Part IV
BLEYS
"Buffy. . .you are no longer the Slayer."
My daughter. . .I was still getting over the shock of that concept. . . glared at her Watcher, then walked over to the fireplace and picked up a cast iron poker. With little obvious effort, she bent it into a U shape and tossed it onto the carpet, ignoring the distressed gasp of Joyce. "Kind of knocks a hole in your little theory, doesn't it?" she snapped, glaring at him with a passion that would give credit to any of her relatives on my side.
Joyce complained, "Buffy. . .that was a family heirloom. . ." before trailing off, realizing that she didn't want to upset her daughter right now. Seeing a chance to do Joyce a favor. . .she certainly had some coming under the circumstances. . .I picked up the poker and carefully straightened it. I turned to Buffy and commented, "Slayers aren't the only ones in the cosmos with a little muscle, Buffy." She was quiet, but I could see the wheels turning in her head as she evaluated the situation.
I hastened to elaborate: "Buffy, those of the royal family of Amber have abilities far beyond those typical of shadow dwellers. . .enhanced strength and reflexes, rapid healing, not to mention immortality and other powers related to having power over shadow. Also, more than a few of us are powerful sorcerers." I noticed Willow perk up at that last comment and smiled. Perhaps I should introduce Fiona to her shadow. . .I dismissed the thought for the moment and frowned, for there was still something of a puzzle here. "Ordinarily, children born to the royal family are above average, but they do not assume the true measure of their abilities until they walk the Great Pattern of Amber, which serves as a ritual that awakens their power within them. . .Clearly, you have assumed at least a measure of that power without passing the test of the Pattern. Did you suffer some extraordinarily stressful event in the last few years?"
I heard several muffled snorts and turned to see Willow, Angel, and Xander turning away. I gathered from this reaction that Buffy indeed had, and Giles confirmed it by saying quietly, "She died."
I was shocked at this news, and Giles gave me a sympathetic look before continuing, "Buffy, after Kendra showed up in Sunnydale, I began researching to see if anything similar had happened before. Not long ago. . .I found a case where a Slayer had fallen through ice and drowned. She was able to be revived due to the cold, which prevented brain damage, but. . ."
Buffy waited a moment, then snapped impatiently, "But what?" Giles looked at her with sympathy, and continued, "The girl awakened and lived a normal life. . .as an ordinary mortal."
I saw Buffy go white and sink to the couch. After a moment, she turned to Giles and asked, "So if I'd been fully human, I'd have lost my powers. . ." She turned to me and commented, "Suddenly I'm liking you a lot more." Her eyes looked haunted, as if she were remembering some truly unpleasant incident.
Giles continued, "Buffy, we don't fully understand what happens when a Slayer is called, but the best theory I've seen is that the Chosen One is possessed by some form of benevolent spirit that enhances the Slayer's physical and mental abilities. When a Slayer dies, the spirit moves on to the next candidate. That is apparently why Kendra was called. . .but the stress involved in dying at the Master's hands apparently triggered some of the abilities inherent in your heritage."
Buffy's face went blank for a moment, then she said hesitatingly, "I remember waking up with Xander and Angel standing over me. . .they were worried that the draining would leave me weak, but I felt stronger than I ever had as the Slayer. When I fought the Master again, we did it as equals, and he underestimated me. . .he thought those little mind games would stop me again, but I brushed him off with no problem." He looked at Giles and asked quietly, "You mean that was because I was Bleys' daughter, and not because I was the Slayer?"
Giles nodded, and commented, "Probably the power of Amberite blood is substantially greater than even that of Slayers. The Master stopped draining you because he had gained enough power to escape, not realizing that you were not yet certain to stay dead." He frowned and commented, "That doesn't explain why you retained the combat skills that you possessed as the Slayer."
"Amberites' minds are different from ordinary humans," I explained, watching Buffy to make sure that all of this wouldn't be overwhelming for her: she listened patiently, looking at me attentively, "they have to be, since we are immortal. . .a normal human mind is not arranged correctly to deal with the information and experience in a millennias long lifetime. Buffy was simply able to retain the information that had been bestowed upon her, whereas a normal human stripped of the Slayerspirit would just not have the capacity to do so."
Buffy nodded, then her face turned to all business. "All right, I guess I can live with that for now. Right now, we have a universe to save. Mom, say your good-byes to. . .Bleys. Willow, come up and help me with the items on the list. Everyone else, wait outside." She turned and walked up the stairs, Willow right behind her. The others left quietly, and I had but a moment to exchange a look of pride with Joyce before I took my leave of her with an expression of thanks.
FAITH
Whoever the guy was, he was wicked with that sword. He and Buffy, with some help from those geeks Xander and Oz, finished off the vampires and those nasty looking demons with no big hassle. I saw them shooting the breeze for a while, and then they headed off towards the school. I saw the big redheaded guy look my way, but I melted into the shadows and headed for the Boss' office: I knew that he'd want to know about this.
The vamp at the door nodded me in and I was in with the Boss. He was fiddling around with his putter, and as usual he couldn't sink a putt to save his life. He looked at me and smiled, "Faith! I didn't expect to see you tonight." He pointed at the desk and asked, "Milk? Or how about some prunes?"
I managed not to roll my eyes, wondering how it was that out of all of the evil masterminds I could have hooked up with, how did I manage to find the one who seemed to be channeling Kathy Lee?
Still, he was sweet most of the time, and he got me that great apartment and Playstation. I replied, "Boss, I think there's a new player in town. Big guy, red hair, beard, carries a nasty-ass sword."
He raised his finger and tut-tutted. "Language, Faith." I nodded in apology, and he continued, "Yes, I know. I've had spies reporting in tonight, and there are emanations that point to the arrival of such an individual." He smiled that weird smile at me and asked me, "Was that what you had to report, my dear?"
I was kind of puzzled by his attitude. "Uh, Boss. . .aren't you wondering what a seriously nasty guy is doing hanging out with Buffy and her geek friends?"
He smiled and looked at me, replying, "I know exactly why he's here, Faith. The Hellmouth is acting up again, and he is going to help Buffy and her friends fix it."
I nodded and asked, 'So what do you want me to do, Boss? Sneak around and see if I can mess up their plan?"
He looked at me and smiled again, commenting, "Faith, your predecessor was an able servant. . .but I prefer you by far. Do you know the most important reason?"
I was tempted to make a smart-assed remark, but he had already turned down the most blatant pass I could make without stripping with a stern warning to cut it out. Clearly, my scrumptious body was not what kept him interested in me. "No, Boss, what is it?"
He looked at me with an expression that I didn't recognize, never having seen it before. He walked up to me and took my hand, staring down at me with sad eyes. "Faith, Trick was set in his ways. He obeyed me, but he did things his way. Now you, you're still young. . .if I tell you something is important, you see it from an untainted perspective, and you can still learn from it." He looked at me inquisitively and asked, "Do you remember when you helped keep those nasty Apocalypse demons from opening the Hellmouth?" I nodded, and he continued, "Don't you think that I could have upset that little applecart by sending Trick over to the school with a dozen or so vampires and disrupting your ritual enough so that the Hellmouth demon would kill all of you?" I thought for a moment, then nodded. I knew of some of the resources he had access to, and what he had described would have been a simple matter. I was curious now and asked, "Why didn't you, Boss?"
He laughed and replied, "For the same reason I didn't help the Master and later Angelus when they had plans to destroy the world. . .it didn't serve my interests. I need the world to still be here to complete my Ascension, so when someone tries to destroy it, I'm inclined to get out of the way of anyone who might stop the fools from succeeding." He saw I looked confused and commented, " I know what you're thinking, Faith. If we are evil, why would we help the causes of good. The reason is. . .because it helps us. One of the reasons that good does as well as it does is that us evil folk tend to plot against each other as much as we do against good: they gain by our fratricide. On the other hand, though, we can use good to kill off rivals and to deal with nasty situations like this one. . .my sources indicate that if Buffy and this stranger fail, the entire universe could be destroyed."
I whistled, then narrowed my eyes at him. "So, what's my job here, Boss?" He looked at me and ordered gently, "I want you to go to Buffy and the others and volunteer to help." He must have seen the disgust on my face, because he hastened to explain. "Faith, they have to succeed, or we've all got a big problem. The worst that they can do is to say no, in which case you're no worse off, and probably get a pat on the back for willingness to help. If they say yes, you get scads of brownie points and can report back to me any juicy details we've missed."
I nodded at him, then laughed. "I may become the only Slayer to save the world from both good and evil sides." He nodded at me then motioned for me to leave. I did, wondering for the zillionth time why I wasn't there. No money for books or fun. Oh well. Off to work.
As always, comments are welcomed and desired.
BLEYS
"Buffy. . .you are no longer the Slayer."
My daughter. . .I was still getting over the shock of that concept. . . glared at her Watcher, then walked over to the fireplace and picked up a cast iron poker. With little obvious effort, she bent it into a U shape and tossed it onto the carpet, ignoring the distressed gasp of Joyce. "Kind of knocks a hole in your little theory, doesn't it?" she snapped, glaring at him with a passion that would give credit to any of her relatives on my side.
Joyce complained, "Buffy. . .that was a family heirloom. . ." before trailing off, realizing that she didn't want to upset her daughter right now. Seeing a chance to do Joyce a favor. . .she certainly had some coming under the circumstances. . .I picked up the poker and carefully straightened it. I turned to Buffy and commented, "Slayers aren't the only ones in the cosmos with a little muscle, Buffy." She was quiet, but I could see the wheels turning in her head as she evaluated the situation.
I hastened to elaborate: "Buffy, those of the royal family of Amber have abilities far beyond those typical of shadow dwellers. . .enhanced strength and reflexes, rapid healing, not to mention immortality and other powers related to having power over shadow. Also, more than a few of us are powerful sorcerers." I noticed Willow perk up at that last comment and smiled. Perhaps I should introduce Fiona to her shadow. . .I dismissed the thought for the moment and frowned, for there was still something of a puzzle here. "Ordinarily, children born to the royal family are above average, but they do not assume the true measure of their abilities until they walk the Great Pattern of Amber, which serves as a ritual that awakens their power within them. . .Clearly, you have assumed at least a measure of that power without passing the test of the Pattern. Did you suffer some extraordinarily stressful event in the last few years?"
I heard several muffled snorts and turned to see Willow, Angel, and Xander turning away. I gathered from this reaction that Buffy indeed had, and Giles confirmed it by saying quietly, "She died."
I was shocked at this news, and Giles gave me a sympathetic look before continuing, "Buffy, after Kendra showed up in Sunnydale, I began researching to see if anything similar had happened before. Not long ago. . .I found a case where a Slayer had fallen through ice and drowned. She was able to be revived due to the cold, which prevented brain damage, but. . ."
Buffy waited a moment, then snapped impatiently, "But what?" Giles looked at her with sympathy, and continued, "The girl awakened and lived a normal life. . .as an ordinary mortal."
I saw Buffy go white and sink to the couch. After a moment, she turned to Giles and asked, "So if I'd been fully human, I'd have lost my powers. . ." She turned to me and commented, "Suddenly I'm liking you a lot more." Her eyes looked haunted, as if she were remembering some truly unpleasant incident.
Giles continued, "Buffy, we don't fully understand what happens when a Slayer is called, but the best theory I've seen is that the Chosen One is possessed by some form of benevolent spirit that enhances the Slayer's physical and mental abilities. When a Slayer dies, the spirit moves on to the next candidate. That is apparently why Kendra was called. . .but the stress involved in dying at the Master's hands apparently triggered some of the abilities inherent in your heritage."
Buffy's face went blank for a moment, then she said hesitatingly, "I remember waking up with Xander and Angel standing over me. . .they were worried that the draining would leave me weak, but I felt stronger than I ever had as the Slayer. When I fought the Master again, we did it as equals, and he underestimated me. . .he thought those little mind games would stop me again, but I brushed him off with no problem." He looked at Giles and asked quietly, "You mean that was because I was Bleys' daughter, and not because I was the Slayer?"
Giles nodded, and commented, "Probably the power of Amberite blood is substantially greater than even that of Slayers. The Master stopped draining you because he had gained enough power to escape, not realizing that you were not yet certain to stay dead." He frowned and commented, "That doesn't explain why you retained the combat skills that you possessed as the Slayer."
"Amberites' minds are different from ordinary humans," I explained, watching Buffy to make sure that all of this wouldn't be overwhelming for her: she listened patiently, looking at me attentively, "they have to be, since we are immortal. . .a normal human mind is not arranged correctly to deal with the information and experience in a millennias long lifetime. Buffy was simply able to retain the information that had been bestowed upon her, whereas a normal human stripped of the Slayerspirit would just not have the capacity to do so."
Buffy nodded, then her face turned to all business. "All right, I guess I can live with that for now. Right now, we have a universe to save. Mom, say your good-byes to. . .Bleys. Willow, come up and help me with the items on the list. Everyone else, wait outside." She turned and walked up the stairs, Willow right behind her. The others left quietly, and I had but a moment to exchange a look of pride with Joyce before I took my leave of her with an expression of thanks.
FAITH
Whoever the guy was, he was wicked with that sword. He and Buffy, with some help from those geeks Xander and Oz, finished off the vampires and those nasty looking demons with no big hassle. I saw them shooting the breeze for a while, and then they headed off towards the school. I saw the big redheaded guy look my way, but I melted into the shadows and headed for the Boss' office: I knew that he'd want to know about this.
The vamp at the door nodded me in and I was in with the Boss. He was fiddling around with his putter, and as usual he couldn't sink a putt to save his life. He looked at me and smiled, "Faith! I didn't expect to see you tonight." He pointed at the desk and asked, "Milk? Or how about some prunes?"
I managed not to roll my eyes, wondering how it was that out of all of the evil masterminds I could have hooked up with, how did I manage to find the one who seemed to be channeling Kathy Lee?
Still, he was sweet most of the time, and he got me that great apartment and Playstation. I replied, "Boss, I think there's a new player in town. Big guy, red hair, beard, carries a nasty-ass sword."
He raised his finger and tut-tutted. "Language, Faith." I nodded in apology, and he continued, "Yes, I know. I've had spies reporting in tonight, and there are emanations that point to the arrival of such an individual." He smiled that weird smile at me and asked me, "Was that what you had to report, my dear?"
I was kind of puzzled by his attitude. "Uh, Boss. . .aren't you wondering what a seriously nasty guy is doing hanging out with Buffy and her geek friends?"
He smiled and looked at me, replying, "I know exactly why he's here, Faith. The Hellmouth is acting up again, and he is going to help Buffy and her friends fix it."
I nodded and asked, 'So what do you want me to do, Boss? Sneak around and see if I can mess up their plan?"
He looked at me and smiled again, commenting, "Faith, your predecessor was an able servant. . .but I prefer you by far. Do you know the most important reason?"
I was tempted to make a smart-assed remark, but he had already turned down the most blatant pass I could make without stripping with a stern warning to cut it out. Clearly, my scrumptious body was not what kept him interested in me. "No, Boss, what is it?"
He looked at me with an expression that I didn't recognize, never having seen it before. He walked up to me and took my hand, staring down at me with sad eyes. "Faith, Trick was set in his ways. He obeyed me, but he did things his way. Now you, you're still young. . .if I tell you something is important, you see it from an untainted perspective, and you can still learn from it." He looked at me inquisitively and asked, "Do you remember when you helped keep those nasty Apocalypse demons from opening the Hellmouth?" I nodded, and he continued, "Don't you think that I could have upset that little applecart by sending Trick over to the school with a dozen or so vampires and disrupting your ritual enough so that the Hellmouth demon would kill all of you?" I thought for a moment, then nodded. I knew of some of the resources he had access to, and what he had described would have been a simple matter. I was curious now and asked, "Why didn't you, Boss?"
He laughed and replied, "For the same reason I didn't help the Master and later Angelus when they had plans to destroy the world. . .it didn't serve my interests. I need the world to still be here to complete my Ascension, so when someone tries to destroy it, I'm inclined to get out of the way of anyone who might stop the fools from succeeding." He saw I looked confused and commented, " I know what you're thinking, Faith. If we are evil, why would we help the causes of good. The reason is. . .because it helps us. One of the reasons that good does as well as it does is that us evil folk tend to plot against each other as much as we do against good: they gain by our fratricide. On the other hand, though, we can use good to kill off rivals and to deal with nasty situations like this one. . .my sources indicate that if Buffy and this stranger fail, the entire universe could be destroyed."
I whistled, then narrowed my eyes at him. "So, what's my job here, Boss?" He looked at me and ordered gently, "I want you to go to Buffy and the others and volunteer to help." He must have seen the disgust on my face, because he hastened to explain. "Faith, they have to succeed, or we've all got a big problem. The worst that they can do is to say no, in which case you're no worse off, and probably get a pat on the back for willingness to help. If they say yes, you get scads of brownie points and can report back to me any juicy details we've missed."
I nodded at him, then laughed. "I may become the only Slayer to save the world from both good and evil sides." He nodded at me then motioned for me to leave. I did, wondering for the zillionth time why I wasn't there. No money for books or fun. Oh well. Off to work.
As always, comments are welcomed and desired.