Part Twenty In another part of Sunnydale, a creature violently struggles against it's cage. With one final snarl, it escapes the cage...and the room... *~*~* Buffy and Angelus casually walked down the streets of Sunnydale, on their way to the mansion. It was seven in the morning and people were out and about, getting ready to start their day. Angelus watched them all, wondering what would've happened had he not been with Buffy. The people were just waiting to be plucked from their suburban...well, Hellmouthy lives and begged to be drained. Buffy hit him in the solar plexus, but not hard enough to really hurt. She had seen the gleam that had entered his eyes as he watched the people exit their houses, or walk down the street. "Well, it would have been interesting, Buff," he chuckled. "Yeah, there'd be dead bodies turning up during the day with these little, little holes in their necks. Oh, that is so low key..." the Slayer said sarcastically. *~*~* Xander contemplated his last encounter with Cordelia. He was walking toward the high school, a rip in his shirt. People were looking at him strangely, but he didn't notice. "Xander, wait up!" Cordelia chased after him. "I'm coming with you." He shrugged. They continued their journey to the library quietly. A change for them. He slid a glance her way. He couldn't believe how much a person could be damaged by one event. Her father was in trouble for tax evasion, so now Miss High-and-Mighty Queen C was reduced to working like everyone else, and she wasn't too proud of it. That's what you get for lording your life over the rest the Sunnydale population for eighteen years. But Xander couldn't help feeling a little sorry for her. In a matter of days, her entire life was upended and everything she had known was forever changed. Except for one thing... Arguing in the dress shop where Cordelia worked was usual. They always argued, but what hadn't changed was the demons. A large dog-like creature had burst into April Fools and had attacked a young man, then had rushed off. Well, one thing was for sure, you could always depend on the Hellmouth... *~*~* The Scooby Gang sat around the television set in the library, watching a playback of the events earlier in the day at April Fools. The security tape caught the relevant parts... "Right there. See, it's, it's like he just realized he forgot to put money in the meter or something..." Xander commented on the creature's abrupt exit. "You know the part that totally weirded me out? That thing had good taste. I mean, he chucks Xander and went right for the formal wear," Cordelia commented incredulously. "That's right. He left behind his copy of Monsters Wear Daily..." Xander retorted, his sarcasm evident. "I'm serious. Look at the outfit that Xander's wearing. Now look at the kid that the monster went after. Very smooth lines, 'til he was shredded..." "I don't want to see it again," Buffy grimaced. "Buffy, I know it's horrible, but if you're going to hunt this creature, you should study it..." Giles informed her. "Think I got it..." Buffy was less than enthusiastic. Angelus was the only one not there. They hadn't wanted anyone finding out about the Gem Of Amara just yet, so she had returned to the library earlier on. I would have preferred a nice, long, leisurely morning with my lover...but nooooo, I had to come in for some demon hunting...Buffy groaned to herself. "She's right. I mean, you've seen one big hairy bringer of death, you've seen 'em all," Willow backed up her best friend. "If I'm not mistaken, this is a hellhound," Wesley informed them. "Yes," Giles agreed. "It's particularly vicious. It's sort of a demon foot soldier bred during the Mahkash Wars. Trained solely to kill. They feed off the brains of their foes." "Look! Right there, zoom in on that..." Cordelia frantically pointed to the screen. "It's a videotape," Xander told her. "So? They do it on television all the time..." "Not with a regular VCR they don't," Xander enlightened his clueless ex-girlfriend. "Perhaps we could stay on the topic for once. What were you doing this afternoon?" "What? Um, I was..." Cordelia wasn't liking her new on-the-spot role. She tried to evade Wesley's question. "Burning a hole in daddy's wallet, as usual. I just bumped into her during my tuxedo hunt." Cordelia silently thanked every god she could think of that Xander was covering for her, even though she couldn't understand why... "What's that? Pause it," Oz indicated the television set. "Guys! It's just a normal VCR," Xander argued, looking down at the remote control in his hands. "It doesn't...Oh wait, uh, it can do pause." As Xander paused the tape, the group looked on to see a young man sticking his head through the broken window. "Hello, hellhound raiser," Xander commentated. Oz grabbed the Sunnydale High Yearbook. He had recognized the young man. "Tucker Wells. He's in my chem lab." He pointed to the yearbook photograph. Wesley raised his eyebrow. "Let me guess. He was quiet, kept to himself, but always seemed like a nice young man." "He didn't seem the murderous type anyway. Something must have happened to him," the werewolf reasoned. "How's it going over there, Buff?" Xander turned to his bestest best Slayer friend. "Fine." "Well, I just wanted to say that your impersonation of an inanimate object is really coming along." "Thanks." Go away, Xander, I would rather be screwing the Christ out of a certain vampire right now. It's not as if this Hellhound thing is going to give me any trouble... "Ooooh! I got into Tucker's e-mail account." Willow gestured to the laptop she was using. "Listen to this message Tucker sent to this kid David Metz at school last week. The Sunnydale High lemmings have no idea what awaits them. Their big night will be their last night." "So, we have a threat against the students on their big night, a hellhound trained to attack people in formal wear..." Giles began. Cordelia broke in sarcastically. "Oh, are we all catching up now?" "Tucker is planning to attack the prom tonight." "Once again, the Hellmouth puts the special in special occasion..." Oz sighed at Giles' conclusion. "Why do I even buy tickets for these things, I ask you?" Xander griped. "Wonder if I can take my dress back?" the redhead mused. "Don't you dare," Buffy told them. Willow looked about ready to panic. "But Tucker is going to..." "No! You guys are going to have a prom. The kind of prom that everyone should have. I'm going to give you all a nice, fun, normal evening if I have to kill every single person on the face of the earth to do it." Xander looked at her with a strange, yet scared look on his face. "Yay?" *~*~* "Yo, Angelus! Need your help, lover boy!" Angelus perked up when he heard Buffy's voice downstairs. "Be with you in a sec, Buff," he called back. He picked up his duster from the foot of the bed and put it on. Angelus then went downstairs to follow his lover. "So, what's up, Babe?" She grinned. "We got a Hellhound under the control of some whacko student. Wants to chuck a 'Carrie' at the Prom, tonight." She looked down at his hand, checking for the ring. There was still an hour of daylight, afterall. "Okay, let's go..." "We have to meet the gang back at the library first. We'll just tell them that we took the sewer route..." Buffy told him. *~*~* Buffy and Angelus entered the library. Giles was calmly sipping his tea, while Willow, Oz and Xander sat on the steps leading up to the stacks, looking a little depressed. "Zeroes all around, Buff," Xander told her. "Sorry," Willow apologized. "Make not with the long faces," Buffy grinned, showing them a piece of paper. "I got the address. Now the prom starts in a little while. I want you guys to go on. Angel and I will catch up with you as soon as we put a lid on this jerk." "What? No way," Xander shook his head. "We can't just leave you, Buff," Willow argued with her best friend. "Buffy, they're right. You need..." Giles began. "To see taillights. Hit the door. I have everything under control, and I have Angel to back me up." Buffy put a hand on her boyfriend's arm. "Buffy, it makes sense to..." Oz started. "Have...A...Nice...Time," she told each of her friend in turn. "Okay then..." "See ya..." Willow, Xander and Oz all rushed off, grinning. "I want you at the gym. Keep an eye on them until I get there," Buffy told her former Watcher. Buffy crossed to the weapons cage and picked up her weapons of choice. Giles followed her. "I don't have to tell you that you're being rather rash. Finding an address hardly adds up to case closed." "We know what we're doing, Giles," Angelus spoke up for the first time since they had arrived. "We've had a sort of breakthrough with things, so it shouldn't be too hard to handle this guy. Don't worry, we'll meet you there." Giles nodded reluctantly as the couple left... Part Twenty-One Xander strolled through the gym with Anya on his arm. He was beginning to feel sick after all of her demon stories... "So she wished her husband's head would explode, which was great except we were standing three feet from him at the time. What a mess. Of course, you know, during the plague it was always parts falling off. Well, that got old since pretty much they were anyway. The Renaissance, that was... *~*~* Giles and Wesley stood at a nearby table munching on the various snacks. "Well, I must say this is all rather odd to me," Wesley stated. "Oh yes. At an all-male preparatory they didn't go in for this sort of thing," Giles agreed. "No, of course not. Unless you count the nights you made the lower class men get up as girls and watched them..." the young Watcher ceased his description abruptly at Giles' glare. "Dip is tasty, isn't it?" Wesley's attention was soon focused elsewhere as he spotted Cordelia enter the room. He began choking on the food in his mouth. "Sauce is hot," Wesley told Giles when he looked at the coughing Watcher. Wes looked back to Cordelia. "Very hot." *~*~* Willow and Oz were the next to arrive. "We got in. Maybe we should dance before we get besieged, bedeviled, or beheaded or something," Willow suggested. "It's not gonna happen." "You're not even a little nervous?" "You think Buffy is going to let us down?" Oz had complete confidence in the Slayer. "Want to share some punch?" Oz and Willow wandered off in the direction of the punchbowl, passing a dumbstruck Wesley on the way. He approached Cordelia. "May I say, you look smashing." "It's a start," Cordelia grinned. Cordelia took Wesley's arm with a smile. Maybe things weren't so bad after all... *~*~* "So then this one time, this girl wished her ex would cannibalize himself. Even I had a hard time watching that, let me tell you..." Anya continued. "Cordelia! Wesley! My god in heaven, it's good to see you. How are you both? And details, please..." Xander's voice was pleading as he saw Wesley and Cordelia approach them. "Very well, thank you," Wesley's voice was strained. "Yes, thank you." Thank you for paying off this dress for me, Xander, and thank you for not letting me be humiliated in front of the others and covering for me...thank you... "It looks good on you," Xander acknowledged her meaning. "Well, duh!" she grinned. Xander smiled at her as the two couples parted and continued across the floor. Meanwhile, Giles chatted with a couple of people, all the while, keeping and eye out for Buffy and Angel... *~*~* Buffy silently moved down the stairs of Tucker's house. "You're ready to go..." Tucker told the Hellhound. "Sorry, new plan..." The Slayer grabbed him by the shirt and thrust him away from the caged beast. "The prom's a go and you're pathetic." "Maybe. Maybe not," Tucker chuckled. The student grabbed a vase and smashed it over Buffy's head. In seconds, the boy was writhing on the floor in pain. Buffy saw Angelus standing over him. She turned her head toward the television. Sitting on top of the VCR were a number of videos that were all to do with Prommy violence. Among them, was 'Carrie'... "So that's how you did it? That's how you brainwashed the hounds to go psycho on prom?" the Slayer asked. "Neat, huh?" "I don't get it. What kind of sicko wants to destroy the happiest night of a senior's life?" "I have my reasons." He thought about every rejection he had gotten. "Do you want to go to the prom with me?" he asked another student. "No." "Whatever. Every maladjust has his reasons. Luckily for me, you're an incompetent maladjust." Buffy bound his hands and forced him through a door that led to an enclosed room. "Now I'm gonna lock you in here and then I'm gonna party like it's..." It was then that she noticed a similar setup inside, only this time, there were three empty cages... "Gotta have a redundancy system. Any incompetent knows that..." the student grinned. "My three fiercest babies are on their way to the dance right now. You think formal wear makes them crazy, wait 'til they see the mirror ball." Angelus growled and knocked the kid across the room... *~*~* Buffy saw the three hounds make their way to the entrance of where the Prom was being held. She let a crossbow bolt go, hitting one of the hounds. The two remaining hounds chased after her. "That's right. Follow Buffy. Good dogs..." Buffy murmured as she took off in a run. Within seconds, though, they beasts were distracted by a sudden rising of the music inside the hall. The two Hellhounds changed course and headed for the building. "Oh, come on. That song sucks." Buffy was disgusted. Unfortunately for the hounds, Angelus stood at the closed entrance, waiting for them...one of the hounds lunged at Angelus as Buffy entered the hallway where they were. The Slayer managed to pull out a knife and take down one of the hounds. She was pleased to see that the other had already been taken care of by her vampire lover and was laying on the floor, its neck at an odd angle... The couple dragged the dead beasts outside and into the bushes. They'd bury them later. Buffy tossed a large bag on the ground and pulled it open. She reached in and grabbed Angelus' tuxedo out and handed it to him. The vampire immediately began to remove his shirt as Buffy pulled out her Prom dress. She looked up, received an eyeful of a naked Angelus and threw her dress back in the bag. "What the Hell, it was a quick kill..." Buffy grinned as she pounced on her lover, possessing his mouth with her own. It wasn't until half and hour later that they got dressed and entered the building not fifty feet away... *~*~* Buffy entered the dance on the arm of Angelus. She looked around and was pleased to see a number of jealous looks from many of the girls. As her gaze swept the room, she came across Giles, who raised his glass to her in a silent salute and smiled. Buffy grinned. Willow and Oz noticed her next and went up to her. "Buffy, you look awesome." "So do you," Buffy smiled at her best friend. Angelus tightened his grip around her waist. They were still recovering from their impromptu coupling in the bushes outside. "Everything cool?" Oz asked, sure that it was. "Coolest. n Devil dogs are history. How's the prom?" "Strangely affecting. I got all teared up when they played 'We Are Family'." "Everything's perfect..." Willow held onto her boyfriend's arm as the couples separated and decided to dance... *~*~* The entire senior class of 1999 was waiting in anticipation for the award winners and were gathered around the stage area. "And the award for Sunnydale High's Class Clown for 1999 goes to Jack Mayhew." Jack ran up to the stage, sporting a balloon hat and blow-whistle. "Please! Anybody can be a prop class clown. You know, none of the people who vote for these things are even funny..." Xander was sore that he hadn't won. Buffy stood at the punch bowl, not really interested in the awards. She was too busy with her Angelus. The vampire in question was standing behind her, his front plastered to her back. They failed to notice when the award announcer left the stage in favor of Jonathan. "We have one more award to give out. Is Buffy Summers here tonight? Did she, um..." Jonathan began. Buffy was still busy with Angelus. By this time, she had turned in his arms and the couple were kissing. "Buffy..." Willow tried to get her friend's attention. "Buffy!" Buffy broke off the kiss and turned to the group of students that was regarding her with amusement. Jonathan smiled while continuing his speech. "This is actually a new category. First time ever. I guess there were a lot of write-in ballots, and, um, the prom committee asked me to read this." He pulled out a slip of paper and unfolded it. "'We're not good friends. Most of us never found the time to get to know you, but that doesn't mean we haven't noticed you. We don't talk about it much, but it's no secret that Sunnydale High isn't really like other high schools. A lot of weird stuff happens here.'" Various voices floated up from the crowd of students... "Zombies!" "Hyena people!" "Snyder!" Th entire group burst into laughter at the last mention. Jonathan continued to read the note. "'But, whenever there was a problem or something creepy happened, you seemed to show up and stop it. Most of the people here have been saved by you, or helped by you at one time or another. We're proud to say that the Class of '99 has the lowest mortality rate of any graduating class in Sunnydale history.'" The crowd applauded and hooted. "'And we know at least part of that is because of you. So the senior class, offers its thanks, and gives you, uh...this.'" Buffy slowly made her way to the stage. She turned back and smiled at Angelus, who smiled right back, even though he used to be one of those things that she protected the students from. Jonathan bent down and handed her the award, a miniature umbrella that sparkled in the light. "It's from all of us, and it has written here, 'Buffy Summers, Class Protector'..." The crowd cheered for it's protector as Buffy accepted the award from Jonathan... *~*~* Much later, Giles was sitting by one of the tables, content to watch the students dance, when Wesley approached and sat by him. "Mr. Giles. I'd like your opinion. While the last thing I want to do is muddle bad behavior in front of impressionable youth, I wonder if asking Miss Chase to dance would..." "For God's sake, man, she's eighteen. And you have the emotional maturity of a blueberry scone. Just have at it, would you, and stop fluttering about...Giles told the man and walked off. "Right, then. Thanks for that..." *~*~* Cordelia and Wesley weren't the only ones dancing... "This isn't bad..." Anya commented to her date, while resting her head on his shoulder... *~*~* Giles walked up to Buffy, who was waiting for Angelus to bring her back a drink. "You did good work tonight, Buffy." "And I got a little toy surprise..." the Slayer grinned as she held up her umbrella. Her former Watcher smiled at her. "I had no idea that children en masse could be gracious." "Every now and then, people surprise you..." Buffy informed him. "Every now and then..." Giles took Buffy's umbrella and stepped out of the way as Angelus approached. The vampire smiled his thanks, putting down the drink and taking Buffy's hand, leading her out onto the dance floor. Giles watched the couple, strangely content to see her with a demon, but happy... Buffy and Angelus slow danced to the soft strains of the music playing. Buffy rested her head on his shoulder and smiled to herself. "We did good..." "You did good..." Angelus told her, pride seeping from his voice. "I love you..." the Slayer murmured to her lover as they swayed to the music. Angelus kissed the top of her head. "I love you, too, Baby..." Part Twenty-Two Along with the rest of the graduating class, Xander and Cordelia were signing for their graduation outfits. "I can't believe this loser look. I lobbied so hard for the teal. No one ever listens to me. A lone fashionable wolf..." Cordelia complained. "I like the Maroon. Has more dignity..." Xander studied the folded cloth. "Dignity? You? In relation to clothes? I am awash in a sea of confusion." "I just want to look respectable in this, considering I'm probably gonna die in it!" Xander retorted. "Excuse me?" "I'm telling you. I woke up the other day with this feeling in my gut. I just know there's no way I'm getting out of this school alive," Xander continued. "Wow, you've really mastered the power of positive giving-up," Cordelia observed wryly. "I've been lucky too many times. My number's coming up. And I was short! One more rotation and I'm shipping state-side, you know what I mean?" "Seldom if ever," Cordelia stated matter-of-factly. *~*~* By the stairs just down the hall, Willow was swapping yearbooks with another student for signing. They parted just as Harmony made her way down the stairs. Willow was full of wistful smiles at the thought of finally leaving Sunnydale High. "Bye! We'll keep in touch!" "Willow, will you sign my yearbook?" Harmony had paused at the bottom of the steps and handed Willow her yearbook. "Yeah. You have to sign mine too..." Willow grinned. "You know, I really wish we would've got to know each other better," Harmony smiled, her usual bitchiness absent. "Me too." "I mean, you're so smart. I always wanted to be like that..." Harmony confessed. "Thanks. You're so sweet." "I hope we won't lose touch..." Harmony smiled. "No, we'll hang out..." Willow called after her as they gave back each other's books and parted. "Bye!" "Bye!" Harmony left just as Buffy made her way down the stairs. "Oh, I'm gonna miss her..." Willow stated. Buffy raised her eyebrows. "Don't you hate her?" Willow was still smiling. "Yes, with a fiery vengeance. She picked on me for ten years, the vacuous tramp. It's like a sickness, Buffy. I'm just missing everything. I miss P.E." The couple crossed the room to the student lounge area. "I think it's contagious." Buffy looked around at her fellow students and continued, "The whole senior class has turned into the Sixties, or what I would have imagined the Sixties would have been like without the war and the hairy armpits." "You don't feel it?" "No, I don't. I guess I'll miss stuff, but I just don't get the whole graduation thing. I mean you get a piece of paper and nothing changes. I don't even think I'm gonna go..." Buffy confessed. Willow rested her hand on the drink machine after she punched in her selection. "Old trusty soda machine. I push you for root beer, you give me coke." The redhead frowned at her best friend after she picked up her drink. "What do you mean, not go? Why not?" Buffy just looked at her in disbelief. "Ascension. Mayor becoming a demon. Snacking upon populace. I was planning on fighting him..." "You can't do both?" "Both what?" Xander approached the duo and sat down at the table. "Go to graduation and fight the Mayor," Buffy informed him. "The Mayor?" he looks at the two of them. "What, you guys didn't hear?" "Hear what?" Buffy asked. "Guess who our commencement speaker is?" "Siegfried?" Willow asked hopefully. "No," Xander told her. "Roy?" "No." "One of the tigers?" Willow was really reaching now. Xander glared at his long-time best friend. "Come out of the fantasy, Will." "I don't believe this..." Buffy stated in stunned disbelief. "Lends credence to my whole "I'm gonna die" theorem, doesn't it?" Xander observed. "The Mayor at graduation? A hundred helpless kids to feed on. Got any other surprises for us?" *~*~* Meanwhile, at City Hall, the Mayor was contemplating his foes. By now, the group would know where and when the Ascension would take place. Unfortunately, his Faith was dead, and wouldn't be joining him. The time for the Slayer and her little friends to die was almost there, not to mention Angelus. He's have something special on store for the vampire who had taken his Faith from him... *~*~* Xander tried to sneak into class. As usual, he was more than fashionably late. He quickly took a seat to Anya's right... "Thank you for joining us, Mr. Harris," his teacher said turning away from the chalkboard. Xander grimaced and gave his teacher a two thumbs up. "Look, I realize that you've all finished your finals and you're ready to move on. But you haven't graduated yet. This is still a class and everyone will participate. Mr. Harris, would you care to begin..." "Umm...E." "No. There's no E..." his teacher chuckled. "They always go for the E." He turned back to the chalkboard, and their game of hangman. "Next! Steven." Anya leant over to talk to Xander. "Hi." "Hey." "So, I was wondering, maybe if you were free this weekend, maybe we could do some entertaining thing..." the former demon offered. "Would that be along the lines of you telling me about all the men you destroyed back in your demon days? Cause pencil me in," Xander said with false enthusiasm. "Well, we could do something else you like. We could watch sports of some kind..." she shrugged. "Uh, I don't know." "Men like sports. I'm sure of it." Xander sighed. "Yes. Men like sports. Men watch the action move, they eat of the beef, and enjoy to look at the bosoms. A thousand years of avenging our wrongs and that's all you've learned?" His tone was incredulous. "I'm trying, okay? You don't need to take my head off." Xander immediately backed off. "I'm sorry. Look, I don't even know if I'm going to make it to the next weekend. I'll tell you what, I survive the Ascension and maybe you and I can do some sports related...What?" He turned back to her at the last second, then he noticed the truly horrified and panicked look on her face... *~*~* As usual, Buffy skipped the period before lunch and ducked out to the mansion to visit her lover. "Angelus?" she called out as she entered the mansion. "In here," he called back from the kitchen area. Buffy followed the voice, and was stunned to see one of the benches covered with dishes of food. She watched as Angelus picked up one and took it outside. "Hey Buff, could you grab a couple of those and bring them out here?" She smiled when she took a dish out to him. There was a large blanket set out on the ground beneath a large tree. A picnic... Angelus took her hand and sat her down as he went back inside to grab a few more things. Buffy laid the dish she was holding onto the blanket and peaked under the lid. It was fried rice. "Oooh, yum!" she murmured to herself. The various aromas of the different dishes wafted up to her and engaged her senses. Angelus grinned as he brought more dishes out and saw his Buffy close her eyes, pleasure lighting her face. "Chinese..." she realized. "You can cook Chinese?" Buffy asked as she opened her eyes. The vampire laughed. "Asian food is the one type I'm hopeless at. It's take-out, but if it helps any, I picked it up myself? I mean, I'm a vampire, we're not commonly daywalkers, so that's got to count for something, right?" Buffy grinned and leaned over to plant a kiss on his lips as he sat down with her. "It'll do..." "So, how long are you here for today?" Angelus queried innocently. Buffy sighed. "Not long enough for what you're thinking, lover." He leered. "I could make it quick..." Buffy innocently picked up the chopsticks that were on the blanket. "I'm hungry..." she told him matter-of-factly as she dug into the sweet 'n' sour pork... "Hmmph!" Continue 