Chapter 12: The Prophecy
Tense silence hang over Willow's living-room a week later. It was late evening
and already dark. Angel had called earlier to inform them that at last he'd
gotten a hold of Whistler and they'd arrive soon. He hadn't evaluated anything
on the phone, but his voice had lingered with barely controlled rage. Willow had
told Dermot and Ellen about their new found knowledge and after a short
hesitation the watcher was believing her now. His wife however was still a bit
uncertain. Yet she was willing to listen and learn.
Dermot had sent the slayer away because Angel had asked for it. So Anne/Buffy
was on a long patrol through Sunnydale's cemeteries looking for a certain demon
Dermot had made up for tonight. The vampire wanted to really understand what was
going on before he would tell the slayer. He knew that this sort of information
could easily crack her.
From regular calls with Willow throughout the week of his absence he knew that
Anne/Buffy's dreams had increased up to an amount where she would wake up
screaming the names of her friends or Angel's as well as the ones of her
children. One particular night she'd woken up and told a concerned Willow every
detail when Buffy had found her second husband decapitated by a demon.
Furthermore it seemed to have irritated her deeply that Angel had left the house
without an explanation or a good-bye. She couldn't understand her growing
feelings towards him and felt rejected that he'd gone away after kissing her so
passionately.
Willow had also noticed increasing changes in her habits, like drinking coffee in the morning, something Anne wouldn't have done, but what was so typical Buffy. Besides this she would add pieces of information when talking with Dermot, things that only Buffy could've known. On the other side she seemed to start forgetting things connected to Anne's life. Like phone-numbers of her friends. All in all the girl's confusion grew and the concerned witch was glad that Angel was coming back tonight.
The hesitant knock on the door announced his presence and only seconds later he
and Whistler stood in the living-room which felt overcrowded all of a sudden.
"Glad you're back," Willow greeted the vampire she saw as her friend. "And?"
She looked at him expectantly, while Tara's face wore a calm expression. Dermot
and Ellen seemed both restless. Especially the watcher's wife who was constantly
fidgeting with the hem of her shirt.
Angel introduced Whistler to the watcher and his wife and explained his
connection to the Powers That Be, adding that the demon hadn't told him anything
so far.
With a shrug Whistler grinned, "Don't like to repeat myself," he said as if it
would explain everything. A slight growl from Angel was the only reaction. The
vampire was fed up with the demon by now. Not only that it had been tough to
track him down, but then he had refused to talk until they were in Sunnydale.
"Where is the little slayer?," the demon wanted to know.
"We sent her on patrol," Willow replied.
"It's not necessary for her to hear this. She's confused enough as it is.
Hopefully I will find a way to break the news to her gently," Angel said
without looking at Whistler. He was afraid that he would rip him apart if he did.
"Now," Whistler helped himself to a glass of his favourite Malt Whisky and
settled on a comfortable seat. "My friend Angel here has already told me what
he's suspecting. That Anne's soul has been replaced with Buffy's. The answer to
the question is a simple YES."
Although already knowing about it Willow's and Tara's eyes went wide, while the
watcher and his wife stayed calm this time. Angel on the other hand turned
round in a swift motion and his eyes shot daggers at the demon. "And why, pray
tell me, couldn't you tell me before. I think a yes isn't too much to repeat."
Whistler sipped from his drink and gave him a slight smile. "Because you
would've wanted to whole story then and it's quite long and complicated."
The vampire just narrowed his eyes at this, but didn't say anything.
"Then tell us," Willow demanded. "What does this all mean?"
The demon took a deep breath and put his glass down. "I know that you're already
familiar with the Karan-prophecy, about a slayer being defeated and then stronger to prevent the Armageddon." When he saw everyone nod, he continued, "Believe me, I really don't like this. Being the messenger I mean, but the Powers rarely ask for what I wish." He slightly shook his head, "The plan was formed when it appeared that Buffy was the strongest slayer in history. Of course she was only human and so wouldn't live forever.
"Anyway. The PTB already knew about the upcoming Armageddon. It's really very
near. But still Buffy, even if she'd be alive, would be too old to fight. So they took care that her grand-child which would be in the right age-bracket to have a fit and trained body and would look like her..."
"You mean they planned to kill Anne from the beginning. She was never meant to
live longer than 18," Willow asked with tears in her eyes.
"As sad as it is, but yes and no. For this you have to understand fate. It
was Anna's fate to live only 18 years. Things like these are made up at the
moment a person is born, sometimes even earlier. Anyway, knowing this they made
Anne, as I already told you, much like her grandmother," Whistler confirmed. "I
don't like it either, but please remember I'm only the messenger. Yeah, well,
where was I, oh yes. So Buffy died together with her daughter and son-in-law.
Their time had come anyway. Nothing could've prevented it, so don't dwell on it.
"The hardest part for them was to keep Buffy's soul in shape, if you want to call it that way until the body needed was free. That was the reason Angel was needed in Sunnydale, to train Anne and to get the body in shape for a slayer's soul as experienced as Buffy's."
At the sound of a sharp intake of breath they all turned to Angel who had vamped
out and whose eyes gleamed yellow in the dim light of the room. "This is so
sick," he hissed through his prolonged canines. "The sickest thing I've ever
heard. You're telling me that the body of a young girl has just been used for the greater Good, so Anne would live 18 years only to give her body-shell to the soul of her Grandmother. God, how can you look at yourself." Disgust dripped from his voice, "And I thought the Devil was cruel." He turned away again, but Willow could see his hands were trembling with rage.
A rage she knew was reflected in her eyes too. She didn't trust her voice at the
moment so she didn't say anything.
Dermot finally voiced the words everyone was thinking, "But why?"
"Because they needed a slayer with a young trained body, but as experienced as
Buffy and as good. She never died at the hands of a demon. She was retired. The
first slayer in history to do so. But she would've had difficulties to adjust
to a completely different body. So they made her grand-daughter like her. But not only the body, the mind too. Anne is ... was free-spirited and courageous." He shrugged, "It's really that simple."
Before anyone could blink Angel had pulled the demon out of his chair and was
now pressing him to the wall. "Simple, huh?," his voice was low and dangerous.
"You think this is simple? Did you ever - only a second - think what will happen
if Buffy's soul regains her memory. She will have to live with the fact that all
the people she's cared about are dead, she will have to live with the memory. But worse she will have to live with the fact that she's alive because she uses her own grand-daughter's body. Don't use the word simple again."
"Hey, my friend," Whistler raised his hands in defence. "Again, I'm only the
messenger. Besides, I thought you'd be happy to have your beloved little slayer
back. Your reactions to her were quite clear," he tried to joke only to choke the next second as Angel put pressure on his windpipe.
"You're disgusting, Whistler. Whatever my reactions were, whatever my dreams
are. My first and only concern at the moment is how to tell her. How on earth am
I going to tell her what happened?"
"You don't have to. She already knows," came a new voice from the door.
End Chapter 12.
Tense silence hang over Willow's living-room a week later. It was late evening
and already dark. Angel had called earlier to inform them that at last he'd
gotten a hold of Whistler and they'd arrive soon. He hadn't evaluated anything
on the phone, but his voice had lingered with barely controlled rage. Willow had
told Dermot and Ellen about their new found knowledge and after a short
hesitation the watcher was believing her now. His wife however was still a bit
uncertain. Yet she was willing to listen and learn.
Dermot had sent the slayer away because Angel had asked for it. So Anne/Buffy
was on a long patrol through Sunnydale's cemeteries looking for a certain demon
Dermot had made up for tonight. The vampire wanted to really understand what was
going on before he would tell the slayer. He knew that this sort of information
could easily crack her.
From regular calls with Willow throughout the week of his absence he knew that
Anne/Buffy's dreams had increased up to an amount where she would wake up
screaming the names of her friends or Angel's as well as the ones of her
children. One particular night she'd woken up and told a concerned Willow every
detail when Buffy had found her second husband decapitated by a demon.
Furthermore it seemed to have irritated her deeply that Angel had left the house
without an explanation or a good-bye. She couldn't understand her growing
feelings towards him and felt rejected that he'd gone away after kissing her so
passionately.
Willow had also noticed increasing changes in her habits, like drinking coffee in the morning, something Anne wouldn't have done, but what was so typical Buffy. Besides this she would add pieces of information when talking with Dermot, things that only Buffy could've known. On the other side she seemed to start forgetting things connected to Anne's life. Like phone-numbers of her friends. All in all the girl's confusion grew and the concerned witch was glad that Angel was coming back tonight.
The hesitant knock on the door announced his presence and only seconds later he
and Whistler stood in the living-room which felt overcrowded all of a sudden.
"Glad you're back," Willow greeted the vampire she saw as her friend. "And?"
She looked at him expectantly, while Tara's face wore a calm expression. Dermot
and Ellen seemed both restless. Especially the watcher's wife who was constantly
fidgeting with the hem of her shirt.
Angel introduced Whistler to the watcher and his wife and explained his
connection to the Powers That Be, adding that the demon hadn't told him anything
so far.
With a shrug Whistler grinned, "Don't like to repeat myself," he said as if it
would explain everything. A slight growl from Angel was the only reaction. The
vampire was fed up with the demon by now. Not only that it had been tough to
track him down, but then he had refused to talk until they were in Sunnydale.
"Where is the little slayer?," the demon wanted to know.
"We sent her on patrol," Willow replied.
"It's not necessary for her to hear this. She's confused enough as it is.
Hopefully I will find a way to break the news to her gently," Angel said
without looking at Whistler. He was afraid that he would rip him apart if he did.
"Now," Whistler helped himself to a glass of his favourite Malt Whisky and
settled on a comfortable seat. "My friend Angel here has already told me what
he's suspecting. That Anne's soul has been replaced with Buffy's. The answer to
the question is a simple YES."
Although already knowing about it Willow's and Tara's eyes went wide, while the
watcher and his wife stayed calm this time. Angel on the other hand turned
round in a swift motion and his eyes shot daggers at the demon. "And why, pray
tell me, couldn't you tell me before. I think a yes isn't too much to repeat."
Whistler sipped from his drink and gave him a slight smile. "Because you
would've wanted to whole story then and it's quite long and complicated."
The vampire just narrowed his eyes at this, but didn't say anything.
"Then tell us," Willow demanded. "What does this all mean?"
The demon took a deep breath and put his glass down. "I know that you're already
familiar with the Karan-prophecy, about a slayer being defeated and then stronger to prevent the Armageddon." When he saw everyone nod, he continued, "Believe me, I really don't like this. Being the messenger I mean, but the Powers rarely ask for what I wish." He slightly shook his head, "The plan was formed when it appeared that Buffy was the strongest slayer in history. Of course she was only human and so wouldn't live forever.
"Anyway. The PTB already knew about the upcoming Armageddon. It's really very
near. But still Buffy, even if she'd be alive, would be too old to fight. So they took care that her grand-child which would be in the right age-bracket to have a fit and trained body and would look like her..."
"You mean they planned to kill Anne from the beginning. She was never meant to
live longer than 18," Willow asked with tears in her eyes.
"As sad as it is, but yes and no. For this you have to understand fate. It
was Anna's fate to live only 18 years. Things like these are made up at the
moment a person is born, sometimes even earlier. Anyway, knowing this they made
Anne, as I already told you, much like her grandmother," Whistler confirmed. "I
don't like it either, but please remember I'm only the messenger. Yeah, well,
where was I, oh yes. So Buffy died together with her daughter and son-in-law.
Their time had come anyway. Nothing could've prevented it, so don't dwell on it.
"The hardest part for them was to keep Buffy's soul in shape, if you want to call it that way until the body needed was free. That was the reason Angel was needed in Sunnydale, to train Anne and to get the body in shape for a slayer's soul as experienced as Buffy's."
At the sound of a sharp intake of breath they all turned to Angel who had vamped
out and whose eyes gleamed yellow in the dim light of the room. "This is so
sick," he hissed through his prolonged canines. "The sickest thing I've ever
heard. You're telling me that the body of a young girl has just been used for the greater Good, so Anne would live 18 years only to give her body-shell to the soul of her Grandmother. God, how can you look at yourself." Disgust dripped from his voice, "And I thought the Devil was cruel." He turned away again, but Willow could see his hands were trembling with rage.
A rage she knew was reflected in her eyes too. She didn't trust her voice at the
moment so she didn't say anything.
Dermot finally voiced the words everyone was thinking, "But why?"
"Because they needed a slayer with a young trained body, but as experienced as
Buffy and as good. She never died at the hands of a demon. She was retired. The
first slayer in history to do so. But she would've had difficulties to adjust
to a completely different body. So they made her grand-daughter like her. But not only the body, the mind too. Anne is ... was free-spirited and courageous." He shrugged, "It's really that simple."
Before anyone could blink Angel had pulled the demon out of his chair and was
now pressing him to the wall. "Simple, huh?," his voice was low and dangerous.
"You think this is simple? Did you ever - only a second - think what will happen
if Buffy's soul regains her memory. She will have to live with the fact that all
the people she's cared about are dead, she will have to live with the memory. But worse she will have to live with the fact that she's alive because she uses her own grand-daughter's body. Don't use the word simple again."
"Hey, my friend," Whistler raised his hands in defence. "Again, I'm only the
messenger. Besides, I thought you'd be happy to have your beloved little slayer
back. Your reactions to her were quite clear," he tried to joke only to choke the next second as Angel put pressure on his windpipe.
"You're disgusting, Whistler. Whatever my reactions were, whatever my dreams
are. My first and only concern at the moment is how to tell her. How on earth am
I going to tell her what happened?"
"You don't have to. She already knows," came a new voice from the door.
End Chapter 12.