Chapter 3: Empty Places Pt 3

The school was lonely, dark, and deep.

Buffy's face was prickling, emotions churning, as she sat at her desk. She was trying to piece together her new memories and where they fit in to her life. She was sure Willow had been right that the memories had not been planted but were in reality hers. Still she questioned them. Where in her life would Billie a role? How would Dawn react to the fact she had not one but two older sisters. And then there was the biggy, she was a witch. She had watched Willow go down that path and it frightened her. She did not want to get addicted on the magicks like her best friend had.

It was all too much, just too much … and then a voice drawled. "Ah, now, look. Things don't go exactly your way, so here come the waterworks."

Buffy knew that voice. Hated it with every fiber of her being …

"Ain't that just like a woman?" Caleb drawled.

Buffy stood, livid, ready to kill … and terrified.

"Get out of her," she ordered.

He laughed and shook a finger at her. "Now, now little girl. Manners. Though I do imagine that firebrand tongue of yours has inflamed many a man. Weak as they are."

He moved toward her desk as if he had no worried and plenty of time. Glancing around, he ventured. "This here's a public school, ain't it? Kind of deserted." He shrugged. "That's only just, I suppose. Folks work so hard at keeping the Lord out, and look what happens in return. God abandons you."

He grinned. "Not that He could do much good now, anyway."

As Buffy slowly, stealthily reached for her desk drawer, he shook his head playful, warning gestured. "Ah-ah, I wouldn't were I you, sweet pea. Fighting back didn't do you much good last time, did it?"

He grinned and moved closer to her. "And how is poor, sweet Xander. Let him know he's in my prayers. And any time he's willing …" He wriggled his thumb, and they both knew what that meant.

"… I'm ready to finish the job. Or how about that sweet little sister of yours. What was her name? Billie wasn't it. You can tell her and Dawn both that I will be coming for both of them soon."

"You get near Xander or even Dawn and Billie, I will end you," said Buffy.

Then Caleb suddenly, violently shoved Buffy's desk, tipping it on its side and out of the way. There was nothing standing between them now.

Buffy kicked at his ankles, but he easily stepped aside; then he grabbed her and dragged her up until she dangled of the ground, eye-to-eye with him.

"I'm going to find such sweet pleasure in taming you and them," he said.

Without a moment's hesitation, he tossed her through the window. She slammed against the opposite wall in the hallways outside, her momentum putting a huge hole in it as she crumpled, unconscious, to the floor.

Across town at the Sunnydale Motor Lodge in room 19. It had been two hours since Buffy and Willow left. Buffy had told them she had to go to the school to pick up some things she had left there. Willow had said she needed to return to the hospital as Xander was going to possibly check out later.

Suddenly Paige heard a ringing in her ears. The kind of ringing she associated with Billie when she called for her. "Billie," she asked as she looked at her charge. "Why are you calling for me? I'm right here."

"I'm not," said Billie.

Paige tried to sense who was jingling and could tell it was not Billie as she first thought. That must have meant she had gotten a new charge. But who? Then her mind put two and two together. Leo when he had still been a Whitelighter had all the Charmed Ones as his charge. So what if all the Jenkins sisters were the same way? "I think I know who is jingling," said Paige. "Your sister."

Billie and Phoebe both took Paige's hands as they said, "Orb." And Paige orbed out and into the Sunnydale High School. They patrolled the halls and came upon Buffy still unconscious lying on the floor. They looked at the dent in the wall and knew something bad had gone down here.

"Heal her," said Billie as Paige nodded.

Paige knelt beside Buffy and held out her hands as she healed Buffy.

"What happened?" asked Billie as Buffy woke up.

"Caleb," said Buffy. "He's working for this big bad we're dealing with. How did you guys know I was in trouble?"

"It seems Paige is your Whitelighter," answered Phoebe.

"What's a Whitelighter?" asked Buffy.

"A Whitelighter is someone who guides good witches and future Whitelighters and protects and nurtures them for their intended destiny," said Paige. "You are a good witch. Only good witches get Whitelighters."

"Billie you said that earlier that I was a witch, that was why I didn't freeze." said Buffy as she remembered again how the magic had affected Willow.

"Yes," said Billie. "It's in the blood. Our grandmother was a witch and so are we."

"Wow," said Buffy as they walked back into Buffy's destroyed office and proceeded to box everything up. "So that means Dawn and I likely have powers like you do."

"Yes," said Billie. "We'll have to try and figure out what power you have later."

"If only good witches get Whitelighters," said Buffy. "How come Willow doesn't have one?"

"It could be because she is a Progenitor," said Phoebe. "I don't know to tell the truth how Whitelighter charges are assigned."

"Neither do I," said Paige. "I didn't even know you were my charge till you called for me. Apparently subconsciously."

Buffy had led Billie, Paige and Phoebe toward her home. Paige had offered to orb them, but Buffy had wanted more time to think about everything. They staged into the house as Buffy called out. "Guys? How's it –"

And there was Giles at the dining room table, astonished at her as well as Billie, Paige and Phoebe's appearance. He came to her saying. ""Are you alright, Buffy?"

"Caleb," Buffy brushed him off. "Came looking for seconds."

"Good lord," Giles gasped. "Is he ...?"

"Still able to make me see little cartoon birdies all around my head?" she cut in. "You betcha." She, Billie, Paige and Phoebe sat down. "The short lack of consciousness was nice, though. I feel rested."

Giles sat again, facing them, and they shared an awkwardly silent moment. Buffy made the first move, trying to get past it. "Giles I have to ask you something. Do you know anything about…?"

"Christy Jenkins," said Giles as he looked toward the other women at the table. Willow had called him and told him about everything that had happened. "Yes. I was not part of the team that took you. I did not know till I became your Watcher. And even then the Council only suspected you might be her. What I was told was they took you from your family because they had identified you as a Potential. But your family did not want to let you go to be trained. So the Council snuck into your house after everyone had gone to sleep through the bedroom window and they took you. They stayed over in Los Angeles where they intended to perform a memory spell that would hide the memories of your family. They cast the spell and took your memories of being Christy away from you. What you did next surprised them to say the least. You exhibited a form of pyrokinesis. The Council operatives barely got out alive. They thought at the time you had died in the fire that consumed the safe house."

"Wow," said Buffy.

"What happened after that I don't know," said Giles. "The Council only had theories on your survival. With your memories blocked you more or less had a case of amnesia. You probably wondered around Los Angeles till someone found you and then you wound up in foster care and eventually adopted by your parents, by Joyce."

"I don't remember anything after the spell," said Buffy. "I'm thinking the Monks when they integrated Dawn in to my memories made a crucial error. I remember mom bringing Dawn home from the hospital and that was when I was six years old. Which would have been a whole year before I was abducted, they must not have known that I was adopted. "

"I wonder how come your mom didn't tell you, that you were adopted," said Billie.

"Well before the monks spell she probably thought that Buffy knew," said Giles. "Buffy should have remembered something like that as it would have been a major event in her life. After the monks spell she like you Buffy, probably remembered what you just said. Which means she likely didn't remember adopting you."

"And we'll never know for sure if I knew before the monks spell," said Buffy as she looked at Billie, Phoebe and Paige. "The memories with Dawn are flawless. We have no way of knowing what's real and what's not. What was changed to introduce her into my life." She decided for now this was more information she needed to process. So she changed the topic. "So how'd the police files work out? Was there anything helpful in there?"

"Oh, yes, very much so, I think," Giles told her. "Evidence that Caleb may have made inroads up north."

"Really?" Buffy asked, smiling excitedly. "That's ... that's great. That could help us a lot! Good job!"

"I sent Spike to look into it," Giles added, and then … oops.

"Oh," Buffy said tersely.

"Spike?" Billie asked.

"Vampire," said Giles. "Supposedly with a soul."

"So, is this a mission from which you intend Spike to return alive?" Buffy asked.

"Yes," he said firmly. "I sent Andrew with him."

Buffy took that in. Then she deadpanned, "And, again, I ask the question ..."

"Buffy," he said reasonably, "you weren't here. Some decisions must be made in your absence."

"Well, those are the ones that've been scaring me," she retorted.

He raised his chin, not backing down, and told her, "I did what I thought was right."

She narrowed her eyes, not happy, and gave it right back, "You sent away the guy who's been watching my back. Again. I think –"

Phoebe, Billie and Paige looked at each other. They were going to need to hear the full story.

"We are all watching your back," Giles countered.

"Yeah. Funny how I don't really feel that lately." Buffy bit of every word as she stood and moved toward the stairs. She was tired, and angry, and hurt.

"Christy!" said Billie as Buffy looked to her and nodded.

"Where's everyone else?" Buffy asked as she looked at Giles. "Faith, Dawn, the girls ... where'd everyone go?"

"Faith thought the girls needed some time away from their studies," Giles told her. "A chance to relax for an hour or two, I thought, given everything I learned from our time …"

He capitulated under Buffy's intense, questioning scrutiny. "She took them to The Bronze."

She stared as him as though she couldn't quite believe it. Then she nodded, turned to the front door, and left.

Billie looked to Phoebe and Paige and who nodded as Billie got up and followed her sister out the door.

Phoebe and Paige turned to face Giles. I think we need to know what's going on all of it. If were going to help?

"And why would you help us?" asked Giles.

"Have you ever heard of the Charmed Ones?" asked Paige.

"There is a prophecy that mentions a trio of extremely powerful witches," said Giles. "That were to be known as the Charmed Ones. Why do you ask?"

"You're looking at them," said Phoebe. "Well two of the three. The third should be returning to San Francisco right about now. And is just an orb away."