Love On The Hellmouth

At the library Buffy goes to the computers there and hooks in to the Internet. She goes to a search engine and types in ‘evil.’ “Results one through ten out of nine hundred thousand, five hundred, seventeen. Okay. I gotta narrow this down.” Buffy continues typing in different word combinations for another few hours. She starts to feel more and more tired until finally she falls asleep. She’s dreaming of her mother again. “Hello Buffy don’t you think you should be resting.” “No. Mom, I can't.” “Buffy, you have to heal.” “I don't have time.” “Are you worried about the sun g dow down? Because some things you can't control. The sun always goes down. The sun always comes up. Except in L.A., just of late.” “Everyone's counting on me.” “They do that. And I'm sorry, but these friends of yours put too much pressure on you. They always have.” “Something Evil is coming.” “Buffy, Evil isn't ‘coming.’ It's already here. Evil is always here. Don't you know? It's everywhere.” “I have to stop it.” “How are you going to do that?” “I, I don't know. Yet, but...” “Buffy. No matter what your friends expect of you, Evil is a part of us. All of us, it's natural and no one can stop that. No one can stop nature. Not even...” “Miss are you alright?” Buffy jumps up and looks around, ready for a fight. She spots a librarian, “I’m sorry what?” “You fell asleep I think. Anyway it’s getting dark and we’ll be closing soon.” “Sure I’m going.” Buffy shut off her computer and heads for home.
When Buffy arrived bacme pme preparations were already being made for the night. Xander was finishing boarding up the window. Anya, Willow and Dawn were selecting weapons. The Potentials were sitting watching the goings on in fear. Xander spotting this says to them, “Hey. Junior Slayers. Don't look so worried. I mean, sure, we may not know where Spike is, or how to fight the First, or if and when this Super-style vampire is gonna attack us all, however...House. Boarded up. All we gotta do now is trap this Ubervamp in the pantry…and it's game over.” The Potentials look at him like he is insane. “Xander? Newbies. Let's ease them into the whole ‘jokes in the face of death’ thing.” Asks Willow. “Who's joking? That pantry thing could work. You saying M. Night Shamyalan lied to us?” Buffy sighs and says to the Potentials, “You'll be okay.” Willow adds, “Okay or even better. It's like our
guarantee. Um, Buffy...? I just... I want you to know, I'm really sorry about letting you down. Before, here, with the Magic’s going
all "eeeh" and me going all "aaah" and everything getting all "rrrr..." I'm sorry I can't help.” “No one expects you to make everything right.” “Okay, I can't do everything, but I should be able to do something. I have so much power. But when I try
to use it...” “Don’t okay.” “Okay. But you need help, Buffy. I know you. And I know you'll never admit it. But you need help.” Willow searches Buffy's face as Buffy wonders how much to let Willow in, here and now. She settles for a brave face. “I'll be okay. Okay or better. It's like my guarantee.”
The Potentials are becoming restless. More so is Kennedy who goes to Buffy and asks, “Are we getting weapons? Trained fighters, badness coming. I've heard worse ideas.” “We'll be armed when the Slayer feels we're ready.” Interjects Annabelle. Molly speaks up at that, “I feel ready.” Annabelle says to Molly, “You're frightened. You must learn to control your fear.” To Buffy Kennedy continues, “Hey. You know what would help with
that? Weapons. We're sitting ducks without them.” “Better load them up then.”
Buffy wanting to escape the constant nervous chatter retreats upstairs. Not long after she has settled herself some Giles comes up to her. “How we doing on time Giles?” “Sunset should be any minute now. We've done all we can. Don't worry, everyone here understands it's you calling the shots.” “Just hope I'm calling the right ones.” “You hall all my faith. And they're depending on you.” “Oh, Giles. Not what I really needed to hear right...” Molly comes running inte roe room at that moment looking freaked, “Guys! Slayer Team guys? Annabelle split.” Giles and Buffy share an ‘oh, shit’ look and Buffy goes running out the house.
Buffy runs into an industrial looking part of town and slows down when she sees Annabelle’s body. Buffy takes a mo but but she is suddenly hit in the back and sent flying. She looks up to see it is the Ubervamp. Buffy attacks but she is sent flying, landing hard. Buffy gets up and starts to limp run away. The Ubervamp chases after her. The Ubervamp is stalking her when suddenly a large metal pipe smashes him in he face. Buffy just hit him with a ripped-off section of piping. The Ubervamp keeps walking forward, unaffected. He knocks the pipe out of Buffy’s hand and starts punching at her some connecting, some barely missing, but all of them putting Buffy on total defensive mode. She keeps moving backwards getting weaker and weaker. He hits her hard in the chest. She lands flat on her back. Getting back up she turns and runs. She finds a leaver attached to a few ton crate of metal rods. When the Ubervamp is under it she pulls the leaver. There is a moment of silence so Buffy continues on her way. She hears the sound of the metal crashing on the ground. As she turns to see what’s happening the Ubervamp is crawling out from the wreckage. She runs a but but he catches her. He hits her so hard that she goes crashing through a brick wall. She lands in a crumpled heap, not moving. As daylight breaks the Scooby gang have come to the industrial spot looking for Buffy they find her beaten, bloodied, lying unconscious.
Back at the house Buffy is sitting in her room wrapped up in a blanket looking completely defeated. She can hear the gang discussing her. Giles is saying, “…her ribs are smashed, and she should be hospitalized immediately.” “Could she die?” “Despite her healing abilities, I believe so. I won't lie to you, I don't know what to do in a situation like this, because there has never been a situation like this which means we start back at square one.” Xander asks, “Which square would that be, exactly?” “I'm not sure. The First pre-dates everything we've ever known, or can
know. It's everywhere. It's pure. I don't know if we can fight it.” “You're right.” They all turn to see Buffy standing in the dining room doorway. Bandaged and broken, but standing all the same. “You're right. We don't know how to fight it. We don't know when it'll come. We can't run, can't hide, can't pretend it's not the end, 'cause it is. Something's always been there to try and destroy the world. We've beaten them back, but we're not dealing with them anymore. We're dealing with the reason they exist. Evil. The strongest. The First.” “Buffy, I…I know you're tired.” Says Giles. “I'm beyond tired. I'm beyond scared. I'm standing on the mouth of hell, and it is gonna swallow me whole. And it'll choke on me.” There is a fierce resolve creeping into her voice that surprises everyone. “We're not ready? They're not ready. They think we're gonna wait for the end to come, like we always do. I'm done waiting. They want an apocalypse? Oh, we'll give 'em one. Anyone else who wants to run, do it now. 'Cause we just became an army. We just declared war. From now on, we won't just face our worst fears; we will seek them out. We will find them, and cut out their hearts one by one, until The First shows itself for what it really is. And I'll kill it myself. There is only one thing on this earth more powerful than evil, thatthat's us.” Everyone is looking at her with great surprise and reverence, but mostly Kennedy. “Any questions?”