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Disclaimer: The characters all belong to Joss.

Chapter 12: Prophecy Girl (Part 2 of 3)

A/N Prophecy Girl is one of those pivotal episodes of Buffy for Buffy. I didn't think I could do it justice by summarizing it, so this next chapter is both long and mostly straight from the show. Don't worry though, if you don't feel like reading what's more or less a transcript, just look for the &&&&&&&&& section break. That's the point at which I start rewriting.

Buffy sat in her room looking through a photo album and listening to the radio.

Her mother knocked on the door and peeked in.

"Hi, honey. You alright?"

"Sure," Buffy said without emotion.

"Probably just full from that bite of dinner you nearly had."

"Feel like telling me what's on your mind?" her mother asked concerned.

Buffy spun around excitedly to face her mom, "Mom, let's go away!"

"What?"

"Anywhere, just for a while, all weekend!" She was desperate to convince her mother.

"Honey, I-"

"No, it'll be great!" She was more and more excited by the idea. "You and me, a mother-daughter thing. . . We can talk about all the embarrassing things you love to bring up."

"You know the gallery's open on weekends."

Buffy's face fell. "Mom, please!"

"Isn't the Prom tomorrow night? Or Spring Fling, whatever they're calling it?"

"I-I guess."

"Nobody asked you?"

"Oh, someone. . ."

"But not the right someone. See, sometimes I actually do know what you're thinking." Joyce went over to Buffy's closet. "Well, then, uh, this probably isn't the best time for this, but, uh. . ." Joyce was smiling in anticipation of her daughters reaction.

She opened the closet to reveal the beautiful white sleeveless gown that Buffy had been desperate to have.

"I saw you eyeing it at the store. I figured. . ."

Buffy got up. She couldn't believe her mother had gotten the dress for her. "Mom, we can't afford this."

"The way you've been eating, we can afford it."

Buffy ran the shimmering fabric through her fingers. She was so touched by her mothers gesture. Her understanding.

"It's beautiful," was all she could say.

"I think you should wear it. To the dance."

"No, I-I can't go to the dance," Buffy said. Her eyes tore away from the dress toward the floor.

"Says who? Is it written somewhere? You should do what you want. Homecoming, my freshman year of college. I didn't have a date, so I got dressed up and I went anyway."

"Was it awful?"

"It was awful," she paused dramatically, "For about an hour."

"Then what happened?"

Joyce wore a big grin, "I met your father."

"He didn't have a date either?" Buffy smiled, her mother's story taking her thoughts away from her doom for the first time.

"He did. And that's a much funnier story that you will NOT get to hear. Oh, but it was a beautiful night!" Her mother exhaled; a dreamy look crossed her face.

"And you had your whole life ahead of you," Buffy said, wistfully.

"Yeah."

Buffy looked away. "Must be nice."

**************************

Cordelia and Willow walked down the stairs of the high school.

"Oh, Kevin said that he'd bring everything to the Bronze last night. He promised! We'll never get everything ready in time," Cordelia said.

"He probably forgot. It's not THAT big a deal." Willow said.

"Uh, you don't understand. I'm not mad! He totally flaked on me. On me! And I don't even care. God help me, I think it's cute! Oh. . ."

Willow smiled. Cordelia in love, who would have thought it possible. It was almost human. They reached the Audio-Visual room. Through the window they could see Kevin and his friends lounging about the room.

"There they are! They're watching cartoons. That's so cu. . ." Cordelia caught herself. "That's not cute. That's annoying. I'm annoyed."

"Right. I'm furious," Willow humored her.

"Men. I don't know why we put up with them."

"I hear ya."

"Obviously, Kevin has underestimated the power of my icy stare," Cordelia said.

As she opened the door Kevin's body fell into the hall, dead, a bite visible on his neck.

Cordelia screamed. "Oh, my God! Kevin!" She knelt by him. "No!"

Willow looked up from the pair and went hesitantly into the room, taking in the site of the dead teenagers, and their blood spread around the room. She noticed a bloody hand print on the TV behind which Looney Toons was playing.

"Kevin!" Cordelia cried.

*****************

Buffy stood before the mirror in her room, admiring her new white dress, wondering what Spike would think if he saw her in it.

Her mother ran into the room. "Buffy?! There's something on the news. Willow."

*******************

Buffy sat next to Willow on Willow's bed. The light from the setting sun offered little illumination.

"I've seen so much," Willow said blankly. She was hugging her knees and it was obvious she had been crying. "I thought I could take anything. But, Buffy, this. . . this was different."

"It'll be alright." Buffy comforted her friend.

"I'm trying to think how to say it. . . to explain it so you understand."

"It doesn't matter as long as you're okay."

"I'm not okay. I knew those guys. I go to that room every day. And when I walked in there, it. . . it wasn't our world anymore. They made it theirs. And they had fun." A tear rolled down her cheek. "What are we gonna do?"

"What we have to," Buffy said. Her friend didn't hear the slight edge of fear in her voice. She got up off the bed. "Promise me you'll stay in tonight, okay?"

Willow nodded. Buffy started to go.

"Buffy?"

Buffy stopped and turned back.

Willow smiled through her tears. "I like your dress."

Buffy looked down at it and smiled weakly, then she looked back up.

"Take care," she said as she left.

**********************

Giles was getting weapons out of the cage in the library and preparing them as Ms. Calendar watched.

"Okay, so this Master guy tried to open the Hellmouth," said Ms. Calendar. "But he got stuck in it, and now all the signs are reading that he's gonna get out, which opens the Hellmouth, which brings the demons, which ends the world."

"Yes. That about sums it up, yes." Giles nodded.

"The part that gets me, though, is where Buffy is the Vampire Slayer. She's so little," Ms. Calendar said crinkling her nose.

"You know how to get in touch with this, uh, brother Luca chap?" Giles said, referring to the monk who had read several of the portents of doom.

"Hmm. As far as I can tell, no one can. He's disappeared. Did send out one last global though. A short one.

"What did it say?"

"Isaiah 11:6, which I dutifully looked up." Ms. Calendar picked up the Bible she had marked, prepared to tell Giles what she had found.

"The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf, the lion and the fatling together, and the little child to lead them." Giles quoted.

"That's kinda warm and fuzzy for a message of doom."

"Well, that depends where he's leading them to. Aurelius wrote of the Anointed One, 'The Slayer will not know him, and he will lead her into Hell.'"

"So Luca thinks the Anointed is a kid."

"If the vampire that Buffy killed was in fact not the Anointed, then it may well be." Giles unsheathed a knife and examined the blade.

"Well, then we need to warn her."

"I don't intend involving her at all."

"What do you mean?"

"Buffy's not gonna face the Master. I am."

"No, you're not," said Buffy as she entered the library. Her hands were on her hips. All traces of her former fear were gone. "So, I'm looking for a kid, huh? And he'll lead me to the Master?" she asked business like.

"Buffy, I'm not gonna send you out there to die," Giles told her firmly, "Now, you were right. I-I've waded around in these old books for so long, I've forgotten what the real world is like. I-it's time I found out."

The Slayer and the Watcher faced off.

"You're still not going up against the Master," Buffy insisted.

"I've made up my mind."

"So have I."

"I made up my mine first! I'm older and wiser than you, and just. . . just do what you're told for once! Alright?"

"That's not how it goes. I'm the Slayer."

"I don't care what the books say. I defy prophecy, and I am going. There's nothing you can say that will change my mind."

"I know."

She pretended to turn and go, but instead punched him in the face, knocking him out. He fell backward to the floor. Ms. Calendar scrambled to his aid.

Buffy picked her cross up off the table and put it back on.

Ms. Calendar lifted Giles' head into her lap. She looked up at Buffy.

"When he wakes up tell him. . . " Buffy realized she didn't want to think about what her last words to her Watcher might be. She couldn't think of anything that could encompass how she felt about everything he had done for her. "I don't know. Think of something cool, tell him I said it."

"You fight the Master, and you'll die," reasoned Ms. Calendar.

"Maybe." She picked up the crossbow Giles had been preparing. "Maybe I'll take him with me."

She left the library and the school. As soon as she got outside Buffy saw a young boy on the front lawn.

"Help me. . ." said the boy.

She lowered the crossbow and walked over to him.

"It's okay. I know who you are," she told him.

The boy vampire held out his hand. She took it, and he lead her away.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

As soon as the sun had set, Spike had set off in the direction of the Summers' house. He didn't know what he was going to say to Buffy. Half of him wanted to run off with her out of this town, away from all duty, responsibility, and the cruel whims of fate. He would have, too - if he thought they could run far enough.

He knocked on the door and Joyce answered.

"Hello, Spike," she said smiling.

"Hello, Joyce. Is your daughter home?"

"No, she just left. There was. . . there was an attack at the school. Willow was there. . ."

"Willow? Is she all right?" Spike was ready to bolt. He didn't actually know the red-headed girl but he knew that she was Buffy's friend, and that was enough for him.

"It's okay. I mean, why don't you come in?" Joyce moved aside so he could enter. He nodded and followed her inside. "She wasn't there during the attack, she found the bodies."

Spike breathed a sigh of relief. He didn't notice how closely Joyce was scrutinizing him.

"It's you, isn't it?" she asked.

"Huh?"

"Buffy. Earlier, she said that the wrong boy asked her to the dance. You're the one she wanted to ask her."

"I didn't know about any dance, but um, maybe. Look Joyce-"

"She's too young for you."

"I know, Joyce, I. . . I'm sorry about this. It wasn't anything I intended. Your daughter, she's. . . she's Buffy. You know?" he cocked his head at her. So much for the poet. He couldn't even think of a single adjective to describe Buffy.

Joyce smiled at him, "I know. So you love her?"

He nodded.

"Hurt her, push her too far, and you'll regret it. But I don't think you'd do that."

"Perfect gentleman, I promise you. I wouldn't want to hurt her anymore than I'd want to ruin our friendship. We are still friends aren't we?"

"Yes, Spike. Just remember how young she is." The older Summers' woman smiled at him.

He smiled back. Vampire or not, he thought she would manage to make him suffer if he hurt her little girl.

"I need to find her Joyce. . . I'll see you around."

He left the Summers' house and got back into his DeSoto. He felt awful for lying to Joyce, about who he was, and about hurting her daughter. He'd already killed her once, even if it was only a nightmare. Now he was trying to send her off to her death.

He drove to Willow's house, but found out that Buffy had already left there. He was driving to the school when he noticed Buffy's other friend Xander. He pulled over and got out of his car.

"Just the dead guy I was looking for," said Xander.

"Hello to you too. Do you know where Buffy is? I have to find her."

"She's gone."

Spike's withered heart contracted even more. It was too late. She had already been killed.

"No," he moaned.

"Buffy, she's gone to fight the Master," Xander continued.

Spike could have hit the whelp.

"Look, I know you can find this Master guy. He's underground, right? Take me to him." Xander demanded.

Spike looked the boy over. He wasn't much to look at, but he had guts. Spike could appreciate that. Still the boy was going to get himself killed.

"You're way outta your league, whelp. The Master'll kill you before you can even breathe. If you're lucky."

"How can I say this clearly?" Xander said as he held up a cross.

Instinctively Spike growled and backed up. 'The whelp's not totally daft,' he thought. He had to admire him.

"I don't like you. At the end of the day, I pretty much think you're a vampire." Xander lowered the cross. "But Buffy's got this big old yen for you. She thinks you're a real person. And right now I need you to prove her right."

Understanding dawned on Spike. "You're in love with her."

"Aren't you?"





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