"Now what?" Joyce thought as she stared around her ex-husband's office, circa early 1985.

The door opened and in strode a younger incarnation of Laura. Tightlipped the figure swept past them and seated herself at Hank's desk.

Jerrod rubbed his hand together and smiled gleefully at Laura. "So? Now we see your sins! The rest of us have been pulled backward through the emotional keyhole by our short and curlies and now it's your turn for a bit of...of.." He stopped and blinked as the word escaped him.

"Damnation?" Joyce offered with a likewise expression. "From what I've gathered it will be a treat to see this. So bring it on! I've always loved the circus."

If looks could kill Joyce would have been stone cold, dead from Laura's glare. "Circus?" She growled with a sneer. "I think this 'circus' has more than enough for its three rings with your dysfunctional parenting, Karl's war crimes and Jerrod's new twist on the phrase 'mother fucker'!"

Jerrod paused for a moment. "Thank you for your insight." Then he backhanded her to the floor.

Joyce reached out and placed a hand on Katterheinrich's shoulder, stopping him from intervening. "This is between the two of them." She said with a touch of wicked amusement.

"Spiteful, acid tongued, vindictive, hateful, repugnant!" Jerrod spit out each word as he paced around the prone woman. "I hate you... you venomous, controlling WITCH!"

Laura pulled herself up off the carpet and tried to take a swipe at Jerrod's face with the intention of clawing his eyes out with her nails. He sidestepped her attack and raised his hand to hit her again. Karl had seen enough. He grabbed Jerrod by the collar and yanked him to the side stepping between the two.

"Enough!" The German screamed.

"Enough!" The shade of Laura echoed from across the room as she swept her arm over the desk knocking everything to the floor.

The captive souls froze. "Can you see us?" Jerrod questioned, taking a few steps toward the woman at the desk.

"I don't remember seeing you freaks here." Their companion sneered. She took a step or two toward herself and then rolled her eyes. "Ooooh yes... but I do remember this dog and pony show."

With a hiss Laura picked the phone back up from the floor and slammed it down on the desk. She held the receiver by the cord, letting it swing midair as she dialed a number.

"Hi Baby. Where are.." Her face went dark as whoever she had called interrupted her. "So now 'I' get the 'working late' bullshit.

Pause.

Laura began to twist the cord around her hand. "Baby, hate to tell you this but you are not at your desk. I'm here... you're not... try again."

Pause. And whatever was said to her caused Laura to rise to her feet and glare at a framed photo of Joyce and Buffy on the bookcase.

"Uh-huh. Right." She picked up the photo and began to tap it on the edge of the shelf. "So what you are saying is that it was better to lie to me than tell me that tonight's off because you forgot 'she' has a class and 'you' have to watch the brat? Haven't you ever heard of a baby-sitter? What? Run that by me again."

Joyce's lip curled. "Class was canceled honey. I got home just as the phone rang and was listening to this in the next room."

"That explains a lot." Laura spit.

Tethered by the phone cord Laura began to angrily pace back and forth. "So she's getting suspicious? Big fucking deal Hank." She snapped into the receiver. "If you would have been cooler about this maybe... SAY WHAT?"

Karl's face darkened as he watched this woman scream into the phone. He glanced over toward the Laura who stood with her arms crossed and an expression that was a cross between annoyance and hate plastered on her face. He felt a chill as he realized that there was not the first bit of remorse in this woman.

"That's bullshit Hank."

Pause

"BULLSHIT!" She screeched punctuating the profanity with a swing of her arm. The photo went crashing into the wall, its glass shattering into a million pieces. "I'm tired of this crap! I'm giving you until tomorrow to shit or get off the pot. Her or me! That's my ultimatum! Think about it!" Laura slammed the receiver down and flipped her hair. "That asshole...."

"He picked me." Joyce said smugly, then her mood went to sadness. "Maybe I should have let him go, but he was worth fighting for then. Buffy was only four and.."

"Oh spare me the maudlin memories." Laura hissed. "He showed up the next day and fired me. He did not 'pick' you. He was just too lazy to pack, just too comfortable with his appearance of happy family man."

Their surroundings spiraled and reformed around them, morphing into a scene of heady excitement. Bass notes blared from high powered speakers, a crowd - dress to kill whirled around the dance floor, multi colored lights kept time with the frantic music. Laura rolled her eyes as she caught sight of herself twenty-two years before. "Oh this sucked."

Barely dressed in the hot pants and short top that comprised her waitress uniform she sidestepped through the crowd holding a tray of drinks above her head. She laid the tray down on the table and yelled "Long Islands'?" over the clamor while holding up a pair of drinks.

"Right here baby." One of the five men at the table said pointing at the space before him. "And keep them coming."

As Laura leaned over the table to place the drinks before the customer the one beside her ran his hand up the curve of her rear. "And coming and coming and coming... bet you're good at that, eah sweetheart?"

Laura pressed her rump into his hand, turned her head toward the drunk and smiled seductively. "More than you can imagine, or afford."

"I can afford a lot." The man countered, pulling a wad of twenties out of his wallet.

"Keep talking honey." Laura cooed never taking her eyes off the cash.

"Cabaret whore." Karl muttered under his breath.

"So?" Laura snapped. "I needed the money. Like I was making anything working at that meat market."

Then, as if a curtain was ripped aside the venue changed to a formal garden. From within a sheltered place hidden among the hedges the laughter of five well into their night's entertainment could be heard.

Laura hissed out an exhale. "And so my documentary continues... great!"

"You are a bad boy!" Cathleen giggled in response to the punch line of a filthy joke. Jerrod slid over to her and openly peered down her cleavage. "You liked it, eah? Want me to demonstrate it?"

Bonnie pulled the hem of her semi-transparent robe up to her hipbone and sash-shayed past him. "But I was suppose to be next!" She pouted.

Laura and Janice exchanged glances and burst out laughing. "Don't peter him out!" Laura snickered. "All five of us have to be standing for this spell."

"Right!" Janice agreed with a shake of her finger. "Won't do us a bit of good to have him so wore out that he falls asleep in his corner of the pentagram."

"Well then let's hurry up and 'do' this.. so we can get on with 'doing' that." Jerrod said impatiently. "Now what is this thing we are calling up again?"

"Garoth." Laura answered pulling the soul gem from a battered leather pouch which was tied around her waist. "Tonight we are going pro!"

Karl shivered at the sight of the gem. "Did you realize.. did you comprehend what you were doing?"

Laura made a snorting sound and made a circular motion with her finger.

"What does that mean?" The German pressed.

"It means.. 'who gives a shit'!" Laura snapped.

"DID YOU KNOW?!" Karl screamed back.

Laura's lip curled. "Yes."

"You don't care that you nearly destroyed a family?" Karl asked with trepidation. "You don't care that you sold your body? You don't care that you brought four others to this hell? You have no shame, you have no conscience! What in God's name is wrong with you?"

Laura's voice was pure ice. "There is 'nothing' wrong with me, you stupid Kraut. I'm a survivor, piss on the rest."

"I see." Jerrod muttered. "Piss on them all... does that include me?" He looked down and idly picked at a fingernail. "Mmmmm.... you did start taking an interest in me as soon as you found out I was well mentioned in dear Uncle Bobby's' will. Poor little orphan that I am."

Laura's voice dripped acid. "Amazing.... only took you what... nine years to wake up?"

"Seven of them in this hell... thanks to you." Jerrod said in a tone that was much too calm. He glanced over at the standard issue knife which hung from Karl's belt. "May I borrow that for a moment? I want to cut out her tongue."

Katterheinrich took a step back. "Nein... there will be no more death."

Jerrod's eyes narrowed. "We're already dead, what difference does it make?"

"Oh how foreboding." Laura mocked. "Ooooo... we are already 'dead'...."

In the far reaches of the soul gem, Garoth felt the hate in her words.

"....Dead. So it doesn't make a fucking bit of difference...."

The demon licked a shred of soul from his talon and reformed into the guise of Everett Daniels. "Say it." Garoth whispered in anticipation. "Show yourself, reveal you hiding place."

"...whether or not this thing finds us, because we are already dead so what the hell?" Laura laughed and flung her arms open wide. "Hey Garoth!....."

The demon smiled as he felt the pull.

"...Garoth! Here boy!..."

"Shutup!" Jerrod yelled.

Nervously Joyce turned in a circle, scanning the garden for what she felt was coming. "Karl... make her stop this."

"Too late." Karl said breathlessly as a glimmer in the air appeared behind Laura. Jerrod felt the charge in the atmosphere and took to his heels with a screamed "This way!!" toward what he remembered was the exit from this place. Joyce and Karl hesitated for a second then followed suit, with only the shouted warning of "RUN!" directed at Laura.

As the three fled the garden their path began to twist and heave into a portal to another place within the gem.

"Shit!" Laura spit as she backed away from the form that was materializing at her elbow. For the first time in her life she felt the emotion of regret but this quickly faded as the features of her husband appeared from the glow. Regrouping, she crossed her arms and gave him a twisted smile. "You just scared everybody away."

Garoth cocked his head to one side and watched as the soul gem's power took the other three away from him. Laura's eyes followed his gaze. "Well there they go... off to wallow in more guilt. I guess I'm stuck with you."

"Not for long." Garoth growled.

Within the gem Laura's scream never left her throat but an eternity away it echoed down the hall of the nursing home. The floor nurse dropped her charts and came racing in. She took one look at the figure in the bed and hit the "code blue" button.

But it was a waste of time.

Another book hit the floor of Rupert's apartment. "No... no... NO! Where is it?!" Wesley whipped the glasses off his face and screwed his expression into a grimace.

"Are you sure he has it?" Willow asked from across the room.

"YES!"

Oz raised an eyebrow. "Don't bark at Willow... barking's my gig."

Wesley blinked a few times and took a deep breath. "Right as usual, Oz. My apologies Willow."

"No problem." She answered softly, going back to leafing through what seemed the hundredth book of the evening.

"I saw it.... I know I saw it in his possession." Wesley muttered. "I just cannot remember what book it was in."

"This Druid thing.." Oz began.

" 'The Druidatic Apology' " Wesley corrected.

"Yeah... that Druid thing. Are you sure that it will help us get the good guys out of the gem and leave the bad guy in there?"

"No, not 100% sure." Wesley confessed. "But it's the only straw we can grasp at the moment." He sat back on the couch and racked his brain. "When we were searching for information on the Mayor's ascension I noticed this chapter in one of Mr. Giles's personal references, but at the time it was not what we needed. Written in approximately the year 550 by the Welsh monk Paternus it was a commentary on the ways of the ancient Druids in particular and the soul gem in general."

"Should have bookmarked it." Oz said with a shrug.

Wesley's frustration born temper flashed. "If I would have 'bookmarked' every blasted thing that 'might' have shown up in Sunnydale during my stay, there would not be one damned book without a thousand bleeding scraps of paper crammed between the pages!"

Oz just shrugged again which Wesley took as another insult to his ability. Willow saw the young Watcher's hackles rise even higher and tried to defuse the situation. "Uh... Wesley?"

He acknowledged her with a barely controlled. "What is it?"

"Aaaa... maybe we should take a break and go back and see if they are still sorta okay?" Willow bit her lip and stood. "It's almost dawn and we've been at this all night and we are all kinda... ah... shot."

Wesley looked away from her, embarrassed that he had lost his temper. "Perhaps we...." he said softly then corrected himself. "...No, you two stay here and get some rest. It would be much too dangerous for you to return to the Summer's kitchen." He replaced the glasses on his face and stood. "Garoth has found a vessel and that means he could break free. I will go over and check on the situation then... hummm... then, before I return here I will stop at the bakery and pick up something with too much sugar and not the first bit of nutritional value."

"Do you want me to go with you?" Oz offered, relieved when Wesley shook his head 'no'. He nodded faintly. "Cool, be careful."

"Get some rest." Wesley suggested as he went out the door. He stood on the porch for several minutes watching the dawn break. "Twenty-four hours of nothing." He mumbled as he realized he had seen the same view as he had stood on the Summer's front porch the morning before. At least then he had felt halfway human. Now with every blink, his eyelids felt like sandpaper rubbing against his eyes and his back ached from being hunched over countless tomes. Wesley twitched a bit as a result of his being too jazzed up on first, a gallon of tea; then alleged coffee and then - at Oz's suggestion, Mountain Dew.

So he stood and stared at the sunrise, his mind mercifully blank at the moment. A small movement caught his attention as it fluttered into a bush. "Well, you are a pretty little thing. What species are you?" He asked the bird, grateful for a bit of a distraction.

"The black nightingale will unhorse the Devil's Knight and with a sweep of her wing shatter the stone."

Wesley heard himself say the words as they came flowing out of his memory. He turned back toward the door and then back toward the bird. "Black nightingale. Black nightingale?" He mumbled as he halfway remembered the passage that had caught his interest months before. Wesley shook his head to clear the cobwebs and frowned. "Nightingales are not black, they are russet brown."

"RUPERT!"

Giles whirled around to see Joyce running toward him, followed closely by the other three members of her group. "Joyce! Thank God!" He shouted back as he ran toward her. They met in an embrace and held each other tightly.

"Oh God! It.. that thing... oh! It just.. Laura is dead... she called it!"

"What?! Slow down!" My God..."

"Laura called up Garoth. We ran, she didn't." Jerrod flatly stated. "Hope the beggar has an iron stomach."

"She WHAT!?" Rupert's arms tightened around Joyce as he nervously looked back toward the way from which the three had came.

"That madwoman brought it to us!" Karl said with a grim shake of his head. He came to a halt at Rupert's side and also scanned the landscape for any sign of the demon. Taking a deep breath he began to explain to all. "We were in her garden where the gem had taken us to see her sins."

"But she had none... just ask her." Jerrod sniped as he sat down on the ground.

Karl shivered at both Jerrod's cold acceptance of his lover's demise and the memory of Laura's lack of conscience. "B-b-but she would not see her guilt. Instead she mocked our counsel and call the demon by name." His brow furrowed and he flung his hands upward in a show of confusion. "She called it to come, like she was calling a dog."

"Did it follow you?" François asked with a gulp.

Jerrod rested his forehead on his drawn up knees. "Who cares?"

"Personally, and it might just be due to my streak of self-preservation... 'I care'." Ethan shot in. "So why don't we get moving?"

"If it had followed us we would have been dead by now." Karl said with a shrug.

"Perhaps." Rupert countered. "Even though I find it disturbing, I believe Ethan is correct. We should go."

François nodded halfheartedly and waved his arm down the grey and ashen road. "Any direction is as good as the other, so...?"

Ethan grunted and gave Jerrod a smack on the shoulder. "On your feet! Time for more fun and games here in hell's South annex."

Reluctantly Jerrod came to his feet and the two of them brought up the rear of the departing group. "I take it your little party was treated to a parade of all the miscues of youth." Ethan said dryly.

"And then some." Jerrod sighed. "Every one of us was filleted like a salmon and left on the drying rack."

Ethan smirked. "Same here. The main event seemed to be Ripper and my various sins, but we also had a sidetrip to the Frenchy Revolution." He tossed his head toward François. "Our froggy friend there... he has quite a bit of blood on his hands." Ethan laughed under his breath and added sarcastically. "But it was for the good of the revolution. Viva la France."

Jerrod joined in the laughter. "What about his little piece of dark chocolate? That 'girl'.." His lip curled as he looked toward João. "...she believes every bit of 'liberty, equality, fraternity' rubbish that he tells her." Jerrod lowered his voice a bit. "So, what did she do?"

Ethan stopped in his tracks. A confused look bloomed on his face as he shook his head. "Nothing... she wasn't hit with a damned thing."

Jerrod questioned this information with the raising of an eyebrow, Ethan on the other hand decided that he wanted an answer... and he wanted it now.

"João!"

The other five came to a halt and turned back around toward Ethan who now stood with his arms crossed two dozed paces behind them.

"Ethan, we do not have time for you games." Rupert said with as much control as possible. Ethan raised one hand and tapped his own cheek. "This will just take a second, Ripper old chum. I just have one small... make that two small questions for our lovely João."

"What is it?" She asked with great apprehension.

Ethan began to move toward her. "Why is it that this filthy gem has not dragged your darkest secrets out into the open for everyone's consideration? Also, would you please explain what you said when we landed in this pastoral setting - 'we now face our fears'?" Rayne's eyes narrowed and he began a rapid fire series of questions. "What are you? Why don't the rules apply to you? How do you know what's coming next?"

"Leave her alone!" Karl ordered.

"Oh! I get it..." Ethan snotted. "..well, really I don't get it. I want answers and I want them now. What is the delicious secret that she is hiding?"

François slowly ground out his answer in João's stead. "She has... 'nothing'... to say... to you!"

"That is quite enough Ethan." Rupert warned for he realized that these men would not tolerate Rayne's acid tongue directed at João.

As João began to make a whimpering noise, both Karl and François's hand went to the knives on their respective belts and with obvious threat the two men began to advance toward Rayne.

"You English pig... you will not speak to my Love in that manner." François snarled. Katterheinrich's face showed that in his mind he had returned to war as he silently approached Ethan.

Jerrod and Rupert exchanged glances and with an unspoken nod of agreement jumped between the antagonists.

"Move." Karl mumbled in a hollow voice.

"There will be none of this!" Rupert shouted.

"João means more to us than the rest of your skins combined." Karl warned as he drew his knife.

"STOP!" João cried out, coming forward to wrap her arms around François and pull him back from his intent. "Please... please... we must not fight anymore."

Rupert and Karl continued their staredown, Jerrod continued to stand with arms outstretched keeping Grilliot and Ethan apart.

"Please..." João begged.

Joyce came up behind Karl and in a soft voice echoed the younger woman's plea.

João pulled away from François and hung her head. "Why?.." She began in a singsong voice. "...Why I know what will come now? That.. that is because I remember the words of one in the group that I first knew." She raised her face toward Ethan. "Luis had been imprisoned here for many, many years. He knew the remaining Druid and relayed his words: All one finds within the caverns of the gem is guilt, and fear, and pain."

Tears began to flow down her cheeks. "My guilt the gem did not need to show for I have freely admitted it to all. My fear is that I caused the unbearable pain of starvation to my only loves. And my pain, my pain I accept as my punishment for because I am trapped here, my babies..." She leaned downward and made a motion as if stroking the face of a toddler then folded her arms to hold a long absent infant. "....Yi, yi, yi... my babies I know died."

A faraway look came into her eyes as she looked down into her empty arms and she began to sing a haunting lullaby in the Afro-Portuguese pathos of her enslaved people. As the melody unfolded around them like a bittersweet perfume all felt that they were intruding upon a holy place.

Time seemed to stand still as João relived her last moments with her only treasures. She shut her eyes and raised her arms to the pewter sky to offer her baby to God's mercy then knelt and pulled the memory of her toddler close. In her mind she kissed him, then in body raised a hand to present him also to the Deity. "Master called me from the garden to stand at the corner of the pentegram and I never returned to them." She whispered. "I know that my daughter died without my breasts to feed her. I know my son would not be taken in by others for food was scarce in that year."

She knelt down into the dirt and lightly scooped up a handful of dust. Raising her hand she poured the dust of the road upon her bowed head as a sign of penitence. "I wear my guilt, my great sin and my fear. It does not need to be shown to me." João's tears fell from her cheeks, splattering onto the ground like rain as again she sang out her sorrow in a wordless lament.

Rupert felt his own tears form. "The only 'great sin' in this place is that you were brought here. We chose our twisted paths, you had no choice. We justify our actions, you take the blame for the crimes of your 'master'." He shook his head. "There is no justice in your imprisonment."

As Rupert spoke, François went to João, knelt beside her and drew her near. He held her close and stroked her hair, offering what comfort he could.

Karl's eyes blazed in anger and his curse cut through the air like a knife. "Rayne! May your pain be a thousandfold what you have given our João!" He turned his venom toward Giles. "And you... you may shove your pretty words up your ass. If it was not for you newcomers this would have not happened. Damn you all! May whatever great fear that this damned gem had waiting for you destroy you!"

"Muhyi... Muhyi! Wake up!" Buffy whispered as loudly as she dared. With a start the Egyptian opened his eyes fighting against the hand which Buffy had placed over his mouth.

"Shhhh!" Buffy hissed in warning giving her head a toss toward a light at the end of the corridor.

Muhyi rolled over and crouched down on one knee taking in the sight. "That was not there when we laid down to rest."

"Duh."

"What does that 'duh' mean." Muhyi asked.

Buffy felt a pang of regret for snotting at her companion. "Uh.. it's... it's California for 'you're right'." She cocked her head to one side. "Did you hear that?"

Muhyi nodded as for a second time a rattling noise echoed down the passageway. He arose to his feet and frowned. "It does not sound good."

"Noises coming from the end of creepy caves never are." Buffy commented dryly as she began to slip toward the sound. "So let's go see what fun this stupid gem has in store for us now.... hey!" She turned her head and pushed Muhyi's hand off her shoulder.

"It could be Garoth." He whispered. "Let me lead."

"I'm the Slayer." She pointed out. "Slayer... I slay things like big slobbering demons."

"And you need to survive." Muhyi countered. "So I will go first. If it is Garoth, you slay him while he kills me."

Buffy opened her mouth to disagree but her words were drowned by an unexpected kiss. "What was that?" Buffy asked a bit breathlessly as Muhyi pulled away. In answer he gave her a sad smile and a mumbled. "Sorry" as he backed away.

"Don't be." She whispered, watching him go. Buffy blinked a couple of times and allowed him to get about ten feet into the lead before following. Muhyi slipped along the wall, keeping to the shadows as the passageway began to open up into a chamber. He risked a quick look and turned back to Buffy, motioning for her to come forward. As she approached the noise again was heard but this time Buffy pegged it. "Cards?" She whispered. "Someone's playing cards?"

Muhyi put a finger to his lips and leaned close to her. "A woman who I have never seen."

Buffy took a step past him and peered into the room. "Kendra!" She groaned. "Okay Muhyi, this is one of my guilt things."

The Egyptian stepped into the room and watched as Kendra began to lay out a hand of solitaire upon the ground. "Who is she?"

"I was a Slayer."

Both Buffy and Muhyi's jaws dropped. "You.. you can see us?" Buffy said in amazement. "Wow! This is great!" Suddenly the cold facts hit her. "Well, maybe not completely 'great' because you are dead and that.. uh... is not on the 'great' side of the program."

Kendra shrugged.

"She is.. dead?" Muhyi echoed with apprehension.

"So are you." Kendra said softly. She laid a red nine on a black ten and tossed her head toward Buffy. "And you will be too if you do not find what you seek."

Buffy rubbed her head and decided to just go with the flow. She sat down cross-legged in front of Kendra and motioned for Muhyi to join them. "Black seven plays and by the way have you happened to have seen a Druid guy around here anywhere?"

"He called me here."

"Cool." Buffy said too nonchalantly for Muhyi's comfort. "Soooooo.... you know where he's at?"

Kendra shrugged.

Muhyi leaned toward Kendra. "We have to find him! Please help us so we can break free of this cursed gem. I know that most of us trapped here have been dead for centuries but Buffy and the ones who came with her still live and..."

Kendra held up the jack of spades. "No. Only eleven souls still survive and one of them Garoth has taken as the Devil's Knight."

"No.. no... no... no..." Muhyi said giving his head a hard shake. "There were many of us. Two other groups, maybe more."

"The fire is out. Garoth has feasted. He just took number one hundred and forty." Kendra told them in a detached voice. She tapped the four of diamonds. "He takes four more, then he is free."

"Then tell us where this damned Druid guy is!" Buffy shouted. "Damn it Kendra! We need some kind of weapon or spell or charm or something to..."

Kendra handed her the queen of hearts. "Here is your weapon."

"Do not speak in riddles!" Muhyi snapped. "Tell us in plain speech."

Kendra shrugged.

"Oh I get it!" Buffy hissed as she waved the card in Kendra's face. "You are just pissed off that you died, that the vamps beat you, that I'm still sucking air...."

"You did not learn from your guilt." Kendra sadly whispered. "Now, now you must pass through the fire."

"Here we go again!" Buffy sniped. "Fire? What fire? And what am I suppose to do with this stupid card, roast it?"

"The fire of your greatest fear." Kendra answered. "Which, by the way is the same dread that others in your party fear the most." She raised her hand and let the cards flutter to the ground.

"In the Name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful!" Muhyi cried out as Kendra's body began to shimmer and reform.

"You're the Druid!" Buffy gasped in wide-eyed amazement at the elderly man who now sat before her.

"Go." He answered and the room began to fade into a swirling mist.

"Wise one! Help us please!" Muhyi screamed as the room faded from his sight. "Help us... by all that is holy... do not do this.. " His pleads faded out as the mist dissipated and he found himself standing in the middle of a dirt road. He blinked a couple of times and clasped his hands in thanksgiving for there - not twenty paces away were the others gathered around João as François helped her to her feet.

"Buffy! We are reunited with the others! Allah be praised!"

"Good, 'cause I'm hungry." Came the hissing response. Muhyi drew in a sharp breath and turned to find Buffy in full game face coming toward him.