Introduction
Season: First | Second | Third | Fourth | Fifth | Sixth | Seventh
Other Bodies | Episodes | Dramatis Personae
Ramblings | Links | Fanfic

Bad Girls

Prologue

Buffy and Faith are in the cemetery, fighting a couple of vampires and talking about guys. The vampires are wearing matching red and gold uniforms. Faith is curious about Buffy’s relationship with Xander. “Come on, really. All this time, and not even once?”

Buffy punches the vamp she’s fighting up against a lamp post. “I have never done it…” She spins and stakes the vamp in the heart. “…with Xander! He’s just a friend.”

Faith finishes off her vampire. She turns back to Buffy. “So? What are friends for? I mean, I’m sorry, it’s just, all this sweating-nightly, side-by-side action, and you never put in for a little after-hours ungh?”

“Thanks for the poetry,” says Buffy, “And, no. I love Xander. I just don’t…love Xander. Besides, I think it ruins friendship to do that stuff.”

Faith thinks that Buffy thinks too much, but Buffy’s attention is elsewhere. She has noticed something on the ground, and tells Faith that there’s one more vampire around.

“How do you know?” asks Faith.

“I think too much,” says Buffy.

They start to follow the footprints Buffy has spotted. They lead them to a third vampire lurking behind a headstone.

“Okay. Count of three.” whispers Buffy. “One…” Faith charges in. She jumps over the headstone, and tackles the vamp. “…three,” says Buffy.

The vampire tosses Faith to the ground and pulls out a couple of swords—one long and one short—to finish her off.

Buffy rushes the vamp before it can kill Faith. It spins around and slices Buffy’s stake in half with its long sword. Buffy disarms it quickly, but the vampire manages to grab hold of her. Buffy struggles to keep its teeth away from her neck.

Faith stakes the vampire in the back, and the vampire explodes into dust. Faith is feeling pretty pleased with herself, but Buffy isn’t happy with Faith’s recklessness. “This isn’t a Tupperware Party,” says Faith. “It’s a little hard to plan.”

“The count of three isn’t a plan,” says Buffy. “It’s Sesame Street.”

“Hey, they’re toast and we’re here, so it couldn’t have been too bad, right?” says Faith. “Who were those guys, anyways?”

Buffy doesn’t know. She turns to collect the swords that the vampire dropped to take back to Giles, but the swords have vanished.

Mr. Trick presents the swords to Mayor Wilkins. The Mayor doesn’t look at them right away. He’s reading his favourite comic: The Family Circus. “That P.J., he’s getting to be quite a handful!”

Wilkins puts down his paper and looks at the swords. He seems to recognise them. He asks Trick what happened to their owner.

“The common term is ‘slain.’” says Trick. “But I’ve been seeing this breed around. Are we expecting any trouble?”

The Mayor ignores the question and asks Trick if he likes Family Circus. Trick is more of a Marmaduke fan. “Oh!” The Mayor shudders. “Eww! He’s always on the furniture. Unsanitary.”

“Nobody can tell Marmaduke what to do. That’s my kinda dog.”

“I like to read Cathy,” says Deputy Mayor Allan Finch. Trick and the Mayor just look at him. Allan nervously directs the conversation back to the swords, and asks what should be done about them.

Wilkins tells Trick to keep his eyes open. The Dedication is coming up in a few days, and he doesn’t want anything interfering with it.

“Maybe we should postpone the Dedication,” suggests Allan. His boss just looks at him.

“I believe the Honourable Mayor hates that idea,” says Mr. Trick.

The Mayor gets up from his chair and goes to his liquor cabinet. “The Dedication is the final step before my Ascension.” He gets a moist towelette from a box and wipes his hands with it. “I have waited longer than you can imagine for this. After the Hundred Days, I’ll be on a higher plane. And I’ll have no more need for…Well, let’s just say I won’t be concerned with the little things.”

The Mayor turns back to the others. “Mr. Trick, watch these people. Anything you find out about them, well, let’s just see that that information reaches the Slayers. Who knows? With any luck, they’ll kill each other. Then everyone’s a winner. Everyone, of course, meaning me.” He giggles.

Act I

Willow sits on a sofa in the student lounge sorting through the early admission packets she has received from several universities, including Harvard, Yale, and some schools in Europe whose names Xander can’t pronounce.

This is a new experience for Willow. “Now, rejection I can handle ’cause of the years of training, but this…”

Xander is expecting nothing but rejection letters, written in crayon. “Of course, I’m still waiting to hear back from the, uh, Corndog Emporium, so…” He holds up a couple of crossed fingers.

Buffy thinks that this is just great for Willow. Nothing is standing between her and a bright future.

“Well, if I may suggest, graduate,” says Oz. “Getting left back: not the thrill ride you’d expect.”

Cordelia approaches the group. “That’s so cute!” she tells Xander. “Planning life as a loser? Most people just turn out that way, but you’re really taking charge.”

“The comedy stylings of Miss Cordelia Chase, everyone,” says Xander. “Who, incidentally, won’t be needing a higher education when she markets her own very successful line of hooker wear.”

“Well, Xander, I could dress more like you,” says Cordy, “but, oh, my father has a job.” She turns and walks away.

“I’m not going to waste the perfect comeback on you now,” says Xander to Cordelia’s departing back. “But don’t think I don’t have it. Oh, yes! Its time will come!” Xander tries to bring the subject back to something more enjoyable. “So, life beyond high school. Anyone, please… chime in.”

“I hear it’s nice,” says Buffy, “And a place I’ll never go if I don’t pass Mrs. Taggart’s chemistry test tomorrow.”

Willow offers to help Buffy study for the exam, and makes a date for Buffy to come over to her place tonight. The bell rings and Buffy remembers that she’s supposed to go see Giles, and report on last night’s patrol. Willow tells her that Giles wanted to see her about something else too.

“What about? Is he okay?” asks Buffy.

“He’s looked better,” says Willow.

Buffy’s new Watcher is unpacking some of the books he has brought with him in the library. He’s a younger man than Giles, about thirty years old. Tall, slim, impeccably dressed, with dark hair and glasses. “Of course, training procedures have been updated quite a bit since your day,” he says. “Much greater emphasis on field work.”

Giles is sitting on the edge of the library table and is not impressed. “Really?”

“Oh, yes,” says the new Watcher. “Not all books and theory nowadays. I have, in fact, faced two vampires myself. Under controlled circumstances, of course.”

“Well, no danger of finding those here,” says Giles.

“Vampires?”

“Controlled circumstances.”

Buffy arrives in the library, and takes one look at the new guy. “New Watcher?” she asks Giles.

“New Watcher,” says Giles.

The new guy steps forward and extends his hand. “Wesley Wyndham-Pryce.”

Buffy ignores the extended hand. “Is he evil?” she asks Giles.

“Evil?” asks Wesley.

“The last one was evil,” says Buffy.

“Oh, yes. Gwendolyn Post,” says Wesley. “We all heard. No. Mr. Giles has checked my credentials rather thoroughly, and phoned the Council, but I’m glad to see you’re on the ball as well.” He leans toward Buffy and tells her confidentially “A good Slayer is a cautious Slayer.”

“Is he evil?” Buffy asks Giles.

“Not in the strictest sense,” says Giles.

With this ringing endorsement, Wesley asks Buffy for a report on last night’s patrol. He gets out a fresh diary to take notes.

Buffy sits beside Giles on the table. “Vampires. Killed ’em.”

Wesley wants a few more details. Buffy looks at Giles and he nods at her. Buffy tells Wesley about the swords.

They sound familiar to Giles, but Wesley recognises them immediately as belonging to a sect of vampires known as El Eliminati. “Fifteenth Century duelist cult, deadly in their day. Their numbers dwindled in later centuries due to an increase in anti-vampire activity and a lot of pointless dueling.”

The Eliminati became acolytes of the demon Balthazar. Balthazar had come to Sunnydale one hundred years earlier, and been killed there. Wesley figures that the Eliminati are there to find Balthazar’s amulet: the source of his power which was in buried in the Gleaves family crypt.

Giles is somewhat surprised that Wesley knows all this. Wesley explains that he has made an extensive study of Sunnydale’s history. He doesn’t think that there is any real danger, but they should prevent the vampires from getting the amulet on general principles. “Buffy, you will go to the Gleaves family crypt tonight and fetch the amulet.”

“I will?” asks Buffy.

“Are you not used to being given orders?” asks Wesley.

“Whenever Giles sends me on a mission, he always says ‘please.’” says Buffy. “And afterwards I get a cookie.”

Giles suppresses a snicker.

Faith arrives, and takes one look at Wesley. “New Watcher?”

“New Watcher,” say Buffy and Giles.

“Screw that.” Faith turns around and leaves.

“Now, why didn’t I just say that?” asks Buffy.

Giles sends Buffy to see if she can bring Faith back. He and Wesley watch her go. They both take off their glasses, and reach into their pockets for a handkerchief. They use it to clean their glasses. Giles notices that Wesley is doing exactly the same thing he is, and quickly stops. He puts his glasses back on.

Buffy catches up with Faith in the courtyard.

“You’re actually going to take orders from him?” asks Faith.

“That’s the job,” says Buffy. “What else can we do?”

“Whatever we want,” says Faith. “We’re Slayers, girlfriend. The Chosen Two. Why should we let him take all the fun out of it?”

“Oh, that would be tragic, taking the fun out of slaying, stabbing, beheading.”

“Oh, like you don’t dig it,” says Faith. “I’ve seen you. Tell me staking a vamp doesn’t get you a little bit juiced. Come on, say it. You can’t fool me. The look in your eyes right after a kill? You just get hungry for more.”

“You’re way off base,” says Buffy.

“Tell me that if you don’t get in a good slaying, after a while, you just start itching for some vamp to show up so you can give him a good ungh!”

“Again with the grunting,” says Buffy. “You realize I’m not comfortable with this.”

“Hey, Slaying’s what we were built for. If you’re not enjoying it, you’re doing something wrong.” Faith starts to walk away.

“What about the assignment?” asks Buffy.

Faith looks back at Buffy. “Tell you what. You do the homework, and I’ll copy yours.”

Buffy searches the Gleaves crypt for the amulet. She finds it in the second sarcophagus she looks in. She starts to reach for it, but she hears a noise coming from outside the crypt. She turns and sees the flickering light of several torches approaching the entrance.

Buffy hides in the first sarcophagus. She pulls its lid shut over her as several vampires enter the crypt. The vampires take the amulet and leave.

Buffy pushes the lid aside, and climbs out of the sarcophagus. She’s startled by someone else entering the crypt.

“What are you doing?” asks Faith. “Hiding in there?”

“Looking for the amulet,” says Buffy. “Wasn’t counting on the Special Guest Stars. Six against one. Hence the hiding.”

“Well, it’s six against two now,” says Faith, “so come on.” She leaves the crypt in time to see the last of the torch wielding El Eliminati jumping down a manhole. Faith starts to follow it.

“Wait!” says Buffy. “Stop! Think!”

“No! No! No!” says Faith.

“It’s a manhole,” says Buffy. “Tight space, no escape, six against two, not unlike three against one.”

“And there might be more,” says Faith, “so come on.”

“You’re just going to go down there?” asks Buffy. “That’s your plan?”

“Who said I had a plan? I don’t know how many’s down there, but I want to find out, and I’ll know when I land. If you don’t come in after me, I might die!” Faith jumps into the manhole.

After a couple of seconds, Buffy follows her.

Act II

Wesley sits at a library table covered with Watcher diaries. He picks up Giles’ first diary from Sunnydale. He is amused by Giles’ first entry. “‘The Slayer is willful and insolent.’ That would be our girl, wouldn’t it.”

“You have to get to know her,” says Giles.

Wesley keeps reading. “‘Her abuse of the English language is such that I understand only every other sentence.’ Oh, this is going to make fascinating reading.”

Giles is getting a little concerned that Buffy hasn’t returned yet. Wesley checks his watch. He isn’t worried. His mission scenario doesn’t have her due back for another minute. He doesn’t anticipate any trouble.

Buffy and Faith are in trouble. They are outnumbered and surrounded by the El Eliminati vampires. Two of the vamps pin Faith up against the wall. Buffy throws a stake into the back of one of them, dusting it, but that gives one of the other vampires the chance to grab Buffy from behind, and hold her.

Another vampire draws its swords, and faces Buffy. “Let’s settle this honourably.” Buffy kicks its long sword away into a pool of sewer water, and breaks free from the vamp holding her.

The vampire with the sword isn’t pleased. He thrusts his remaining short sword at Buffy, but she deflects it. It grabs her by the hair. “Then let’s just settle it!” It pushes her head into the pool.

Buffy struggles for several seconds. Faith is too busy with her own vampire to come to her aid. Buffy goes limp. The vampire holding her lets go, and turns its attention to where its confederate is holding Faith.

Buffy comes out of the pool, holding the sword she had kicked out of the vampire’s hand earlier. She swings it at the vamp, but it manages to duck under it.

“I hate it when they drown me,” says Buffy.

Buffy disarms the vampire, and it retreats away from her. Faith uses the distraction to break free from the vampire holding her. She has decided that maybe a retreat is in order.

Buffy isn’t quite ready to go. She uses her sword to pluck the amulet out of the belt of the vampire who’d tried to drown her. The vamps decide that it is time for them to retreat.

“Tell me you don’t get off on this!” says Faith.

“It didn’t suck,” says Buffy.

Buffy turns the amulet over to Wesley the next day. She also informs him that his nearly extinct cult was out in major force last night.

“Are you all right?” asks Giles.

“I had to lather, rinse, and repeat about five million times to get the sewer out of my hair, but otherwise, I’m of the good,” says Buffy. She looks rather pointedly at Wesley. “Thank you for asking.”

Wesley ignores the jab. “Perhaps there were a few more than we’d anticipated, but I’d expect you to be ready for anything. Remember the three key words for any Slayer: preparation, preparation, preparation.”

“That’s one word three times,” says Buffy. She has to leave for her chemistry test. She tells Giles that she wants to come back later to discuss things with him.

“Buffy,” says Wesley. “I must ask you to remember that I am your Watcher. From now on, anything you have to say about Slaying you will say to me. The only thing you need discuss with Mr. Giles is overdue book fees. Understood?”

Buffy ignores Wesley. “We’ll talk,” she tells Giles. She leaves the library.

Wesley looks at Giles. “You’re not helping.”

“No,” says Giles. “I feel just sick about it.”

Buffy fills Willow and Xander in on the fight in the sewers while Mrs. Taggart hands out the test booklets. Mrs. Taggart tells the class that they are on the honour system while taking this test. “So remember. No talking!” She looks rather pointedly at Buffy, who is still whispering to Willow and Xander.

Buffy makes a lip locking gesture to the teacher, and waits until she has left the room before turning back to Willow and Xander.

“Buffy. Test?” says Willow, “You know. Remember? The thing you didn’t come over to study for?”

“Right. Got it.” Buffy turns her attention to her test paper for a couple of seconds. She spins around again and starts talking to Xander about the fight.

“Hey! Whoa! Can we resume Buffy’s ‘Ode to Faith’ later?” asks Xander. “Like when I’m not actively multiple-choicing?”

Buffy has noticed something. “How come your eye twitches every time I say Faith’s name?”

Xander’s eye twitches. “What? No, it doesn’t.”

Buffy leans toward Xander and watches his face carefully. “Faith!”

Xander’s eye twitches. He claps his hand over it. “Cut it out! We got a test to take, okay? And I’m highly caffeinated, and I’m trying to concentrate. Some of us actually care about school, you know.”

Buffy finally takes the hint and turns her attention back her test. It doesn’t last long. Faith taps on the window beside her. Once she has Buffy’s attention she fogs the window with her breath, and draws a heart with a stake in it. She wags her eyebrows at Buffy with a “You interested?” expression. Buffy considers it for a second, and then gets up and heads for the window.

“No, she can’t!” says Willow, as Buffy climbs out the window. “You can’t! Can you?”

Buffy ignores Willow and joins Faith outside. “What’s up?”

“Vampires,” says Faith.

Buffy looks around. “Uh, Faith, unless there’s a total eclipse in the next five minutes, it’s daylight.”

“Good for us, bad for them,” says Faith. “Found a nest.”

“Has potential,” says Buffy.

Buffy and Faith break through the doors into the nest, flooding it with daylight. Sunlight hits some of the vampires, setting them on fire. The rest scramble for safety.

“Rise and shine, people,” says Faith.

“It’s your wake-up call,” says Buffy. They draw stakes and attack.

Buffy and Faith party down at the Bronze. Dancing with each other and all the guys in the place. Angel comes into the Bronze and sees Buffy and Faith having fun. He turns to go. Buffy spots Angel and she leaves Faith to run to him.

Buffy jumps onto Angel and wraps her legs around his waist. “Hey! You’re not leaving, are you?”

Angel looks across the dance floor at Faith dancing with a bunch of guys. “I saw you making friends.”

Buffy glances at the guys. “Them? Boys! I like you.”

Angel doesn’t seem very comfortable with their current position, and he sets Buffy down.

“What’s the matter?” asks Buffy. “You’re not afraid of little me, are you?” Angel tells her they better sit down.

Buffy figures that Angel is there on business, and asks what’s up.

Angel is there about Balthazar. Reports of his death have been greatly exaggerated. He’s in town to find his amulet, and he’s currently staying in a warehouse on Deveraux Street. Buffy tells him not to worry, they already have the amulet. Angel knows that. He has already talked with Giles, but he said that Buffy gave it to someone.

Wesley picks that moment to show up.

“Ah, speak of the really annoying person,” says Buffy.

Wesley’s been looking for Buffy, and would appreciate it if she kept him better informed of her movements. Angel asks where the amulet is.

Wesley looks at Angel. “Who are you?”

“A friend,” says Angel. “Do you have it?”

“It’s somewhere safe,” says Wesley. Buffy reaches into his jacket, and pulls out the amulet. “How did you know?” he asks.

“It pooches your jacket,” says Buffy.

Buffy tosses the amulet to Angel. “You’re going to put it somewhere safe,” she tells him, “that’s actually safe?” she adds for Wesley.

Angel says he’ll take care of it. Buffy is going to go do a recon on Balthazar.

“If I may,” says Wesley. “Balthazar is dead. Am I the only one that remembers that?”

Buffy and Angel ignore Wesley. Angel gives Buffy a kiss, and tells her to be careful.

Buffy goes to collect Faith, leaving Wesley wondering what’s going on.

Balthazar is not a happy demon. He is also a gross, extremely overweight demon living in a tub of water. His acolytes continually pour water over him to keep him comfortable. He looks around at the vampires arrayed before him. “I see fear, and remorse, and the pitiful look of faces that cry out for mercy! But what I don’t see is what I want to see, and that’s my amulet!”

“Lord Balthazar, we found it!” says one of the vampires. “We had it! But the Slayers—”

“Already I’m bored.” Balthazar gestures toward the vampire and it levitates into the air. Balthazar draws it to him. He grabs the vampire’s head and crushes it between his hands. Balthazar beckons to Vincent—the vampire who nearly drowned Buffy—to come closer to him.

Vincent approaches Balthazar somewhat nervously. Balthazar tells him what he wants done.

Buffy and Faith get to the warehouse and evaluate the threat. Buffy counts ten to twelve vampires, and one demon in desperate need of a stairmaster. For once Faith doesn’t decide to just charge in. The odds are too steep even for her to go after Balthazar and his vampires unarmed. Buffy wants to go back to the library to pick up weapons, but Faith has a another idea. She has spotted a sporting goods store across the street.

Faith kicks open the door to the store, and leads Buffy inside. They move to the section of the store with the hunting weapons. Faith smashes open a display case and pulls out a small crossbow.

“Think they’re insured?” asks Buffy.

Faith doesn’t care. She demonstrates her philosophy to Buffy. “Want. Take. Have,” by breaking into another display case and pulling out a set of nunchaku. She sticks them into her belt.

Buffy tries it out on another display case containing knives. She’s starting to get it.

Faith kicks open another case and pulls out a compound bow. They are interrupted by a couple of cops who enter with their pistols drawn.

“Drop the weapons and get down on the ground!” orders one of the cops. “Now!”

Act III

“I said drop the weapons, or I fire!” says the cop.

Buffy slowly places the knife in her hand on the counter top, and looks at Faith who is still holding the bow. She tosses it to the floor.

“Now spread ’em!” orders the cop.

“You wish!” says Faith.

The cops order the girls to put their hands in the air. Faith smiles at them and languidly raises her arms over her head. Buffy puts her hands up too. The cop orders his partner to cuff them, while he keeps Faith and Buffy covered.

His partner holsters his gun and moves toward Buffy and Faith.

Faith looks at Buffy. “I like him. He’s butch!”

The cops place Buffy and Faith in the back of their squad car, and drive back toward the station. One of the cops is wondering about the weapons they were collecting. He asks if they are in one of those girl gangs.

“Yeah,” says Faith. “We’re the Slayers.”

Faith slouches down in the back seat. “You want to get out of here?” she asks Buffy quietly. Buffy doesn’t seem to think that what Faith has in mind is a good idea. “We can’t save the world in jail.” says Faith.

Buffy slouches down beside Faith, and they both raise their feet up. On Faith’s signal they kick out together. They knock out the steel mesh between them and the officers in the front of the car. The driver loses control of the car and it smashes into a car parked on the side of the street.

Buffy and Faith get out of the back of the car, and Faith opens the front passenger side door to get the handcuff keys from one of the unconscious officers. Buffy and Faith stand back to back and Faith unlocks Buffy’s cuffs. Buffy takes the keys and unlocks Faith. She suggests that they should call for an ambulance for the cops.

Faith doesn’t think that will be necessary. With the noise from the collision she figures several people already have. She starts to leave. Buffy hangs back, looking at the unconscious cops. One of them starts to stir, so Buffy follows after Faith.

Buffy sits at the kitchen counter and anxiously checks out the morning newspaper to see if her and Faith’s exploits from the night before have made the news. They seem to have gotten away with it.

Joyce comes into the kitchen. “Admit it.”

Buffy looks up from the paper with a guilty look on her face.

“Some days don’t you want to just wake up and say ‘to hell with the diet?’” asks Joyce. “Want to make waffles? Big Saturday brunch?”

Buffy tells her mother she isn’t hungry, so Joyce asks what she and Faith were doing last night. Buffy says it wasn’t anything important.

Joyce fills her morning cup of coffee. “Don’t worry. I’m not going to meddle in your Slaying. Just as long as you’re careful.”

Buffy tells her she is, as she continues to check the paper. Joyce asks if she’s sure about the waffles. Buffy is, but she’s willing to help make them if her mother wants some.

“No,” says Joyce. “They only don’t have calories if I make them for you. Mom logic. You done with the paper?”

Buffy hands the paper over to her mother and leaves the kitchen. Joyce starts to check out what’s happening in Sunnydale.

Mayor Wilkins has his photo taken with a group of boy scouts. They are about to leave on a camping trip. The Mayor tells them to roast a wiener for him as he shows them out of his office. He shuts the blinds and Mr. Trick comes out of the anteroom he has been hiding in.

“Backbone of America, those little guys,” the Mayor tells Trick. “Seeing the hope and courage on their bright little faces, I swear I could just… I could just eat ’em up.”

The Mayor asks Trick if there is any news on the Eliminati. He goes to his liquor cabinet, and opens the doors.

Vincent springs from the liquor cupboard and attacks the Mayor with a sword. He pushes Mayor Wilkins back onto his desk. “In the name of Lord Balthazar, Die!” He presses his sword to the Mayor’s throat.

Mr. Trick kicks Vincent in the head, and he collapses onto the floor.

“Why do they always have to be using swords?” Trick picks up Vincent’s sword and tosses it to Allan Finch. “It’s called an Uzi, ya chump!” he tells the unconscious Vincent. “Could have saved your ass right about now.”

“You know, it’s curious how he could’ve gotten all the way into my liquor cabinet,” says the Mayor. “Allan, don’t we have security working in this building?”

Allan is very nervous. “Sir, I had— I had no idea. I-I—”

“There’s no need to swoon, Allan. But try to keep things secure.” The Mayor orders Trick to lock up the vampire. Mr. Trick isn’t so sure that’s a good idea, but there’s something the Mayor wants to use Vincent for.

“Vincent made a noble effort,” says Balthazar. “Man to man, as befits a true warrior. He had courage. He had honour. And I have jack to show for it!

“It’s been a hundred years since my enemy crippled me. Now ultimate power is within his grasp. And I shall not let it be! Forget about honour! Forget about everything, but getting my amulet! Bring the Watchers to me! Find the Slayers and kill them! Kill everything that gets in your way! Go! Go!”

Willow and Buffy sit on Buffy’s bed. Willow has just presented Buffy with a protection spell. Buffy sniffs at the small pouch Willow has given her. She’s a little surprised by how good it smells. Most of the potions she’s encountered tend to stink.

“That’s why I added lavender,” says Willow. “Give me time, and I may be the first wicca to do all my conjuring in pine fresh scent. So what’s the plan?”

Buffy gives Willow an inquiring look.

“For tonight’s slayage,” says Willow. “We’re going, aren’t we?”

“Yeah,” says Buffy, “but…there’s a ‘but.’ And that’s ‘but you shouldn’t come…tonight.’ Is that cool?”

Willow is disappointed. “Well, sure. Makes sense. You know… You’ll be facing big, hairy danger.”

“Uh, b-biggest and very hairy,” says Buffy.

“You’ll be risking your life.”

“Right,” says Buffy. “And why risk yours?”

Willow glances away for a moment. “Because I’m your friend?”

“I know, Will, and that’s exactly why I don’t want you going. It’s, it’s too dangerous.”

“But I’ve done this sort of thing before!” says Willow. “Like, a million times, and I can totally handle myself. Besides,” She holds up her spell pouch. “Minty fresh protection. So?”

Faith comes into Buffy’s room. “Ready? Time to motor.” She waves to Willow. “Hey, Willow.”

Buffy tells Willow that she has to be going, but they’ll hang out some more later.

“Yeah. You, you go ahead,” says Willow. “I’ll just get my stuff.”

Buffy gives Willow a look, and leaves the room. Willow picks up the spell pouch she had prepared for herself off Buffy’s bed and looks at it. “Stupid,” she says quietly to herself.

Buffy and Faith head through the alleys toward the warehouse. Faith had gone back to the sporting goods store and picked herself up the bow. She is dying to try it out. She thinks it might be her new thing. She tries to figure out how the arrow goes in it. They are attacked by one of the El Eliminati vampires.

Giles sits at his desk watching Wesley checking out the contents of his walls. Wesley is telling Giles how the Council feels that he is an embarrassment to them.

“If you want to criticize my methods, fine,” says Giles. “But you can keep your snide remarks to yourself. And while you’re at it, don’t criticize my methods.”

“The fact is, you’re no longer qualified to act as Watcher,” says Wesley. “It’s not your fault. You’ve done well. It’s simply time for somebody else to take the field.”

Giles looks past Wesley, out into the library. “Now’s a good time to start.”

Wesley turns and looks out the office window. There are several El Eliminati vampires looking in at them.

Faith fumbles with her bow as Buffy fights with the vampire. A second vampire attacks them. Faith tosses the bow away and stakes the vampire with the arrow while Buffy finishes off hers. A third vampire attacks them. Faith throws it up against the wall, and Buffy stakes it. Faith figures as long as the vampires keep coming at them one at a time like this they have a shot at getting to Balthazar.

An arm reaches out and grabs Buffy. Buffy grabs it and tosses its owner against a dumpster. Faith rushes in with her stake.

“Faith, No!” shouts Buffy, but it’s too late. Faith stabs Allan Finch in the heart with her stake.

Buffy rushes forward to see if there is anything she can do. “Don’t move!” she tells Allan.

Faith is in shock. “I didn’t…I didn’t know. I didn’t know.” Buffy tells Faith to call 911. Faith doesn’t move as Buffy tries to stop the bleeding from Allan’s wound with her hand. It is no use. Allan dies in front of them.

Act IV

Faith wants to get away from the scene as quickly as possible and she takes off, dragging Buffy with her. A block away, Faith takes off on her own. She climbs over a wall leaving Buffy behind. Buffy continues on her own toward the warehouse.

Buffy runs into Angel before she gets very far. He notices the blood on her hands, but Buffy tells him it’s nothing. Angel doesn’t have time to worry about it now. He has been keeping an eye on the warehouse. He tells Buffy that Balthazar has captured Giles.

Faith returns to Allan’s body. She slowly kneels beside it, and tentatively reaches out to touch the wound in his chest.

Giles and Wesley are brought before Balthazar as one of his vampires ladles water over his corpulent body. “Oh god! Oh god!” says Wesley.

“It doesn’t seem too promising, does it?” asks Giles.

“Stay calm, Mr. Giles,” says a panicking Wesley. “We have to stay calm.”

“Well, thank god you’re here,” says Giles. “I was planning to panic.”

“What is that thing?” asks Wesley.

“That would be your demon,” says Giles. “You know, the dead one?”

Balthazar orders the vampires to bring the Watchers closer. “You know what I want.”

“If it’s for me to scrub those hard to reach areas, I’d like to request you kill me now,” says Giles. One of the vampires hits him from behind.

“Are you out of your mind?” asks Wesley. “This is hardly the time for games!”

“Why not?” asks Giles. “They’re going to torture us to death anyway.”

Balthazar doesn’t deny it. Wesley doesn’t want to be tortured. He thinks maybe they can arrange a trade. Their lives for the amulet. Balthazar considers this for a bit, but he’s in the mood for some torturing. They will start with Wesley’s kneecaps.

Wesley starts to babble, telling Balthazar all he knows. Giles tells him to shut up, but Wesley keeps babbling. He likes his kneecaps. Fortunately he doesn’t know much. All he can tell Balthazar is that Buffy gave the amulet to one of her friends. Balthazar wants to know his name.

“I didn’t actually catch it,” says Wesley.

Giles proposes that if they let “Captain Courageous” go, he will tell Balthazar what he wants to know, but Balthazar isn’t interested. The only choice he is giving Giles and Wesley is whether or not their deaths will be quick, or slow and painful. “The man who has my amulet! What is his name!”

“His name is Angel!” Angel strides forward in full vamp face. He tackles the two vampires who were holding Giles and Wesley.

Buffy takes on another two vampires. She takes a sword from one of them. Giles turns his back to her and holds his bound hands away from his body. Buffy swings the sword and slices cleanly through the ropes. Giles pushes Wesley out of the way.

Giles works to untie Wesley while Buffy and Angel fight with the vampires. A vamp attacks him with its sword. Giles ducks under the swing, and then takes the sword away from the vampire. He knocks it out with the sword’s hilt.

Giles is attacked by another sword wielding vampire before he can finish the first vampire off. He fences with it briefly, and disables it with a kick to the head while the first vampire he fought recovers and grabs Wesley.

Giles orders Wesley to duck, and swings his sword at Wesley’s neck. Wesley ducks just in time to avoid being decapitated along with the vampire who was holding him.

Balthazar tires of watching Buffy, Angel and Giles beat up on his vampires. He reaches out and levitates Angel to him. He grabs Angel’s head, ready to crush it as he had done to the Eliminati vampire earlier.

Buffy spots the electric light dangling over Balthazar’s tub. She can reach the wire leading to it. She grabs the wire and gives it a pull, breaking the light free, and dropping it into Balthazar’s tub. Balthazar lets go of Angel as he’s electrocuted.

Buffy goes to help Angel to his feet. She’s surprised when Balthazar opens his eyes again. He isn’t quite dead.

“Slayer! You think you’ve won,” says Balthazar. “When he rises you’ll wish I’d killed you all.”

The Mayor kneels in the middle of a pentagram in the City Hall rotunda performing a spell. He’s watched by Mr. Trick and Vincent, who is locked in a cage.

“Potestatem matris nostrae in tenebris invoco.
Maledictum filium tuum abomni periculo custodias nunc et in saecula!”¹

The building is rocked by a small earthquake.

Mayor Wilkins checks his watch as he gets back to his feet. “I don’t understand why Allan would miss this. He’s usually so punctual.”

Mr Trick just wants to know if the spell worked. The Mayor suggests that they test it. He gives Vincent back his sword, and has Trick release him from his cage.

Vincent attacks the Mayor, and slices his head in half with the sword. The Mayor is unphased, his split head comes back together. Trick kills Vincent as the vampire stares in amazement at the Mayor.

Mayor Wilkins takes a notebook out of his pocket and looks at his To Do list:

GREET SCOUTS
GET HAIRCUT
PLUMBER UNION RESCHEDULE
CALL TEMP AGENCY
BECOME INVINCIBLE
MEETING WITH PTA

He checks off the ‘BECOME INVINCIBLE’ item. “This officially commences the Hundred Days,” he tells Mr. Trick. “Nothing can harm me until the Ascension.” He starts to giggle. “Gosh, I’m feeling chipper! “Who’s for a root beer?”

Mr. Trick laughs and follows him out of the rotunda.

Epilogue

Buffy goes to Faith’s motel room. Faith is doing her laundry in the bathroom sink. Trying to wash Allan’s blood out of her shirt. Buffy wants to talk to Faith about what they are going to do about the guy they killed.

“There’s nothing to talk about,” says Faith. “I was doing my job.”

“Being a Slayer is not the same as being a killer,” says Buffy. Faith ignores her, and keeps scrubbing. “Faith, please don’t shut me out here. Look, sooner or later, we’re both going to have to deal.”

“Wrong,” says Faith.

“We can help each other,” says Buffy.

Faith takes her shirt and hangs it on an open drawer to dry. “I don’t need it!”

“Yeah? Who’s wrong now?” asks Buffy. “Faith, you can shut off all the emotions that you want, but eventually, they’re going to find a body.”

Faith turns to face Buffy. “Okay, this is the last time we’re going to have this conversation, and we’re not even having it now, you understand me? There is no body. I took it, weighted it, and dumped it. The body doesn’t exist.”

“Getting rid of the evidence doesn’t make the problem go away.”

“It does for me.”

“Faith, you don’t get it. You killed a man.”

“No, you don’t get it,” says Faith. “I don’t care!”

Characters Introduced

• Wesley Wyndham-Pryce

Death Toll

Notes

1. Translation: Our mother of darkness, I summon thee. Curse now your dangerous accursed son and protect him into the new age!