Synopsis of Fear, Itself
Written by Bone
The story opens with Buffy AT Xander's with Willow and Oz. They are carving pumpkins for Halloween as Xander and Oz comment on the fact that Xander's pumpkin seems to mocking them instead of looking menacing. They ask Buffy's opinion while she is playing with the pumpkin innards. She says she was thinking about the life of a pumpkin. They grow up in the sun entwined with others of their kind until someone comes along and rips your guts out. She is still upset about Parker. Xander tries to change the subject by getting the scary movie he rented for the evening. He pulls out Fantasia when he thought he had asked for Phantasm at the video store. Oz comments that dancing hippos doesn't scare him anymore. The Willow and Oz start to talk about a frat party at a haunted house. You have to get through a maze to get to the party upstairs. They hadn't told Xander about it. He's somewhat hurt and says he had better things to do until Willow said he could come. It is getting late and Buffy decides to leave. The gang all agree that Parker is a jerk. While going home a demon jumps out at Buffy. She clocks it with one blow. It is not a demon. Just a kid in a mask, trying to scare her.
The next day at school, Willow is talking with Buffy in the cafeteria about how she is uncertain about trying higher forms of magic like conjuring. Buffy tells her that no one is pushing her to do more. She wants more support. Buffy wants her safe. Oz walks up and agrees with Buffy. Willow calls him Brutus. He explains that not being able to control something, like his wolfing out, is very scary and he too just wants her to be careful. Buffy sees Parker in the dining area and leaves. Willow goes after her. Buffy tells her she just doesn't want to deal with the situation right now. Willow tells her to just make sure to come to the party and maybe she will meet someone. Buffy says she doesn't want to meet anyone and also believes she will have to patrol anyway.
She heads for Giles' and he is in a Mexican out fit complete with a big sombrero. Buffy is stunned. She thought he hated the Halloween. He says that while working as a watcher he just didn't see the charm of it. Buffy wants to talk about patrolling but can take him serious with the hat on. He removes it and tells her that for the most part demons avoid that night because of all the fuss about it.
The guys at the frat house are preparing the place for the night's festivities as one brings plastic spiders. He also has a book with what he thinks is just a scary-looking symbol and wants to paint it on the floor.
At Xander's, he is about to leave and turns to find Anya there. He tells her again about knocking. Uncle Rory let her in and she says he smells like peppermint. He's a Schnapps drinker. She's upset that he didn't call. Xander says he thought she was over him. She says that what she thought he wanted to hear. Xander explains that he took her word seriously. She thinks that was stupid of him. Xander tells her that seeing her again was not a bad thing and she smiles and moves closer to him. She wants them to go out on a date to celebrate the first week anniversary of them having sex. He says was invited to go to the frat Halloween party with his friends. She says she doesn't understand and Xander tries to explain Halloween. She understands Halloween but not Xander's relationship with the others. He tries to explain that they are friends. He invites her to go to the party with him. She is happy and asks if they were dating. Xander says it was definitely date-like qualities.
At school Buffy comes to Prof. Walsh's class after it was over to get the assignment. She tells Buffy not to miss any more assignments or she is out of the class and leaves. Riley is there and gives her the assignment and tells her that the Prof. means it. She tells him she will get her act together. He asks if she was going to have a good time that night. She said she had catching up to do. He tells her to try and have some fun. She thanks him and leaves.
Oz and Xander bring in a large speaker. The symbol is being painted on the floor. Oz thinks the speaker doesn't sound quite right and pulls a knife to redo the speaker wire. Xander is about to ask about the symbol but gets distracted by food (peeled grapes) and doesn't finish his question. The grapes are supposed to be eyeballs. Oz accidentally cuts himself and shakes blood on the symbol on the floor. No one notices as the blood causes the floor under the symbol to ripple and a plastic spider on the floor becomes real.
Buffy's mom is altering a Little Re Riding Hood outfit for her. She hadn't worn it since she was 12. Her mom starts remembering how Buffy's dad used to go with her to keep her safe on Halloween. Her mother says he loved spending time with her. "Not enough", Buffy says and starts thinking that it might have been her fault that he left. She tells her mom about opening up to a guy and then he bails on you. (Still post-Parker-Syndrome (PPS)). Her mother assures her she wasn't the cause of the divorce. Buffy thinks it might be easier to never open up to anyone again. Her mother tells her that after the divorce, she didn't make new friends because of fear. But now she has a group of people she can count on just like Buffy has the gang.
The students are partying all over the campus that night. Willow is talking to Oz and says she will meet at his place. She is dressed in chain armor. She says they will make Buffy have fun and if Parker shows up they can ax-murder him.
At the frat, the party is cranking up. A guy has his girl blindfolded and she puts her hand in the grape bowl. He tells her they are eyeballs. She lifts her blind. They are eyeballs! She starts screaming.
Xander meets Buffy in her LRRH outfit. Xander is in a tux. He says he is James Bond and if you become your costume like the other time he wanted to be someone cool. They meet Willow and Oz. Willow is actually dressed as Joan of Arc. Whom she says had a close and personal relationship with God. Oz doesn't have a costume but a nametag. It says God.
The dudes in camouflage come out with weapons. The gang thinks they are just dressed up like everyone else. (Were they after Oz and let him go because Buffy was there and know about her too?) Xander tells them that Anya was coming but was having trouble finding a scary costume but would meet them at the party. Buffy is upset and calls herself a third wheel. Xander says she is a Fifth wheel as Willow goes to comfort her.
Back at the party, people are running and screaming and getting killed allover the place. Doors are closing so they can't get out. The gang arrives and find it oddly quite outside as more terrorizing is going on inside. One guy falls down a flight of stairs and looks like he breaks his neck. An eerie voice says, "Release me."
Now inside the gang still can't find the party. Willow gets the wiggins from some realistic cobwebs and Xander is scared by a knife-welding dummy. Oz notices a real spider on Willow and hurries to knock it off of her. As they continue to where they thought the party would be, Buffy notices a spot on the floor. It is real blood. They hear a squeaking noise. They look up to see bats, which start to swoop down on them. Oz picks up one they hit. Its rubber. Xander thinks it might all still be some sort of a trick until the voice shouts again, "RELEASE ME!!"
Anya is walking to the party. She is dressed as a bunny. No guys, not Playboy bunny but a big Harvey the Rabbit bunny. She gets to the frat house but there is no door. She goes to the side of the building and sees a girl beating on a window. The window seals with the bricks on the sides of it. She is afraid some will happen to Xander.
Meanwhile the gang has circled back to where they thought the entrance was. They can't find their way out. Xander hears something and tells the gang but no one seems to here him. Willow wants to go. Buffy says she was so anxious to get her there. They all here a noise and Buffy opens a closet door to find one of Oz's friends, Chaz, cowering. He says, "it's alive", as a plastic skeleton becomes real. Chaz screams as the skeleton stabs at Buffy but hits mostly her cape. She clobbers it and it turns back to plastic. They gang checks Buffy's wound and again it seems like Xander isn't there. Chaz goes back into the closet and Oz thinks that is a good idea. Buffy turns around and the closet is gone. Buffy get her basket and pulls weapons from it. She wants the others to find a way out. Willow doesn't want to leave her. Buffy wants them to find someone who can make sense out of what is happening. (Giles)
Anya has made her way to Giles' apartment. She wants him to save Xander. He gets her to calm down and explain what she saw. He has heard of such happenings before and starts putting together some weapons books to take to the house.
Buffy and Willow are arguing about whether or not she should leave. Buffy wants them out of harms way and Willow wants to make her own decision. Xander steps in to calm them both down but no one sees or hears him. Willow wants to do a spell that summons a guide to get them out of the house. Buffy tells her spells are only 50-50. Willow is up set and says," So's your face." Buffy is confused by the comment as Willow rushes off and says she is not her sidekick. Xander tried to talk to Buffy as she is getting more stuff from the basket. She starts calling for Xander and thinks he's run off somewhere. Xander realizes his delimma now. No one sees him.
Willow and Oz find some stairs that is supposed to lead to the party room. As they are going there Oz starts to wolf out. He tells Willow to get away from him. She tries to help and he scratches her hand and runs off. Willow screams for him not to leave her and it echoes through the house.
Meanwhile Xander looks in a mirror to see if he can see himself. A head on a table says that it can see him also. He freaks and runs.
Oz is in a bathtub trying to will himself not to change fully into a werewolf. Buffy is still searching the house for something to fight. Willow is trying the guiding spell on her own. A little ball of light appears. She tells it to find the others and then lead them out. While she isn't looking at it, the light multiplies into many little lights and start attacking her. She runs out screaming.
Buffy is still searching when she hears Willow screaming. She starts frantically trying doors and steps through one and falls into the basement. As she tries to get up a broke-neck dude with what looks like a hatchet in his shoulder is telling her she is all alone and everyone ran away from her. But she won't be alone anymore as hands come out of the ground and grab her (was this her dad? I couldn't tell)
Giles and Anya are outside trying to figure a way in. Giles says he has to make a door. Anya seems amazed that he can conjure a door as Giles goes to his bag. He brings out a chainsaw and stars cutting through the wood.
Meanwhile, Buffy is fighting of the ghouls as the broke-neck dude keeps says things to her like "No matter how hard you try it all ends up the same." She escapes the ghouls via a door in the basement but it leads to where everyone else is. Oz and others are there nearly catatonic with fear. Willow comes running in swatting what she thinks are lights off of her. Oz hears her and snaps out of it. He and Buffy calm Willow down. Xander is in a chair talking as if no one can see or hear him. Buffy and the gang can. Buffy believes that whatever is causing this brought them to the room. This is the room with the symbol painted on the floor. Xander sees the book that the symbol came from. Willow is trying to decipher it but it is in Gaelic. The voice again says, "RELEASE ME!" Willow believes a demon Gacknar(Sp.?) is trying to get into this world. The symbol was part of a summoning spell that was only partially started. It feeds on fear. Buffy and the gang start looking for a way out as the demon continues to yell. The find a door and head to it as Giles chainsaws his way in. Anya rushes to Xander and he tells her he's glad she could make it. Giles Says the holes he cut closed up behind them. Giles gets the book and starts reading how to stop Gacknar. He doesn't want it coming into this world. Buffy says she'll fight it. He shows her a picture of it and she says she doesn't want to fight it.
When Giles reads aloud a phrase about destroying the symbol, Buffy does so before he can finish translating. Destroying the symbol brings Gacknar forth. Smoke and light are coming through the floor. The fear demon is coming forth.
The demon arises through the broken floorboards. It is only about 2 inches tall. It commands them to be afraid. Giles tells Buffy to do her job and fight the demon. She squashes it like a bug.
Back at Giles' everyone is pigging out on candy while Giles is still reading about Gacknar. Xander is looking at Anya's "scary" costume. She says bunnies frighten her. At that moment Giles lets out an exclamation. He says the inscription on the picture says actual size.
THE END
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