Freefall, Part Three

"Freefall, Part Three " was the third story from the Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Nine.

''With the destruction of the seed, the fight against Twilight was brought to an end, and magic’s connection to our earth was severed. No more Slayers will be chosen. No more Slayer army. No more gang: Buffy is a waitress sin San Francisco; Dawn and Xander are attempting normal domesticity; Willow is struggling with the loss of her powers. It’s a new(ish) world, but there are still demons and vampires to slay – even as their popularity with the masses continues to grow – and Buffy is on point to do what she has always done…She is the Slayer. ''

Summary
Buffy and Severin are still in the alley after Severin shows her his power. He doesn't know how it works, he wants her to help him figure it out. She whisks him away from the "crime scene" and explains that she's getting the blame for the bodies, and says that if he wants to help, he can give her a place to sleep.

The cops talk to Anaheed; Spike talks to the little realtor gnome, who says he set up the "something nasty" searching for Buffy in "a place where no one will find him". We see Eldre Koh sitting in a cell in Alcatraz, looking at a newspaper article about Buffy.

Buffy wakes up in Severin's plush apartment. He brings her coffee and tells her his story: he's a trust fund kid, and he wanted to be a vampire. His girlfriend Clare had a plan to get herself sired by an old friend-turned-vampire Alessandra, and then sire Severin in turn. Severin describes being horrified by watching Clare drained, and then seeing her turn into a mindless beast when she woke. Clare attacked him and his powers were involuntarily activated, killing her as soon as he touched her.

We return to Buffy and Severin talking in his apartment. Buffy says that Severin wouldn't have been better off as a "normal" vampire, and that she would have killed them both. He says that all vampires are now waking up feral, and that he kills them and any vampire still siring them. Buffy works out the connection to the Seed based on the timing of events.

The cops visit Xander and Dawn, and then Buffy texts them, Willow, Spike, and Andrew, asking them to meet at Severin's place. Willow and Xander come, and Buffy calls Willow again, using Dawn's phone because she thinks Willow will refuse to talk to her. Willow picks up, but isn't receptive until Buffy starts talking about consequences of breaking the Seed, and then she consents to attend the meeting through speakerphone.

Buffy introduces Severin only briefly, putting priority on investigating the change in vampires. Dawn brings up the book that Giles left Buffy - Severin's interested, but Buffy says she can't go back to get it. Willow and Buffy talk about how demons can no longer cross dimensions to inhabit human bodies, meaning the new vampires are without demons to control them. Xander dubs them "zompires".

There's argument about the next step. Xander, Willow, and Dawn don't want to get involved, but they do want Buffy to go to the cops before things get worse. Severin wants Buffy to help him take out a nest, saying she can't trust the police. Xander and Dawn leave, asking Buffy to be careful, however she decides.

Spike finds the demon in Alcatraz; they have it out briefly, and the demon, Eldre Koh, claims that he's only seeking Buffy to thank her. The end of magic released him from the prison where he was held in this realm, and now he swears he's bound to Buffy. Spike doesn't buy it and brings up the rumors he's heard about someone trying to off Buffy. Koh says those aren't about him, but the prophesied "Siphon", who rips mystical energy from all he touches and is supposedly headed straight for Buffy.

Buffy and Severin head for the nest that he told her about. He says not to worry about him; he gets stronger with each vampire he kills. After they take out the nest, he says, he might even be stronger than her.

On the final page we - and Buffy - see that the lair is already full of dead bodies. Severin turns to Buffy with an evil grin and energy crackling all around him. "I know," he says.

Individuals

 * Buffy Summers
 * Severin
 * Anaheed
 * Robert Dowling
 * Miranda Cheung
 * Spike
 * Eldre Koh
 * Clare
 * Alessandra
 * Xander Harris
 * Dawn Summers
 * Willow Rosenberg

Species

 * Vampire
 * Zompire
 * Gnome
 * Unspecified Demon - Eldre Koh

Weapons and Objects

 * Stake
 * Energy Blades

Deaths

 * Several Vampires

Collections

 * Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 9 Volume 1: Freefall

Quotes
"And now we’re fighting in front of the police. Which means you can see that the fight is very real and very ridiculous."

- Xander Harris