Haunted

Season 8, episode 2

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Acknowledgments: Many thanks to Linda for beta reading this episode.

Dawn fell in love at first sight. The mansion they chose as the new council headquarters was so quintessentially British you could imagine the queen staying there, you know, if she wanted to slum it for a while. It was exactly the kind of house she’d dreamed of as a child, full of history, and nooks and crannies to explore.

It was a ways away from London proper, out in zone four. But that worked out well because they needed access to new graveyards for training. The house stood at the crest of a hill, and offered a lovely view of the residential area surrounding it.

The building had once been an abbey and had plenty of rooms for the slayers in training. Part of the main floor was allotted to council-related matters. There was a meeting room, library, kitchen, and dinning room for communal use. In addition they created five apartments on the upper levels, one each for Buffy and Dawn, Giles, Willow, Xander, and Faith.

Late one night, Dawn was up finishing her homework on the main floor. She'd missed a lot of her sophomore year due to acts of primordial evil. And that, coupled with transferring into the British educational system, had put her horribly behind in most subjects, with the exception, of course, of foreign languages.

Social life-wise her new school was a huge improvement. And if she could keep Buffy from dropping by, it might stay that way. She actually found she had a bit of cool cache from being American, though she got tired of questions like, "Do you know Britney Spears?" and "Did you used to ride a horse to school?" She was pretty sure they were joking but she had a lingering fear that they weren't.

After three grueling hours she finished the last of her Calculus make up and decided to call it a night. She gathered up her papers and books and trudged up the stairs to the apartment she and Buffy shared.

They’d done a lot of work on the building; still, the mansion was quite old and squeaked in a lot of places. Dawn had to move quickly and quietly to avoid waking Buffy. She crossed the living room, softly pressed her door shut and turned to face the rotting corpse of a young girl.

"AHHH," Dawn cried pressing herself against the door. "BUFFFAAY." The corpse lunged at her and passed through her before she had finished screaming.

A second later Buffy burst through the door, shoving Dawn aside. "What? What is it?" she asked standing in the middle of the room, looking confused and holding a rather stylish stake.

It took Dawn a moment to recognize the stake as the leg of one of the antique chairs the house had come with.

"See, this is why we can't have nice things," Dawn joked, still a little out of breath.

Buffy was too groggy and worried to even begin to make sense of what Dawn had said. "Again, what? What … the screaming?"

"I saw a ghost."

Buffy lowered her stake. "A ghost?"

"Yeah, she was all gross and rotten and she flew right through me."

"Was she anyone we know?"

"No, I don't think it was the first, she didn't even say anything."

"And you'd tell me if she had, right?" Buffy said pointedly.

"Yes, I totally would, I swear it's like a real ghost."

"Ok,” Buffy said letting her guard down. “Let's get back to bed, it's not like it can hurt us tonight. We’ll look into exorcisms in the morning."

Willow woke with a start. She was alone in the bed. It took her a minute to remember that Kennedy had decided to stay at her apartment in town after another of their fights. Willow looked around and tried to figure out what had woken her, but she couldn't think clearly, and the heat wasn’t helping.

"Claro," Willow intoned, trying to clear her mind. It helped a little, allowing her to stumble to the thermostat. It was at 0. "Ok, thermostat’s just broken," she said to herself. "Not so unusual, no evil here." She turned and stepped into a pool of red ooze. She jerked back but she couldn't get away, the pool had spread, and continued to spread. She stumbled backward and groped for dry ground but the pool was spreading too quickly and the harder she struggled the more viscous is became until she could barely move.

"Help!" she called, racking her brain for a spell that might help but nothing came. ‘Buffy,’ she thought, ‘Buffy will make it go away.’

"BUFFAY.” ‘Ok, now we wait calmly and Buffy comes … too late and I'm already engulfed in the ooze,’ Willow thought as she looked down at the now waist height sludge.

Just then Buffy and Dawn burst in.

"Willow," Buffy cried and reached out for her, but they were too far away and she couldn't get closer without getting trapped herself.

Buffy stripped off her sweat pants and tossed a leg to Willow and pulled her to the doorway and out of the ooze. As she lifted Willow free the pool disappeared leaving the room normal.

"Ok, everyone saw that right?" Willow asked. "I'm not just trippin’ on the magic again."

"No, that was real," Buffy replied.

"The ghost can't hurt us, huh?" Dawn asked looking at Buffy.

"Sometimes I'm wrong."

"You saw a ghost?" Willow asked.

"Yep, new house, new horrors," Dawn replied. "Do you think we bring it with us, or is it just luck?"

Willow opened her mouth to say something.

"No, no one we know," Dawn answered.

"Well that's something,” Willow said as she straightened her p.j.s and hair. “Hey, mind if I stay with you tonight?"

Xander didn't like to admit it but sleeping was hard without Anya. They hadn't been together full time for over a year but with her dead, sleeping alone seemed less like a "temporarily in the dog house" thing and more like he'd never know love and companionship again.

Plus, when he woke up there was always that panic moment when he tried to look around, and could only see one side of the room. It'd been a while, but waking up to his limited vision still came as a surprise.

Because, in his dreams - he was whole.

Instead of lying in bed thinking of Anya and dreading waking up Xander decided to spend his nights more productively; he studied. If he didn't know they'd already averted it, he'd take that as a sign of the apocalypse.

That night he'd taken up a spot in the meeting room, as the library renovations weren't yet complete. He was trying to memorize fun new vocab words like "recondite" and "peripatetic" when the thumping started.

He looked up and tried to identify the source of the sound. Suddenly a young man appeared before him, waved enthusiastically and disappeared.

"I get it,” Xander said calmly, “the house is haunted, real scary. Well you can give it up, we don't frighten that easily."

The lights went out and the thumping stopped. Xander stood up feeling every second of the preternatural calm. "Ok, kinda creepy, but Buffy and Willow, they don't scare so easy and they are gonna kick your … whatever it is that when you kick it, hurts you. HELP."

He stumbled to the door, but when he got there he couldn't find it. "Ok, ok, I know this, chainsaw," Xander said trying to calm himself. "I just need Giles and a chainsaw. GILES!"

He stumbled back the way he came but before he could find another exit the door he couldn't find flew open to reveal a dramatically back lit Buffy, Willow and Dawn. For a moment all he could think was how much they looked like Charlie's Angels, only hotter. Except Dawn, no hotness for Dawn. This thought was soon replaced by ‘Why isn't Buffy wearing any pants?’ ‘Gift horse,’ his brain replied.

"Lumina," Willow yelled and the room filled with light, creepy, no discernable source light, but hey, better than nothing.

"What the hell is going on?" he asked.

"Haunting, ghosts or poltergeists or something. We need to find-"

Buffy was cut off by a red blur whipping past them followed by twelve bats.

"Get these bloody things off me," Giles yelled.

Buffy rushed forward with no better plan than yelling "shoo" and waving her hands. The bats were not impressed. Her arms went right though them. "Giles, Giles, stop, they can't do anything."

"Oh,” Giles said regaining his composure, “well I feel a little silly."

Buffy looked down at his long red night shirt and up at the ineffectual bats circling his head, "As well you should."

"Very funny, now let’s get to work on this," he said, trying to regain his dignity by walking purposefully to the back of the room where most of their books were stored in boxes.

Xander, Buffy, Willow and Dawn followed, trying not to laugh. They all took up places on the floor and started hauling out books.

Faith walked in as cool as can be. "Hey I think this place is haunted. There’s this little see-through blond chick in my room," she said and plopped down next to them. "Giles, like the jammies, very cool."

"Thank you Faith, why don't you lot get started and I'll go change," Giles said.

"Don't change on my account," Faith replied.

Buffy chose to ignore the way Faith was leering at Giles and never think about it again. "Will, can you do a locator spell to find out how many spirits we're dealing with?"

"Probably," Willow said, a bit hesitant.

"What's the problem?"

"I don't know. I think they may be doing some sort of confusion spell. Earlier I couldn't think of a counter spell to get rid of the ooze and an exorcism is a lot more difficult."

"I'm not confused, you Buffy?" Xander said.

"No, the ghost knows we're not a threat, Will's probably the only one with the power to force them out so they're taking her out of the equation," Buffy replied.

"Why doesn't the big evil ever see me as a threat?" Xander asked, "I mean, yeah, total lack of power, but it could at least pretend to see me as a threat – you know out of courtesy."

"Don't feel bad, only religious fanatics are scared of me," Dawn said.

"Well we'll show ‘em," Xander replied. “We'll dazzle them with our book readin' and doughnut gettin' skills,"

"Damn straight," Dawn said. She and Xander got up and strode out of the room looking for all the world like super heroes off to battle. The effect was somewhat undermined however by Dawn's Power Puff Pjs.

"Didn't they say doughnut getting and research," Willow said.

"They've got their priorities straight," Buffy replied.

"Their number one priority being sticking us with all the work," Faith said.

"Yep, try the locator spell anyway; it'll be good to practice fighting the confusion."

“Ok, there may be some sort of incantation I can use to block it, but I don’t know how effective it’ll be.”

"Giles, your bats!" Willow exclaimed when Giles returned.

"Yes, thankfully they've moved on."

Buffy didn't look up from her book, "Aw, they would have made such cool pets."

"Yes, I found their screeching particularly charming," Giles answered. "Anyway, I suspect it's a standard case of frighten off the intruders. Willow, can you manage an exorcism?"

"I don't know, the confusion spell is pretty powerful but I did get the locator working, there are three by the way, Benedict, Kermit, and Cynthia."

"Well we have to try," Giles said.

Buffy glanced over at Willow's anxious face. "Isn't there another way? I mean ghosts are tied here for a reason, right? If we fix whatever's wrong won't they go away on their own?"

"Like in that movie," Faith said.

"What movie?" Xander asked returning with Dawn and donuts. "Please let it be Girls Gone Wild II." The girls just looked at him. "Except Dawn, no going wild for Dawn."

"Well, now that that's cleared up," Giles said taking off his glasses and cleaning them.

"Oh, it's not the Exorcist is it?" Dawn asked. "I don't want to be possessed again," she said moving closer to Buffy.

"The Exorcist, that's not randy co-ed fun," Xander said disappointedly.

Buffy squeezed Dawn's shoulders, "Don't worry, we're actually talking Sixth Sense. We're gonna solve the ghost’s problems and hopefully they'll go away."

"So three ghosts, we'll split into teams of two and each take one," Faith said.

"I'm not sure it's a good idea to split up," Buffy said.

"We'll be fine. You and Giles, Willow and Xander, me and Dawn, each team has a super power, and it'll be faster," Faith said.

"Oh Oh," Xander said. “It could be like a race on Survivor. Losing team gets kicked out of the house."

Buffy winced but no one noticed.

"Or how about we not model our life or death situation on inane American television," Giles replied.

"Ok, been here a while now and I'd just like to say your TV is way stupider."

"Is not," Giles replied indignantly, though truth be told he really had no idea what was on television these days.

"Is so."

"OK, we're splitting up," Buffy said.

Dawn pulled her aside. “No, no.”

“What’s the problem?”

“I don’t want to be with Faith. Can’t I be with Xander?”

“Um, it’s just that with all the supernatural stuff I would feel better if you were with someone with some firepower. It’ll be fine,” Buffy replied.

Giles and Buffy silently set up the candles and herbs for the summoning spell.

"So do you want to do the spell or should I?" Buffy asked.

"I'll do it," Giles replied.

“Spirit locked in time, locked the physical realm, manifest and let us hear your grievance.”

They waited a few moments and the ghost appeared above them. He was well dressed in 17^{th century garb. Buffy suddenly understood what people meant by “distinguished.”}

“Why do you summon me, intruders?”

“We want to help, you know, with the thing that traps you here,” Buffy said.

The ghost hovered silently for a long moment before he spoke, “I wish to see my daughter again, to say goodbye.”

“Easy,” cried Buffy, delighted.

“You can do this?” the ghost asked.

“Well, I’m not sure… I mean, maybe,” Giles stammered.

The ghost threw up his hands sending bats round the room “Bring her to me,” he bellowed and disappeared, leaving the bats.

Giles took off his glasses and began cleaning them with an exasperated sigh.

“What’s the problem?” Buffy shouted over the screeching bats. “This is way easier than exposing a crime or something.”

“Buffy, did you notice anything about his clothes?” Giles replied.

“Odd and British looking.”

“And also old, there’s no way that man’s daughter is still alive,” Giles yelled while waving the bats away.

“Oh, problem.”

“Yes, indeed.”

“Ok, we set pint size?” Faith asked.

“Why do you call me that?” Dawn replied.

“Cause you’re little.”

“I’m taller than you.”

“Ok. Cause you’re young.”

“What do pints have to do with youth?”

“What do annoying questions have to do with getting smacked?”

“Like you’d hit me.”

“What, you think I’m afraid of big sis?” Faith asked incredulously.

“You should be. She can totally kick your ass.”

“Only when I let her.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah”

“Well, you suck.”

“Ohh real mature Dawnie.”

“Don’t call me that.”

“Dawnie Dawnie Dawnie.”

“Stop it,” Dawn seemed to cry. But the voice was much louder and evil sounding than Dawn could have managed.

The ghost who’d frightened both of them earlier appeared again. “Be silent you pathetic children,” the ghost cried. Which was actually pretty funny considering the ghost looked to be roughly twelve years old.

“Did we do the spell?” Dawn asked. “I don’t think we-“

“I was not summoned by you, whinny brat,” the ghost said with a stomp of her foot. “You woke me from by beauty sleep.”

Faith looked at the girl’s sallow completion and the dark circles under her eyes and bit her tongue.

“We um, we wanted to talk to you,” Dawn said eyeing Faith. “We want to know what ties you here.”

“That’s none of your business.”

“But if you told us we might be able to help like that kid in Sixth Sense,” Faith objected.

The ghost looked puzzled.

“So possibly the dead don’t get out much, point is - we can help.”

The ghost grew still and said in a small voice that matched her appearance, “There is no help.”

“Right so you do the mojo and I’ll sit quietly,” Xander said.

“Sounds like a plan,” Willow replied, setting up the spell ingredients.

“You nervous?”

“Nope, got my anti-confusion mojo going and summoning is pretty non-taxing. I’m good.”

“I mean about spells in general.”

“I’m a little – nervous. I mean…” Willow said as she continued to prep the spell. “I feel better. I don’t know - something about the Scythe spell, I feel more confident, which actually may or may not be a good thing. Hence the nervousness,” she replied growing quiet.

“Are you kidding? It’s great. I always said you beat yourself up too much, one slip up, no reason to think it’ll happen again.”

“Right,” Willow agreed. But inwardly she thought, ‘He may be the one who sees everything but he’s awfully good at turning a blind eye. Either that or he really doesn’t see that it wasn’t a “little slip” it was me, the real me, the me I still have to fight every time I get angry or scared.’

Willow pushed her concerns aside and started the spell.

“I summon you spirit. Come forth and let your grievance be known.”

A young man appeared next to Willow who let out a sharp gasp.

“Oh oh don’t be frightened,” he said putting his hands up. “I only came because you summoned me.”

“And before when you turned off all the lights and disappeared the door, that was just a wacky British greeting like ‘ello but with more terror?” Xander asked.

“Please don’t be mad, it was their idea, they want you gone,” The ghost said alarmed. Though why a ghost would be scared of anything Xander couldn’t figure.

“And you? What do you want?” Willow asked.

“Oh, I don’t mind if you stay. I like company. Not that Benedict and Cynthia aren’t good company,” he said unconvincingly. “They’re really ….grouchy and mean actually. And Benedict thinks it’s still like the 1700s. You’ll stay won’t you?” he asked hopefully.

Xander and Willow looked at each other.

“Well,” Willow began, “the thing is we can stay, but we were thinking it might be better if you-“

“Wouldn’t ya like to experience the after life?” Xander interrupted. “You tell us what tethers you here, we fix it, and you win a fabulous trip to heaven or possibly the other place. But more likely heaven. You haven’t ever killed anyone have you?”

“Oh I don’t know,” the ghost said, “I think I’d better stay, cause what if she stops by and I’m not here.”

“Who? What if who stops by?” Willow asked.

“Mary.”

“She your girlfriend?” Xander asked.

“Fiancé,” the ghost replied happily.

“Ok, good, progress. What’s your name?”

“Kermit Lefroge.”

Xander burst out laughing but was silenced by an elbow from Willow.

“Um, hey sorry, cool name.”

“Thanks,” the ghost replied.

“What year did you die?” Willow asked.

“2001.”

“Ok, well how about you do whatever you do, and we’ll try to find Mary,” Willow said.

“Really? You’ll find her?”

“No problem,” said Xander, “Oh, her last name?”

“Smith.”

“Ah, right. No problem,” Xander said again.

The ghost reached across Willow to ineffectually grab Xander’s hand. “Thanks,” he said and disappeared.

“We’re gonna need a bigger library,” Willow said.

“Ok, so we call for the spirit of his daughter – like a séance thing or we fake it,” Buffy said.

“Séances don’t work and we can’t fake it. He’ll never be at rest.”

“Sure we can,” Buffy said.

“Buffy I know you don’t want to put any pressure on Willow, but we’re going to have to exorcise him,” Giles said.

“How ‘bout we have a talk with him.”

“He’s dead and disgruntled.”

“Fine then, back to the faking it idea. We’ll research the daughter, have Willow glamour me to look like her and we’ll chat.”

Giles looked at her for a moment.

“Fine, we’ll do it your way, not like I’m going to convince you otherwise.”

“Not likely.”

Willow and Xander sat in the library at adjacent computer terminals.

“Maaaria. I’m looking for a girl named Maria,” Xander sang out.

“Mary,” Willow whispered.

“Right, Mary doesn’t work as well.”

“Maybe when we find her we can convince her to change it.”

“Ok.”

“Here, here found it. ‘Mary Smith was found wandering the streets near Covent Garden again. Authorities were unable to comment on this, her third break out from the Peaceful Rest Psychiatric Hospital,’” Willow said.

“She’s nuts? That throws a monkey wrench in our plan.”

“Yeah. Here’s the article from her first break out. ‘Mary Smith … fiancé Kermit Lefroge,’ this is definitely our girl. Oh, ‘only witness to his murder in their home June 16th…’”

“God, how awful. How was he killed?” Xander asked.

Willow paused a moment. “Stray bullet.”

“Oh,” said Xander. “Hey, I thought they didn’t have guns here.”

“You can always get one if you want it badly enough,” Willow said without looking away from the paper. “Apparently there was an armed robbery at the house next door…” Willow trailed off while reading the details.

“Hey, how about we visit that hospital?” Xander said in his demented cruise director voice.

“Oh yeah. Right. We should do that,” Willow said, still dazed.

“You can’t help because I don’t need it,” Cynthia continued haughtily. “I’m a big girl.”

“You take care of yourself?” asked Dawn, “All of the time?”

“Yes,” she replied defiantly. “Benedict tries to tell me what to do sometimes but I just laugh.” Cynthia gave a low creepy cackle that sent shivers down Dawn and Faith’s backs.

“Sure, ok. And who looked after you when you were alive?” Faith said.

“No one.”

“What, you were like an orphan?”

“Yes.”

“Then who did you live with here?” Dawn asked.

“It was abandoned after Kermit got killed and Mary lost it. Till you came here I had the place to myself and I’ll have the whole place again when you’re dead,” she cried and rushed forward passing through them on the way to the kitchen.

“Should we follow her?” Dawn asked.

“Yeah let’s follow the unkillable maniac into the room with the sharp knives,” Faith said.

“You’re right we should get Buffy.”

Faith turned to her and smiled, “No, let’s follow the unkillable maniac into the room with the sharp knives,” she said grabbing Dawn’s hand and pulling her along.

“Hey, um, Mary?” Xander asked cautiously.

Mary didn’t respond. She just continued facing the wall and rocking back and forth on her feet.

“Um, we need to talk to you about some stuff,” Willow said glancing at Xander for support.

“What stuff?” Mary asked quietly.

“About Kermit.”

Mary giggled and covered her mouth girlishly, “Kermit the frog.”

“No, Kermit your fiancé,” Xander clarified.

Mary began to rock faster.

“We just wanted to ask if you’d-“ Xander fell silent as Mary began to pull at her hair.

Willow pulled him aside.

“I don’t think this is working,” she whispered.

“Is there something you can do? Like a spell?”

“An uncrazify spell?”

“Yeah.” Xander said excitedly. “Wait, those don’t exist do they?”

“No.”

“Ok, so a calming spell.”

“No, I don’t like messing with people’s minds like that.”

“But it’s to help her.”

Willow thought of Tara. ‘What would Tara do?’ had become a mantra of sorts. Even from the grave she was the calm and goodness and wisdom that Willow lacked.

“It always is,” she finally replied and walked back to where Mary stood, calmer now.

“It’s hard,” Mary whispered before Willow could speak.

“Yes, I know,” Willow replied.

Mary turned and looked straight through her. “Yes, you do.”

Willow nodded and said, “Do you think about it a lot?”

“Some days not at all.”

“I’m sorry to have to bring it up.”

“Then why do you?” Mary asked.

“Well,” Willow began, “What would you say if I told you that you could talk to him again?”

Mary returned to looking at the wall for a moment. “Sometimes I do talk to him.”

“Yes, well, what I mean is really talk to Kermit, not imagine talking to him.”

Mary’s eyes began to well up. “He’s dead.”

“But that doesn’t mean you’ve lost him, not totally.”

Xander was standing a ways back watching the girls talk. Mary had said, “Yes you do,” with such surety, like she could see Willow’s pain. Didn’t he know? Wasn’t he forever scarred by Anya’s death? He felt scarred. Just because he didn’t slaughter people over it didn’t mean he didn’t have pain. But of course he hadn’t watched. He hadn’t been there. And he and Anya hadn’t been together, not like Willow and Tara had, or like Mary and Kermit where. He’d thrown it away.

His reverie was interrupted by Willow walking over to him.

“Ok, she’s still a little confused but she’s agreed to come with us.”

“Ok, how do we get her out?”

Willow pulled the laptop out of her bag. “We’ll just take some liberties with her records.”

“Alright,” Xander said rubbing his hands together, “back to the creep fest that is our lives.”

“How we doin’?” Buffy asked returning to the table, arms loaded with books.

Giles looked up and replied, “Not so good. The kind of intimate details we need in order to pull this off won’t be found at the library.”

“So I can stop hauling back issues of the London Times?”

“Yes,” Giles replied closing his book.

“Excellent,” Buffy sighed and sat down.

“I can’t imagine picking up a bunch of books is very trying-“

“The house,” Buffy exclaimed cutting him off.

“Hmm?” Giles asked.

“The details we need are in the house, all that stuff we have stored in the attic.”

“Worth a try,” Giles replied.

The attic was beyond cluttered and very poorly lit. Buffy and Giles worked at opposite ends of the attic unpacking boxes and going through papers.

Giles paused to read the diary he held more carefully.

“My father…insufferable…talked about…” Giles muttered.

“What?” Buffy called across the room.

“I think I may have found something.”

Buffy crossed to where he sat and plopped down next to him. “What is it?”

“A journal, the daughter kept it. It seems they had a rather difficult relationship.”

“How so?”

“I’m not sure. She’s terribly vague about it. She makes reference to some betrayal.”

“Did he, umm, do you think maybe he…hurt her?” Buffy asked.

“I don’t know, it’s possible. It doesn’t seem she’s afraid of him though, it seems the betrayal was in the past, but you could be right.”

“So, he wants to talk to her to ask forgiveness.”

“As good a guess as any,” Giles replied, “Are you still up for it, he could confess something disturbing to you, ask you to forgive something awful.”

“I’m pretty practiced at forgiving,” Buffy said.

“Yes, quite,” Giles replied.

“Give me the diary. I’ll study; you get Will to do the glamour thing.”

“Moppet, oh little Moppet,” Faith called softly as they pushed through the swinging doors into the kitchen.

“I don’t think this is a good idea,” Dawn replied. “Maybe we should get Buffy.”

“Wow, when she said the monks made you out of her she wasn’t kidding.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I’m just saying, maybe you’re a little overly cautious.”

“Am not, I do lots of reckless things.”

“Like what? Sneak out? Shop lift?”

“No,” Dawn replied, “other stuff too.”

“And I bet every time you do something stupid Buffy sweeps in to rescue you. The problem with you is you’ve never been on your own. We don’t need to be rescued.”

Just then all the appliances turned on and the lights flickered.

“Very scary,” Faith said flatly.

“Yeah,” Dawn chimed in, “this is nothing, I’ve fought much scarier spirits.”

The noise stopped and Dawn looked quite pleased with herself, till Cynthia appeared right in front of her.

“Not scary? Well, how will you like it every morning at 3 am sharp?”

“How will you like being exorcized?” Dawn replied.

Cynthia recoiled, “You can’t, you haven’t the power.”

“We can and we do,” Faith said.

“No, noooo,” Cynthia screeched, stepping back from them. “You can’t turn me out, this is my place.”

“You don’t belong here,” Dawn said gently. “It’s for the best.”

“The best for you maybe, what about me?”

“I thought you were little miss ’I can take care of myself,’” Faith said.

“I can,” Cynthia replied squaring her shoulders. “I can,” she said again and her face crumpled.

Dawn walked toward her, “It’s not that we don’t want you. It’s just that you need to move on.”

“I don’t know how,” she said quietly.

“Kermit, Mary’s here. She’d like to see you,” Xander called as they walked into the dinning room.

“Would you like to sit?” Willow said to Mary as they stopped just inside the doorway.

“No,” Mary replied quietly looking around the familiar house. “The furniture is different, but the wallpaper is the same.”

“Yes,” Xander answered, wondering what was taking Kermit so long. They hadn’t gotten the wrong Mary? This wasn’t some nut job leading them on was it?

“Kermit,” Mary said looking around. “Are you really here?”

“Yes,” a voice answered.

“Will you come out?”

“Will it frighten you?”

“Yes,” Mary replied, “but come anyway.”

Kermit materialized slowly in front of them with his hands up as if to show he meant no harm.

Mary smiled sadly at him.

“Hi,” she said.

“Hi.”

“You’re still here.”

“Yeah.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know, these people say I’m tethered here.”

“Because of me?” Mary asked.

Kermit looked down at his feet.

“Yes, I suppose, I mean I’ve no great thirst for vengeance or anything,” he said.

“Can I? Should I do something? Help somehow?”

Kermit’s chin trembled and he looked down again. “You can’t,” he said and disappeared.

“Wha, where did he go? Why did he go again? He isn’t gone for good is he – untethered?” Mary asked frantically and stepped further into the room.

“I think it’s just hard for him,” Willow said. “He missed you.”

“I miss him.”

“But at some point you have to move on,” Xander said. “Moping around in an insane asylum isn’t helping anyone.”

“Yes I am aware of that, thank you.” Mary shot back, the confusion and hesitation gone. “Do you have any idea how tired I am of hearing that? I’m sorry I’m not getting over this quickly enough for you,” she said and turned to run off.

“I didn’t mean it like that,” Xander called after her. He and Willow followed but Mary knew the house better than they did and soon she’d lost them.

“Where would she go? Did she have a room here?” Xander asked.

“I know where she is,” Willow replied and took off up the stairs.

They walked along the second floor corridor quietly listening for her. There were faint sobs at the far end. As they drew near they could see a figure in a doorway sitting on her hip, hands pressed into the floor.

Willow walked up and crouched next to her.

“Is this it? It this where he died?” Willow asked.

‘Where did Anya die? In the school yeah, but where?’ Xander thought.

Mary nodded in reply, “When he goes can I go with?”

“No,” Kermit replied appearing before her, “You have to stay here.”

“Why?”

“You just do. Hey, do you remember the park at sunrise?” Kermit asked. “After we’d finished our papers and we were too hyped up on caffeine to sleep we’d go out and walk, remember?”

Xander and Willow stepped back a ways back and listened.

“Of course, and everything was still and you held my hand,” Mary said smiling.

“I always held your hand.”

“Yeah. Do you remember Christmas?”

Willow and Xander were half listening and half lost in their own memories. They watched as Kermit and Mary tentatively reached out to one another a few times but drew back, not knowing how to interact. Mary seemed completely changed. Willow knew one person couldn’t be the key to your mental health. The human mind is infinitely complex and there was clearly something wrong with Mary that went beyond grief. But sitting there with Kermit you’d never know she’d just recently been removed from a mental home where she was best friends with a wall. Kermit was also changed. He seemed so confident and charming, not at all the stammering boy they’d met a few hours ago. Mary and Kermit continued to talk for over an hour.

“Maybe you could stay and I could come and visit,” Mary suggested.

“No,” he said sadly, “you’ve spent too much time engaged to a ghost already. I have to go. Then maybe you can go too.” Mary nodded and looked down and Kermit dissipated.

Xander and Willow glanced at each other, unsure of what to say.

“I’m going now,” Mary announced and stood up. She began to walk into the bedroom and Willow and Xander followed.

“You can stay here, we’ve got plenty of room,” Xander said.

“No, I can’t stay here,” she said walking toward the window and looking out. “I have to go.” She opened the window and leaned forward to look up at the sky and in a moment she was gone.

For a long while after Xander was too shocked to move but Willow rushed forward to look down at Mary’s body on the ground below.

“She’s...” Xander stammered, “But I thought, I thought she was better.”

Willow turned to him and tried to speak but couldn’t.

Giles found the whole thing very disconcerting. Willow had come in to do the glamour and run back out mumbling something about finding Mary. In the short time she was in the study with them she’d transformed Buffy. The girl before him now had a completely different face, stood three inches taller and wore period dress, but her mannerisms and her mangling of the English language were pure Buffy.

“Ready?” he asked.

“Yeah,” she replied, “Do the spell.”

Giles summoned Benedict who looked if possible even grouchier than usual. “What? It isn’t enough you come traipsing through my house, you have to keep summoning me like some common servant?”

“Benedict I’m pleased to tell you, we’ve found your daughter,” Giles said gesturing toward Buffy.

Benedict hovered for a moment, “Is it you?” he asked.

Buffy cast a nervous glance at Giles and answered, “Yes father, it’s me.”

“Oh dear heart,” he exclaimed and swept toward her, arms outstretched.

Buffy returned his embrace rather awkwardly, not knowing how hard to squeeze the noncoporeal body.

“How’ve you been?” she asked lamely.

“Fine, fine, you?”

“Alright.”

“How’s Richard?”

Buffy glanced at Giles. The diaries had mentioned a beau named Richard but did Clemence still see him? Buffy went with a vague, “Just fine. Thank you kindly for asking.”

Giles barely contained a burst of laughter. “Thank you kindly?”

“You see now that it was for the best, don’t you?”

“Of course father, you always know best,” Buffy said, trying to keep the sarcasm out of her voice.

“You and Richard had your difficulties but you’re better now,” he said.

Buffy tried to say yes but there was a force within her crying NO!! “Umm, what difficulties were you referring to specifically?” she asked.

‘Wonderful, yes confront him, make him angrier,’ Giles thought, ‘I suppose I’d better try to get used to the screeching of bats.’

“Well you know, his temper.”

“Ahh,” Buffy said growing angry as she caught on, “his temper.”

“But he’s not like that anymore, I’m sure he mellowed with age, just as I predicted.”

“Right, a regular Mellow Yellow. He just woke up one morning and thought, ‘Hey, beating my wife’s fun for me, but maybe not so much for her. Gee I think I’ll stop,’” Buffy said this time doing nothing to hide her sarcasm.

“Clemence, what’s come over you?”

“What’s come over me?” Buffy asked genuinely wanting to know. More and more the rage she felt was not her own and she was getting flashes of what life with Richard had been like.

“You know you wouldn’t have been happy with Spencer.”

“I loved him,” Buffy found herself shouting.

“Whatever Richard did, Spencer did far worse.”

“I don’t care. He’d changed, he loved me. How could you?” she replied. The memories were coming quickly now. She could see Spencer clearly, feel their happiness. But she still couldn’t see the betrayal.

“I did it for your happiness.”

“No, you did it for your happiness. You didn’t care about me; I was just a possession to be kept safe.”

“No, no,” Benedict said coming closer to her. “Never. Please, believe what you will about what happened, hate me if you want but you have to know I love you. It was always about protecting you.”

“Well you didn’t,” Buffy spat. “I was miserable my whole life.”

Benedict stepped back. If Buffy had any doubt that he’d done whatever he did out of anything but love, it disappeared when she saw the look on his face.

“I know,” he finally said. “I watched. I was h-here the whole time,” he choked out.

Buffy was filled with shame that her father had seen her brought so low.

“I tried to forget,” he continued. “I tried to pretend that none of it happened, that no time had passed at all. But it has. It did.”

“Father…I-” Buffy said feeling her rage softening.

“No, no, I deserve your anger. I killed him. I killed your happiness and trapped you with that,” he said, his mouth curling in disgust.

“It wasn’t all bad. The children were an enormous comfort,” Buffy tried to protest.

“No, please don’t try to comfort me,” he said. “I’ve denied my crimes too long. I’m sorry dear heart.” He reached out to stroke her face and disappeared.

“I forgive you,” Buffy called after but he was gone and a moment later the foreign memories and emotions were gone too. Buffy looked over to Giles who was furiously cleaning his glasses and wiping his eyes.

“Is he gone?” she asked.

“Yes I believe so.”

“But he didn’t get his forgiveness,” Buffy said.

“He didn’t need it,” Giles replied.

Buffy stood in silence for a moment longer.

“He really loved her,” she said.

“Yes, it would seem so.”

“She loved him too,” Buffy said looking at Giles, “I felt it. Even through the rage, she loved him. Maybe the rage was because she loved him.”

Giles walked over to Buffy, “Come on, let’s get you out of that face and we’ll have a talk.”

“I’d like that.” Buffy replied taking his hand. “Hey, do you think I could keep the boobs? They’re much bigger than mine.”

“No Buffy, I fear you shall have to give the…boobs back as well.”

“How can you not know how? Dyin’s the easiest thing in the world. It’s like fallin’ off a log,” Faith said.

“If you’re such an expert why don’t you demonstrate?” Dawn shot back.

“Why are you coddling her?” Faith asked.

“I’m not.”

“She’s big girl. She doesn’t need our help dying.”

“Well maybe she wants it,” Dawn said ignoring the fact that Cynthia was still standing there watching them. “It’s hard to stand on your own; sometimes it’s nice to have help.”

“No, it’s hard to be coddled and made weak. Sometimes you have to deal with the fact that you’re all you’ve got.”

“But she’s not alone, she’s got us.”

“Really? You gonna hold her hand and escort her over to the other side?”

“Well, no. We can be supportive…somehow.”

“Both of you shut up,” Cynthia finally declared. “Listen, Bennie’s gone, so is Kermit-“

“They’re gone?” Faith asked.

“Everyone’s beat us?” Dawn said.

“Buffy nixed the voting losers out of the house thing, right?” Faith said.

“As I was saying, they’ve gone. Bennie’s the one who had the big gripe with you. How about you stay out of my way and I’ll stay out of yours?”

“But I think you need to move on, it’s the natural order,” Dawn said.

“Natural order? I’m being lectured on the natural order by a glowing green ball and a demonically strong freak?”

“Hey, we’re not freaks. Well, Key girl is, but that’s beside the-“

“The point is you can’t stay, you don’t belong,” Dawn interrupted.

“And you do? Can you honestly say that either of you belong?”

Dawn turned to Faith, “She has a point.”

“Yeah, yeah, fine. Stay, but no bats and keep out of our way,” Faith said.

“No, come by and visit. You can have dinner with us,” Dawn countered.

“She can’t eat Dawnie.”

“Stop calling me that and it’s still polite to ask.”

“Like you’re miss manners.”

“I’m more polite than you. I know all about the Hot Pockets.”

“Right,” Cynthia said backing away. Maybe I’ll take you up on dinner, or hey, maybe I’ll flee every room you two enter. We’ll see,” she said and whisked off.

“Did we just get the brush off from a ghost?” Faith asked.

“Yep, can’t wait to tell everyone we’re the only one’s who failed,” Dawn replied.

“I’ll break it to ‘em. I’m used to Buffy’s disappointed face.”

“Not as used to it as I am.”

“Really?” Faith said.

“Yeah, this one time I got kidnapped…”

Dawn and Faith left the kitchen. Cynthia watched them go, smiling to herself. It was kinda nice to have people around again and not be on her own. On the other hand she thanked God she could still dissipate anytime those two showed up.

After the police had finished question them and the ambulance had driven off the group reconvened in the meeting room.

Cynthia won’t be too much trouble will she?” Dawn asked.

“Nah, I suppose when she’s ready she’ll move on,” Buffy answered.

“How are you doing?” Buffy asked leaning over to Willow.

“I thought she was ok,” Willow said distractedly. “I think I’ll skip dinner and just go to bed.”

“Ok. I’m here if you want to talk,” Buffy said.

“Thanks.”

“I think I’ll turn in too,” Xander said.

“Buffy, you ready for that talk?” Giles asked and walked toward the study.

“Sure thing,” she said following him out.

“Well, it looks like it’s just us,” Faith said turning to Dawn.

“Don’t suppose you know how to cook?” Dawn asked.

“I make a mean pop tart surprise,” Faith said.

“What’s the surprise?”

“It’s frozen.”

“Tell ya what, I’ll make us dinner if you teach me to handle a knife,” Dawn offered.

“Buffy never taught you to fight?”

“She mainly concentrated on how to stake a vamp and the importance of running. You’re better with the weapons.”

Faith was quite pleased at this but she didn’t want to seem too eager.

“Will the dinner involve salsa?”

“It can.”

“Deal.”