3rd Person's POV

"She's possessed!"

Giles, Willow, Laney, and Xander sit in the student lounge at the school as Willow tries to explain Buffy's attitude change to Giles.

"Possessed?"

Willow nods, "That's the only explanation that makes any sense. I mean, you should've seen her last night. That wasn't Buffy."

Xander raises his hand, "Are we overlooking the idea that she may be very attracted to me?"

He gets looks from the others and concedes, "She's possessed."

Laney giggles to herself making Xander turn and smile at her.

"Glad you're back." He whispers.

"Glad to be back."

Giles frowns still confused, "Possessed by what?"

Willow shrugs, "Aaaaa possessing thing!"

"Well, that narrows it down." Giles replies sarcastically. He takes a sip of his soda and winces at its sweetness.

"Well, you're the expert Doc."

Xander sits up at attention, "Hey, maybe when the Master killed her some... mystical bad guy transference thing happened."

Willow nods, "That's what it was! I mean, why else would she be acting like such a b-i-t-c-h?"

Giles sighs, "Willow, I think we're all a little too old to be spelling things out."

"A bitca?"

Giles not surprised by Xander's misunderstanding ignores him, "Yes. I suggest that, uh, the explanation for her behavior may be something more, more mundane."

The bell rings and the students around them begin to leave for class. Giles sits at the couch in the middle of the lounge area. Willow sits beside him and Xander and Laney sit on the other couch within good distance of each other.

"She may simply have what you Americans refer to as issues. Uh, her experience with the Master must have been extremely traumatic. Well, she was, for at least a few minutes, technically dead."

Buffy appears in the door and walks over slowly.

"I-I don't think she's dealt with that on a conscious level."

Xander notices Buffy and looks wide eyed.

"She's convinced herself that she's invulnerable... for the very reason that she feels..."

Xander interrupts, "That's a very interesting point about trout, you just brought up now."

Buffy walks up to them.

Giles frowns confused, "Trout?" He notices Buffy, "Trout! Yes, trout, i-is a fish. Good morning. Did you sleep well?"

"Like a rock. Master's gone."

Giles stammers, "I'm sorry?"

"The Master. I went by his grave last night, and they have a vacancy."

"Good God!"

Willow shivers, "What would somebody want with Master bones?"

Laney shrugs, "A trophy, a horrible conversation piece? Definitely not my taste."

Buffy glares, "This isn't a joking matter. They're gonna bring him back. They're gonna bring the Master back to life, and I seem to recall you telling me he was history."

Giles frowns, "Buffy, I-I-I've never heard of a-a revivification ritual being successful."

"But you've heard of them? Thanks for the warning."

Laney scoffs, "Are you serious right now? Giles did bury him and he's the watcher. He's the literal expert on all this-"

"Look, this is Slayer stuff, okay? Could we have just a little less from the civilians, please?"

Xander stands up, "Okay, that's just about enough!"

Buffy shoots Xander a look.

Snyder interrupts, "I believe some of us have class? And some of us have jobs."

"Y-yes, well, I'll, uh, I'll see you all, uh, in the library later. We'll, we'll continue this discussion."

Willow nods, "About trout."

"Alright, alright, I-I-I've got something. It's Latin, so bear with me. Uh, to revive the vampire they need his bones, uh... w-which they have, and, um, the blood... this is very unclear, of the closest person... uh, someone connected to the vampire."

Buffy crosses her arms over her chest, "That'd be me."

Giles shrugs, "Perhaps."

"We were close. We killed each other. It really promotes togetherness."

"Well, is there anything on when the ceremony might take..."

Xander starts but is interrupted by a rock crashing through the window. Buffy catches the rock in her hands. It has a note wrapped around it and kept in place with a bracelet.

Laney walks over and yanks the rock out of Buffy's hand, "This is Cordelia's."

She takes off the note and reads it, "'Come to the Bronze before it opens, or we make her a meal.'"

Xander frowns, "They're gonna cook her dinner?"

He gets looks from everyone.

Laney sighs, "Really Alex?"

"I'll pretend I didn't say that."

Willow frowns, "What do we do?"

Buffy exhales, "I go to the Bronze and save the day"

Xander shakes his head, "I don't like this."

"Nor I!"

Buffy turns back with a glare.

"Yeah? Well, you guys aren't going."

Willow frowns, "What do you mean?"

"I can't do it anymore. I can't look after the four of you guys while I'm fighting."

"Well, what about the rest of the note?"

"What rest of the note?"

Laney scoffs with a slight glare, "The part that says, 'P.S. This is a trap'? You'll be playing straight into their hands. We need to stay here and figure out the ritual. Whatever it is they don't want us to know otherwise we'll stop them from whatever it is they needed the master's remains for. I think we-"

Buffy shakes her head, "I can handle this."

Willow glares lightly, "Stop saying that! God, what's wrong with you?"

"Cordelia may be dead."

"Alex!"

"Sorry."

"This is my fight." Buffy leaves and grabs her coat and bag on the way out.

Willow just watches her go. Xander shakes his head. Giles puts his glasses back on. And Laney frowns holding Cordelia's bracelet right in her grasp.

Giles and Laney continue researching as Willow and Xander rose the rock back and forth.

Willow frowns, "I still think we should've gone with her."

Laney scoffs shaking her head, "Buffy's about to lose it. I think we should be trying to reach minimum safe distance."

"Laney, you know it's a trap!"

"Yeah well did she listen to me?"

Giles leaps up out of his chair making everyone stand and lean over him to read the book in his hands.

"Ah! Ah, ah, ah! Uh, uh, the Latin is, is translated from the Sumerian, a-a-and rather badly. Closest to the Master actually translates as 'nearest'. Physically. The, the, the person or persons who were with him... when he..."

Laney looks up, "It is a trap."

Several vampires appear on the mezzanine level above.

Giles frowns, "It just isn't for her."

Laney sighs as she holds a fighting stance.

"Sometimes I hate being right."

𝑊ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑑𝑖𝑑 𝑦'𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑘 𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑝𝑡𝑒𝑟? 𝑆𝑜𝑟𝑟𝑦 𝑖𝑡𝑠 𝑠𝑜 𝑠ℎ𝑜𝑟𝑡 𝑏𝑢𝑡 𝐼'𝑣𝑒 𝑔𝑜𝑡 𝑎 𝑓𝑒𝑤 𝑔𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑠 𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑛𝑛𝑒𝑑!! 𝑆𝑜 𝑒𝑥𝑐𝑖𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑠𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑜𝑛!! ✨

𝑊ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑑𝑜 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑔𝑢𝑦𝑠 𝑤𝑎𝑛𝑡 𝑡𝑜 𝑠𝑒𝑒?😏

𝑊ℎ𝑜 𝑤𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑙𝑖𝑘𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑠𝑒𝑒 𝑚𝑜𝑟𝑒 𝑜𝑓? 🤔

𝑊ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑠ℎ𝑖𝑝𝑠 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑠𝑎𝑖𝑙𝑒𝑑? 💛