,” the demon said still smiling.

The following fist to Lexa’s face and upper body sent her flying back several meters till she slammed against her apartment complex.  She groaned in pain, and slowly got up.  The demon grinned out loud and said, “You are beaten, Lexa, you’ll have to marry me.  Even if you weren’t, you cannot possibly hope to defeat me.”

Buffy, Willow, and also Lotion were fed up with the demon attacking their best friend with impunity.  They readied to attack it themselves, when Deo’s voice interrupted, “Future husband!  The demon cannot marry you, if you’re already married!”

“Already married!?” the demon asked dangerously.

“His male form defeated my daughter, that means he can to marry her,” Deo explained out loud.

“Male /form/?” the demon questioned.

“Jusenkyo curse,” Deo explained with an intense look on her face.

“So that’s it!” Willow hissed angrily.  “This is why you summoned the demon!”

“I did not,” Deo answered indignant, “I’m just handed future husband a way out.”

“I’m . . . not marrying . . . you!” Lexa called out loud with some difficulty, getting better.  “You don’t even apply, ‘When and Amazon is defeated by a man.’  You’re not a man, you’re a demon!”

“It is close enough, future husband, marrying my daughter is your only chance,” Deo called out.

“Mother!” Lotion hissed, not believing this.

Lexa laughed out loud, “How do you know he won’t kill everyone here but me, if I go marry Lotion.”

“Because the tribe would hunt him down and kill him,” Deo answered immediately, “If he knows the Amazons, which he obviously thus, he’ll know that should he kill Amazons, especially to avoid a tradition he himself sought out to marry you, we would hunt him down to the ends of the world and beyond to kill him.  He can kill one Amazon, he can kill a few, but not all of us, and they will find out about what happened here.”

“That is most annoyingly true,” the demon hissed angrily, eying Deo with distaste.

“Marry my daughter, or marry the demon, those are your only choices,” Deo said sharply, stressing the importance.  Buffy, Willow, and Lotion were too shocked at sudden events to come up with anything to say, instead they just looked from Deo, to the demon, to Lexa and back again.

Lexa grimaced, then snarled and with a quick motion jumped up to the main entrance. She opened the door and entered the building with some difficulty, grumbling all the way. Everyone looked surprised at a fleeing Lexa.  That couldn’t be!  After a few moments of confused silence, the demon roared, “Come out, Lexa!  Or I will destroy the building and anyone in it!”

“HOLD YOUR HORSES!  HAVE SOME PATIENCE!” Lexa’s voice screamed out rather clearly.  The demon bent to his right and noticed Lexa standing there on her balcony. “I’M GETTING MY WEDDING DRESS ALREADY!”  Then much more sweetly and innocently Lexa called out, “You wouldn’t want you sweet sexy, fiancee, love of your life, to marry you in a pair of faded jeans, now would you?”

The demon blinked twice, and then with a smile and surprising sweet voice said, “Oh, of course, take your time my love.”

Then Lexa disappeared back into the apartment, calling from it, “I should warn you though!  My cooking is spicy!”  The demon seemed happy about that.

“What!?” came from Buffy and Willow, looking completely flabbergasted at what they heard Lexa say.

Deo had her jaw dropped as well.  “This can’t . . .”

“MOTHER!” Lotion snarled and walked over to her.  She grabbed her mother by the collar and hissed, “You underestimated future husband’s pride!  AGAIN!  Now he go marry a demon, and IT’S ALL YOUR FAULT!!”

“I- but- I-” Deo muttered.

The front door of the complex opened again, and Lexa came out, in a short skirt and a white blows tied off underneath her breast.  “Oh, yoohoo!  Down, here sweetums!” Lexa called and the demon looked down, smiling instantly, when he saw Lexa shake her breasts at him and bat her eyelashes.  “How’ my big, strong, honey bear?”

Then she jumped up high to the demon’s head, and landing against him, while saying, “You and me are going to be soooo happy together!”  She wrapped her arms around his snout, and as she planted a big kiss right smack on the demon’s happy nose, her left arm tuned on a lighter.  The demon made a smooch face and went to plant a kiss on Lexa’s whole face, and she tossed something in his mouth with her right face.  Then with a grimace she rammed her right fist in his nose, and the demon gulped involuntary and surprised.  She then pushed off his chest with her feet and somersaulted backward, saying, “5 . . . 4 . . . 3 . . .”  She landed with a grunt of pain and some difficulty.  She straightened up while saying, “2 . . . 1 . . .”  She pointed at the confused-looking demon, and with a might explosion his entire upper body splat apart, the upper part of his skull landing horns first into the soil.  Blue and green pieces flying everywhere.

“I warned you it was spicy,” Lexa muttered as the remainder dropped to its knees and then keeled over.  There gas started forming, and the remains of the demon started to decompose slowly.

Lexa turned to her friends and Deo, who were still looking with surprise at the demon’s violent end.  “You used a bomb,” Deo said then, and Lexa stalked over her.

“Well, they sell such big bags of fertilizer, I had some left, and didn’t know what to do with until,” Lexa said and pointed at the demon corpse.  “Some detergent, and a few other choice chemicals and . . . ‘Anything goes’ martial arts is what I’ve been taught, I decided to take it literally.  Oh, and uh, next time a demon comes for my hand in marriage, I’ll make a few more, and use them on you.  You’re stronger than me, but that doesn’t mean some explosives can’t even the playing field.”

“I didn’t . . .”

“I don’t care,” Lexa said with a huge grin bordering on insanity, “I don’t care if you’re lying then as well, I don’t even care if you’re telling the truth.  Boom.  Understand me?”

“Perfectly,” Deo answered.

Then once again grumbling in extreme annoyance, Lexa stalked back into her apartment complex.

“Wow,” Lotion and Buffy said together.

*****

As Mr. Whitmore handed out the grades to the parenthood experiment, he said, “Well done, almost all of you.”  Buffy looked at her and Willow’s grade as Mr. Whitmore handed it to them.  She looked happily at the B+ and showed it to Willow who was sitting next to her.

A bit later Mr. Whitmore was done, apart form Xander’s and Lotion’s assignment, who looked at each other a bit.  Mr. Whitmore continued speaking as he walked to the front of the class, “I have to do this last assignment apart from the rest . . .”  He reached the front and turned back to class.  Cordelia and Buffy looked with vindication in their eyes, while Willow looked a little concerned for her childhood friend.  “A clear case of cheating,” Mr. Whitmore spoke, and with a gesture he kept Xander and Lotion from protesting.  He continued, “. . . in any other case.  Xander and Xion here boiled their egg, making it much easier to keep in tact. Oddly enough, despite the cheat, the rest of their assignment and their essay is much more detailed then many of the rest of you’re assignments - and the explanation for boiling their egg is, quite frankly, brilliant.”  Buffy and Cordelia looked shocked, Willow smiled neutrally, while Xander and Lotion’s faces got bigger and bigger grins.  Mr. Whitmore explained further, “They took the egg as the metaphor, and boiling it as the metaphor for a raising a child style that was designed to make them strong very fast.  I’ve never come across anyone who took a way of cheating at an assignment, and then did more in the surrounding work to justify it, making a perfectly rounded assignment.  Should I fail them I know they’re going to take it to the board, and I’ll now the best I can get out of it, would be to make them do it again, because they have definitely done the work.”  Mr. Whitmore grinned, “So, Ms. Lu and Mr. Harris, as an applause to the ultimate cheat, and all the good work you have done, I can only give you the only A+ on this assignment.”

“But they cheated!” Cordelia exclaimed in disbelief.

While Buffy added, “How can you give them an A+ in parenting when they /boiled/ their daughter!”

“They boiled an egg symbolizing their daughter, Ms. Summers,” Mr. Whitmore explained to her with a grin.

“This isn’t fair,” Buffy said and let her head fall down on the table, and the class burst out in laughter.

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