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Extra Help Needed (Part 7)
By Amy Mina

Disclaimer: Any characters that you recognize from Buffy belong to Joss Whedon, the Mutant Enemy company, and the WB. Strange characters that you have never heard of such as Amy, Beth, Angela, Mr. Kraus, Mr. Upton, and any others belong to themselves.

. . .

Epilogue

"That is the weirdest funeral I have ever been to," said Beth, throwing her jacket in the corner of the library. The rest of the teens followed behind her. "I mean, these kids were found with no blood and two holes in their neck. It was like nothing weird had happened to them."

"That's the way it is around here," said Buffy. "If they can't explain it, they ignore it and pretend it didn't happen."

"That has to make your job a tad easier," said Amy.

"Yeah, it does, but it is kind of sad."

Everyone in the room was silent for a moment, thinking about the town's reaction to the vampires. "So," said Xander, braking the silence, "when are you guys returning to New York?"

"Tomorrow, probably," said Amy.

"So," said Buffy. "Do you guys have any plans before you leave?"

"Amy promised that we would take the guys to the Bronze before we leave," said Beth. "They think that we owe them after last night's little adventure."

"They didn't like being tied to a tree and having people threaten to drink their blood and break every bone in their body," reported Amy. "I don't know where their sense of humor was," she said, shrugging. Angela tried not to laugh.

"How about we join you at the Bronze tonight?" asked Buffy.

"That sounds good," said Angela. "The plane we want doesn't leave till tomorrow night around eight."

"Okay, Bronze tonight, but I'll be a little late."

"What are you doing?"

"Vampire hunting, but I think it is going to be slow."

"After last night, I don't think you need to worry much about the vampires," said Giles, entering the library. The other three adults followed close behind; all dressed in black like the students.

"Yeah, I know," said Buffy, "but I just want to make sure."

"It's up to you. It will give you a good chance to practice."

Buffy rolled her eyes and groaned. Xander and Willow grinned at her typical reaction.

. . .

"Neat," said Bob as they entered the Bronze. Pete started shaking his head back on forth to the music and followed Xander out on the dance floor. The rest of the group headed over and grabbed two tables.

"This sure beats being chained to a tree," said Brad.

"I agree with you on that," replied Cordelia. "I just want to relax, be glad that this is all over."

"I'm going to miss this place," said Angela. "I like it a lot, but I could do with out the undead."

"Does anyone want to dance with Pete and Xander?" asked Amy. "They look like quite the pair out there."

"I'll go," said Brad.

"Me too," said Willow. They followed Amy out to the dance floor and joined the guys.

"Our first relaxing night here," said Beth, "and Amy decides to dance with Pete and Brad."

"At least they aren't moshing like the last dance. Anyway, it's better than fighting with them or having to save their skin," said Angela.

"True."

"Is Buffy going to be here soon?" asked Bob.

"She will, as soon as her hunting is over. It probably won't last long."

. . .

"Vampires," called Buffy. "Vampires, come out, come out wherever you are. I know you probably don't want to play after last nights bonfire, but I need to kill a few of you before I go to the Bronze."

"No action tonight, huh," said a voice behind her. Buffy jumped around, ready to stake the person behind her. Her arm was stopped and the stake fell.

"Oh, hi Angel," said Buffy, smiling.

"Your reflexes are as good as ever. Are you adopting Xander's philosophy 'Stake Angel and ask questions later?'"

"That's not fair," said Buffy. "He doesn't hate you as much as he says he does."

"He sure does a good job of hiding it."

"Okay, time to change to subject," said Buffy.

Angel gave a small smile at his girlfriend's attitude. "How are you after last night?"

"Still a little shaky, but holding my own pretty well."

"How are your helpers?"

"What? The Fems? They seem to be fine. They might be going back to New York tomorrow night. I'm on my way to the Bronze in a few minutes. Want to come?"

"Sure. What time is their plane leaving?"

"I think Angela said around eight."

"Good. Are you guys going to say goodbye?"

"I'll be there."

"May I come?"

"Sure. I'll call you later to let you know when we are leaving."

"Okay. Should we head towards the Bronze?" asked Angel, holding out his hand.

"Yep," said Buffy, taking his hand in her own. They walked down the road, side by side to the Bronze.

. . .

Amy sighed. Slow songs were the worst to be tired for. Everyone was out on the floor except her. She was too tired to even consider it.

"We're here," said Buffy, walking up to the table, with Angel in tow. "Where is everyone else?"

"Dancing," said Amy, pointing towards the floor.

"And you're here alone," said Angel.

"Yep."

"You don't look like you're enjoying your time alone," observed Buffy.

"I'm tired. After last night..."

"You can catch up on the plane. Are you packed and ready to go?" asked Buffy.

"Are you trying to get rid of me?" questioned Amy.

"Always," said Buffy.

"Someone has been hanging around Beth too long."

"You know, if there was a pillow here, I would throw it at you."

"Owww, scared."

Buffy took straw wrapper and threw it at Amy. They kept throwing the wrapper back and forth and laughed for a few minutes, until the others came in from the dance floor.

"Okay," said Xander. "Now I'm worried. I think Buffy has finally snapped."

Buffy took the wrapper and threw it at him. "Shut up, Xander. I'm fine." Xander sent Amy a questioning look and Amy glared back.

"What about you?" asked Xander.

"I'm just living up to my reputation as one of the most immature kids in our grade," she answered.

"You're doing a great job," replied Bob.

"Thanks, Bob. It's so nice to know that I can count on my friends to back me up and support me."

"Do you just like picking fights?" Angel asked Amy. She balled up a nearby napkin and threw it at him. He looked at her in surprise.

"Yep. I just love picking fights with you, Angel. You're my favorite."

"I could like this girl," said Xander. Willow and Cordelia both elbowed him in the ribs.

"Hey, guys," said Mr. Kraus walking up.

"And girls," cut in Beth. "There are one, two, three, four, five, well, at least five of us here. We aren't positive of what Amy is yet." Amy stuck out her tongue at Beth and took a sip of her drink.

"Are you guys, and girls, having fun."

"Yep," said Angela.

"Well, I just talked to Mr. Kahler. Our tickets our confirmed and we'll be flying back tomorrow."

"You just came here to tell us that?" asked Angela.

"No, that was just the excuse." The teens laughed at this. "Hey, it's nothing personal, it's just that Giles likes talking about prophecies and philosophies and stuff like that. I'll stick to music. That is more my cup of tea."

"What about Miss Calendar?" asked Xander.

"I think she was too busy staring at Giles to know what he was talking about."

"So, are you here to have fun before you return to New York, or just watch the teens?" asked Beth.

"Have fun, you guys can behave yourselves, I think."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," said Amy.

"Sure, no problem. So, why are you all here instead of dancing?"

"We found Amy sitting here like a bump on a log and came to join her," said Xander.

"Leave Amy alone," said Amy, beginning to get offended. "Amy is too tired to dance and is feeling extra lazy tonight."

"It's okay," said Angel. "You can stay here if you want to." Xander opened his mouth to make a retort to Amy, but snapped it shut when Angel and Buffy both sent him a look.

"Is any one else going to dance?" asked Brad. "I'm going out." Pete, Bob, Cordelia, Buffy, Xander, and Angela followed him out on the floor.

"Do you know that Brad and I would be so dead if our parents knew we were here?" said Amy.

"Don't worry," said Beth. We won't tell anyone."

"Are you two looking forward to going home?" asked Mr. Kraus.

"Yes," said Beth. "I want to get back to my farm and my babies. I love the baby goats."

"How about you, Amy?" asked Willow.

"Not really."

"Don't you miss your family?"

"No, I've gotten used to living with out them."

"It's true," said Beth. "Every time she gets the chance to, she spends the night at my house."

"Every Tuesday night, right now," said Amy.

"Why do you do that?" asked Angel. Before he gave her a chance to reply, he continued. "You never know when they are going to be gone, when you will never have the chance to see them again. Who knows? Maybe one day vampires will show up in Barker, and your life will never be the same."

When Angel was finally done with his speech, Amy got off her chair and walked to a different table, taking her drink with her. Angel sat back in his chair. "I think I made her mad," he said.

Mr. Kraus turned to look at her. "Nah, you didn't make her mad."

"How do you know?"

"By the way she is acting. She just needed to be alone to consider what you said."

"If she was angry or offended," said Beth, "you would know."

"How?"

"Oh, the usual. Steam coming out of her ears, bright red face. No one makes her angrier than Brad and Pete. When you see her get into a debate with them, leave."

"Will she be okay?"

"Oh, yeah, fine. Just give her some space for a little while."

"Hey," said Buffy, running over. "Come dance with me," she said while grabbing Angel's arm.

"Coming," he said, getting off his chair and hurrying to keep up with her.

"I'm going to go out to dance too," said Beth.

"I guess I'll go see how Amy is doing," said Mr., Kraus, standing up from the table.

Beth looked over his shoulder. "I don't think you'll need to worry about her. She is already asleep."

Mr. Kraus turned around. "I guess she really was tired."

"Guess so. Well, see ya soon." Beth danced her way out on the dance floor to join the growing crowd from Barker and Sunnydale High.

. . .

The vampire grabbed Alicia by the neck and wouldn't stop squeezing. Amy tried to scream out and move forward, but the bonds that held her were too strong. All she could do was watch, as long blond-haired vampire broke Alicia's neck.

Amy woke up, letting out a scream. Beth came running over.

"Amy, are you okay?" she asked. Amy looked around and discovered that she was back in her hotel room. "Amy?" asked Beth again.

"How did I get here?" asked Amy. "The last thing I remember is the Bronze and thinking about family-"

"Angel carried you back. You fell asleep."

"Again?" said Amy, turning red. "You should have just woken me up."

Beth shrugged. "You were tired."

Amy looked around again to make sure that everything was all right. "Are you okay?" asked Beth, for the third time.

"I was dreaming that Darla - she was alive - she broke Alicia's neck." Alicia was Amy's good friend from Barker. (She had no clue about Amy's powers.)

"Amy, Darla is gone. She is not coming back; Willow and Angel made sure of that. Alicia is safe. She always will be."

Amy nodded her head. "Yeah, good. I was wondering when I would start having dreams about all of this."

"Don't tell anyone, but I've been having a few nightmares myself," said Beth. "And I think the way that Angela has been acting, so has she."

"Is this part of fighting the undead?"

"I guess so. If you want to know, you should asked Buffy."

Amy nodded her head and stood up. "Are you packed?" asked Amy.

"Nope, still working on it. We have all day."

"I want to do some shopping," said Amy. "Do you think Mr. Kraus would let us?"

"Yeah, probably. What are you looking for?"

"Stuff. Do you think Angela would want to come?"

"Let's ask."

. . .

Five hours and a fully explored mall later, the girls were exhausted. When they got back to their room, they finished packing. It was finally six o'clock, and the four of them went to load up and head off to the airport. They carried all of their junk to the elevator and went to the lobby. The guys as well as their teachers were waiting for them.

"What took you three so long?" asked Pete. "Was there vampires you had to repress with your powers?"

The girls looked at each other and rolled their eyes. "Yes, Pete," answered Beth. "They wanted to come and kill you, and even though we wouldn't have minded, we protected you."

"Whatever. You're just jealous of me."

"What do we have to be jealous of?" asked Angela.

"My good looks that you chics just love."

"We're not chickens," said Amy.

"Nevermind," said Mr. Upton. "Get your luggage out to the van and load up."

When everything was loaded and they finally made it to the airport, most of the Sunnydale group, except for Angel, was already waiting for them.

"What took you so long?" asked Xander.

"The girls," said Pete. "They are so slow packing it is pathetic."

"Are you ready to return to your normal lifestyles?" asked Giles.

"Yeah, I think so," said Amy. "Are you going to miss the extra help?"

"Nah," said Buffy. "You were starting to get annoying, with all of your straw throwing."

"Thanks a lot."

"Sure."

"Where's that other guy?" questioned Bob.

"What other guy?" answered Xander.

"The tall one, dark hair, seems to like black."

"He's not a guy."

"He'll be here soon," said Buffy. "He was supposed to ride up with us, but he had to do some things."

"I'm here," said Angel, running over. "Sorry, I had a little business to take care of with Spike."

"We should really start to board," said Mr. Upton. The three guys headed for the gate and the girls went over to give the group hugs and say goodbye.

"Do you promise to come back for graduation?" asked Amy.

"Of course," said Buffy, moving forward to give her a hug. "And Amy, don't let the dreams bother you too much. Pay attention to them, but don't let them run your life."

Amy drew back in surprise. "How did you know?"

"I've been there," said Buffy. "I can tell. And Angel pointed it out."

Amy looked at Angel, noticing that he stepped behind Buffy and laid a protective hand on her shoulder. "Will you come to visit?" she asked Angel.

"Of course, as soon as I can."

"Good." Amy handed him an envelope, and he took it, glancing at it curiously and wondering what was inside. She gave him a small smile and followed everyone else to the gate. Angela, Amy and Beth turned around to wave goodbye at the entrance. Once they had disappeared into the gate, Buffy turned to Angel, and raised her eyebrows at the envelope.

Angel rolled his eyes at the impatient teenager and received a playful hit in the ribs. Opening the envelope, he found a letter and a picture. It was a very recent picture of Amy with her address on the back. On the bottom of her picture, it said, "Now you have my address and no more excuses." He smiled and decided to save the letter for later.

"Are you going to read the letter?" asked Buffy.

"Later, when I am sitting in my apartment bored during the day. Do you want me to drive you back to Sunnydale?" he said, changing the topic.

"Sure, just let me tell Giles."

She headed off in his direction, and he walked over to the window, watching as the plane pulled away.

. . .

"All passengers please put on your seat beats and get ready for take off," said a voice over the speaker.

Mr. Kraus put on his belt and turned to the rest of the group. "Are you all glad that the excitement is over?"

"Absolutely," said Bob. "I want to get back to Barker. It may be boring, but at least it is safe."

They all laughed at his reaction. Amy opened her mouth to say something, but was interrupted by Mr. Kraus.

"You know, Amy, I think we are going to have to have a talk about your grade."

"What???" asked Amy in shock, turning around to face him.

"No one talks back to me. Especially if is it about killing a vampire. I think you just failed this quarter."

Amy's mouth dropped and the rest of the people (except for Mr. Kraus) laughed at her reaction. If he laughed, she would know he kidding. Amy looked away and put her head in her hands, much to the increased amusement of everyone else. Mr. Kraus chuckled softly to himself.

"This is going to be a long flight home," said Amy, into her hands.

. . .

Page 7 of 7

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