Joyce Summers opened the front door of her home to see her daughter's friends standing there.
"She's not," she said, stopping in midsentence.
Giles moved forward.
"No, no, not at all. We still don't know where she is, Joyce. We were hoping you would finally let us into her room. We were looking for clues," Giles said.
Willow walked in and hugged Buffy's mom.
"Please, Mrs. Summers, let us do this. I know you don't want us to touch her room, but maybe there's something in there that will let us find her. Please," Willow said.
Joyce Summers was ready to crack. Her daughter had dropped a bombshell on her. Her favorite hobby was killing vampires. Joyce wasn't even sure they existed, but Buffy was out there doing this. Or maybe she was on drugs. That boy, Angel, he was the one who had done this to her. She knew her daughter shouldn't be with older guys.
Still, her real friends wanted to find her. And of course Joyce wanted her daughter home. She had not slept in two months, and when her body forced her to, all she did was dream of Buffy. And they were such strange dreams, too. Buffy in a mansion somewhere by the sea, spending her afternoons sitting with an old woman and a cat on her lap. Buffy never smiling, just patiently looking out the window, over her shoulder.
"Don't take anything from her room, please. Just look around and put everything back where you find it," Joyce said, stepping aside so the Slayerettes could go upstairs.
Giles led the way, followed by Willow, Xander and Cordelia, who had finally appeared at school after her manicure.
Buffy's room was in immaculate condition. Willow moved over to the chest under Buffy's bed where she kept her stakes. Xander held Mr. Gordo and looked at the floor. Cordelia went straight to the closet.
"Hello-oh, dry cleaners," Cordelia said. "Doesn't Buffy know that you have to wash these things immediately to get blood out? You'd think with so many vampire slayings that she'd learn by now."
Cordelia held up a satin blue jacket to show Xander.
"Cordy I don't think this is the time for fashion tips, ok? You're supposed to be looking for.." he said, opening his eyes. "She was wearing that the night she fought Angelus."
Willow and Giles came over to the jacket.
"Blood on it, and it's on the rim of the bottom. This couldn't be her blood, or it would be all over the jacket, right?," Willow said.
Giles nodded his head.
"Oh, my god, Giles," Willow said. "Angel's blood was the only thing that could close the portal! She didn't kill him!"
Willow was frantic now.
Xander and Cordelia stared at each other and then at Giles, whose face lit up for the first time in months. Finally a break, a clue as to what happened.
"Yes, you're absolutely right, Willow. She couldn't have killed him or he wouldn't have shed blood. He would have exploded into ash," Giles said.
"So ok, but that still doesn't tell us where Buffy is," Xander said. "All we know is Angelus is still out there somewhere floating around in hell. Not like I have a problem with that or anything, but I just thought I would share that with you all."
Cordelia stared at her friends.
"So I don't get it. If she did her job, and the world didn't go kaboom, then why wouldn't she come home? If you ask me she's up there on the selfish factor right now. Hello, we all care, too? Does she not care about our needs?"
"Thank you Cordelia for the show of affection for the person who saved your life," Xander said. "If you're finished now, then we can get back to what we were talking about.."
Willow interrupted him.
"She's right. Oh, God. The curse. It must have worked. Why else would she leave?," Willow said. "She must have sent him into hell after the curse. Oh, poor Buffy!"
Giles nodded his head again.
"We need to find her," Giles said. "Now more than ever."
Willow saw the claddagh ring on Buffy's nightstand.
"She didn't take this with her. Angel gave it to her. Oh, Giles, if Angel's good, is there any way to get him out of hell?"
Xander grabbed Willow.
"Are you out of your mind? We don't know if he is or if he isn't? You really want to bring him out of hell? I don't think so! No," he said.
Cordelia pulled him away from Willow.
"Xander, take a breath and calm down. Like there's anyway to get him out of there anyway. It's not like you can just wake Acathla up again and say, "Oopsie. We made a mistake, can we have our friend back? Please Mr. Monster."
"No, wait one minute," Giles said. "I think there is a way. Angel may be the key to bringing Buffy home to us."
Xander left the room.
"You're all insane," he said.
