Buffy, Willow, Roman, Oz and I were sitting at the bar at the bronze, we had no gig just friendly hanging out with our friends nursing sodas and chewing on snacks.
Buffy seemed preoccupied as she idly played with a cookie, I didn't have to guess what she was thinking. She told me about Angel coming back, I almost didn't believe it until I saw him. Of course I promised to keep this a secret. Roman knows but he's pretty good at keeping quiet. We would never do anything to harm someone we grew up with. I was actually happy he was brought back however it happened, I don't know. It took me hours to stop crying. I thought I was dreaming. Roman, Mom and I have banded together giving him fresh blood when we can.
"I think we should get a limo." Cordelia said when she and Xander took their place at the end of the bar.
"A limo?" Xander repeated.
"Yeah!"
"A big, expensive limo?" Xander said.
"That does sounds like fun" I said causing Cordy to smile at me. "It's our last homecoming dance, so we should make a big deal of it"
"You wanna talk fun? Public bus, you meet the funniest people." Xander said.
"Back me up here, Oz"
I glanced at my boyfriend raising an eyebrow, he noticed my expression.
"Well if it's a dollar issue, we could all take my van." Oz told him.
"Van?" Cordelia said scoffing. "The homecoming Queen doesn't go to the dance in a van, use your head."
"Well, technically, you haven't been elected yet." I told her prickly rolling my eyes, Cordelia gave me a look and I returned it.
"Although you certainly and without a doubt will be.." Xander said trying to make his girlfriend happy. "Who else likes a limo?"
"A private limo!" Willow murmured smiling and wiggled into Roman's arms. "It is pretty...cuddlesome."
Roman laughed at her quietly, kissing her cheek.
"And if we split the cost, I can put in the extra bit" I added.
"Um...maybe you know" Buffy said quietly. "if I go and all."
"Why wouldn't you go? you already have your tickets" Willow asked. "I mean unless you don't have a da..." I noticed Scott standing behind her and nudged Will pointing him out. "A day or two to think about it. We should all think about it."
We shared a look hoping, we didn't mess it up for Buffy.
"What's going on here?" Cordelia asked confused. "Did Scott not ask her to the homecoming dance yet?"
"Thanks Cordelia." Buffy told her embarrassed. "Humiliation's really good for my color."
"Oh um...well no" Scott said looking unsure. "I just...I assumed that you would think it was corny or something, but I-I'm in...I mean, you know if you are, if you want to."
Buffy glanced at me and I gave her an encouraging smile.
"Uh...sure I do." Buffy told him. "You know i-if you want to."
"The judges will accept that as a yes" Oz said smiling.
"Do you want me to get you another drink?"
"Um...no actually. Uh I-i'm a little tired, I think I'm gonna call it a night. But I'm excited about the dance." Buffy told him smiling.
"Me too"
Buffy leaned towards him, tugging gently on his jacket and kissed him sweetly.
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"Thanks for helping me Tor" Buffy told me as we walked up to Angel's mansion.
We walked in and Buffy handed him a bag of blood while I carried in an ice chest full.
"You don't have to thank me Buffy, I'd do anything for my 'brother'." I told her smiling and glanced at Angel, who looked at me kindly. "So how are you feeling?"
Angel jerked his head away slightly from the tub of blood, then lowered it to take off the lid.
"It hurts...less." He said.
"You know I have a lot of questions." I said making him nod.
"That makes two of us." He told me.
"Okay well if you need more you know where to find me." I added gesturing to the blood. "I'm gonna head home."
"Thank you." He told me smiling.
I pulled him into a tight hug, and then turned heading out.
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(Tori's POV)
It was picture day at Sunnydale High, I put on a cute outfit for the day, hopped up on the stool and smiled.
After the pictures were taken, Xander, Willow and I started to walk out of the lounge, it's been a while since we just hung out just the three of us. I met them, Harmony and Cordelia in first grade.
I was best friends with Cordelia and Harmony that's only because I lived in a fancy house and I had money but unlike them I don't let it get to me. Around third grade I started hanging out with Willow and Xander. Anyway when we got up to eighth grade, I punched Harmony in the face, she was picking on Xander and well our friendship dissolved along with my title as one of the Queen Bees.
"You both have got to help me go dress shopping, I wanna wear something that makes Oz go oh." I told them grinning.
"Me too" Willow said. "Only with Roman."
"I got the tux goin' on" Xander told us. " I'm gonna look hot if it even remotely fits."
We laughed at each other.
We reached Cordelia who was looking at the other girls that are running for Homecoming Queen.
"Whatcha doing?" Xander asked.
"Checking out the I-laughingly-use-the-phrase competition." Cordelia said.
We looked over at Holly, playing with her hair and talking to a couple of boys, and Michelle doing whatever it was.
Oz came up behind me and gently put his arm around me, I smiled at him, Roman arrived standing by Willow as Cordelia went off naming the girls.
"Don't stress over them Cordy, you got better stuff than they do" I told her staring at the rich preppy girls. "Take away their daddy's money and what do they got? nothing at least you have smarts."
"thanks Vicky." Cordy said smiling at me.
"Where's Buffy?" Willow said looking around. "She's gonna miss the yearbook pictures."
"Buffy and Faith are in the library getting all sweaty " Xander said.
"Their training." I corrected.
"I stand by my phrase." Xander said giving me a look. "Shouldn't you be with them Tor?"
"I prefer to train alone." I told him shrugging.
"I don't think she was here on the day they announced them. Did anybody tell her?" Roman said.
"I did but maybe she just forgot." I said.
"Oh I'll remind her now, I have to go to the nurse's office for an ice pack anyway" Cordelia told us.
"Did you hurt yourself?" Xander asked wrapping his hand around her arm.
"No silly" she said smiling at him and nudged him. "It shrinks the pores!"
She walked off.
"Duh." I muttered giving Xander a look.
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Willow, Roman, Buffy, Xander, Oz and I were sitting in the cafeteria at a table, I was chewing on some homemade jerky strips and chatting with Willow and Xander about going shopping.
Buffy stared off into space into space when Cordelia walked in and handed out flyers.
"I can't believe it." Buffy told us. " My favorite teacher, and she didn't even remember who I was. I'm like a non-person." She looked at me. "Am I invisible? Can you see me?"
She waved her hand in front of my face.
" Big as life." I replied.
"At Hemery, I was Prom Princess, I was Fiesta Queen, I was on the cheer leading squad. And the yearbook was, like, a story of me. Now it's senior year, and I'm going to be one crappy picture on one-eighth of one crappy page." Buffy told us picking at her food.
" Uh, no, actually, you're not." Xander said looking up from his tray.
"What do you mean?" Buffy asked.
"Well, you uh, missed the picture-taking." Willow told her.
"When? Why?"
"We did 'em yesterday." Oz said.
"Didn't Cordelia remind you?" I asked.
Buffy settled her gaze on a campaigning Cordelia and suddenly Buffy Summers was now running for Homecoming Queen. This wouldn't end well.
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Later that evening, We had just gotten back from dress shopping and went to Willow's house Xander, Willow and I were showing each other our findings. Willow's changing behind her changing screen while I used her bathroom listening to 'how' by Lisa Loeb.
I walked out, sitting on the bed.
"What do you think of this?" Willow asked stepping out from behind the screen wearing a crimson and white satin slip dress.
Xander glanced over at her as he tucked his white, long-sleeve shirt into his tuxedo pants. His bow tie hung around his collar, still untied.
"Nice" he said smiling and shrugged.
"Remember last year we were all single and now we're going to prom with actual dates and everything ?" I asked flipping through a magazine.
"Yeah" Xander said chuckling.
"Never in my years did I think I'd be dating anyone I just hope Oz likes what I'm wearing, I know we'll be on stage and stuff but I want his full attention...I just want it to be..." I said sighing
"Special I know I really hope Rome has fun with me" Willow told me as she picked up another outfit and went back behind her changing screen.
"Exactly that's why I spared no expense on the tux." Xander told us.
"The tux?" Willow asked "We thought you borrowed it from your cousin Rigby."
"Expense to my pride girls, they're our only relations with money and they shun us..as they should." Xander said.
"Xander I told you I could have bought any tux you wanted." I told him.
"Thanks Tor but you know I won't take any money from you."
Willow stepped out from behind the screen again. this time wearing a black top embroidered with several randomly placed small sunflowers and a smiling sun over a full-length skirt with a floral print.
"What about this one?"
"It's cute" I said
"Nice" Xander said, he turned his attention back on his tie, Willow saw him struggling with it and went over to him, and helped him. Xander let go of the tie and she started to tie it correctly.
She looked up at him and gave him a little smile.
"What?"
"I was just... remember the eight-grade cotillion" Willow said smiling, giggling. "You had that clip-on?"
"Hey, I was pretty stylin with that clip-on." Xander said defensively.
"but remember Harmony came up to you and threw a glass of punch in your face and Tori ended up throwing an actual punch?."
"That was my first detention, ah good times." I said smiling proudly.
"Yeah" Xander said with a chuckle. "and now here we three are, and it's...homecoming, I'm going with Cordy, Tori's got Oz and you got Roman"
Willow finished with the tie and smiled at us, before going back behind the screen to try on another dress this time is the one I chose for her.
"So huh Tori, you and Oz?" Xander asked pulling on his vest. "How do I put this? Are we on first, second or uh ye gods?"
"That's none of your business Alexander Harris." I told him.
"Ooo, rounding second." Xander said smiling, reaching for his jacket. I rolled my eyes huffing at him.
"honestly we haven't yet ya know, it's not that I don't want to, it's more I'm terrified I'll lose control." I told them honestly.
"We get it, have you talked to Oz about it?, you know if anyone would understand about losing control he would." Xander asked.
"I just don't want to hurt him there's so much danger involved especially with it being vampire-werewolf sex." I told them sighing.
"What about you and Cordelia?" Willow asked. She came out in a elegant black, sleeveless, full-length dress. I looked at her and smiled.
"That is perfect for you." I told her.
"Really think Rome will like it?" She asked
"He'll love it." I said enthusiastically nodding. "Sooo you and Cordy?"
"Oh, a gentleman never talks about his conquests." Xander said pulling on his tuxedo jacket.
"Since when are you a gentleman?" I asked, all three of us looked at each other and started laughing.
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"A campaign is like a war, it's won or lost in the trenches." Buffy said she had called for a meeting in the library bright and early the next day.
Buffy had a large whiteboard arrayed with pictures of Cordelia, Michelle and Holly. Next to each picture was a thermometer filled in red up to their perceived levels of popularity. Below was a list of strengths and weaknesses for each girl. Buffy walked past the board, pointing at each picture with a pointer stick.
"Holly, Michelle, and our real competition, Cordelia, all have big head starts. " Buffy said setting down the pointer. "Speaking of big heads, if I had a watermelon as big as Cordelia's, I'd be rich."
"Hey let's not go bagging on the rich" I told her. "Not all of us are that way."
She smiled at Xander, Roman, Willow, Oz who were sitting by the table, I sat beside Oz with my legs laying across his lap and arms crossed bored of this thing.
I liked wearing dresses and doing girlie things but I hate preppy things and this whole homecoming royalty thing is the biggest preppy event in high school.
"Waits for laughs." Buffy muttered and then she gave up waiting for a response and walked along the board. "Okay, you're right. Making fun of the competition only makes me seem petty. Now, this is just like any other popularity contest. I've done this before. The only difference being this time, I'm not actually popular. Although, I'm not exactly unpopular. A lot of people came to my welcome home party."
"But they were killed by zombies." Willow told her.
Buffy pointed at her.
"Good point. Okay" Buffy said pointing at Willow, and walked closer to us.
"here's the plan. Willow, I need you to make a database. See who's for us, who's on the fence and where our real crisis areas are. Oz and Tori, you take the fringe: musicians, Tori you can also handle the yearbook/art friends, Those not normally inclined to vote. Roman and Xander...what..."
She noticed Cordelia coming into the library. Cordelia looked at us and crossed her arms.
"Uh, Cordelia... Okay, look. I know this is a little awkward, but I don't see any reason why we all can't get along during this campaign time." Buffy told her.
Cordelia shrugged, nodding.
"I mean, we're... almost friends, and... we are all riding together in the limo."
"Yeah great Willow, how's that database coming?" Cordelia asked.
"Uh it's... Just about done." Willow said sighing and looked down in shame.
She sighed
"Xander?" Cordelia asked insistently.
Xander whipped his head around to face her.
"I got your new flyers." He said smiling thinly.
"Let's get cracking"
Buffy gave them all a betrayal expressions. Xander slipped off the table.
"She's my girlfriend." Xander said.
Willow slid off too and gestured and shrugged a lot when she looked at Buffy on her way to join Xander and Cordelia.
"It's just that...she needs it so much more than you do." Willow told her.
"Sorry Buff, Willow being the girlfriend I follow her." Roman muttered following Willow.
I stayed sitting and Cordelia looked at me I shook my head she huffed and walked off.
"Why did you stay?" Buffy asked looking at me.
"Even if I hate this type of thing I'm on your side." I told her.
She smiled at me.
"Plus Cordelia called the art people freaks, We are not freaks we just like express ourselves...and just so happens to be mostly fangs." I added rolling my eyes in annoyance. "As long as you don't over to the whole preppy girl stuff I'm here."
Buffy smiled at me nodding and looked at Oz.
"As Tori stays, so does my nation." He said, making me laugh.
I leaned over to kiss his cheek.
Giles walked out into the area as Buffy went to the table grabbing her bottle of apple juice.
"Seems like a lot of fuss for...one little title." Giles said.
"Well, you know, it's no fun if you don't try your best." Buffy said taking a drink of her juice.
" As long as fun is still in the mix." Giles told her.
"Sure! It's not like anyone takes it that seriously." Buffy said smiling the bottle in her hand suddenly shattered under the pressure of her grip.
Buffy gave Giles, Oz and I an innocent smile.
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Buffy and I had been handing out flyers all week, and Oz had been such a great help, whenever I started to get tired he would step up and hand mine out for me.
I followed Buffy around the entire school and I'm exhausted. Buffy and I were walking down the stairs, Buffy with a bounce in her step while our arms were linked.
I watched as she fake dropped her stack of flyers and pulled my arm away from her. Scott saw them fall, and quickly picked them up.
"Sorry."
"Here" He said handing her the flyers, and they both stood back up..
"As fun as this is, I'm gonna find Oz and Devon to work on our set list." I told her and walked off.
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I found Willow in the hall after dealing with the band stuff, she was looking at two flyers of Buffy and Cordelia posted next door to each other.
I stopped beside her staring at them, we glanced at each other sighing and started to walk down the hall together. We only got a few steps before we ran into Buffy.
"Hey"
"Hi! How are you? " Willow said getting all jumpy "You good? You look good. Anything new? Hey, did I mention you look good?"
"Breath Will." I said putting a hand on her shoulder.
"Willow, it's okay that you're helping Cordelia. We're best friends. I'm not gonna hold it against you." Buffy told her.
"No, I'm not a friend. I'm a rabid dog who should be shot! But there're forces at work here! Dark, incomprehensible forces." Willow said whinnying.
"And I'm sure they're more important than all we've been through together, or... the number of times that I've saved your life." Buffy said.
I glared at her hearing the tone in her voice and noticed the look on her face.
"What do you want?" I asked crossing my arms.
"Fifteen minutes alone on Will's computer with Cordelia's database." Buffy told us.
"Kay" Willow said giving in and slid her backpack from her shoulder and sat down at a table by a window. We sat down with her watching Buffy mess with Will's computer.
"So I spoke to the limo people" Buffy told us. "And we're all set."
"Actually you won't have to worry about Oz and I" I told them. "We have to arrive earlier for a sound check."
"Oh 'kay, well then they'll pick up Faith, then me, then swing by and get you guys." Buffy said indicating to Willow. "Now what's your database tell you about my weaknesses?"
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Xander, Willow and I walked up behind Cordelia finding her and Buffy in a heated argument.
"Why don't you do both of us a favor and stay out of my way?" Cordelia said starting to walk past her, pushing Buffy out of the way.
"Don't ever do that again." Buffy said grabbing her hand and shoved her away.
"You're sick, you know that?" Cordelia retorted jerking her hand away.
"Okay, let's not say something we'll uh, regret later..." Xander said grabbing Cordelia from behind.
"You crazy freak!"
"Vapid whore!"
"Like that" I commented.
Xander pulled Cordelia away from Buffy.
"What did you call me?!" Cordelia exclaimed.
Xander quickly pulled her away down the hall, Willow and I shared a worried glance.
"This is just..." Willow muttered.
"Horrible" I finished giving Buffy a disappointed look and walking away.
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At the homecoming dance at the Bronze, wearing ^ I was up on stage with the band performing 'he knows', I had written it just for Oz, the boys were on their guitars and while I took the mic.
'He flies from a blinding light / And spirals to my heart
I try to find my mind to go / don't know where to start
Won't ever, can't ever find my sanity
Won't ever......can't ever till I hear him calling for me'
Willow and Xander were acting funny sitting beside each other, Roman stared at Willow in confusion and Xander who was idly nibbling on a finger sandwich while looking down at the floor, seeming deep in thought. Had something happened.
I'm slightly feeling guilty about ditching Buffy but there was so much preppy I can take.
I saw Giles rush up to Xander panicking, making me start to panic, Roman quickly looked up on stage and shook his head, mouthing it was a false alarm. I glared at Giles, he noticed and stopped smiling rushing off to the buffet table.
'he knows that, he knows that
'He knows that side of me/I can't help it, can't help it'
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'Just a little more/just a little more
Just until I know what I'm feeling/ just a little more
To find my sanity."
I watched as Faith went up to Scott and his date that wasn't Buffy and messed with him. While I loved her attitude, something just made me weary of her.
'he knows that side is calling back for me
I've lost my mind / I never believe
He knows that side......is calling back for me
I lost my mind til he's calling for me
he's calling for me / he's calling for me
he knows that, he knows that/ he knows that side of me
I can't help it....'
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"They're gonna announce the Queen, where are they?, What's keeping them?" Willow asked.
It was time to announce the homecoming queen, We walked through the crowd seeing Devon going on with minor announcements.
I looked around, noticing Buffy and Cordelia working there way through the crowd behind us covered in dirt and disheveled.
"I'm gonna go with mud wrestling" I said causing the others to look over.
"Oh god!" Xander said. "What did you two do to each other?"
"Long story" Buffy said.
"Got hunted" Cordelia told them.
"Apparently not that long." Buffy said. "Tell you one thing though. You don't wanna mess with Cordelia."
"No" Xander said chuckling, earning a look from Cordelia.
A drum roll got our attention, looking up at Devon.
"In this envelope, I hold the name of this year's Homecoming Queen"
He got a few calls from the crowd, before opening the envelope he made another announcement about an after party.
"Get it over with already" I told him cupping my hands over my mouth.
He looked at me not in a mean way but playfully and I smirked back.
"As requested by my awesome beautiful singer and song writer."
I rolled my eyes.
"The winner is...." He said opening the envelope and checked the name. "Hey I believe we have a first for Sunnydale high, we have a tie."
Buffy and Cordelia exchanged a look and smiled.
"The winners are Holly Charleston and Michelle Blake."
Buffy and Cordelia's smiles faded.
Michelle and Holly pushed between them to get to the stage. Everyone in the crowd applauded as the two Queens made their way to the stage.
I boo'd at them which made Oz, Roman, Xander and Willow chuckle at me.
On the stage Devon held up the Homecoming tiara, and waved it first over Michelle's head, then Holly's. The crowd continued to applaud. Michelle stepped up to the mic.
"I'm just so honored!" Michelle said giggling.
Buffy and Cordelia exchanged another look, rolled their eyes and turned to go with me following right behind.
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EDITED. (11-17-2021) None of the music or art or anything belongs to me.