Prophecy, The bitch That Binds.
Το νέο αίμα Ο μεσολαβητής επίπεδο και να θέσει στην ειρήνη, θα αποσυναρμολογήσει τους παλαιούς τρόπους και θα φέρει εμπρός την αναγέννηση. Το σκοτάδι θα ανέλθει μάταια, προσπαθώντας να την κατέχει και θα πέσει. Από τη δύναμη που θα αυξηθεί ανωτέρω, θα αυξηθεί επάνω από το ερχόμενο κακό. Το αρπακτικό ζώο θα είναι στο αίμα του, το μάγο η ψυχή του, την καρδιά η δύναμή του και το μυαλό ο δάσκαλός του. Η εξαγορασμένη παρακμή θα συγκεντρώσει τη συγκομιδή από το και θα αγαπήσει στη μέση του υπολογισμού.
Giles rolled the prophecy repeatedly in his mind's eye and the dread stuck in his gut like a rotten piece of flesh. For months, he searched chronicle upon chronicle of ancient and modern text trying to find something about the new power that would change things. He knew beyond any doubt that the prophecy he'd finally unearthed had something to do with it. However, his Greek was a little rusty and what it actually said he had no clue.
Also and to his complete horror, the prophecy had just written itself before his very eyes. Giles rubbed his head gently trying to knead the little forming headache out. What did the damn prophecy mean, and who or what was it about?
He got up and got the codex out to see if there was anything similar written within it. He was reading furiously when he read a prophecy that almost made his heart stop.
"The master will rise and the slayer will …. "Dear lord."
The earthquake hit scaring everyone in Sunnydale, all except the master who was jumping for joy that he would soon be free.
Joyce had a little free time on her hands and decided to take the girls out shopping for the dance. Joseph had chipped in a lot knowing that the dance was coming up. He had given a good piece of money so the girls could have a good time; they deserved it with all they had been through lately. He also adored both Buffy and Willow, they had befriended his princess and made her transition to this little town that much easier; despite what he heard from that damn weasel assistant principle he thought they were a good influence on Jessica.
Willow had protested saying she didn't have a date to the dance but Jessica had talked her into the little girls day out. Jonathan hadn't asked her yet but she knew he would and she wanted her friends there with her to. She hoped Xander would get his head out of his ass and stop pining over Buffy who had no interest in him in the way he had for her and ask Willow who had been holding a torch for him since the first grade.
She felt bad for Buffy, The manpire she had her sights on probably had no intention or interest in asking her to a school dance. Jessica fumed, the more she thought on Angel and the way he treated Buffy really made her dislike him quite a bit. He should either step up to the plate or leave her alone and not keep her hanging like a fish on the hook.
For him to be a two hundred year old vampire he surely acted like a teenage boy only looking out for his own feelings.
She looked through the dresses at the store and sighed. Sometimes her friends could be completely clueless; she would have to help them with that. As she contemplated how she would get her friends to see reason she noticed a beautiful royal blue strapless dress that reached just below the knee and she completely fell in love with it. Jonathan would lose his mind when he saw her in that.
She glanced over at her friends and smiled, it looked like they both had found what they were looking for. Buffy asked her mom how she could afford something like this and was trying to put the dress she was eyeing back on the rack. However, her mother avoided the question and distracted Buffy with Willow's beautiful flowing dark green and beige dress she was eyeing.
"Oh, Willow that's beautiful, you will look amazing in that!" She rushed over knowing how squeamish her friend could be over things like this. She quickly picked out Willow's size and ran to the register where her mom was waiting with her white chiffon dress in hand.
Jessica burst out laughing at their antics and both girls eyed her suspiciously. She cleared her throat and put her attention back to her own dress. The dance was going to be legend if she had anything to say about it.
Jonathan walked the halls nervously, wringing his hands and sweating. He'd woken up this morning with every intention on asking his girlfriend to the dance, but his parents had gotten wind of his knew not single status and wanted him to invite this new girl to dinner to meet them. The look on his mother's face told him that she knew more than she let on and that made him nervous. They didn't show it much and never really pushed him about things, but he knew his parents were traditionalist and wanted him to date and eventually marry a good Jewish girl. Jessica was everything but Jewish. Well at least he had to after the dance to worry about that.
He spotted Jessica at her locker and was about to bolt when she looked up at him and smiled. He sighed and came towards her; she noticed his demeanor and began to worry. She hoped that she hadn't ran him away because of her attitude, she had really been a closed in clod around him since the nightmare incident.
"What's the matter Jon Jon," She asked frowning as he walked up to her.
He shook his head and smiled. "Nothing we can't handle. Listen I want to ask you to the dance, but there is a stipulation to me doing that," he grimaced at the petrified look on Jessica's face.
'Oh no, Jessica thought, I hope he's not going to ask what I think he's going to ask, I really thought he was different from other boys. I'm certainly not ready for the sex thing right now.' Jessica became teary eyed and looked away quickly.
"What is it Jonathan?" She rummaged through her locker trying to find something to do other than stand there and cry. Jonathan grabbed her hands and turned her towards him knowing where her mind had gone.
"Not that Jessica," he gave her a reassuring smile.
Jessica let out the breath she was holding and calmed herself. "Then what is it?" she asked intrigued.
Jonathan looked at her in fear, which caused her to look back with the same intensity. "My parents want to meet you; they invited you to dinner."
Jessica's eyes went wide and she laughed nervously as she tried to swallow her trepidation. "What?"
"I know it's a bit premature, but my parents are a bit. How should I put it? Overzealous when it comes to girls and me. They just want to meet you and my mom's a great cook," he waggled his eyes at her trying to lighten the serious mood. It will be the weekend after the dance."
"Okay Jonathan, but I should let you know I'm a bit worried about this," she rubbed at her cloths anxiously.
"Yeah, I know, I'd be worried if you weren't," he gave her at timid smile. "Oh by the way, will you go to the dance with me my sweet," he held her hand and looked into her eyes in the cutest way.
Jessica smiled despite the circumstances and cooed over her boyfriend. "Oh course I will, Jon Jon."
"Dinner will be Sunday at seven," he walked towards his next class not taking his eyes of her, all the while hoping that his parents would accept his girlfriend even though she wasn't Jewish.
Jessica sat at lunch with Willow, Buffy and Xander. They were tarring into their surprisingly good lunch as Jessica and stared off into space not eating one drop. Willow put a hand on Jessica's shoulder and frowned.
"What's wrong Jessica? You seem a little preoccupied, it's not what happened last week is it? You still haven't told us about that and we are a little worried about you, and…" Willow stopped her babble fest as Xander interrupted her.
"Whoa there Willow slow down, one question at a time for our dear fragile friend," Xander looked at Jessica apologetically.
Jessica shook herself out of her reverie and smiled at her friends. "I'm ok guys, just got some interesting news today," she stopped not intending on elaborating any further; until she noticed her friends gazing at her expectantly not letting her out of an explanation this time.
Jessica looked down and started playing with her food. "Jonathan's parents want to meet me," she said quietly.
Willow dropped her spoon and looked away knowing the implications of that. She knew Jonathan's and his parents were a Jewish family and were more observant of tradition than hers were and she knew for a fact that Jessica would put a kink in their way of thinking. She looked at Jessica and knew she wasn't in the least bit naïve about that fact.
"Wow, that' a bit fast isn't it?" Buffy asked oblivious to thoughts that her girlfriends were having. "I didn't know that you and Jonathan were at that stage of the relationship yet."
Xander ate faster almost giving away that he was smarter than he let on. He also knew before Buffy what this conversation meant.
Buffy looked at her friends feeling a little left out and shrugged as she finished her food. "I have to go see Giles I'll see you guys a bit later." She left to very distraught girls and an uncomfortable boy to their thoughts.
"Buffy wait up," Xander gained a bit of courage and followed Buffy out to ask her out to the dance. Willow and Jessica exchanged glances knowing how that would go and prepared themselves mentally for a little Xander healing they would have to perform.
Buffy stopped by the bathroom to freshen up a bit reeling from the way she had to put Xander down. What was he thinking? He knew she had feelings for Angel yet he still asked her of all people to the dance. Hadn't he noticed all these years how Willow felt about him? She felt bad for how she had clearly hurt his feelings and thought that she might have lost a good friend today. She turned the water on to wash her hands and noticed the red thick liquid that ran from it.
Buffy ran to the library looking for her watcher. "Giles you're not going to believe this," She stopped in her tracks when she noticed him talking to Angel in his office. Neither of them noticed her.
"Angel," Buffy smiled as she walked slowly towards the office to see what brought the man of her dreams to see her watcher.
"It's clear. It's what going to happen now. It's happening now," Giles said as he glanced at Angel perplexed.
Angel took the book from Giles and walked around him as he read it. "It can't be. You've got to be wrong.
Buffy's demeanor went from happy to wary at the worried looks of her watcher and Angel. She became deathly quiet as she listened to their perplexed ramblings.
"I've checked it against all my other volumes. It's very real. "Giles voice rose a little at the unbelieving tone Angel took with him.
Angel looked a bit panicked. "Well, there's got to be some way around it.
Giles took of his glasses and leaned on his desk. "Listen, some prophecies are a bit dodgy. They're mutable. Buffy herself has thwarted them time and time again, but this is the Codex," He put his glasses back on and he fixed his eyes on Angel intensely. "There is nothing in it that does not come to pass."
"Then you're reading it wrong," Angel slammed the book and matched Giles' gaze.
Giles began yelling, his worry for his slayer getting the better of him. "I wish to God I were, but it's very plain. Tomorrow night Buffy will face the Master, and she will die."
The terror and unbelief on Buffy's face was tangible and she walked away from the still arguing men in hysterical laughter. They stopped abruptly realizing she had heard their every word. Stepping out of the office to greet their grieving slayer, their hearts broke at her distraught look.
"So that's it huh? I remember the drill. One slayer dies another one is called," Buffy fidgeted in place looking like she was ready to bolt and keep running until her body gave out.
"Wonder who she is?" Buffy put her gaze onto Giles and the expression on her face slowly and agonizingly break his heart into pieces. "Will you train her… or will they send someone else?"
"Buffy I…" Giles stepped towards her not knowing what to say or do. Buffy interrupted not wanting answers to the questions she was putting out there, shock had set in and she just continued rambling questions
"They say how he's going to kill me? Do you think it'll hurt?" The tears starting rolling down her cheek as she almost lost her ability to talk.
Angel reached out to try to comfort her but she scramble away out of his arms reach and turned away from him yelling. "Don't touch me! Were you even going to tell me?" she gave Giles a hurt look.
Giles spoke so quietly afraid that his slayer that had become like a daughter to him would hate him forever. "I was hoping that I wouldn't have to, that there was some way around it."
"I've got a way around it. I quit." Buffy spat out shaking her head furiously.
"It's not that simple." Angel said as Buffy gave him a hardened look.
"I'm making it that simple. I quit… I resign. I'm fired. You can find someone else to stop the Master from taking over," Buffy said frantically.
"I'm not sure that anyone else can. All the signs indicate…" Buffy angrily interrupted her watchers rant.
"The signs?" Buffy picked up his books and started throwing them at him. "Read me the signs! Tell me my fortune! You're so useful sitting here with all your books! You're really a lot of help!"
Giles stood there taking punishment from his slayer looking like he would easily be willing to take her place if he could. "No, I don't suppose I am."
"I know this is hard," Angel said trying to put his two cents in to help Buffy come to terms with her destiny.
Buffy would have laughed if she weren't so terrified and hurt right now. "What do you know about this? You're never going to die."
"You think I want anything to happen to you? Do you think I could stand it? We just got to figure out a way…" Angel said and was cut off once again by an irate slayer that was having none of his coddling.
"I already did. I quit, remember? PAY ATTENTION!" she sneered at him.
Giles pleaded. "Buffy, if the Master rises…"
"I DON'T CARE!" Buffy's voice between yelling and a terrified cry of a child as she ripped Angel's cross necklace of her neck. She looked away trying to calm herself and resolve herself into quitting. "I don't care," she said in a childlike voice and looked into his eyes in hopes of seeing anything but disappointment.
"Giles, I'm 16 years old. I don't want to die," The dismay in her voice clear as she threw the cross on the floor and walked out of the library distraught.
Cordelia chase had somehow reeled Jessica into helping to set up things up for the bronze. Jessica didn't know how but Cordelia had found out that she had set up the dances at her dances at her old school with dazzling results. Jessica was getting really tired of being everyone's go to gal.
Jessica stepped into the recreation room where all of the dance committee had agreed to meet before they went to set up at the bronze. She glanced over at Larry and two of his football teammates. She was glad that they had decided to help her in this. The Sunnydale razorbacks had been doing really well with him as captain and she'd promised them a brilliant spotlight worthy of their winning status if they'd help set it up.
Even though she had made it clear that she didn't really like to be used by the popular girls in there endeavor to look good before the school she had secretly enjoyed planning this thing. She had made everyone come a little early and her teacher's pet status with Principal Flutie had gotten the committee out of their classes for the day so they could set up. She didn't want her friends caught out after dark, especially with Sunnydale's nightlife.
She noticed Harmony in a corner flirting with Cordelia's new boy toy Kevin. She smirked at that, Cordelia really needed to surround herself with better friends. The girl had wanted to have Cordelia's life for years according to Xander and Willow. Jessica wondered why she would keep such a backstabbing wench around. She thought Cordelia was smarter than that, humph or maybe not.
"Hey Jesse, I don't know if you realize this but all of us having forgotten something very important for this little gala," Larry looked up in dismay at overlooking the most important thing about a dance, a blasted band!
"Gala Larry, really?" she asked him with a raised eyebrow. If anything screamed to the world, I'm gay and I'm proud it was the word. She just wished Larry would come out of his denial closet and set himself free.
Larry turned red and gave her a sheepish look and changed the subject quickly. "We haven't acquired a band for the party yet Jess. We can always get the Dingo's as a last resort I suppose."
"Oh but I must disagree with you there dear Larry, the Dingo's are never a last resort and have already been put on the roster as one of the two bands I've acquired."
"Two? Who's the other one?" Larry asked in excitement and everyone looked up at her in baited expectation.
"Oh but that would spoil the surprise now, you'll just have to wait and see," Jessica smirked at her ingenuity here. She really had to pull some strings with her father for this one. Luckily, this band owed her father a favor for protecting them against a hacker that had his sights on their fortune. Identity theft was a bitch.
Most of the dance committee had already gone to set things up at the bronze and she made them promise that they'd be finished way before sundown. She and the rest of them were still making final additions on floats and last minute decorations and had quickly lost track of time and didn't realize that the sun had set and the school was now empty. No Slayer and no one to help them with the small army of vampires that now stalked the school.
The small group included Harmony who was still in the process of shamelessly flirting with Kevin, Oz whom Jessica was talking to about the set up for his band and who was very excited because he was the only one she had let know who the other band was that would be accompanying his. A guy named Gene Rainey who didn't actually go to the school but had picked up some extra credit courses that only Sunnydale High offered. He needed it to get into the college he so craved wanting to be some kind of physicist or something. He quickly fell in love with Cordelia Chase at first sight and she had suckered him in to helping with the school dance even though she treated him like scum on the bottom of her shoe. Tucker Wells stood off to himself never conversing with the rest of them and his mind was in its own little world contemplating bad things. Debbie and Pete who were in the middle of a heated lovers spat, Pete showing real signs of being abusive in the relationship, and Scott hope their best friend that sent Jessica's gaydar off once more and she had the inclination of setting him up with Larry. Jessica smiled as she looked around the room; this was surely a madcap bunch. Then someone knocked on the door.
Tucker being the closes to the door went to answer it, wondering why the idiot didn't just walk in. It was a school for goodness sack and the door wasn't locked. As he thought on this, he opened the door and the monster with a fucked up face grabbed him and drained him within seconds. His horribly gargled screams startled everyone out of their tasks and they looked up at the macabre scene in fright.
The vampire dropped Tucker's lifeless body on to the cold school floor and smiled menacingly at the sheep that would soon be his and his fellow vamps chow. He glanced at the real prize that the Master had sent him for and she froze in fear.
"We only want the girl," The vampire pointed at Jessica who grimaced. The rest looked down at Tucker's lifeless body and then back at the vamp in disbelief, making his lie a moot point.
He shrugged and ran at Jessica thinking that she would be easy prey while the rest of his buddies took care of the sheep. As he rushed Jessica, she dropped to the floor pretending to faint and Oz smashed a table against the startled vampires back. He took his eyes off Jessica, which was a mistake, and advanced on a now retreating Oz. The smirk on his face quickly wiped away when he felt a sharp wooden object protruding from his chest. He looked down at the girl that had taken his unlife.
"You dumb ass vamps really shouldn't underestimate the slayers friends," Was the last words the vamp heard as he turned to dust. Jessica rose from the floor and dusted the dust from her as she glanced at Oz to see if he was okay. He nodded at her in response to her silent inquiry all the while reeling at the monster that go poof before his very eyes.
They both looked over to the door and noticed the entire group blocking the door trying to keep the rest of the bloodthirsty and very angry vamps from gaining entrance. All except Harmony, she was screaming to the top of her lungs trying to keep a struggling Kevin near her for protection.
Jessica quickly began to bark orders, everyone try to find something sharp and wooden!" they all stared at her as if she had lost her mind. She sighed and thrust broken pieces of the table leg into each of their hands as she looked around for something to help block the door.
"Oz help me move as many heavy objects in front of the door as possible, we need as many able bodies with their hands free to fight. I'm pretty sure that are uninvited guest won't leave us alone anytime soon and the windows are easy for them to get through…" A frightened and irate Harmony Kendall who still held on to Kevin for dear life interrupted her.
"All we have to do is give them you, and they'll leave us alone," Harmony spat out and looked to Kevin to back her up.
"Shut up Harmony!" Scott said as he pointed at the dead body of Tucker. "Do you really think these guys really want to make a deal, they've already killed one of us. You can stay in denial all you want but their intentions are clear, they're here to kill us all whether they have Jessica or not. Look at their faces, their monsters."
Jessica looked at Scott with heartfelt thanks, but Harmony was partially right. She knew the Master had sent his minions after her and she was a liability to their safety. She knew they did not intend to leave the occupants of this room alive but she could buy them some time with her surrender and maybe one of them could escape and go get the Calvary.
Jessica looked at Oz and he shook his head furiously, already following where her mind had gone. "They'll kill you Jess! And like Chuck said there's no guarantee that they won't just kill us all once they have you."
" I know Oz, but if you sneak out while I surrender you can go get help. Go find Buffy Summers and tell her what's happened and she can help."
"Buffy!" Harmony squealed in anger. What the hell is she going to do bore them to death?" Go get the police or better yet the army."
"We want the girl!" The vampires screamed as they increased their efforts to get inside the room. Everyone screamed as the door began to give way. Jessica reached into her back Jean pocket and pulled out her Willow spiked mace bottle that she carried around permanently since the incident. The vampires all scrambled from the door briefly as the sting of the holy water hit their vamped out faces. Jessica briefly gave permission to proceed and he and Scott shimmied out the window. They briefly glanced to see if the cost was clear and then ran to get help. Scott stumbled as a vamp grabbed at him from the darkness, he landed on his back with a thump and Oz turned to help him.
"No, Oz run, go get help!" Scott positioned the make shift stake that Jessica had given him hoping for the best as the vamp took to the air to jump upon him. Closing his eyes thinking he was surely going to die when he heard oomph and a fuck me before he was showered with vamp dust.
He opened his eyes and smiled triumphantly, he had killed his first vampire. Then he thought on that and rubbed his hand down his face. This had to be some type of nightmare, vampires weren't real he hadn't just staked one and it turned to dust. He thought as the Sunnydale syndrome began to take affect within his brain. It didn't last as another vampire jumped him while he lay there in disbelief.
"You killed Kenny! You son of a bitch!" Scott screamed as the vamp came down upon him and bit into his neck viciously. Before he knew it, another stream of dust covered him and only Oz stood before him reaching to give him a hand up.
"We got to go man more vamps are coming round the corner," Oz inclined his head to where he'd spoken of and Scott got up quickly holding his hand to his wounded neck and they both took off to find Buffy Summers.
Jessica looked at the rest of them hoping they would be all right once she gave herself up. She looked into Larry's eyes. "Hold down the fort, try to keep everyone alive, I'll try to lead them away from you."
Larry nodded and took her hand like a long lost friend he was about to lose. "You be careful Jessica."
She smiled and left running away from the vamps as they gave chase. Larry and the others bolted the door preparing themselves for the fight of their life. None came, all the vamps had took off after Jessica, all afraid that if she somehow escaped the master would kill every one of them slowly and painfully.
The occupants of the room were too afraid to leave the room and stayed their till help arrived.
Jessica ran for her life, she knew she was no track star and the vamps would soon catch her. However, if she kept them at bay long enough Buffy might come in time to rescue them. All thoughts of that fled when a vampire jumped out at her as she rounded the corner for the stairs and punched her in the face knocking her out cold.
"I'll teach you to disfigure my face with holy water," He leered and straddled her unconscious form, the Master wouldn't notice if he took a taste. His fellow vampire quickly stopped him with a shiver.
"You do remember what happened to the last vamp that took liberties with the Master's prey?" He gave him a fearful look.
The vampire jumped clear of the girl and dragged her to her doom, all the while grumbling about the Master getting to have all the fun.
Direct quotes taking from the episode Prophecy Girl. Thought I was going to finish this in one more chapter but it got out of hand as the bunny began to beat the crap out of my brain and made me write and write and write until I had to separate them into more chapters. See if any of you recognize some of the characters I brought up early (some really early, lol). Also, cudos to those who can translate and explain the prophecy in the beginning.