Chapter 5: Prophecy
Hogwarts
"It's time." Albus Dumbledore declared unnecessarily as all present knew what this meeting meant.
"You're certain?" Snape knew it was false hope, but he had to ask…he had to make sure.
"Think about what you're asking, man." Sirius growled, "You, here, are the closest person to Rupert Giles. You felt the shift, don't deny it. I know you did." Snape sighed, not really having the energy to protest. The truth was that he had felt it and it scared him. For Ripper to lose control like that could only mean one thing and in the eventuality something drastic had to be done.
"Yes, I bloody well felt it." He glared in response. "But you don't understand."
"No, you don't get it." Sirius maintained, "This has gone so far beyond anything you can comprehend."
Dumbledore had seemed content to simply watch them duke it out, so to speak, but when Snape had taken a menacing step towards Sirius he felt it prudent to interfere. "That's enough!" He stood between the two men.
"Sirius," He turned to the man in question, "If you would kindly keep your opinions to yourself, I would be ever so grateful."
"Sorry," he mumbled, whilst ducking his head.
Taking that as a good sign, he turned and placing his hands on Snape's shoulders, stated, "Severus, you know Rupert better than anyone. I'm sorry this falls to you but he needs you now more than ever."
"The council will be calling him soon, no doubt. I can only imagine how well that's gonna go over." Sirius added, knowing that the council was sure to get Snape's blood boiling.
Snape growled, "She's not dead. Any number of things could have caused that shift."
"Right." Sirius snorted, not able to stop himself.
"Be that as it may," Dumbledore reiterated, "You are the only one who can help him now."
With a final glare at Sirius, Snape stormed from the room.
"Do you think it's wise to send him off like that? He's liable to cause some real trouble." Sirius commented, not really expecting Dumbledore to give him a straight answer.
Dumbledore chuckled, "Severus may be a bit hot headed at times, but this is the part he must play. Try not to worry, I'm sure it'll all work out in the end."
"If only I had your faith."
Sunnydale
Giles was running through the streets of Sunnydale. She was lost, missing, and he had to find her, no matter the cost. With a spurt of inspiration, he changed course and stumbled through the gateway to Shadyrest Cemetery.
Stopping for a moment to gather his bearings, he set off at a brisk pace. The place was crawling with vampires, but as luck would have it, they ignored him or they just didn't see him. Either way, Giles didn't care. He had more important concerns to contend with.
Looking around, he found himself in front of a mausoleum. Slowly easing his way inside, he noted that this one seemed to be in better condition than most, however it still carried a feeling of dark omens with just a touch of magick residue. Left behind? Giles mused as he looked around the empty space. Walking forward, he stumbled slightly, before righting himself and coming face to face with Ethan. What the hell?
"I'm sorry, Rupert."
Giles started at the use of his first name. Ethan damned well knew that he hated to be called by his given name. So what the hell was going on?
"Ethan…" Giles warned, but Ethan carried on speaking as though he didn't hear Giles.
"I tried to stop her, but alone I'm not strong enough."
"What are you talking about? What's going on?" Giles felt very perplexed. A feeling he'd just assume go without.
"She's free and she's coming for you."
Giles felt his stomach plummet, this was bad. He could feel it. "What have you done?"
"What I had to." He replied as he faded from sight.
Now what? Giles found himself thinking as he was standing at a fork in the road. Looking from right to left, he couldn't see any immediate difference between the two. So which should he choose?
"If you don't know, just ask me." A man popped into existence as if conjured by Giles' mind. He looked vaguely familiar with purple boots, each one having a round gold bell on the end. His clothing was brightly colored in purples, pinks, and reds and the style, having struck Giles as odd, appeared to be from the medieval times. Almost as if he were a court jester.
Raising an eyebrow in interest, Giles regarded this new fellow before crossing his arms. "And why would I do that?"
"To find the truth, my good man." He laughed as if he made a joke.
"And what is the truth?"
"Follow me and you will see." Chuckling, the man took off down the left-hand side.
Giles sighed and followed him, being mindful of whatever dangers he may encounter. The man was now whistling a tune as he skipped down the path. Giles glared at his back as they continued walking. He was far too chipper and these were deadly times right now. If only that man knew the dangers that they could be facing.
They had been walking for what felt like hours and Giles was doubting his choices when the man stopped. "Do not fear, my friend. We are nearing the end."
Looking on, Giles saw a deep chasm that must have spanned at least 50 feet. "Bloody hell!" He turned angry eyes to the man, "How in the blazes am I supposed to cross that?" He demanded.
"You will think of something." The man winked and with a chuckle disappeared.
Cursing the man would do Giles no good, but it made him feel better all the same. Now is not the time to lose control. He chastised himself. There had to be a way around this problem he just had to think of it.
Would his magic work here? He didn't know, but at this point, he'd try anything and sadly his magic was the only thing he could fall back on.
Closing his eyes, he splayed his hands and uttered a simple four line spell:
"God of the skies
Send down a creature that flies
Help me in my quest
To bring forth one so blessed."
He felt the wind shift and opening his eyes he took a shocked step back. Standing before him was the most majestic animal he had ever seen. The horse, Pegasus, kneeled before him allowing Giles to mount him.
He raised up and with a neigh, he kicked up taking them to the skies. He flew over the chasm and landed gracefully on the other side. Giles dismounted and ran a hand along Pegasus' mane. "Thank you, my friend."
Pegasus gave a whinny in acknowledgement and took to the skies leaving Giles alone. Or so he thought.
"That was most impressive." A woman appeared. She looked very ordinary, despite the fact that she was floating a good 2 inches off the ground. However, Giles knew that often time's looks were deceiving.
"What is this?" he demanded.
"Forgive me," She smiled, "But we had to be sure that you were the one."
"The one?"
"Yes, you see, she is coming and you must stop her."
"I will, of course, do what I can, but…"
"Do not worry," the woman interrupted, "Buffy is with people whom you can trust. The Charmed Ones will see that no harm befalls her."
Giles felt his heart constrict, but at least now he knew that Buffy was alive and safe, for the moment. All he had to do was find his way back to her.
"The way to your soul mate will become clear to you, in time." She bowed slightly as Giles looked on curiously.
"How do you know?" Despite her words, he was still concerned that the way back to Buffy was blocked and that he was going to be fighting an uphill battle.
"I know many things, for now though, you must work with the prophecy." Giles flushed guiltily. In his haste he had forgotten all about the prophecy. Never a good thing, as they often spell the difference between triumph and failure.
She started to rise up and forgetting everything for a moment Giles hollered up to her, "Wait! How will I know what to do?"
She looked down on him sadly, "It's up to you now. Just remember: the moon's influence can be very deceiving and dreams are not to be trusted. We have faith in you."
Giles awoke drenched in sweat. That had been one heavy dream, but what did it mean? He shook his head and stood, making his way to the shower. Maybe the warm water would help him discern what his dream had meant. First, there had been Ethan. Had he done something? Was that why he was there? Things had been pretty good between them, but that could always change. However, if Eliza chose to, she could force him to do whatever she wanted and he wouldn't be able to stop her. It was true that he was good with Chaos magick, but that wouldn't save him if she truly wanted to use him. He would have to track down Ethan.
Next he had run into that man, who had looked extremely familiar, but he had no clue where that man had come from. He wished that he could remember. The man had seemed very fanciful and carefree. However, there was nothing in their exchange that Giles felt he could use right now in his current predicament. How he wished life could be as carefree as that man made it seem.
And that woman. Who had she been? Was she real or just another figment of his imagination as he supposed that man had been? She was certainly beautiful, with long brown hair that was as straight as Buffy's was wavy. If she was real then that meant Buffy was safe, but if she wasn't then…No, Giles refused to think about it. For now, he had to believe that Buffy was with people she could trust, after all she was a true survivor. And that woman was right, the prophecy held the answer, he was sure of it.
Exiting the shower, he decided to mark everything down in his dream journal. Then he needed to do something that he should have started months ago, ever since Sev had shown up with that parchment. It was time to translate that prophecy. Hopefully, it would shed some light on what was to come and with any luck, he would know exactly what needed to be done.
San Francisco
"Prue!" Phoebe yelled as she saw her sister knocked aside, Falling unconscious to the ground. "Piper, do something." She hissed as she went to Prue's side.
Piper sighed as she turned to face the twin demons. What does she expect me to do? She looked around frantically, noticing for the first time that they were in an alley. The alley that ran along P3 at that. Who knew that when they left the club they would be in a fight for their lives? Shaking her head at her morbid thoughts, she noticed a metal lid leaning against a trash can.
"Hope this works." She mumbled as an energy ball was shot at her head. Holding the lid up, she was surprised when the energy ball bounced off the lid, as though it were a boomerang, and shot straight for the demon.
The demon had expected the energy blast to destroy that flimsy lid and incinerate the filthy witch, but was caught unawares as the blast changed course and nailed him. With a cry, he burst into flames.
"You killed my brother!" His twin shouted and forgetting all magic he charged.
"Phoebes, a little help here." Piper growled at her sister, noticing with concern that Prue was still down. Why couldn't anything go according to plan?
Slapping her forehead, she cursed her stupidity. Throwing her hands up the demon exploded, leaving nothing by dust behind.
Piper went to Prue's side and as soon as all 3 sisters were touching a vision shot through Phoebe's mind.
There was a woman, strikingly beautiful, with blonde hair just below her shoulders and wearing a red dress. She was surrounded by men cloaked in darkness, though Phoebe could see that the girl was quickly fighting her way out. In fact, she appeared to be fighting towards someone. Someone that the men were holding captive. "Giles!" the girl hollered, before she was tossed aside. Upon closer inspection, Phoebe could see that it was actually a girl of about 9 or 10 years old that was fighting for her life. She looked into the girls eyes and watched as tears coursed down her face. The vision ended in a blur of white light.
"Who was that?" Prue jerked awake and stared at her sisters.
"You saw that?" This had never happened before. Touching her sisters should not cause visions. Maybe it was a power of three thing, although Phoebe hoped not.
"We both did." Piper confirmed, "Although, I've seen that girl before."
"You have?"
"Don't sound so shocked, Phoebes." Piper groused, as they helped Prue to stand, "I don't really know what it means, but I had this dream…"
Buffy couldn't believe her luck. Not only was she in a strange city, but Giles was nowhere to be found. She remembered the magick hitting her, but for the life of her, she couldn't seem to remember anything else.
What the hell was I doing? She hit her forehead, as if that would help her remember.
"Vampires!" She exclaimed, snapping her eyes open wide. They had been facing off against a clan of vamps. So where was Giles? Her Watcher was missing in action.
A couple had stopped at Buffy's exclamation and were looking at her curiously. The girl was obviously troubled, but did they really want to get involved? Looking at them sharply, Buffy took off, taking the decision out of their hands.
Now, what do I do? Buffy cursed her rotten luck, wondering briefly if this had to do with that evil sorceress. But what could she possibly gain from this? Pushing that thought aside, she scanned the area knowing that if she didn't do something soon, then she would be stuck in unfamiliar territory and at night, to boot. Never a good combination.
Later That Night
Piper cursed, it was getting late and Leo still wasn't back yet. She couldn't shake the feeling that something bad was going to happen and soon.
"Piper, will you please sit down?" Prue implored her sister.
"Yeah, all that pacing's going to run a whole in the floor." Phoebe chimed in.
"I'm sorry, guys." Piper sighed as she plopped down on the couch, "I just can't shake this feeling."
"So you've said." Phoebe grinned. Piper was certainly showing her maternal instincts tonight.
"You have to go…now." Leo orbed in catching the girls unawares.
"What is it?" Prue demanded.
"The Elders are very concerned." Taking a deep breath he continued, "They sense a surge in demonic activity. You must find that girl tonight. If you don't, it may be too late."
"Look!" Phoebe was the first person to see the girl. She was no more than 10 years old, with shoulder length blonde hair that was waving as she ran. Not to mention the knee length red dress she was wearing. Phoebe thought she looked striking.
Grinning, the girl looked over her shoulder and dodged as the demon launched a fire ball. Turning to face the demon, she laughed, "Is that the best you've got?"
"Well, at least she's bold." Phoebe noted.
"Yeah, too bad that'll get her killed." Prue pointed out.
Despite Prue's skepticism, the girl seemed to be very agile and appeared to take great pleasure in taunting the demon as she dodged his every attempt to set her ablaze.
"She's not half bad." Phoebe remarked, the amusement clear in her voice.
Piper rolled her eyes, this was getting ridiculous. She threw her hands up, thereby blowing up the demon, before things could escalate further out of control.
The girl turned startled eyes to the sisters, "Who're you?"
"Friends." Phoebe replied, not understanding where the girls hostility was coming from.
Placing her hands on her hips, she regarded them coldly, "And why should I believe you?"
The sisters glanced at each other, before Prue replied, "We just want to help you."
"Maybe I don't want your help." She tossed over her shoulder as she turned to leave.
Piper couldn't begin to imagine the pain that girl had gone through to be so leery of trusting someone, but she knew that this girl needed their help and she wasn't going to fail her. But whatever she was going to do it had to be soon. "Buffy?" She called, "I don't blame you."
The girl stopped, "How did you know my name?" she turned to face Piper.
Piper smiled, "I know you don't want to trust us, but sometimes you have to rely on others to get out of sticky situations. If you know what I mean."
"You can trust us, sweet cheeks." A gang of vamps entered the alley.
Buffy glared at this new menace, "What'd you guys do? Follow me from Sunnydale?" She pulled out a stake and turned to face the vampires.
Prue made a mental note to ask her about that later as she flung a couple of them aside. "Piper, blow them up." She called to her sister.
"I'm…ugh!" Piper grunted as she was thrown to the ground.
"Piper!" Phoebe called frantically, worried that her sister still hadn't gotten up.
Hearing the frantic call, Buffy turned to see a vamp leaning over Piper. Buffy couldn't really explain it but she was feeling protective of the sister. Staking the vamp in front of her she took off and flipped to land in front of Piper's form, thereby staking the vamp. "Who's next?" she growled.
The remaining vampires looked at each other, knowing that they were outnumbered. "This isn't over, Slayer."
"Yeah, we'll be back." With one final glare, they ran from the alley.
"Leo!" Phoebe called as she headed to Piper's side. Thankfully, Piper was starting to come around.
"What the hell happened?" She mumbled, as she shook her head slightly.
"Vampires." Buffy replied, as Leo orbed in startling her and causing her to fall on her rear end. "Where'd you come from?" She looked at him feeling vaguely like he was familiar, but not being able to place it.
Leo grinned, but didn't respond as he knelt by Piper. "I'm fine." She batted him aside and tried to stand.
"No, you're not." He contradicted, as she promptly fell back down, gritting her teeth in pain. Placing his palm over her ankle, he concentrated on the white light that would heal his wife.
"That…how'd you do that?" Buffy couldn't believe her eyes. That was a talent that would certainly come in handy. Especially in her line of work.
A smile quirked the corner of his lips, "Just a gift I have. By the way, I'm Leo, Piper's husband." He responded, helping Piper to stand.
"Guys," Prue came running over, "I think we should head back to the manor before any more surprises jump out at us."
"Buffy?" Piper questioned, not wanting to discredit the girl.
"Let's go." Buffy smiled reassuringly. For some reason she felt a kinship with Piper and her instincts had never led her astray before. "Besides, I'm sure we have lots to discuss."
Sunnydale; Giles' Flat
It had been a few days since Buffy's disappearance and Giles was busy trying to decipher the prophecy. In fact he had just finished preparing his tea and was about to take a sip, when a loud pop sounded, breaking the silence causing Giles to spill the tea on his sweater. Bloody hell! Giles cursed. As if his nerves weren't pushed to the breaking point, already. Now this.
Fearing the worse, but knowing he had to investigate, Giles stood and turned to find Severus Snape standing before him. "Sev? Where the hell'd you come from?"
"Sorry to pop in unexpectedly."
"Yes, very amusing." Apparently Snape has a sense of humor, after all. Though, one can't tell by looking at him.
"Dumbledore's concerned."
"I suppose that's your way of saying that he's worried I'll try to end the world or some such nonsense." Giles sighed, suddenly very tired.
"When was the last time you slept?" Snape demanded.
"Sev, I don't need a babysitter." Giles sat and started rubbing his eyes.
"Don't be too sure about that."
Giles glared and was about to respond when the door burst open, "Giles!" Willow ran in, followed by Xander. "Oh, I didn't realize you had company. I thought you could use some help. Was I wrong?" Since Buffy's disappearance, they had all tried to be there with Giles, afraid of what he might do if left to his own devices.
"Well, if it isn't Mr. Dark and Gloomy himself."
"Please, Xander." Giles sounded exasperated and Xander's bit of humor wasn't helping matters. "You're not wrong, Willow, but…"
"We have other matters to discuss." Snape inserted, before turning a knowing look Giles' way.
"Right you are." Turning to face Willow and Xander once more, he implored them, "why don't we all meet up at the Magic Box tomorrow?"
"If you're sure?" Willow didn't want to leave her friend. He was really hurting, she could tell, even if he wouldn't tell them anything and with Buffy gone…
"Come on, Will. It'll be a regular Scooby Meeting, you'll see." Slinging his arm around Willow, Xander started to guide her out of the room. With one final look at Giles, she let Xander take the lead. Hopefully this was the right thing to do, but like so many things, only time would tell.
"Tell me what's really been going on." Now that they were alone, Snape wasted no time in cornering Giles, "We all felt the magic shift."
"Yes, I only wish that's all it had been." Giles admitted.
"A shift of that magnitude must have someone truly devious behind it." Snape interrupted.
"Or have a nefarious purpose." Giles contradicted, even to his ears that sounded lame. Of course it was purported by a devious mind and for an equally nefarious intent. It simply spelled Eliza and with the prophecy, Giles couldn't take any chances. Either way he would bring Buffy home and stop Eliza once and for all.
The Next Day-The Magic Box
Willow was exceedingly worried about Giles as she watched him enter the Magic Box. He was alone and looked very tired and run down. "Where's Snape?" She asked before Xander could insert some of his dry humor, which seemed to aggravate Giles more than normal lately.
"Oh, Sev's…" He started, but stopped whatever he'd been about to say and settled for, "He had a prior engagement. That's all."
"How long have you known him, anyways?" She asked, curious to hear about Giles' youth; not that he'd actually tell her or anything. She knew he was pretty private and he probably had a good reason, too.
"Yeah, and can you really trust him?" Xander demanded forcefully.
Giles smiled, slightly, "I've known Sev since I was a young lad. I was, I believe, about 14 or so." He turned stormy eyes to Xander, "And he is, like so many other people, a man trying to do his best in a difficult time."
Sitting at the table, Giles pulled out a rolled parchment and several pieces of paper. His notes, they assumed. "Giles?" Willow tentatively prompted.
"Hmmm?"
"You still haven't told us why you think Buffy's…"
"Still alive?" Giles finished Willow's thought as she trailed off. He looked up to find all eyes on him. "With the connection we have, I'd feel it. You just have to trust me on this one."
"Right, as if you've been forthcoming lately." Xander mumbled, which Giles chose to ignore.
"S-so, about this p-prophecy?" Tara interrupted, trying to keep the peace.
"Yes," Giles smiled. Trust Tara to keep everyone on track. "There appears to be at least two facets in correlation with the prophecy, I've managed to translate it as best I can. As for what it means," He shrugged, "I'm not entirely sure."
"Just lay it on us." Xander requested with a grin.
"Yeah, we can figure the rest out later." Willow added with a shy smile, "You know, together. As a team."
"Very well. But it is a bit confusing." Giles agreed with a grim smile. He still wasn't sure what it all meant and hopefully Willow's assessment was right. They would solve this one together, helping each other, as they always should.
Clearing his throat, he began to read:
"From the ashes she will rise
Masking the Cross of Death.
Four Knights will band together
To see through the Moon's Deception
One Knight alone has the power
To bring about the fall of an era
Chaos will show the way
As the Snake slithers through time
Arcana's Tower will cease to be
As the Mystical Gryphon leads the way
From the depths will rise
A vision so pure and true."
"Well, that just sounds creepy." Willow complained.
"You got that right." Xander gulped loudly.
Chapter 6: Manipulations
London, England—Watchers Council
"I call this meeting to order." Quinton Travers, as acting head of the Watchers Council, stated with finality.
He saw the men and woman that made up the council Tribunal, shift in their seats, clearly uncomfortable with this new change of events. He smiled as he thought about his new status as acting head and knew that he could order them to do whatever he deemed necessary and they couldn't deny him. This was where he was always meant to b e and no one would take this away from him.
"The coven has informed me that they no longer sense the Slayer." He stated dramatically.
"But sir, how is that possible?"
"Obviously, the girl is dead." He rolled his eyes at the seemingly stupid question, "and as tragic as that is, we must decide on the next course of action."
"Even if that were true, Quentin, Rupert Giles would have told the Council."
He glared distastefully at Dorothy Whimple. It was clear to all present that she had been referring to herself and not the Council. And clearly she still had an unhealthy crush on the absent Watcher.
"Wasn't he fired? For, what was it…" he paused, pretending to think, "oh, yes, for loving the Slayer too much?" he grinned at Dorothy's discomfort.
"Oh honestly, Jared, you'd think that you'd be over this petty jealousy by now." She smiled smugly as Jared's grin disappeared.
"Besides, he was reinstated not too long ago." A timid voice at the rear of the table announced.
"That is of no consequence." Travers waved their concerns aside, "What matters is that the Hellmouth has no guardian."
"You can't be serious." Dorothy demanded, having understood what Travers wanted.
He glared at the interruption, "I want Faith released from jail. It's time she pay her dues."
"And, who, exactly do you expect to be her Watcher?" She exclaimed angrily.
"That will be Rupert's responsibility, whether he likes it or not."
"You can't expect him to deal with her. Look what happened last time."
"On the contrary," he contradicted, "as acting head, it is within my rights to demand his obedience."
Dorothy snorted, "Not for long."
"That, my dear," he sneered, "does not matter, in the grand scheme of things."
"You say that now," Jared grinned, "Just wait until Ripper gets wind of this. Way I hear it, he's practicing magic again."
"Honestly, where did you hear such distasteful rumors?"
"It's not rumors, if it's true." A quiet voice from the back pointed out.
Quentin narrowed his eyes in anger, "Back to the situation at hand. I want Faith released from jail within a week and on her way to the Hellmouth."
"I still say you're making a mistake." Dorothy asserted, "That girl is unstable and will cause more trouble than she's worth."
"So noted. Now if there's nothing else—"
"Sorry to interrupt, sir," A striking blonde, presumably his secretary, walking briskly up to the table. "There's someone here to see you. She claims to have urgent business that cannot wait."
"Very well. Five minutes." He sighed, already wishing that he had stayed in bed that morning. It was shaping up to be a very busy and demanding day.
"Yes, sir." She strode from the room as Quentin stood.
"I suggest you all get to work. There's lots to be done."
"I'll phone Rupert straightaway." Dorothy remarked before quickly exiting the room, not giving Quentin time to protest the decision.
That blasted woman! Quentin felt his anger start to rise, but he had more pressing matters to deal with. He smirked, there was more than one way to skin a cat, as the saying goes. And once he dealt with Rupert, he would deal with her too.
The Magic Box—Training Room
Giles sighed as he strummed some notes on his guitar. It had been a rough few days and they were still no closer to figuring out what the prophecy meant. In fact, Giles suspected that they were missing something, something important.
Truth be told, Giles was grateful to be alone. He had kicked them all out the night before with the excuse that he was tired and needed to rest. He felt like he was drowning and they just didn't understand, except for Anya, now that was irony for you. The others just kept expecting him to do something drastic and he was growing tired of it.
He needed this time alone to determine what his next step would be. He had tried tracking Ethan, certain that he could provide the answers that Giles so desperately needed. However, Ethan remained elusive.
Shaking his head slightly, Giles closed his eyes and continued to stroke the guitar strings as a melody slowly emerged, Thoughts of Buffy swirled through his mind as he started to sing Bryan Adams' song Straight from the Heart. The song acted as a catalyst thrusting Giles' thoughts back to simpler times, before his world came crashing down around his ears. If only he wasn't cut off from Buffy. As he continued to sing, he slowly felt hope surge within, he would solve this riddle and bring Buffy home.
The Magic Box—Main Floor
"Giles!" Willow called as she entered the Magic Box, followed by Xander and Tara.
Anya hurried over and motioned for them to be quiet. She sighed, honestly, you'd think that they could show some restraint, or at least have some faith in Giles. He's been going through hell, and it's like they expect him to lose touch with everyone and everything around him, when really all he needs is time. Time to get his head on straight and fix this mess.
Willow looked confused for a moment, before hearing the soulful tunes that were drifting out of the training room. It saddened her to hear Giles singing as though his heart were breaking. "Guys, I'm worried about Giles."
"We all are, Will, but what more can we do?"
"There has to be something!" She replied stubbornly.
Anya snorted, but before she could respond the phone let out a shrill ring to go with the mood. Cursing the phone for disturbing Giles, she picked up the receiver and answered with a crisp, "Magic Box."
"I must speak with Rupert Giles immediately." A cultured English voice responded.
Anya narrowed her eyes, "Who is this? And what do you want?"
The woman chuckled, "Ah, you must be the ex-vengeance demon and I commend your protectiveness, but I insist you put Rupert on the phone. Now." She stressed the last word.
"Not until I know your name."
"Very well," she sighed, "Tell him its Dorothy Whimple calling. I have urgent matters to discuss and your delay is not helping."
"Yeah, right." Anya scowled and placed her on hold. She knocked lightly on the training room's door, "Giles?"
The music inside stopped and Giles called back tiredly, "Yes, Anya?"
"There's a woman calling for you. Dorothy Whimple with what seems to be pressing business to discuss with you.
Giles sighed and placing his guitar aside, he exited the training room. Trust the Council to but in. Giles grabbed the receiver, "Yes, Dotti, what can I do for you?"
"I think, perhaps, it's what I can do for you." She replied with a grin.
He sighed, tired of the endless games that the Council played. "Please, Dotti, don't play this game. Now, tell me, what is it you want?" He growled out between clenched teeth.
"Now, Rupert, must you always be a stick in the mud?" She pouted, even though he couldn't see it.
"Dotti," he sighed, "I have much more tenacious concerns to attend with, besides throwing verbal barbs at each other."
"Quentin's having Faith released from jail, with you as her Watcher."
The color drained from Giles' face, "W-what? Has he gone mad?"
She laughed, "You know as well as I do that he was crazy long before this. Just count your blessings, Rupert, and be grateful I called you instead of him. You know how Quentin loves to gloat."
Giles snorted, "Yes, I wonder how he managed to quell that particular urge."
"Oh, some meeting or other." She waved it away as though seemingly unimportant.
"Really?" Giles' interest was piqued despite his need to leave it be.
"Rupert, focus." She growled, causing him to flinch, "Faith will be there within the week and it's your job to reign her in."
"B-but…I can't." He spluttered, "Surely there's someone else?"
"You know why he's doing this don't you?" She spoke softly, but her meaning was clear.
"I know." He responded just as softly, "but right now Buffy is my priority."
"Your Slayer?" Dorothy was shocked, to say the least, that Rupert could be so dense as to not realize what Faiths release meant. "The Coven no longer senses her." She stated as if that would clear up any misgivings.
"It's quite clear, don't you think? She's being blocked." He stated with certainty, just now having determined the cause.
"From the coven?" Dorothy snorted, "That's some powerful magic. What are you going to do?"
"What I should have done days ago. Find Buffy." Without waiting for a response he hung up to find four sets of eyes on him. "I suppose you'd like some sort of explanation, yes?"
"Might be nice." Xander replied sarcastically.
San Francisco—Halliwell Manor
Piper sighed, it had been a rough few hours. In fact, she found herself still wound up, even though it was decided that they would rest and start fresh in the morning, sleep eluded her. To think Buffy was the Slayer, a person they all assumed to be a myth. Of course there was that entry in the Book of Shadows.
Slayer:
A young female that is bestowed with mystical powers that originate from the essence of a pure-demon, which gives her superhuman senses, strength, agility, resilience and speed in the fight against the forces of darkness. In addition to these attributes, she also has the sight, often manifested in dreams. The dreams, however vague they may be, can also be prophetic at times.
She is accompanied by her Watcher (see Watchers Council) through this journey and together they fight to stop the spread of evil that encompasses the world.
Still, the concept seemed to be a bit beyond her grasp. And the spell Buffy was under didn't help either. Phoebe maintained that reversing the spell had to be their top priority, although Prue was concerned about the consequences of such an attempt. And Piper agreed, thinking that they should try to locate Buffy's Watcher, after flipping through the pages and reading that particular entry.
Watchers Council:
A secret organization of men and women whose sole purpose is that of the Slayer. Each Slayer has a Watcher Chosen, much like they themselves were Called, to align with them and help in their battle. A Watcher typically has at least some proficiency in the use of magic with certain individuals being more powerful than others.
The Watchers are highly educated and can speak a wide variety of languages, both human and demonic in nature. Most Watchers are well versed in hand-to-hand combat techniques, though they generally confine themselves to training Slayers and supporting them in battle, as their relatively lower strength limits their effectiveness in directly engaging vampires. The Watchers also maintain diaries chronicling the lives of the Slayers under their care.
Piper thought that Buffy's Watcher, whomever he or she was, would be able to help research the spell and determine its origins, especially if it had been used on a previous slayer. Perhaps as a weapon of some kind. Either way they were the one most likely to know, but at the mention of her Watcher, Buffy got quiet and withdrawn. Something was definitely troubling the Young woman and Piper elected to drop it for the time being.
Besides, as Leo pointed out they had that pesky prophecy to deal with. Which is why Piper was in bed alone, without her husband. Leo was with the Elders, trying to glean something that would help them out of this mess.
Closing her eyes, Piper groaned. This was going to be a long night. Slowly her breathing evened out as she drifted into an uneasy sleep.
"You are the Slayer, savior of worlds."
"The charmed Ones need you."
"Watch your friends fall."
"Trust no one."
The voices swirled around Buffy, seemingly coming from everywhere and nowhere at the same time. Though she couldn't quite figure out how that was even possible. Closing her eyes tight, she placed her hands over her ears hoping to drown out the voices.
Crashing to the ground she winced, wishing for the incessant voices to stop. Suddenly she perked up, "Giles!" She grinned, feeling a bit lightheaded, but now that she had a plan her spirits lifted. He'd know what to do. Giles always had the answers.
"He can't help you now." A voice whispered on the wind, as if sensing her thoughts.
"Why?" Buffy shouted in defiance, "What have you done to him?"
All Buffy got in response was a shrill laugh, "He's mine now."
"We'll see about that!" Buffy growled, before running in search of her Watcher. The woman's laughter seemed to follow her as she ran towards a wooded area. Buffy slowed and approached the area with caution, knowing that she had to play it safe, even though she felt the urge to rush. Giles wasn't there to help her, so she had to rely on herself.
Peering through the trees, Buffy was surprised to find a friendly face staring back at her. "Piper? What are you doing here?" Buffy shook her head hardly believing her eyes. Wasn't this supposed to be my dream?
Piper shrugged her shoulders, "Same thing as you, I'd imagine."
Still a little leery, Buffy allowed Piper to coax her into the thick forest. It wasn't long before the trees started to thin revealing a most frightening sight. Vampires were coming out of the woodwork. There had to be at least fifty vampires and what struck her as most odd were the amount of demons that were loitering as if they owned the forest and had a right to be there.
As Buffy got closer her sense of dread escalated. There stood Giles, in the center of all that chaos, with the vampires and demons surrounding him. He had nowhere to go and no way out of this seemingly impossible trap. But had it been a trap for him or for her? With no way of knowing, Buffy did the only thing she could. She started to rush forward, but was stopped by Piper's hand on her arm. "What is your problem?" She growled, not caring about anything, but Giles' safety.
"Think for a second, Buffy. The odds are not in our favor. We'll never get him out, not and save ourselves too."
"You think I care?" Tears started to flow from her eyes as she pointed to Giles, "All that matters is his safety. The rest can go to hell." Wrenching her arm free, she started towards the melee, but was stopped by a seemingly disembodied voice.
"You'll never reach him in time and he will forever hate you for this betrayal."
Not one to admit defeat, Buffy started racing towards the demons, taking out as many as she could on her way by. "Giles!" She called to her Watcher, only to have her voice drowned out as several vampires jumped on her form. Fighting them off, she managed to stake a couple of them, before being overcome by several more. With a burst of strength she forced them to release her arms, and not a moment too soon, as they blew up. It appears Piper decided to join the fight after all.
"You can't take them on by yourself." Grateful for the assist, Buffy nodded her head once, in grim determination, to acknowledge Piper.
"Can't you freeze them or something?" Buffy asked as they continued to fight their way to Giles' side.
"No, there's too many of them. Besides, I already tried and you can see how well that turned out."
Off in the distance, they heard Giles scream as he went down. The vampires and demons having bested the Watcher. "No, Giles!" Buffy screamed and rushed forward. Now that the Watcher had been captured, the remaining demons let the two women through.
"You have failed." A woman appeared before Buffy. She had strawberry blonde hair that rested just below her shoulders and was wavy and shined with a radiance that she was trying to portray. She turned to face Giles, dismissing Buffy.
"My darling Ru," She stalked towards him, "how does it feel, knowing that your Slayer cannot save you?"
At her words Buffy fell to her knees and bolted awake calling for Giles, the one person she could always trust.
Piper shot up in bed upon hearing Buffy's anguished cry. Running to Buffy's room, she stopped short as she took in Buffy's form. She was sitting on the bed with her arms holding her knees up to her chin and she was rocking back and forth. Buffy looked so despondent that Piper wished she could brighten up her day, although it seemed doubtful. Sitting on the bed in front of Buffy, Piper reached out and lightly touched her shoulder, "Buffy?"
Leaning in closer, Piper could distinctly hear Buffy whispering, "Giles…Giles…Giles…" repeatedly, as if saying a prayer. A tear trailed down her cheek and Piper lightly wiped it away, wishing that there was more she could do.
"Buffy," she sighed, "please talk to me? What's happened?" Piper began lightly running her hand on Buffy's shoulder, trying to comfort the troubled girl.
Buffy breathed deeply, "I couldn't save him," she whispered and wiped a tear from her eyes, "Why couldn't I save him?"
Piper was at a complete loss. Buffy seemed so despondent that it was starting to worry her. "Buffy?" she waited until Buffy looked up at her to continue speaking, "I know it doesn't seem like it, but everything will work out in the end. You'll see." Piper grinned suddenly, "I know, why don't we call him? I'm sure he'd love to hear from you and together we can solve this."
Buffy got a panicked look in her eyes as she regarded Piper, "No…I'm sure he's fine, if he stays away, it won't happen. I'm sure of it."
San Francisco—Underground Dwelling
"Where have you been?" Malfoy demanded as Eliza strode into the room.
"That really doesn't concern you, now does it?" She replied with a grin.
He narrowed his eyes, "We had an agreement."
Eliza openly laughed at Malfoy's anger and didn't respond. Why should she do everything, anyways? There was a lot that needed to be done and Malfoy had to pull his own weight. "You worry too much. Just stick to the plan and everything will be fine."
"That's easy for you to say. I have everything riding on this." He growled and in a fit of rage, he used his magick to strike out at Eliza, but she was ready. Raising her hand, she caught the magick blast and curled it in her palm.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. You should be more careful." She admonished, while playing with the ball of magick. With a final grin, she tossed the ball of magick up and it disappeared in a puff of smoke.
He backed away slowly, realizing that he had misjudged Eliza and her realm of magick. This demonstration proved that she was much more powerful than he had originally thought. No matter, in time he would deal with this little error. "You're right, Eliza. My mistake."
"Now that we have that sordid business taken care off, we can move on to more pressing details. To start with, we have a new recruit joining us shortly. He personally knows the Slayer and will play a vital part of my plan." She smirked as she considered the possibilities. "Just think Malfoy, soon Rupert Giles will be mine and the Slayer will be yours, as promised."
Author's note: Sorry it took so long to get these two chapters out, but the prophecy gave me a bit of trouble and there are so many different facets to this story, I'm finding it difficult to determine what should go where, but hopefully it'll come together in the end. Also the bits about the Slayer and Watcher I pulled from Wikipedia.
