Banner by Selene

Chapter 22

Spike watched Dawn slowly ascend the stairs until she was out of sight. Only then did he turn back to the assembled group in the front entry. They all stood there in awkward silence until Giles spoke.

“Let’s go in to the office, shall we? I have my research set up in there.” Giles gestured to a room off the front entryway. “Wesley, I take it that you brought what you’ve been able to find out about Buffy’s attacker?” Wesley nodded and indicated the satchel he had slung over his right shoulder as he preceded Giles into the office. Fred and Angel trailed behind him, followed by Spike. Giles walked in last and shut the door behind him.

Wesley and Fred took the two seats in front of the desk, while Angel propped himself up against the wall, arms folded over his chest. Giles went around the desk and sat down. Spike stood behind him, adopting a stance similar to Angel’s.

“So, Wesley, what have you been able to find out?” Giles asked. Wesley started speaking as he began pulling texts, papers, and other research items out of his satchel.

“Based on the drawing Angel was able to recreate, we’ve been able to determine that Buffy’s attacker is from the Draemuir dimension. They’re a hierarchical-based world ruled by Draelorns. They’ve been content to stay in their own dimension, thus far. We still can’t fathom why they would venture into our world, but we’re still researching.”

“Why would they want to try and come here? Haven’t they heard about the sudden over-population of slayers?” This from Spike.

“It makes no sense to us either,” Fred said. “If they wanted to attempt expanding their empire, they should have tried it before now.”

“So, we need to find out why they’re suddenly interested in our world. There’s got to be a reason for their sudden interest. And even more troubling, what makes them think they have any hope of succeeding,” Giles added. “I’m assuming you all will be here for a while?”

“Until it’s fixed,” Angel spoke from his position against the wall.

“Right. Then you’ll need a place to stay. I’m sure we can find some room for you here.”

“That won’t be necessary. Wolfram & Hart owns a hotel in the city. I’ve booked us rooms there. We can shower and change there then come over here to research. I don’t want to disrupt things any more than they are,” Angel said.

Spike pierced his grandsire with a look. “We can make room. She’ll want to see you,” he said quietly.

“See me she will, but we’ll stay at the hotel,” his quiet tone brooked no argument. Spike just sighed and nodded.

“Now that that’s decided… Why don’t you all go get some rest and we’ll get a fresh start in the morning?” Giles chimed in. “I’m sure your body clocks are completely awry after that long flight.”

They all agreed, both to the need for sleep and the resumption of research later that day. Then the three visitors were gone, leaving behind the research they had brought with them.

~*~*~*~*~

Spike went upstairs to keep vigil over a sleeping Buffy, leaving Giles once more alone in the office. He took off his glasses and set them on the desk, pinched the bridge of his nose as he leaned his elbow on the desk. He had deliberately avoided mentioning the prophecy that he was researching in front of the others and tried to get them to focus on Buffy’s attackers. He feared the two items were directly related and he needed as much information as possible about this Draelorn demon before he voiced his concerns to the others.

For now, he went back to researching, desperate to prove himself wrong about the prophecy, Buffy’s fate, and that of the slayer line.

He had witnessed a lot over the last seven years first as her watcher, then as her mentor. Seen firsthand the heartache she’d endured, the betrayals she’d overcome... some by him. There'd been failed relationships. The death of her mother. Her dying, twice. Being resurrected the second time, torn out of Heaven by her well-meaning friends, and how she'd attempted to get used to being back on Earth again.

If what he thought came to pass it was going to be a long while before she saw Heaven again.

Don’t think negatively, he chided himself. Look through the books and find a different answer.

~*~*~*~*~

She awoke to feel the cool sand beneath her bare feet; a white, calf-length dress billowed about her legs from the gentle breeze. Buffy took a moment to get her bearings then realized she was immersed in a slayer dream. “Great! As if the last one wasn’t bad enough,” she mumbled under her breath as she started walking through the darkened desert. A full moon provided the light necessary to guide her on her way.

Buffy arrived at the cave, unerringly. She took a deep breath before walking inside; there was just *something* about a slayer dream that made you want to delay putting off the inevitable. As she expected, a fire provided the only means of light. What she didn’t expect was to see the first slayer walk out to calmly sit beside her. Last time, it had been about the skulking through the shadows, lurking behind the flames, and paint-covered face as she pranced around in the latest “cavewear.”

The woman before her stood tall, proud, shoulders thrust back in a regal bearing. Her face was scrubbed clean to reveal her beautiful ebony skin, high cheekbones, and wide lips. She wore a simple dress that blazed with vibrant colors of green, red, blue, purple, orange, and yellow. A blue turban the same shade as the color on her dress covered her once-matted dreadlocks. On her feet was a simple pair of leather sandals. She was stunning!

“Welcome, Buffy Summers,” she said in a melodious voice. The raspy, cryptic voice a thing of the past.

“Uh… hello. You’re the first slayer, right? What’s with the new look?”

The first slayer flashed a wide smile and took Buffy’s hand in hers. “My time is nearing an end. Soon, someone else will take my place as guardian of all who will come after. This,” she said, gesturing to her clothing, “is my burial wardrobe. It is the custom of my people to celebrate death as life. Vibrant colors are worn to celebrate a new life in the hereafter.”

“But why?”

“Why are you asking me questions for which you already possess the answer?”

“But… it’s just. I know about the whole death being my gift thing. But why now, why me? I don’t want to be the… Haven’t I don’t enough?” she cried.

“Buffy, you sealed your fate when you reclaimed our weapon, the slayer’s weapon. It bonded to you in ways you cannot begin to fathom. When you used the scythe to release the potentials allowing them all to become slayers, a part of you went to each of them. You are tied to them, and they to you. This is the reason.”

Buffy just looked at the first slayer, stunned. She had no idea that this would be the consequence of working that spell. Sighing, she got up to leave, allowing the other woman to finish her preparations. From the looks of things, it meant that Buffy didn’t have long either.

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