Monastery

Summary: Buffy goes to the Balkans in search of Dawn's origin, but will she like what she hears?

Disclaimer: It all belongs to Joss. Who should be chained to a desk and made to write Buffy for eternity!

Chapter 1-3

Somewhere in the Balkan's Spring 2004.

The lead hiker paused, waiting for the slower, younger hiker to catch up. Both were dressed in the latest, most useful, fashionable and expensive hiking gear anyone in the previous village had seen.

The driver who dropped them off at the nearest turn to the mountain wondered why they had climbing axes, there was little climbing around here, and the walking sticks, solid wood with a pointed end, did seem strange. But then again, he was too busy alternating between the dirt road and the younger sister's legs to think about much else.

"Hurry Up Danwie, we want to get there before sunset"

"Hey, you have the slayer strength, how about you carry the Sat phone and tent!"

"Hey, Scissors beats paper, it was fate".

"Hhmmppfff,"

The younger sister eventually caught up and turned to read the sign her sister was leaning on.

"Monastery, 2 miles"

"You sure?"

"Hey, you learn one Balkan language you learn them all. Its just a matter of scripts, you see-"

"I swear Sis, you are turning into a watcher already"

"Well, just wait till I get my I.B. and then we will see if Giles is good to his word"

Buffy pondered as they set off on the last 2 miles of their journey That's My sister, knows more languages than I do state capitals. She had been thinking of Dawn a lot lately, which was actually the purpose of this whole trip, to find out about Dawn. The monastery had been surprisingly easy to find, despite the watchers Archives being, ahem, recycled, people had still known of a powerful sect of Monks in the Balkans who fought against the darkness, they just could not remember where. But on there first night in Montenegro a priest had given them directions, and they had set off again.

Dawn puffed "are we sure it's the-"

"For the 100th time, yes we are sure, powerful monks, lots of funerals back when you turned up and even that Vampire we staked confirmed it! We will found out how they made you, and-"Buffy paused, she always hated this bit "If you are permanent."

I.B. International Baccalaureate: An internationally recognised Secondary school certification.

Italy 2003

Giles had flown in with some new recruits to the council, not necessarily new, they were all "Watcher families" Just like Wesley had been, but like Giles they had rebelled.

The wiping out of several of their friends and relatives each had been motivation enough to rejoin, either for revenge or sense of family duty, Buffy didn't care, it was late and they were going all Hypothetical over Dawnie, who had school the next day.

"So, you are saying that until a few years ago, you didn't exist?" Stan, the youngest male with a pierced ear asked

"Well, I existed, but not as a girl"

"That's a pity"

Buffy was really starting to dislike Stan.

Amy chirped in " Imagine the power required to do that... did they use their own power or the power of your keyness?"

"I am not sure" Dawn was trying to answer the question to Stan instead of Amy

"Do you know what kind of spell they used?"

Now Buffy was really starting to dislike Amy too.

"Er no" Dawn was starting to look worried, she had not thought about this in a long time "we were kind of busy not trying not to get killed, save the world, you know, important stuff."

Giles saw where this was going "Well I think that it's time we all-"

Amy pressed on "So you don't even know how long the spell will las-"

"That's right, time for bed, good night Buffy, Dawn, see you in the morning, come along you two."

Stan and Amy had tried to protest but too no avail.

And that had started it, Buffy realized that they really had no idea about anything relating to Dawn, except she was once the key, now redundant and she was part Buffy, in the blood as it were, and the Monks... Which monks? Where? Had sent her to Buffy, a fact for which she was mostly grateful especially when Dawn was sleeping and not flirting with boys on Vespas.

The next day Giles and the watchers in training started to research the order based on all the clues at hand, and they had come up with the Balkans. Finally after her exams were over, Buffy and Dawn had set off to find this mysterious monastery while waiting for the results of her exams and graduation. They had 3 weeks to do it, it had taken less than 1.

The Monastry

The buildings had seen better days Buffy Thought.

"Wow, Glory really did a number on these guys"

"Well, it looks like they have been rebuilding so there should be a few people around. It's a pity Xander's not here, he would've loved this"

Dawn agreed, and then made a breathy noise in response.

That pack must be really heavy

A Man in overalls with a shaved scalp came over.

"Slayer, Key, welcome" He bowed deeply

"You-you know who we are?" Dawn stammered

"Of course" His accent thickly Slavonic, with a touch of American "We know our handy work" He gazed with some pride at Dawn. "And your reputation precedes you Slayer, a girl turns up in the mountains, kills a few vampires and then asks about some monks, well, word gets back to us."

"Well, I didn't think we had to be subtle, I must say your English is very good"

"Thank you, I lived in Alaska for 2 years, teaching ancient languages, I picked up some English. But you must be hungry, and have questions. The abbot will arrive later tonight, you can talk then, but until now, we prepared a room for you, unfortunately we have much spare room here since the beast was here, but this too will change"

He led them to their quarters and ten to the mess hall,

"Warm refreshing gruel, yum" Buffy said without any irony, any meal Dawn didn't cook was a good one in her books.

"Its very nutritious" a man about 30 sat down next to them "I am brother Darius, the bursar tells me you will meet the abbot soon"

"Er yes" Dawn was slightly taken back by the mans openness and clipped English tones "tell me, do all the monks speak English?"

"No, only half a dozen of us, who studies in English speaking countries, Brother John, the organist, studied in New Zealand, the Abbott in Canada, and I was in studying I.T. South Africa when..." He paused "Glorificus visited"

Buffy looked around the large hall, less than half full "She told me she had killed everyone of you."

"Well, she was not going to be the most reliable historian of that event was she? Admittedly she did kill all who were in the tried to prevent her reaching the main chamber, but they had completed their task" He looked at dawn, and smiled, "many managed to kill her servants and flee to the waterfall cave and others still like me simply where not here. The Abbott himself was crippled in the battle, but Glorificus thought him dead and left, he is the most senior of the order to survive and so he is the Abbott"

"Crippled" Dawn asked

"Yes, that is why he is not here, he went for treatment 2 days ago, he wanted to be well enough to talk when you arrived, and he knew you eventually would"

Outside the rhythmic thump of rotors broke the evening calm

Darius looked out the window "That should be him now"