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CHAPTER FIVE - ‘I’m home’

‘Hello’ Giles called.

‘Is anyone in?’

The shop was dark.

Willow saw an open door at the back.

There was a statue in the room.

It had an evil face with green eyes.

‘What does it mean’ she asked.

‘It’s Janus,’ said Giles.

‘From an old world.

Janus has two faces - man and woman, good and evil.’

‘Milk and dark–’

Ethan was just behind them.

Willow and Giles turned quickly.

‘Oh no, sorry.

That’s chocolate.’

Ethan smiled at Giles.

‘Willow,’ Giles said.

He didn’t look at her.

‘Go to Buffy. Now.’

‘But.’

‘Now, Willow.’

She turned and ran.

‘Hello, Ethan.’

‘Hello, Rupert, my old friend,’ Ethan answered.

‘This is nice.’

Giles didn’t smile.

‘I was stupid.

I didn’t think of you.

But of course this Halloween thing is your idea.

It’s just like all your other plans.’

‘Yes,’ Ethan said.

‘All my plans are clever.’

‘Not clever, Ethan - evil.’

‘Well, Rupert, you know all about evil, of course.’ He laughed.

‘But maybe they don’t know about you here.’ Giles changed.

No one in Sunnydale knew this Giles.

‘Stop your evil, Ethan.

Then leave this place.

Never come here again.’

‘Oooooh. I’m frightened.’

Giles hit him.

Ethan went down hard onto the floor.

There was blood on his mouth.

Angel’s vampire face changed, and he looked like a man again.

He found Xander and Cordelia and they ran into the road.

‘Buffy, Buffy, where are you?’ Angel called.

‘Let’s go this way,’ said Xander.

‘She needs help - now,’ Angel said.

‘I know it.’

‘Buffy’s always OK,’ said Cordelia.

‘But this isn’t Buffy.’

Spike watched them.

He had two small vampires with him.

‘Did you hear that, my friends?

Drusilla was right.

Tonight Buffy is weak.

Come on. We must find her first.

Then we can drink that lovely blood.’

Buffy was alone on a dark street in the bad part of town.

She was very frightened.

She ran into something– someone.

He was big and dirty, with bad teeth.

‘Pretty, pretty,’ he said, and grabbed Buffy.

‘Mmm,’ he said. ‘Nice.’

‘No’ cried Buffy.

Xander suddenly arrived.

‘Hey!’ he shouted, and pulled the man off Buffy.

Buffy screamed and ran– right into Cordelia.

Then Buffy saw Angel.

She screamed again and grabbed Cordelia.

‘What’s up with you’ Cordelia cried.

‘That man! Your friend!

He’s– he’s a vampire’ she screamed.

Cordelia smiled at Angel.

‘She thinks– oh, forget it.’

Then she turned to Buffy.

‘It’s OK. Angel is– a friend.

He likes us.’

‘Hey!’ They all turned.

It was Willow.

‘We gotta get out of the road,’ she said.

‘This way.’ Angel ran to an old building.

The others followed him into the building and closed the door.

But Spike was just behind them, with a lot of little vampires.

They kicked the door and it opened.

Spike came into the building.

He smiled at his little helpers.

Ethan had lots of blood on his face, but he smiled too.

‘How do I stop this evil’ Giles asked.

He cleaned the blood from his hands.

Ethan laughed. ‘Say “please”’ Giles kicked him.

‘OK. OK! B-B-Break Janus, ‘ said Ethan.

‘B-Break the statue.’

Vampires pulled Angel and Xander away.

Spike turned to Buffy.

‘My little one,’ he said.

‘Frightened. Alone. No one can help you now.’

He smiled kindly.

Then he hit her across the face.

‘I’m enjoying this, ‘ he laughed.

‘Buffy’ Angel cried.

But the vampires pulled him harder.

Spike grabbed Buffy’s head with one hand.

He had her arm in the other.

His long white teeth came close to her beautiful neck.

Giles ran to the back room.

He grabbed the statue and hit it against the floor.

Bits of statue went every where.

He looked for Ethan but he wasn’t there.

Suddenly Spike’s vampires weren’t vampires.

They were high school students and little trick or treaters again.

Spike still had Buffy’s head in his hand.

‘Hi’ she said to Spike. ‘I’m home.’

Spike didn’t look happy now.

Buffy was the Vampire Slayer again, and she was very angry.

She kicked him and hit him.

Then she kicked him again.

‘Do you know something’ she said.

‘I’m enjoying this!’

Spike hit the floor hard and didn’t move again.

‘Hey, Buff’ said Xander.

‘We’re back!’

‘Do you remember anything’ asked Cordelia.

‘Yeah, ‘ said Xander.

‘It was like, “I’m here.

I can hear you.

But I can’t get out.

” It was strange.’

‘Are you OK’ Angel asked Buffy quietly.

Buffy looked into his dark eyes.

She loved those eyes.

‘Yeah,’ she smiled.

He took her arm and they went out.

‘Hey’ said Xander.

‘Where’s Willow?’

‘What happened’ asked Willow.

She was at Mrs Parker’s house in her ghost costume.

‘Well, I’m in my own body again, ‘ she thought.

‘That feels better.’

Buffy was in Buffy clothes with Buffy hair again.

She was at home, with Angel.

She sat down next to him.

‘I like this Buffy, ‘ he said.

‘I hated the girls in the old days.’

‘Did you?’

‘They were boring.

I want someone– exciting.’

He moved closer. ‘Interesting.’

‘Oh yeah?’

‘Strong.’

Then he took her in his arms.

And Buffy smiled.

‘This feels right, ‘ she thought.

The next day, Giles was in Ethan’s empty shop.

He walked around slowly.

Suddenly he saw some paper.

There were words on it.

‘See you soon,’ he read.

Giles looked up.

His eyes were hard and cold.