BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER:

END OF DAYS

PROLOGUE

Xander had been pacing nervously back and forth across the expansive and richly decorated lobby for a while. Occasionally, he would stop, walk to the large front double wooden doors and open one, looking out at the circular driveway with the ornate fountain in the middle.

He stopped pacing and was on his way to the door again when a voice called from the left stairwell that led to the lower levels. "Mr. Harris?" Rolph, a formidable, muscular man and head of Council security, questioned. Xander turned. "Is something happening that I should know about?"

"What?" Xander questioned flustered. "No. I mean, I don't think so."

"Two of the guards called me," Rolph stated. "They say you're making them very nervous. They want to know if we should be on alert for something. Should we?"

"No," Xander replied as he glanced at the bright purple watch on his left wrist. "And don't call me Mr. Harris."

"What's up?" Rolph asked, his voice losing the official tone and becoming more casual.

"I just thought….," Xander started to reply. "I thought someone was coming today."

"I believe Miss Summers won't be back from Omaha until Friday," Rolph replied. "And the other Miss Summers is in the middle of finals. Are you expecting Miss Rosenberg?"

"No," he replied. "Willow and Kennedy are checking on some new equipment at a trade show in Boston."

"That narrows things down considerably," Rolph said knowingly. "Miss Lehane."

Xander blushed slightly. "It's just she's been gone for a few weeks and it's the first time she's left for so long and I was worried that maybe she would realize this is not a fun place to be stuck all the time," Xander rambled quickly.

"I don't think she feels 'stuck' here," Rolph replied kindly.

"You didn't know her before," Xander said softly.

"No," Rolph replied, "but I have read about her. And I've seen her every day for the last five years. She enjoys training with my men and any visiting Slayers."

"I'll bet," Xander commented.

"And she enjoys working with you," Rolph continued. "You have built an amazing institution."

"I didn't do it alone," Xander responded quickly.

"My point exactly," Rolph said pointedly. "Against all of her instincts, she stayed to help you. Because you needed help and she wasn't the same girl anymore."

"In the beginning," Xander replied, "she stayed cause Wood was here."

"But when he left," Rolph responded, "she stayed."

"I couldn't have done this without her…and Dawn," Xander said. He looked over at Rolph. "And you."

"I just did my job," Rolph said.

"No," Xander replied with a smile, "you did way more than that. And I should have said that a long time ago."

"Would you like me to find out where she is?" Rolph asked.

"No," Xander said as he glanced at the front door one last time. "I just thought she was supposed to come back today."

"She'll be back," Rolph said with certainty. "It's her first vacation. Speaking of, are you Ever going to take a break."

"I've breaked," Xander replied.

"Flying to Montana to battle a Graxalon birthing does not count," Rolph responded.

"I went to Atlanta," Xander said.

"To lead the fight against Tyr'k," Rolph said.

"The Council doesn't really get to take breaks," Xander said.

"The Council has four hundred fifteen offices around the world," Rolph replied, "three hundred seventy three Slayer teams, and literally thousands of employees. You don't have to do everything."

"I think it's in the president's job description," Xander said with a sad smile. He looked down. "I better get back down to the office. Those reports aren't going to read themselves."

"It will be dinner soon," Rolph stated. "Will we see you there?"

"I think I'll just take dinner in the office tonight," he replied. He looked at Rolph. "Thank you…for everything."

"Of course, sir," Rolph replied. He watched Xander descend the stairs. A moment later, the elevator doors opened and Denise, the head chef for Council headquarters, stepped out.

"Hey," she said cordially to Rolph.

"Hey," he replied not as excitedly as he glanced around.

"Don't worry," she said, "we're alone."

"It's not just that," he stated.

"She didn't come back?" she asked. He shook his head. "Will she?"

"I hope so," he replied. "He needs her."

"She needs him too," Denise replied. "They're so dense." He raised his eyebrows and shook his head. She smiled wide. "I wasn't insulting the president." She wrapped her arm around his waist and lifted onto her toes to kiss his lips tenderly. "He's lucky to have you watching out for him."

"It's my job," he replied plainly. Now, she raised her eyebrows. "And I am So Happy he turned out to be a Very good man."

"And friend," she added.

"Yes," he replied.

"How's he taking it?" she asked.

"Not good," he replied. "I need to go check some things."

"Find her," she said with a knowing wink. "I'll see you in the private dining room in an hour."

"No one's here," he replied. "And Xa…Mr Harris isn't planning on coming either. I'll be in the main room with some of the men."

i*****

Xander scrolled through yet another report. He pressed the save and file button on the computer. On the wall of the office, two of the seven televisions were on. CNN was muted on one. He was watching The Towering Inferno on the other. He looked over at the remaining half of a hamburger and a bunch of fries on a plate at the corner of his desk. He picked up a cold fry, took a bite, and tossed the remainder back on the plate. He finished off the remains of a beer before spinning in his high backed, leather, office chair and retrieving another from the mini fridge behind his desk. "It'll be fine," he said to no one. "It's not like I haven't done this stuff before. And Buffy will be back in a few days. Dawn's got a break coming up." He looked around the large office and the clear tops of the other two empty desks.

He looked up at the TV just as Rock Hudson caught on fire. "At least you had sex first," he said. He stood, grabbed his beer, and walked towards the door. He stopped and walked back to the desk. He grabbed the remotes and was about to turn off the TVs when something caught his eye. "What the hell?" He turned off the movie and switched CNN to the larger center monitor. He raised the volume.

"…incident is under investigation by both the Tacoma police department and the F.B.I.," the on the scene woman reporter said. "The Killeriam club, known as Fangs to locals, will be closed for some time as authorities sort out what occurred this evening."

"Have the police released any specific information regarding the number of people injured?" the anchorman asked.

"So far, the official police statement is that an unknown number of patrons were killed and more injured during a brutal attack earlier tonight," the woman reporter replied.

"Are there any suspects?" the anchorman responded.

"They have not released any official information as of yet," she replied.

Xander sighed before turning off the TV. He lifted his phone from his pocket. "Hey," he said. "I figured. No. Don't wait. Take 'em out. All of them. But, BE CAREFUL. This kind of escalation is never a good sign. Keep me posted." He slid the phone back into his back pocket and exited the office, turning out the light as he left.

He slowly climbed the stairs from lower level two and entered the empty lobby. The extravagant chandelier was already turned off so the only lights were from sconces on the walls of the lobby and stairways. He glanced at the front door and sighed before passing by the elevator and beginning the long climb up the spiral staircases to the fifth floor. A guard silently appeared from the back entrance to the lobby and watched Xander climb the stairs.

As Xander reached the fifth floor, he walked to the huge circular window that overlooked the back of the property and stared up at the sky for a few minutes before closing his eyes, both his real eye and the prosthetic, tightly for a moment before moving down the hallway towards his room. "Be safe," he said to no one.

i*****

Xander suddenly jerked awake in the darkened bedroom. "Owww," he cried out. His back still hurt sometimes after his last mission when the Zambof threw him into a tree.

"I thought it was fully healed," a voice came from the darkness startling him badly.

"F-Faith?" he asked apprehensively but hopeful.

A light on the dresser illuminated. Faith, dressed all in her typical black, stood next to it. "You said it was healed," she said.

"H-how….," he started to ask. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm sorry I was late," she said. "I got stuck in Milan."

"Milan?" he questioned. "Y-you left the country."

"We have offices around the world," she replied. "I don't know where half of them even are. I just wanted to learn."

"I thought you wanted out of this for a while," he said with confusion.

"I just wanted to learn so I could be better," she replied.

"Better at what?" he asked.

"Better at helping you," she replied.

"I thought….," he started to say. "Why?"

"You do everything for everyone," she replied. "I just wanted to be a real assistant. Not just a title."

"You help me with everything," he stated. "You have since day one."

"I read things," she replied. "I make and take calls. But I don't understand most of it."

"Neither do I," he replied.

"Yes, you do," she said softly. "You pretend you don't. But you do. You run it all. I just wanted to learn a little so I could help."

"Faith," he said kindly. "You've done more than I could ever have hoped, and way more than I ever acknowledged. I'm sorry for that."

"I just held her chair," Faith replied.

"Whose?" he asked.

"Dawn's," she said plainly. "She's the one that helps. I just wanted to figure out how I could do that too."

"You DO do that," he stated emphatically.

"No," she said. "I wish I did."

"Which Slayer is homesick and thinking of quitting?" he questioned suddenly.

"Amber," Faith replied. "But, she's okay now."

"Because you told her to ask her team out to dinner," he stated. "You made her make friends."

"You would have done the same thing," she replied.

"I didn't have to," he replied emphatically, "because you did."

"She stayed a Slayer because she felt an obligation to you," Faith stated. "Like they all do. You are in their heads and their hearts."

"I just wanted them to know that this isn't the Old Council," he said. "The Slayers aren't weapons. They're girls with lives. And anyone that wants out can go. And if they stay, they are a part of this." He raised his hands, palms up, "paid and everything."

"See," she said plainly, "it's all you. I'm just along for the ride."

"NO!" he said angrily. "You're important. To the Council. To me." She didn't reply. "Why are you here?"

"I-I thought you wanted me back," she said, her voice weak.

"I DO!" he nearly yelled. "That's not what I meant. I am beyond thrilled you came back."

"It was never a thought," she replied.

"Thank you," he said. "But, my question was, why are you Here? In my room? In the middle of the night."

She was silent for a few seconds. "I got homesick," she said.

"For the Council?" he questioned.

"And some other things," she said very quietly. "And I had a bad feeling the other day. I just needed to see for myself."

"See what?" he asked.

"See that you were okay," she said.

"You were just going to stand there?" he asked.

"I didn't want to wake you," she said softly. "I just wanted to see for myself."

"Wanna watch a movie?" he asked.

"You should sleep," she replied.

He patted the bed next to him. She looked from his hand to his eyes. "We've crashed in here how many times after long days," he stated.

"I've been travelling for almost twenty hours," she replied.

"I understand," he said kindly. "You need to get some rest. Don't worry about tomorrow. Just come down once you're up."

"I just meant I may stink," she said.

"I doubt that," he replied as he patted the bed again. "Besides, there's air freshener on the dresser if I need to spray you down." They both chuckled. Faith removed her jacket and pulled off her boots. Xander climbed out from under the covers, pulled them up, and laid back on top of them. Faith lay down next to him.

"What movie?" she asked.

"I was watching Towering Inferno earlier," he replied.

"Fine," she said. "But I pick next."

"Thank you for coming back," he said.

"Where else would I go," she responded softly. He turned his head and watched her face as the movie played. He took a deep breath and sighed contentedly.

CHAPTER ONE

Xander awoke with a jolt of pain from his back. He groaned but quickly caught himself and quieted. He looked with a smile to his right. But the bed was empty and his face fell. He sat up slowly, carefully. He looked around the room brightly lit by the morning sun. He glanced towards the wall of electronics. 8:18. He was late. He stood, closed his eyes, clenched his jaws, and waited for the certain pain from the first time standing for the day. The wave washed over him forcing a groan and a large release of held breath.

He walked into the bathroom. When he exited the shower a few minutes later, he found the face staring back at him from the steam covered mirror wearing a large smile. He dressed quickly and exited his room. He walked down the hallway past two other doors before knocking on another.

There was no response. "Faith?" he called. He scanned his card and entered her room. The living room was empty and tidy. "Faith?" He moved to the bedroom. "You up?" He pushed open the mostly closed door. The bed was made. The dresser drawers were fully closed which was a rarity. The closet door was open. It looked a little empty but he never had paid much attention before. He glanced nervously into the bathroom. It felt like an intrusion. But in his quick glance, the room looked completely untouched.

He left her room and headed for the elevator. He continued down to lower level two and then walked to the office. He stopped outside the door and took a deep breath. "Welcome Home," he said as he opened the door excitedly. But the room was empty. The only desk with any papers on it was his. He furrowed his brow. Suddenly, he turned and walked back down the hallway. He climbed the stairs one level and then headed down another hallway. He paused outside the main dining room and glanced around at the employees and Slayers eating before moving further down the hallway to a closed door. He scanned his card and entered the private dining room.

It was empty. He lifted his phone. "Rolph," he called.

"Good morning, Mr. Harris," Rolph replied.

"Have you seen Faith this morning?" Xander asked.

Rolph didn't immediately respond. "Faith hasn't returned, sir," he said finally.

"Yes, she did," Xander replied. "She came back last night."

"I've already gone over the security logs," Rolph responded. "No one has been in or out in the past eight hours."

"She was here," Xander said emphatically. "We watched a movie. She slept next to me."

"Where are you now, sir?" Rolph asked.

"Outside the private dining room," he replied.

"Stay put," Rolph said.

Thirty seconds later, two guards arrived. "What's going on?" Xander questioned suspiciously. The guards took up defensive positions on either side of him. "WHAT THE…?" Rolph arrived a moment later. "What's happening? Why are they here?"

"Just making sure you are secure," Rolph replied.

"WHERE IS SHE?" Xander yelled angrily.

"Let's find someplace more private," Rolph suggested calmly. Xander stormed past the surprised guards who looked to Rolph for instructions. He circled a finger and the guards followed.

As soon as Xander entered his office, he stopped. Rolph stepped inside and closed the door. "Where is she?" Xander pleaded.

"She is not here," Rolph replied. "She has not been here for two weeks."

"You're lying," Xander said as tears began to fill his eye.

"I would never," Rolph said sincerely. "Not to you and not about this."

"I'm not crazy," Xander responded, but his voice was weak. "She was here. We talked. I felt her warmth. I smelled her hair."

"Maybe it was a dream," Rolph suggested.

"I've been doing this for a long time," Xander replied. "If I couldn't tell the difference between the monsters in my head and the monsters in front of me, I'd be dead. She was here."

"Where exactly?" Rolph asked.

"My room," Xander replied.

"Show me," Rolph stated.

"You believe me?" Xander asked.

"I know you," Rolph replied. "And I trust you with my life. You believe it. So, I need to see why."

i*****

"What time did you enter your room last night?" Rolph asked.

"It was late," Xander replied, "maybe eleven thirty, twelve."

"But she wasn't there yet?" he questioned.

"I woke up a few hours or a bunch of hours later," Xander replied, "and she was there. It was still dark."

"There is no activity on your door from eleven thirty eight until eight fifty two this morning," Rolph said.

"That's not possible," Xander stated defensively. "She WAS here." He reached for a pillow on the bed. He held it to his face. "Smell this."

"I don't think so, sir," Rolph replied.

"Please," Xander pleaded. Rolph reluctantly sniffed the pillow. "See."

"I wouldn't know what to compare that smell to," Rolph said apologetically. Xander quickly grabbed another pillow.

"This is me," Xander said as he inhaled.

"No," Rolph said firmly. Xander tilted his head down sadly. Rolph sighed unhappily and took the pillow. "Okay. They're different, completely different."

"How long would a smell stay on a pillow?" Xander asked.

"Not long I would think," Rolph said. "But there are many women here."

"NOT IN HERE!" Xander almost screamed.

Rolph held up his hands defensively. "I was not implying anything," he said.

"Can't you take fingerprints or something?" Xander asked.

"How often do you dust in here?" Rolph asked. "How often has Faith been in here?"

"We're not like that, you know?" Xander said softly. "We haven't… It's just not like that. We're friends."

Rolph looked down uncomfortably. "If she was here, if she bypassed more security systems than I want to even think about," he said, "why would she leave?"

"I don't know," Xander said. "I didn't say anything. I didn't do anything. I fell asleep. I shouldn't have fallen asleep. I was so Happy she was back. We should have talked. I should have stayed up."

"You didn't do anything wrong," Rolph said kindly.

"You don't know that," Xander stated. "Why would she sneak in here? Why would she leave? I thought she came back for good." He looked into Rolph's eyes as a tear ran down his cheek that he quickly wiped away. "Where is she?"

Rolph took a deep breath. "After I saw you in the lobby last night," he said, "I decided to look for Miss Lehane. I had a trace put out on her phone and credit cards and her primary i.d."

"And where is she?" Xander asked.

"Off the grid," Rolph replied.

"Where was she the past two weeks?" Xander asked.

"Not where I expected," he replied.

"Europe, right?" Xander asked.

"How would you know that?" Rolph questioned.

"She told me," Xander replied. "Last night. She told me she wanted to know more about the world and where we work. She went to visit the original Council. She went to the new home of the British arm of the Council. And Italy, Greece, Spain, Germany."

Rolph's mouth was hanging open slightly. "Were you tracking her?" he finally asked.

"I was going to," Xander replied. "I could have. You know I have way more access to everything here than I'm supposed to." Rolph nodded unhappily. "But, it would have been a betrayal. If she wanted to run off to Cancun for two weeks of drunken sex, it was her choice, and Not my place to spy."

"You're a better man than I," Rolph stated.

Xander chuckled. "If only that were true," he said. Rolph looked at him questioningly. "She was all those places, wasn't she? She was last in Milan."

"Yes," Rolph replied his mouth hanging open in shock and concern. "Her signal disappeared there thirty six hours ago."

Tears immediately dripped down Xander's cheek. He didn't even try to wipe them away. "Is she dead?" he asked fearfully as his voice started shaking. "Was she a ghost?"

Suddenly, the bathroom door slammed shut and opened again, startling both men. "What the….?" Rolph questioned as his hand rested on his sidearm.

"Dennis?" Xander asked. The door moved back and forth. "Was a ghost here?"

"Dennis is still here?" Rolph questioned. "You told me he left."

"Oops," Xander said. Rolph shook his head disappointedly. "He's part of my access. Dennis. Was Faith here?"

The drawer of the nightstand opened. A pad and pen lifted in the air. Xander approached quickly. A page was torn free. Rolph snatched it from Xander's hand. "Faith was here," Rolph read.

"I probably don't want to know why you know that," Xander commented.

"How did she get here?" Rolph asked the air.

Xander chuckled slightly as the pad was suddenly behind him. Rolph spun instinctively. "She was just here," Rolph read. More writing. "And then she was gone."

"So you were in my room watching me?" Xander questioned, "cause that's not creepy at all."

"I was afraid of what you were going to do," the ghost wrote. Rolph looked at Xander questioningly.

"Do?" Xander asked.

"You moved the gun," Rolph read.

"What gun?" Rolph asked for himself.

"Why did you move the gun from your office to your room?" Dennis wrote.

"Xander?" Rolph questioned apprehensively.

"I don't know," Xander said plainly. "It just seemed more necessary here."

"Now, I'm worried," Rolph said. "And why do you have a gun in the first place?"

"I've always had a tranq gun," Xander replied. "It's no different."

"By actual definition it is," Rolph stated angrily.

"I'm a lot of things," Xander said. "And right now, I'm scared and a little lost." He looked towards where he thought Dennis might be. "But I'm not suicidal."

"I will recall Buffy right away," Rolph commented.

"Are you sure she wasn't a ghost?" Xander asked softly to Dennis before turning his head. "And no, you won't."

"She was real," Rolph read. "How is this possible?"

Xander was next to him instantly. "She teleported in here and out the same way?" he asked with some excitement. "Why did she come at all?"

More words appeared on the pad, but Rolph shook his head. "Because she loves you," he said. "I don't need a meddling ghost to tell me that." The pad smacked the side of Rolph's head. "Hey!" Xander's mouth hung open as he stared at Rolph. "Yes, she does."

"But we never….," Xander tried to reply before taking a very deep breath and standing much taller. "Where is she?"

"Like I said, she's not on the grid anymore," Rolph replied.

"She was last in Milan?" Xander questioned. "I'm going there."

"You are the president of the Watcher's Council," Rolph responded. "You cannot just go wherever you please."

Xander chuckled again. "As president, I can do whatever I want," he said eerily. "And I have a Lot of saved vacation days."

"That's not entirely true," Rolph said, "the whatever you want part."

"Help me solve this," Xander said to Rolph directly. "Please."

"I need to report any movement of the president to the rest of the board," Rolph stated.

"Faith came here in secret," Xander replied. "I need this off the books."

"I am due many vacation days myself," Rolph stated. Xander smiled thankfully. "Don't. Because I am going to have to break a lot of rules to do this."

"They're my rules," Xander stated.

"That my men follow without doubt or question," Rolph stated. "I cannot remain after this."

"Oh..CRAP!" Xander said angrily. "Dennis….." Suddenly, a stun gun came to life on Rolph's back. He crumpled to his knees. Xander reached into the nightstand. "You probably won't understand this, but You are my Best friend." He pointed the dart gun at Rolph's chest.

"This is probably a trap," Rolph said with real concern.

"I turn over the president's duties to Giles," Xander stated.

"Don't do this," Rolph warned.

"Faith matters more than I could ever explain," he said. "I need her or I can't do this."

"I Know that," Rolph replied. "And we will find her."

"You'll try," Xander stated. "But, you won't. I need to do this myself. And you need to remain as the guardian of the Council."

"There is no Council without you….and her," Rolph replied.

"Thank you," Xander said as he raised the dart gun from his side. He fired into Rolph's left shoulder. Rolph's eyes went wide. "Keep them safe."