The Way We Were: Part 4
by TC McGonigle
The Way We Were
by T. C. McGonigle
Buffy and the rest of the Scooby gang belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy and the WB, I'm only borrowing them for my own twisted purposes.
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Part Four
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"I don't like it." Willow paced up and down the library. Cordelia lounged in a chair, she smiled patiently at her friend's distress. Angel and Xander were closeted in Angel's office, researching, so the girls had the library to themselves.
"Don't worry about it, Will. Buffy's much too busy playing in the stacks with Angel to have any time to hit on Oz. They probably are doing school work."
"She knows I like him! She'll probably make a move on him just to spite me!" Willow glared in the direction of the computer lab. An expression of pure enlightenment crossed Willow's face. She turned to Cordelia triumphantly. "I know what I have to do. I have to beat her at her own game. I'll ignore him."
Cordelia raised an eyebrow. "Ignore him? How is that Buffy's game?"
"It's not." The light of excitement left Willow's face. She walked over the table and slumped dejectedly in a seat across from Cordelia. "Now I have no plan. I'm planless."
"No, you're not. The ignoring thing is a good idea. If you're not interested in Oz, then Buffy will lose interest. You just have to look good while doing it."
Willow looked down at her blue and yellow bowling shirt and black jeans. "I don't look good?"
"Let's go raid my closet." Cordelia stood up.
Angel and Xander emerged from the office, deep in conversation, just as the girls were about to disappear out the door. "Cordelia! Where are you going?" Angel frowned. Xander frowned. "We have work to do," Angel said sternly.
"Chill, Angel. Willow and I will be back in plenty of time to go hunting for ritualists." Cordelia moved to open the door, but it swung opened and knocked her down. Buffy and Oz walked into the library.
Buffy looked down at Cordelia. Cordelia glared up at her. "Oops, sorry." Buffy reached down and helped the proud brunette to her feet.
"Maybe I would be more...chilly if I wasn't afraid my slayer would get done in by a door." Angel smiled with amusement.
"Ha, ha, very funny." Cordelia still glared at Buffy. She transferred her irritation to Angel when she caught his smirk. "We have work to do, remember? No time for bobbing for blondes in the stacks."
Angel nodded toward the door. "You were leaving." Cordelia stalked out of the library followed closely by Willow. Once they were gone, Angel smiled a Buffy. "Now, what can I do for you, Buffy?"
Buffy could think of several answers to that particular question, none of which were appropriate to speak of in front of Xander and Oz. She really liked human Angel, but the spell had to be reversed. She needed her friends back to the way they were. "Actually, we need Xander again." Buffy grabbed one of Xander's arms and Oz took the other, leaving him no room to protest. The ushered him out of the library.
Buffy and Oz dragged Xander down the hall. "Look, Xander, Oz and I think that it would be great for our report if we actually see the spell in action. That way we can describe the experience more accurately."
"That sounds like a good idea, I think."
"Thanks, we need you to cast it, man." Oz clapped Xander on the shoulder. They left the school and walked to Oz's van. "Don't worry, we've got everything you'll need."
* * *
The sun went down earlier and sank fast. It's last blood red rays were quickly swallowed by the black night. No stars. No moon.
"This is creepy." Buffy shivered from the cool air and a feeling that made the hair on the back of her neck twitch.
Xander busied himself setting up the things he would need for the spell. He was still unclear as to why exactly they were doing this, but Buffy and Oz both had a don't argue attitude. Xander thought it best that he play along for now. "It's a good night for casting. There's a lot of energy in the air."
Buffy didn't comment on that observation. As the slayer she had been privy to energy, most of it evil, but tonight it was just plain creepy. Having her friends rearranged didn't help either. Buffy sensed that this energy was somehow connected to the spell.
"Okay, we're ready." Xander read the text and frowned. "Why am I casting a reversal spell?"
"Because," Oz offered his one word explanation with profound calm. Xander didn't understand what was going on, but he trusted that his friends knew what they were doing. This spell seemed to be very important to them.
Xander stepped into the white chalked pentagram and lit the blue candle that was in the center of it. He read aloud from the ancient book. "The spell was cast. It's job was done. Release these souls from their given traits and return them....." Xander's deep intonation of the spell was interrupted as a figure flew from the bushes and crashed into him.
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