CHAPTER 3

Buffy looked at her watch. It was almost eight thirty and the girl slept peacefully on the couch. She looked outside the watcher's home and admired the sun. Something was up. Something was bothering. She felt it inside her. All of the sudden she felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked up and saw Xander with a cup of coffee in his hand. "Are you sure she is not dangerous?", he asked.

Buffy grabbed the cup in his hand. "She is not", Buffy said. "It is like this feeling inside of me".

"Well", Xander said. "Hope your instincts don't disappoint us now. Because if they do, I will go right outside and get us another slayer".

All of the sudden a beeping sound filled the living room. They turned around and saw that the girl had woken up to that sound, which came from her watch. Kat looked at both friends near the window. "Morning", she said as she stood up. Her shoulder still hurt from the previous battles she had to face. The young blonde girl walked towards the nearest wall. She placed her left hand on the wall. After that, with a swift move she slammed her right shoulder back into place. The powerful snap made Buffy and Xander jump on their places. They silently watched the girl as she grabbed her coat and took out a small bottle. She than headed to the kitchen. For a perfect stranger, she had well orientation around the house. The girl turned to them as she drank a glass of water right after swallowing a couple of pills. "My vitamins", she said flatly. She than made her way to the cupboards. She pulled out a tall glass from it. She looked at it with admiration. "I cannot believe it has lasted this long", she said out loud as she opened the fridge. By this time, Giles had entered the room. He looked at Buffy and Xander for an explanation. They both shrugged. The older man looked at his kitchen. The blue-eyed girl was now gulping down a glass of orange juice. She than placed it in the sink and looked at the by standers. She smiled. "My mother always taught me that when you are in another person's house, and you have slept in it, you never leave without making them breakfast", she said as she pulled out a frying pan out. "So, I will make breakfast for you guys".

Buffy approached the girl slowly. Kat looked at the blonde slayer. "I assume you want an explanation now", the girl said. "Ok. But you have to be seated". Xander hearing this rapidly pulled a chair and sat on it. Buffy just crossed her arms and waited while the girl pulled out some eggs, an eggbeater and a bowl. "My name is Katarina", the young girl said. "I am a vampire slayer".

Giles was about to say something when Buffy interrupted him. "You are not from around here are you?", Buffy asked. "You come from a distant place".

"I come from Sunnydale", the girl said. "Eighteen years from now".

"You are from the future?", Buffy asked not surprised by the fact.

"It isn't that unbelievable", Kat said. "You have done time travel. You do the math of what is possible and what is not".

Buffy thought for a moment. She remembered now. The time where she met herself as a powerful sorcerer sent her two years into the future ("No Time Like the Present by Joseph B). She looked at the girl who was now beating the eggs in the bowl.

"Why are you here?", Giles asked removing his eye glasses.

Katarina thought for a moment. She had to choose her words well. "I am here to help Buffy with a vampire", she said.

"A vampire?", Buffy asked. She could not believe it. She had so much trouble with vampires this year. No demons.

"Yes", Kat answered. "I had heard he had a plan. He wanted to go back into the past to destroy you so that the future didn't seem as bright as it is now. He didn't count on me falling all over his forces. I destroyed some of his followers, but I was to late. He had already entered the portal to come to this time. So…".

"You followed him", Giles concluded.

"You could say that", Kat said as she added some flour to the mix. "I kind of did that, without telling my parents or my watcher. They are going to be really upset".

"How do you go back?", Buffy asked.

"That's easy", Kat said. "All I need are some ingredients and two more witches, which I am sure I can find in this time".

"Wait a second", Xander interrupted. "You said that you are here to protect Buffy. That sounds like Terminator to me. How bad is the future?".

"Can't tell you", Kat said as she placed some of the mix in the frying pan. "You cannot know much of your future".

Giles knew she was right. Still, the curiosity was too much. Knowing about the future could be rather helpful in these situations.

Kat smiled as she poured the mix. "I guess it wouldn't hurt if you knew a bit o what is to come", she said.

Giles looked dumbfounded. Had the girl read his thoughts? He couldn't ponder long, because the words that came put of the girl's mouth left him in an odd sensation he had never even dreamt in being before.

"You guys are fighting something that cannot be defeated", Kat started as she flipped the hot cakes on the pan.. "Evil. You are all humans in more ways than one. You die, while evil flourishes. There is no stopping that. It is enough for Man to fight Man, but to fight the incomprehensible. That is another thing".

"So what happens?", Buffy asked.

"In five years from now, you will face the ultimate challenge". Kat said as she pulled out some strawberries from the fridge. "You have stopped many prophecies to from coming to be. This one cannot be stopped. It is impossible".

"Nothing is unstoppable", Buffy said.

"Sorry", Kat answered back. "In five years you will face what you will call The Ultimate Apocalypse. The battle for the control of this world takes place in New York City. Since I come from the future, I can safely say that you guys win".

Buffy and Xander smiled at each other. They weren't surprised. Giles on the other hand looked troubled. "What if we can't fulfill what you just said now that we know about it?". The ex-watcher asked.

"Negative much", Katarina and Buffy said at the same time. Xander took note of that and looked at them strangely. "Trust me", Katarina said. "You do what you have always done, you will be fine".

Buffy smiled at the girl. "She knows what she s talking about?", Buffy said.

"How do you know she is not an evil slayer?", Giles asked.

"It's a feeling", Buffy and Katarina said at the same time again. Giles caught the phenomena this time. Something was not right.

"Anyways", Katarina continued on. "After the apocalypse, no demons dares enter the hell-mouth. Few here and there, but no biggies. That is when Galgamesh appears. He was the last creation of Nemo, or Badblood as you all know him, and he was loyal follower to the master. A vicious killer. I have had to deal with him several times. He is not as powerful as his creator, but quiet strong. He is the last opposing evil force of Sunnydale".

"Did he have a chance to fight our Buffster?", Xander said as he patted Buffy on the shoulder. "Because if he hasn't, he will receive a royal ass beating".

Kat smiled at the expression. She placed some of the hot cakes on different plates and looked at the to be watcher. "What do you think?", Kat asked. "Buffy utterly destroyed him. The problem is that, he always came back stronger and stronger. One day Buffy contacted most of the people she knew and hunted him down. We all took turns in turning him into a bloody pulp. Me included. That is when we decided not to kill him. Let him live with the shame and humiliation".

"He has been looking for some payback since", Buffy concluded.

"Right", Kat said. "He found a way to become stronger than before. That is why I volunteered to make him my responsibility. That is why I am here. I swore to you and to all that surrounded us that in order for him to kill you, he had to kill me first".

"I am flattered", Buffy said.

"That is what you say now", Kat said as she adorned the plates with strawberries. "It took a while for me to convince you. Than my aunts and uncles came, my grandfather, my dad and finally my watcher convinced you to retire and let me do the stuff".

"You mean I pass the age of 25", Buffy said.

"I guess you do", Kat said as she placed each plate in front of the three people in front of her. "Eat up".

Buffy, Xander and Giles were so busy listening to the story, they did not realize the girl had served them breakfast. A plate with three hot cakes each. Strawberries and maple syrup adorned the top. The girl had also found the time to serve them orange juice. "Why thank you", Giles said as he took a seat in front of his plate.

Kat smiled. "Can I use your shower?", she asked politely.

Giles looked at Buffy and Xander. "Sure", he said. "I will show you where the…"

"No need", Kat said as she exited the room. "I know my way around the house".