disclaimer in part 1
Ever since he got home Oz had been playing furiously, channeling his anger through his guitar. It wasn't really working, but he was doing some KILLER work. Finally he put it down and decided to go for a drive. Three words. Three DAMN words. He never stayed mad this long.
An hour or so later he'd cooled off to the point where he could think the name Xander Harris without simultaneously thinking justifiable homicide. He wasn't really paying attention to where he was going, so he wasn't surprised when he found himself on Rubello Drive. Whoa. THERE was a surprise --
A woman was staggering across Buffy's lawn. He parked and dashed up to her. It was Buffy's mother. She seemed hurt . . . "Mrs. Summers," he said, "you alright?"
He knew the problem as soon as she answered. "Fine . . . Oz, is it?" She giggled. "We're off to see the wizard . . ." Great. She was drunk. Her business, but he wasn't going to let her wander the streets in her condition.
"Here," he said. "Let me help you get home."
Straightening up, she said, "All I have to do is click my heels together three times." She tried and fell towards him. "No, wait," she laughed, "I can do this . . ." Oz put an arm around her and guided her towards the front door. "Do you know about my daughter the Slayer?" Mrs. Summers said. "I was just talking about it to this CHARMING young lady . . . now where is she?" Uh-oh. Mrs, Summers talking Slayer stuff in public? NOT good.
Once at the door, Oz gently took the keys from her hands. She stumbled in ahead of him. As he entered he heard a footstep behind him on the porch. He turned and got a major shock. It was a vampire. He didn't know how he knew, he just knew. "Um," he said, "Mrs. Summers . . ."
The woman spun in place. "Oh, THERE you are, Drusilla! Well, don't just stand there . . ." DRUSILLA? Oz leapt for Mrs. Summers' mouth, hoping he'd be able to cover it in time.
* * * * *
Spike and Buffy tramped through the mansion. Buffy couldn't bring herself to go near the statue -- too many painful memories -- so Spike examined those rooms. Soon afterwards he came back. "She's been here, all right," he said, and handed Buffy a broken sword. She'd left it behind after -- after -- "The bloody statue's up there too, sword back in place," Spike said. "We should find a way to shatter the damn thing."
"It's magic."
"Haven't seen a magic rock my entire damn life could stand the blows of a jackhammer," he muttered. "Still, that can wait. The $64,000 question is, what do we do now?"
Buffy said irritably, "Well, don't ask me! You're the one that's in love with her."
"I never understood the way her mind worked when I DIDN'T have a soul, Slayer. Only thing is -- it'll be one of the women. Dru didn't much fancy killing adult males. Seemed to think it unladylike." He stopped. "So, you gonna call your friends, or what?"
"No!" Buffy exploded. "They DON'T need to know the risk. And there are still cops after me for murdering Kendra, remember. I can't exactly make a big show of myself."
"Well, I can. Deal's a deal. I'm not going to let Dru hurt your friends. Tell you what, you stay here and lay low. I'll go talk to the one member of your little crew NOT likely to kill me on sight." Spike made for the exit.
"Not bloody likely," she mocked, following him out the door. "I'm going to go check up on my mother. I've learned a few things about --" she pointed downwards -- "the Sunnydale Underground."
He smiled at that, appreciating the pun. Then he got in his car and drove off towards the school after Buffy retrieved a flashlight and dropped into the sewers.
* * * * *
Rupert Giles looked at Xander Harris with both pity and sympathy on his face. "And the thing is, G-man," he said, "I'm not even sure HOW I meant those words. I DO love Willow. But I don't know how much, if any, is romance, how much is jealousy, and how much is, well, soulmatehood. That a word?"
"Not found in the latest OED, but I forebear," Giles said wryly, "and if you're asking me to tell you your feelings your time has been wasted. I have many talents, but mindreading is not one of them." Otherwise, he thought soberly, he'd use them to find Buffy --
"No, Giles, that's not it. Thanks for letting me spill my guts. I'm sure I'll work that out eventually."
"One thing you may wish to consider, Xander," Giles interrupted. "You love Willow." He nodded. "Now, do you love Cordelia?"
"I don't know. I THINK she's in love with me, though --" he shook his head. "But that's not what's important at the moment. I have an even greater confession to make." He took a deep breath. "I think I know why Buffy didn't come back. I think she had to kill Angel."
GIles was puzzled. "I, I thought she was ready for that."
"She was. But -- well, you know Willow cast the restoration spell again? I told Willow I'd tell Buffy. Well, when I got there, I saw the fire in her eyes, and, and --" he slammed his fist down on the table. "I couldn't tell her. I couldn't take that away from her. And that's why I think Buffy left Sunnydale. I think the spell worked -- but she had to kill Angel anyway."
Giles stood up angrily. "You had NO right --"
"I KNOW that, goddamnnit!" Xander said, anguished. "I've been torturing myself ever since she disappeared. What if I'd told her? What if she could have saved him? What if --"
"What if she ever found out? They'd be measuring your coffin out by inches." Giles and Xander both turned to the front door and gasped. Standing there --
Spike.