Okay, that was weird. I swear I heard…

“Don’t make me come up there!” Mom?

“Buffy, are you listening to me?” Okay, now we’re just being cruel. Dream, dream, go away, come again another… never. Maybe if I just ignore it. Nice pillow, comfy pillow.

Was that my door? My bedroom door? Wait? What? This is my room in Sunnydale! Why am I wearing a New Kids on the Block shirt? Was that really Mom?

“I am not kidding, young lady.” Definitely the door. I know that slam. That tone. I’ve heard that slam before.

Mom. Oh my God. Mommy. And she’s here. With me. Alive. And Dawnie, she’s so little! So… cute?

“Mom! You’re alive!” Okay, she’s real to touch. What is with my hair? She’s really here. She even smells like her.

“Buffy, I don’t have time for joking. Can you please get dressed?”

“Yeah, get dressed, lazy stupid head.” Okay, I didn’t miss that ‘tude. But look at her. Come here – let me squeeze you, small, tiny, un-giant, un-centaur, un-monkey robot Dawn!

“Mom, Buffy’s on drugs!” Okay I should let go now. Acting freaky. “I learned about them at school.”

Oooh, the mom point. Ha! Gotcha Dawnie! “Dawn, go and finish your pop tart. And Buffy,” Oh. Busted! “Dress, eat, books, school. Got it.”

Whoa. She actually looks surprised. Was I always this bad? Where’s she going? “Mom?”

“Hmm?”

“I am really happy to see you.”

Uh oh. She’s coming over. “Are you feeling all right?” Never take your hand away, please. Leave it there forever. “You don’t seem to have a fever. But you have been out, every night this week.”

“Tell me about it. A Slayer’s work is never done.” Wait, that frown? Does she not know? Of course, this is before she knew! She doesn’t know yet!

“I don’t know what yet?” Oh darn. Quick. Believable excuse. I used to be good at this. “I’m thinking of trying out for girls’ volleyball and a player’s work is never done.” Did she buy it?

“Honestly, Buffy, there are days when I do not know what is going on in that head of yours. But if you’re late again for school, you can kiss that party tonight goodbye.”

Okay. Got it. I won’t be late, okay. “Okay, mom. I got it. I won’t be late, okay?”

There’s a party?

Okay I admit that if you googled ‘weird’ there’d be a picture of this day. This could be a sleep demon, or Ethan Rayne dragging me back into some dream space thing again, but there it is. Sunnydale High School. Okay. Deep breath. I can do this.

So what if I have to take algebra again? At least this time I know it’ll have zero value when I grow up.

Oh man, yikes. Willow, alive! And not all evilly. And with me not-having-killed-her-all-evilly-yet thing. And, is that Cordelia? And Harmony?

“Y’know Willow, I was just thinking about you. I’m sure you’ve heard about my big party tonight.”

“Sure Cordelia. A bunch of us, I mean, Buffy and Xander and I were planning…”

“I am talking.”

“Those bangs do so much to hide your face. Just cutting it shorter or even getting a perm… Don’t you think it’s time you tried something different with your hair? At least then you’d get a clearer picture of exactly how useless you are.”

Yeah, go on Cordy, carry on. Vacuous tramp. “Hey Will, no biggie. Maybe someday she’ll be dead and you’ll be Sorceress Supreme!”

There’s that smile, that glow. “Really? Do I get to wear a pointy hat?”

There. Willow. Just like she was that first year we met. There’s only one thing missing and the OG Scoobies are “Xander?”

“One side, ladies!” That damn skateboard. He never could ride it. Ouch.

That locker looks dented. Is the locker dented? Who’s locker is it? Is Xander’s head dented? Maybe someone should pick him up before that troll sees him and… whoops. Damn subconscious brain. Did I wish him here?

“Xander Harris. That wouldn’t be a skateboard you’d be riding in my hallways would it?” Burgh. Principal Snyder. I’d forgotten that ringworm. Xander? Are you okay? Are you spacey? Who’s president?

“Look at it this way Xander. Maybe someday he’ll be eaten by a huge ginormous snake and you’ll wear an eye patch and be in charge of lots of womens. Oh, and Willow, well… you’re not… well you are, but haven’t realised yet.”

“I’m not ‘what’?” Damn it! Open mouth, insert whole body! Distraction. Need a distraction. “Hey! I bet there’s something Giles has for us to do.”

Okay. I screwed that one up. Of course, Giles had something for us to do. Cemetery something. It’s not fair. We should be chilling, but here we are, when we should be getting ready to P-A-R-T-Y…

Kinda nice though, just us. Just the Scooby Gang. “What kind of a band plays at a party in Sunnydale?”

“A sucky band?” Oh, not you’re personal best, Xan. Will just said it’s an open party! “Well then, there’s nothing that can stop us from going then!”

“Buffy. Good. You’re here.” Oh wow! Old-school Giles. Proper stuffy and Time-Lifey and ‘fine, you do your calisthenics while I sit here with my brain dribbling out my ears’ Giles. I didn’t miss this Giles. Much.

“The very fate of the world is at risk.” Okay, I did. I missed Giles a lot. “At risk, over what happens tonight!”

I take it back.

I remember this part. The part where my life gets in the way of me ACTUALLY living it! Grrr. Stupid Giles. Stupid Darkness. Stupid blowing leaves. Stupid book. What’s in it anyway?

“Now then, the disciples of Morgala are fairly unique. Even for vampires. Unlike most of the bloodsucking variety…”

Plan time. “Xander, we could walk over to the party together.”

“And pick Buffy up along the way.”

“We should all just meet there.”

“Morgala’s exact nature eludes us and…”

Wait. Did Giles stop? “Oh, oh, I can’t wait. What do you suppose Harmony is going to wear?”

Yikes. That did it. Steamed sarcastic Watcher alert. The tweed will be smoking in a sec. Librarian inferno.

“We have reason to believe that the disciples are going to complete a ritual this evening that will, how shall I put this, shift the balance of good and evil beyond all hope and reckoning!” Gosh, was he always this over the top?

“Giles. Don’t go all coronary on us. We’ll find these disciples of Morgan Freeman…”

“Morgala.”

“Them too. We’ll locate the nest and I’ll dust them. Like I always do.”

“Like you always do?” Yep? See, twirling my stake. I can catch it in my hand. OW! Stupid stake. “That’s going to leave a mark.”

Okay, so later, we found the followers of Morgan Freeman, and naturally, we won. I battered down the doors, hurricane Buffy-style. Kicked a stake right through the heart of their leader monk guy, who really didn’t look good in green, not with those shady eyes. Xander backed me up with a Buffylympics commentary – my very own cheer leaders!

And just like that, we were done, plenty of time for party readiness. Soap. Shower. Style. Let’s get this started.

“The disciples of Morgala appear to have been worshipping the image of a dragon.” Oh no you don’t, Giles. “I didn’t see a dragon. Either of you guys see a dragon? No? See? That settles it, let’s go.”

Don’t give me the look, Giles. Don’t throw those disapproving eyes my way. You know how it makes me feel. But at the same time, please, don’t ever stop.

“Giles, I’m only trying to have a little fun. Remember fun? It was something I used to have lots of before I became the Chosen One, which believe it or not, isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be. And someday there’s gonna be eighteen hundred Slayers, working in ten seperate squads and EVERYBODY CALLS ME MA’AM! So tonight I’m going to get a taste of that fun at this party!”

Wow. That felt good. Maybe not so much for Giles. But… Wow.

Later that same night – which is weird, because how often do you actually get to say that? – I’m all dressed up and I look down, just for a minute and there it is. The cross. The first thing Angel ever gave me, the day we met.

“Buffy. Where’s the rest of that skirt?” Mom. I miss her so much.

“Trust me. I’ve worn much worse.”

“Buffy, I really am trying to be understanding.” Sure. Can you be understanding in the mornings when I’m not running late? “Of course Mom, I know the people there. They’ll be the people there.”

“I don’t want you going somewhere that’s dangerous.”

Ha! Dangerous! “Dangerous?”

“I’m not sure why that’s funny.” Oh, Mom. Hug time.

“It’s not. Actually it’s really sad. There are times when I wish I could just stay here forever and ever, and ever, and ev…”

“Buffy.” Don’t cry, Buffy. Not now. Not in front of Mom. “You’re going to graduate high school eventually. Go to college. Maybe meet a nice boy. You have your whole life ahead of you. But yes, you can always come home again.”

“Right.” Smile Buffy. Sigh.

I wish I could explain to her, but where would I start? Mom, I’m a vampire slayer who defends the world. Dawn’s a glowy Key thingy and Willow’s gonna be mega powerful and mega evil and I’m going to have to kill her and keep away from Giles and police cars and band candy and…

My brain is now in overdrive. Dang it. Anyway, on my way to the party, my spider senses start tingling. I move into an alley, into the moonlight, and there he is. Handsome, brooding. Before Angelus. I don’t need spider sense. I need Angel sense.

“Angel.”

“Buffy.”

“Well, now that we’ve got that out of the way, I have plans this evening that don’t include you.” Ouch, dial it back, Buffy!

“I just wanted to say that word under the street is that you went up against the five disciples of Morgala and took them out. Pretty impressive.”

I could take a few compliments. Please continue.

“Really good work. If you hadn’t have stopped them, they would have raised… well, that’s nothing to worry about since you did, and that’s all I have to say.” Really? We were never really any good at this part.

“We were never really any good at this part. Lots of other stuff, but not so much the talking stuff.”

“Like what?” Don’t touch him, don’t touch him, don’t touch him… Oh, too late. I’m touching him. Oh, that face, those eyes… “Angel you’ve lived for, like, a million years.”

“It hasn’t been that long. Only a few decades… years… centuries. Okay, so what’s your point?”

“If you knew something about someone’s past and future, would you tell them?”

“Probably not.” No! Angel, don’t! Put my hand back on your face! “You can’t change a person’s past. And just by telling them, you’ll change their future into who knows what.”

He’s right. If I tell Willow, what if that makes her go Dark? What if it’s me that causes her to lose it? “I gotta run. I have a party thing.” Okay, now walk away from him. Be cool, be stealthy, be defiant. Leap to the ground, superhero-like. Did I judge my jump right? That dumpster is way too close. Knew I shouldn’t have leapt. Stupid bravado. Stupid pride. Stupid dumpster.

“I’m good.” I’m seeing stars. “Really I’m fine.” Ow.

Like I care what you think, Mister-I’m-so-dark-and-mysterious-and-a-vampire-who-turns-into-the-baddest-bad-and-makes-me-the-saddiest-sad… wait a second. What did he say?

“Really good work. Because if you hadn’t stopped them they would have raised…” No. That wasn’t it.

“I couldn’t help but…” No!

“You look very beau…” He didn’t even say that!

“Word under the street is that you went up against the five disciples of…” Five? Stop. Stop. That was it. He said five disciples. When there were only three.

Oh. I love this song. I could even dance to this song! Three? Five? What’s the diff? Maybe Angel can’t count. Maybe…

Gah.

Maybe I can get to the graveyard and back before the party’s over.

Run faster. Run quicker. Which mausoleum was it? The first one, second one from the left? Or was it the right? Ah ha! This one!

“I hate it when I’m right. I hate it worse when he’s right.”

“You are too late!” Heard that way too many times before! Get some new material! “I will get back in time for the party.”

“Awaken Morgala, awaken!” Why is the ground rumbling? This can’t be good. Oh, these guys, don’t worship the image of a dragon – they worship the dragon of the dragon!

Got to stay ahead of it. Look at those wings! And the teeth! Maybe not look at the teeth. Avoid it’s teeth. And the rest of the jaw. Whoa? Are we in the air? Hey, I can see my house! And the house party that I’m missing! My shoe! You made me lose it! I’m pretty sure dragons don’t know what shoes cost!

Have no clue what happened to the shoe.

“You know, Morgala, you come into my dream when all I wanted was to forget you fuglies. But no, you had to rise up out of the Earth and make that close to impossible.

They brought you to life by putting this big old jewel into the wall, so what happens when I take it out?”

Oh shiny!

Where’d the dragon go? It vanished mid-air!

Oh.

Youch! Ow!

Youch! Ow!

“That was fun. But this isn’t your bed you’re making all stinky. It’s mine!”

“This isn’t your bed you’re making all stinky. It’s mine!”

Buffy opens her eyes in quiet surprise. “Xander. You’re all patchy-eyed.” Xander grins. “Yes, I know. Girls find it dashing.” Buffy smiles.

“What girls?”

He rolls his eyes. “Can you get out of my bed now?” As he starts to clean up his stuff, slime and all, Dawn enters the room. “What smells in here?”

“Says the horse,” remarks Buffy. Still not used to that. Dawn corrects her with ‘Centaur.’ Buffy remarks that she’s not even a robot centaur. Xander crouches down next to her, a look of concern starting to form on his face. He tells her she’s only been out for seconds, but before Buffy can go into it, Willow enters the room. She realises that they all wanted some down time, but Andrew has called: the vampire nest he located in Madrid is bigger than they thought. Again.

Buffy gets up, and hugs Willow, declaring her all gay and magicky. Willow is stunned. Buffy looks at her and tells her. She tells them that she dreamt that they were 16 again, back in high school, all there, all together. “Was Toto there too?” Willow asks.

Buffy becomes more serious for a moment. “All I kept thinking was how nice things were back then. When it wasn’t so complicated.” When I wasn’t so complicated. “It doesn’t matter now. It’s over. And we’ve got a world to save.”

Maybe Angel was right. You can’t change a person’s past. And just by telling them, you’ll change their future into who knows what. But for one, brief shiny-shiny… it was great to be home again.