Part IV
SCHOOL LIBRARY-FIFTEEN MINUTES LATER
Buffy looked over at Duncan, and he could see that the anger was gone, replaced by compassion, and a degree of hurt for some reason he could not identify. She asked quietly, "How did you escape, Duncan?"
To everyone's surprise, Duncan smiled wistfully before replying, "An old friend picked the right time to walk by."
PARIS, FRANCE: EARLY 1881
Duncan dangled from his chains: he had long given up the attempt to break the thick steel manacles and three inch chain that fastened him to the wall. Another day where he would stare at the walls, watching the sunlight gradually move around the room, only to eventually vanish and mark the beginning of a new round of torment. His eyes blurred momentarily with unshed tears, and he almost missed the furtive motion at the doorway of the room. His eyes refocused and he looked to the door: who could it be? He abruptly noticed that his paranormal senses were telling him an Immortal was nearby. Panic set in: he was a dead man if an Immortal decided to take his head now!
The intruder pushed the door open and sunlight streamed in, obscuring the man's features in silhouette as he approached. Abruptly, the new arrival chuckled. "Duncan," he tsked, "what have you gotten yourself into, my boy?"
"Fitz!" Duncan recognized the voice of his old friend and saw his puzzled face as he walked up to the chained Immortal. He calmed himself and managed to ask evenly, "I don't suppose you'd be willing to get me out of here?"
"I think that can be arranged," replied Fitz, walking over to a nearby desk, "since the geniuses who locked you up seem to have left the keys right here." He grabbed the key-ring and proceeded to release Duncan, who collapsed into a heap. Fitz helped him up and began walking him to the door, continuing, "It's going to cost you a fifth of the good stuff, though. After all, if I hadn't ignored my better judgement in trying to find out what an Immortal was doing in this abandoned building, where would you be?"
Duncan grimaced, and replied, "I'll tell you over that fifth, Fitz. In fact, I think I'll be joining you with one of my own."
Fitz took in Duncan's condition: filthy, unshaven, and white as a sheet, and commented "I would say that is a good plan, my boy. Maybe even two." Duncan chuckled ruefully as they left the building that had been his prison for six months.
------
Duncan concluded and took another swallow from the glass of water in front of him, all the while fixing a glare on Angel. Able to restrain himself no more, he turned to Buffy and asked, "Buffy, you're the Slayer, for God's sake. I know what that means more than most people do. How can you associate with this. . .monster?"
Buffy had to pause a moment before answering him. It was one thing to deal with questions of this sort from her friends, even though she knew they had all suffered at the hands of Angelus. It was another matter altogether to hear it from Duncan, who she knew to be a genuine hero who had suffered greatly at the hands of Angelus also, without knowledge of any of Angel's later mitigating actions. She took a breath and told him briefly of the circumstances of the curse, and of all that Angel had done for the group. She omitted the story of the several months Angel had been soulless and the horrible consequences that had resulted. When she finished, Xander was about to point out the omission when he noticed Buffy was giving him the same stare she had used to send the vampires scurrying out of the Bronze after she slew Luke and stopped the Harvest. He abruptly decided that he had cheated death far too many times that week to tempt fate yet again, and remained silent.
For his part, Duncan listened to the story with complete attention. Although he sensed that Buffy was holding something back, he believed that she was telling him at least the core of the truth. He also looked at Angel and noted that there seemed to be not a trace of the cruelty and malice that were the hallmarks of his old tormentor. He remembered incidents in his recent past: the Dark Quickening that had driven him to several dark acts culminating in the cold blooded murder of an unarmed friend, and the patience that Methos had shown in coaxing him back to sanity. He remembered being tricked into killing Richie, and the anguish and desire to atone that that had caused in him. He looked again at Angel, and his expression was softer, though still not gentle by any means. "All right, Buffy," he said, turning back to the Slayer, "I'm never going to be a big supporter of your friend over there, but his head is safe from me for now."
Buffy looked carefully at him for a moment, then turned to Giles and nodded. Giles carefully handed Duncan the katana, and he sheathed it without so much as looking in Angel's direction. Relieved, Buffy suddenly remembered that Angel had not had the opportunity to explain his presence. "What's the emergency, Angel?"
Greatly relieved at the opportunity to change the subject, Angel explained, "There was a major electrical disturbance near the Oakwood Cemetery about ten minutes before I got here. With a clear sky, I suspected something odd was going on, and the identity of your guest confirms it."
Duncan reacted immediately, turning to Giles: "A Quickening?"
Giles frowned and replied, "You would know better than I, but it certainly sounds like it."
Buffy interrupted, sensing a return to the land of cryptic references: "Stop! What's a Quickening?"
Duncan smiled in understanding and replied, "Actually, this ties into the question Xander asked before we were...ah...interrupted. When one Immortal kills another by taking his head, it results in a massive release of energy that we refer to as the Quickening."
Giles interrupted, asking "It is a source of power to Immortals, correct?"
Duncan nodded and replied, "Yes. The older the slain Immortal, and the more Quickenings he has taken before he himself is slain, the more power is involved." He hesitated, and commented, "I can't say I'm surprised. I thought I felt a faint sense of an Immortal presence when Buffy was taking me here from the park, but it was too faint to fix on. . .and it felt odd, somehow. Nothing I could put my finger on, though."
Buffy jumped to her feet and commented, "Okay, I think we know enough to go out and take a look. Let's get over there while there might still be something to find. It's too bad that Faith isn't around, we could use her right now."
"It's so nice to feel wanted." The voice came from the doorway, and everyone turned to see Faith in the open doorway. Willow gasped when she saw the younger Slayer, and everyone was startled at her appearance. Her top was torn in several places, and there were ugly bruises on her right cheek and mouth, not to mention a fresh black eye. Xander reflexively moved in her direction, only to move more cautiously when he realized there was an audience. Duncan also moved quickly towards Faith, only to pause in puzzlement when he noticed she was triggering his paranormal senses.
Buffy noted his confusion and confirmed his suspicions: "She's a Slayer, Duncan, not just a damsel in distress."
Truly confused now, Duncan retorted, "Wait a second-there's only supposed to be one Slayer at a time-"
Buffy cut him off: she hated this topic. "Long story. Involves me drowning. Let's not deal with it now, okay?"
Faith looked over at Xander with an "I'm all right" look, then turned to the tall stranger and gave him the once-over. "Hey B," she purred, "do I get an introduction, or what?"
Buffy took a few minutes to fill her in while Giles, ever attentive, examined her to look for any major injuries. By the time Buffy finished, Faith was still staring at Duncan, who was growing visibly uncomfortable at the attention. Buffy nudged her to attract her attention and commented archly, "You can't be too badly banged up if you can devote all that attention to Duncan, Faith."
Faith grinned and replied, "I guess you're right, B." She frowned, then continued, "I don't mind telling you I'm damn lucky to be in as good shape as I am." She spent the next ten minutes recounting the fight outside the cemetery, leaving nothing out but her fear of the lightning-the last thing she needed was Giles or Buffy doing the shrink thing on her. "She was wicked fast, Buffy. I thought for a minute that someone had slipped me a dose of the Mickey that the Council zapped you with."
Buffy saw Giles' face distort in guilt and locked eyes with him to get him to get himself together. When Buffy had told Faith of the events surrounding her loss of powers, she told her everything-except that it was Giles who gave her the drugs that disabled her. She had also instructed the rest of her friends to never tell Faith that fact. Buffy had basically made peace with Giles for his role in the fiasco, though she would not forget, and she didn't want Faith to lose confidence in the only authority figure that she seemed to respect at all, particularly since the direct threat to Faith from the Council had been neutralized. She nodded to Faith and asked, "Did she say anything to you?"
"No. . .wait a minute." The younger Slayer seemed to be reaching for a memory, then nodded, "Yeah. She looked at me funny, then said . . .what the hell was it. . .peck ka wuh . . .or something like it. Didn't ring any bells."
Giles strode into his office, his expression suggesting that he had just remembered something. He came out with one of the many Watcher's diaries stored in his desk. "Was it peccavi, Faith?", he asked, flipping through several pages as he spoke.
Faith frowned again and nodded, "Yeah, that's it. What does it mean?"
"I have sinned." Everyone turned to Willow, who had spoken. Looking embarrassed,
Xander commented, "Yes, we know, Willow. But we've all agreed to let bygones be bygones, right?" Willow looked at him with restrained irritation.
Giles clucked with annoyance and clarified, "No, Xander, she's just given the correct translation from Latin. Peccavi means literally "I have sinned." He opened the diary to a drawing of a young woman and showed it to Faith. "Is this the woman you saw?"
Faith's angry expression spoke volumes, and she clarified by stating, "Yeah, that's the bitch. What's she doing in one of those moldy old Watcher's diaries? Is she a demon?"
Duncan shook his head in confusion and replied, "No. From your story, Faith, it appears that she is one of my kind-an Immortal. What is a picture of an Immortal doing in an old Watcher's diary, Giles?"
Giles hesitated for a moment, then replied bluntly: "This is the only known drawing of Alyssa-the Immortal Slayer."
. . .to be continued
As always, comments are welcome and desired.
SCHOOL LIBRARY-FIFTEEN MINUTES LATER
Buffy looked over at Duncan, and he could see that the anger was gone, replaced by compassion, and a degree of hurt for some reason he could not identify. She asked quietly, "How did you escape, Duncan?"
To everyone's surprise, Duncan smiled wistfully before replying, "An old friend picked the right time to walk by."
PARIS, FRANCE: EARLY 1881
Duncan dangled from his chains: he had long given up the attempt to break the thick steel manacles and three inch chain that fastened him to the wall. Another day where he would stare at the walls, watching the sunlight gradually move around the room, only to eventually vanish and mark the beginning of a new round of torment. His eyes blurred momentarily with unshed tears, and he almost missed the furtive motion at the doorway of the room. His eyes refocused and he looked to the door: who could it be? He abruptly noticed that his paranormal senses were telling him an Immortal was nearby. Panic set in: he was a dead man if an Immortal decided to take his head now!
The intruder pushed the door open and sunlight streamed in, obscuring the man's features in silhouette as he approached. Abruptly, the new arrival chuckled. "Duncan," he tsked, "what have you gotten yourself into, my boy?"
"Fitz!" Duncan recognized the voice of his old friend and saw his puzzled face as he walked up to the chained Immortal. He calmed himself and managed to ask evenly, "I don't suppose you'd be willing to get me out of here?"
"I think that can be arranged," replied Fitz, walking over to a nearby desk, "since the geniuses who locked you up seem to have left the keys right here." He grabbed the key-ring and proceeded to release Duncan, who collapsed into a heap. Fitz helped him up and began walking him to the door, continuing, "It's going to cost you a fifth of the good stuff, though. After all, if I hadn't ignored my better judgement in trying to find out what an Immortal was doing in this abandoned building, where would you be?"
Duncan grimaced, and replied, "I'll tell you over that fifth, Fitz. In fact, I think I'll be joining you with one of my own."
Fitz took in Duncan's condition: filthy, unshaven, and white as a sheet, and commented "I would say that is a good plan, my boy. Maybe even two." Duncan chuckled ruefully as they left the building that had been his prison for six months.
------
Duncan concluded and took another swallow from the glass of water in front of him, all the while fixing a glare on Angel. Able to restrain himself no more, he turned to Buffy and asked, "Buffy, you're the Slayer, for God's sake. I know what that means more than most people do. How can you associate with this. . .monster?"
Buffy had to pause a moment before answering him. It was one thing to deal with questions of this sort from her friends, even though she knew they had all suffered at the hands of Angelus. It was another matter altogether to hear it from Duncan, who she knew to be a genuine hero who had suffered greatly at the hands of Angelus also, without knowledge of any of Angel's later mitigating actions. She took a breath and told him briefly of the circumstances of the curse, and of all that Angel had done for the group. She omitted the story of the several months Angel had been soulless and the horrible consequences that had resulted. When she finished, Xander was about to point out the omission when he noticed Buffy was giving him the same stare she had used to send the vampires scurrying out of the Bronze after she slew Luke and stopped the Harvest. He abruptly decided that he had cheated death far too many times that week to tempt fate yet again, and remained silent.
For his part, Duncan listened to the story with complete attention. Although he sensed that Buffy was holding something back, he believed that she was telling him at least the core of the truth. He also looked at Angel and noted that there seemed to be not a trace of the cruelty and malice that were the hallmarks of his old tormentor. He remembered incidents in his recent past: the Dark Quickening that had driven him to several dark acts culminating in the cold blooded murder of an unarmed friend, and the patience that Methos had shown in coaxing him back to sanity. He remembered being tricked into killing Richie, and the anguish and desire to atone that that had caused in him. He looked again at Angel, and his expression was softer, though still not gentle by any means. "All right, Buffy," he said, turning back to the Slayer, "I'm never going to be a big supporter of your friend over there, but his head is safe from me for now."
Buffy looked carefully at him for a moment, then turned to Giles and nodded. Giles carefully handed Duncan the katana, and he sheathed it without so much as looking in Angel's direction. Relieved, Buffy suddenly remembered that Angel had not had the opportunity to explain his presence. "What's the emergency, Angel?"
Greatly relieved at the opportunity to change the subject, Angel explained, "There was a major electrical disturbance near the Oakwood Cemetery about ten minutes before I got here. With a clear sky, I suspected something odd was going on, and the identity of your guest confirms it."
Duncan reacted immediately, turning to Giles: "A Quickening?"
Giles frowned and replied, "You would know better than I, but it certainly sounds like it."
Buffy interrupted, sensing a return to the land of cryptic references: "Stop! What's a Quickening?"
Duncan smiled in understanding and replied, "Actually, this ties into the question Xander asked before we were...ah...interrupted. When one Immortal kills another by taking his head, it results in a massive release of energy that we refer to as the Quickening."
Giles interrupted, asking "It is a source of power to Immortals, correct?"
Duncan nodded and replied, "Yes. The older the slain Immortal, and the more Quickenings he has taken before he himself is slain, the more power is involved." He hesitated, and commented, "I can't say I'm surprised. I thought I felt a faint sense of an Immortal presence when Buffy was taking me here from the park, but it was too faint to fix on. . .and it felt odd, somehow. Nothing I could put my finger on, though."
Buffy jumped to her feet and commented, "Okay, I think we know enough to go out and take a look. Let's get over there while there might still be something to find. It's too bad that Faith isn't around, we could use her right now."
"It's so nice to feel wanted." The voice came from the doorway, and everyone turned to see Faith in the open doorway. Willow gasped when she saw the younger Slayer, and everyone was startled at her appearance. Her top was torn in several places, and there were ugly bruises on her right cheek and mouth, not to mention a fresh black eye. Xander reflexively moved in her direction, only to move more cautiously when he realized there was an audience. Duncan also moved quickly towards Faith, only to pause in puzzlement when he noticed she was triggering his paranormal senses.
Buffy noted his confusion and confirmed his suspicions: "She's a Slayer, Duncan, not just a damsel in distress."
Truly confused now, Duncan retorted, "Wait a second-there's only supposed to be one Slayer at a time-"
Buffy cut him off: she hated this topic. "Long story. Involves me drowning. Let's not deal with it now, okay?"
Faith looked over at Xander with an "I'm all right" look, then turned to the tall stranger and gave him the once-over. "Hey B," she purred, "do I get an introduction, or what?"
Buffy took a few minutes to fill her in while Giles, ever attentive, examined her to look for any major injuries. By the time Buffy finished, Faith was still staring at Duncan, who was growing visibly uncomfortable at the attention. Buffy nudged her to attract her attention and commented archly, "You can't be too badly banged up if you can devote all that attention to Duncan, Faith."
Faith grinned and replied, "I guess you're right, B." She frowned, then continued, "I don't mind telling you I'm damn lucky to be in as good shape as I am." She spent the next ten minutes recounting the fight outside the cemetery, leaving nothing out but her fear of the lightning-the last thing she needed was Giles or Buffy doing the shrink thing on her. "She was wicked fast, Buffy. I thought for a minute that someone had slipped me a dose of the Mickey that the Council zapped you with."
Buffy saw Giles' face distort in guilt and locked eyes with him to get him to get himself together. When Buffy had told Faith of the events surrounding her loss of powers, she told her everything-except that it was Giles who gave her the drugs that disabled her. She had also instructed the rest of her friends to never tell Faith that fact. Buffy had basically made peace with Giles for his role in the fiasco, though she would not forget, and she didn't want Faith to lose confidence in the only authority figure that she seemed to respect at all, particularly since the direct threat to Faith from the Council had been neutralized. She nodded to Faith and asked, "Did she say anything to you?"
"No. . .wait a minute." The younger Slayer seemed to be reaching for a memory, then nodded, "Yeah. She looked at me funny, then said . . .what the hell was it. . .peck ka wuh . . .or something like it. Didn't ring any bells."
Giles strode into his office, his expression suggesting that he had just remembered something. He came out with one of the many Watcher's diaries stored in his desk. "Was it peccavi, Faith?", he asked, flipping through several pages as he spoke.
Faith frowned again and nodded, "Yeah, that's it. What does it mean?"
"I have sinned." Everyone turned to Willow, who had spoken. Looking embarrassed,
Xander commented, "Yes, we know, Willow. But we've all agreed to let bygones be bygones, right?" Willow looked at him with restrained irritation.
Giles clucked with annoyance and clarified, "No, Xander, she's just given the correct translation from Latin. Peccavi means literally "I have sinned." He opened the diary to a drawing of a young woman and showed it to Faith. "Is this the woman you saw?"
Faith's angry expression spoke volumes, and she clarified by stating, "Yeah, that's the bitch. What's she doing in one of those moldy old Watcher's diaries? Is she a demon?"
Duncan shook his head in confusion and replied, "No. From your story, Faith, it appears that she is one of my kind-an Immortal. What is a picture of an Immortal doing in an old Watcher's diary, Giles?"
Giles hesitated for a moment, then replied bluntly: "This is the only known drawing of Alyssa-the Immortal Slayer."
. . .to be continued
As always, comments are welcome and desired.