CHAPTER SIX
As soon as Xander and Anya were transported, Meg had clothes ready for them. Xander was surprised they were clean, and in good repair.
"Of course they're clean." Meg retorted. "We're not barbarians, you know."
"Xander," Anya continued, "This isn't the Dark Ages. That doesn't happen for another 500 years or so. People here are very aware of the importance of cleanliness."
"Thank you. Anya, is it?" Meg asked.
"Yes, Anya it is."
After they had changed, Xander into some of Virgil's clothes, and Anya out of Xena's leathers and armor, and into some of Meg's clothes, Meg asked them, "Do you really believe Virgil will be all right?"
"Of course, he'll be all right. You don't think Xander would volunteer for this if he didn't think so, do you?"
"I'm not sure I know what you mean." Meg answered, confused.
"I don't think Xena told her." Xander said.
"She didn't tell her hardly anything." Dawn replied. "At least not while I've been here. I don't even think she knows where we're from."
"Will someone please tell me something? I think I have a right to know what's going on."
The three of them looked at one another to see which would be the one to tell Meg the whole story. Xander finally spoke up.
"Okay. Here it is in a nutshell. The three of us, and Buffy, are from the future, about 2000 years from now. We have a friend named Tara who is a witch. A couple of months ago, she cast some kind of spell with a bowl of water and candles so that Willow, another friend of ours, and also a friend of Xena and Gabrielle's, could see them. Don't ask me how they met, I'm not too sure I understand about all that. Anyway, they saw that Gabrielle was dying. Then Tara cast another spell so that Gabrielle and Buffy would change places, so Gabrielle could be taken to the hospital, that's a place to go to get well. A few days later, Xena and Dawn changed places so Xena could see that Gabrielle was all right. Then, when Gabrielle was out of the hospital, they switched back.
"But this time," Anya continued, "Buffy is the one who needs help. Sunnydale, that's where we're from, is overrun with vampires. So Buffy decided that she needed Xena and Gabrielle's help. And it just so happened that Virgil was hurt and needed help, so they made a deal. Virgil and Xander would switch so he can get the medical attention he needs. And Xena and Gabrielle switched with Dawn and me so they can help Buffy get rid of the vampires. The only problem is that if anyone dies, then whoever they switched with is stuck where they are."
"So if Virgil dies, you can't get back?" Meg asked Xander, for clarification.
"That's about the size of it. So you see? I certainly wouldn't have volunteered if I thought I wouldn't be able to get back to my own time." Xander concluded.
Meg slowly turned away, mulling over what Xander told her. Absently, she told them she had made stew, and it was simmering over the fireplace. Then she walked outside, leaving the three time travelers to help themselves. Again, Xander was surprised. This time, that the stew was delicious.
Dawn, Anya and Xander had finished eating, cleaned the kitchen, and were talking about what they thought they were going to miss the most, and how to improvise when Meg came back inside. And was immediately horrified that she had thoughtlessly left her guests not only to feed themselves, but they had cleaned up after themselves, and her.
"Oh, please forgive me! I am SO ashamed. What kind of woman am I to force my guests to serve themselves? And you cleaned! You must think I am the most thoughtless and inconsiderate . . . ."
"No. No." The three of them said to Meg all at once.
"It's all right."
"We didn't mind."
"We do it all the time where we come from."
"We know you've got a lot on your mind."
"We're here to help you, not be a burden."
Eventually, Meg calmed down. She was still embarassed that that she had been so thoughtless, but it was obvious they didn't want her to continue to belittle herself over this one incident, so she smiled, thanked them, showed them where they would sleep, and where the "toilet" facilities were. This time, Xander was not so pleasantly surprised.
The next morning seemed to come earlier than usual. Meg was up with the sun, as were all the animals of the small farm. And eventually all three were awake, like it or not, and soon were up.
Anya and Dawn stayed inside with Meg, unless there was water to fetch, or eggs to collect. They mostly repaired clothes and shoes; brought in firewood; and prepared vegetables and meat for the midday and evening meals. This gave Meg a chance to wash the blood soaked bandages, blankets and clothing of Virgil's.
Dawn insisted on feeding, watering and brushing Argo, as per Xena's request. Xander volunteered, but Argo seemed to take a mild dislike to him, so he did whatever else needed to be done. Some things, like feeding the animals and cleaning out the barn, he figured out, but had to ask Meg for other chores. And she found plenty of them - rechink the outer walls of the house and barn in places; cut down and split a tree into rails to repair a fence; try to repair an axe and a shovel, with not much success. The list seemed to go on and on.
"What were you saying about some kind of Dark Ages?" Meg asked Anya as they finished the midday meal.
"I'm not really sure what happened, but I think it was caused by the fall of the Roman Empire."
"How did it fall?"
"Dawn?" Anya asked, "Do you know anything about it?"
"A little. From what I can remember, there was a lot of corruption and internal problems with the government. And barbarians, Germans I think, or from someplace like that, attacked a lot until they just took over. They call it the Dark Ages because without the Romans running everything, everything seemed to fall apart."
"Yeah, that sounds about right." Anya agreed.
"What are things like where you come from? Do people still fight wars?"
"I'm afraid they do. Only now, or, then, the weapons are worse. We have machines that fly. And they drop bombs that explode and destroy buildings and people. And we have guns that can shoot out hundreds of bullets at a time. There seems to be a war going on somewhere all the time."
"It sounds like a terrible place to live."
"We have our good stuff, too." Xander spoke up. "TVs, computers, stereos, cars, bikinis, pizzas, movies. . . ."
Then Dawn broke in. "Yeah. Like she really knows what all those things are. Meg, we do have good things. We know how to cure a lot of diseases. We can talk to our friends and relatives even though they are miles and miles away."
"We have better sanitation." Xander added. "And central heat and cooling in our houses. And we live longer."
"I imagine it's kind of like living here is for you - some good things and some bad." Concluded Anya.
"Yes, I suppose so." Meg said. "Well, I think we've wasted enough time, there are still chores that need finishing. Xander. Did you get that fence repaired yet? If so, I will need firewood cut for tomorrow."
And with that, everyone returned to their assigned duties, something Meg had no qualms about giving out, since they had convinced her they were there to pull their own weight.
Even though they were kept busy during the day, their thoughts, and the evening conversations, were usually about what might be going on with Buffy, Xena and Gabrielle. As Meg quietly listened to them, she gradually got a little better understanding of the 21st century.
"You guys know we've been here at least a week." Dawn was saying one evening after supper.
"Don't I know it!" Replied Anya. "I sure could use a good hot shower. Not to mention shampoo, bath gel, toothpaste, deodorant, hair spray. . . ."
"What about some nice soft toilet paper?" Xander asked. "And maybe a newspaper, or a magazine."
After Anya and Xander had exhausted the impromptu list of all things they missed, Dawn continued. "Doesn't anybody wonder why we haven't heard from someone by now? They must know we're starting to worry about what's going on there."
"Of course we're concerned." Xander told her. "But there's not much we can do about it. I just figure that they've got their hands full, and maybe we should be glad we're here and not there."
"Do you think anyone is still watching us . . . if they ever were." Anya said kind of quietly.
"Hey!" Dawn yelled out. "If anyone's there. LET US KNOW SOMETHING!!" Then she smiled sheepishly. "Well, it can't hurt to try."
With nothing else to say, the four of them retired for the night.
The next day was pretty much like the past 6 or 7. Not much changed from day to day. Feed the animals, cut fire wood, repair tools or fences or clothes, tend the fields, hoe up the weeds, draw water from the well several times a day, and other small chores that filled the hours.
Then something different happened. Meg had called them in for lunch, and while they were washing up, one of the chickens in the yard disappeared. And in its place appeared a large trout, flopping around in the dirt.
It took them a few minutes to understand what was going on. Then Xander figured it out. After he cut the fish's head off - a welcome change for tonight's supper, he found inside a tall glass olive jar with a note from Willow.
As they sat around the table, Meg served up lunch as Xander read:
"Hi, Guys. Sorry it has taken so long to get a note to you, but things here have just been so crazy!! It was Xena's idea to switch the fish for a chicken. First, let me say that Virgil is okay, he pulled through and is up and walking around."
"Thank the gods!" Meg exclaimed.
After everyone expressed their relief and happiness to Meg over Virgil's recovery, Xander continued. "But when he found out why Xena and Gabrielle are here, he wanted to stay to help. Right now he can't do a lot, but he says it's the least he can do. He said you'd understand, Meg. Next - Riley is back! The platoon or group or whatever they call themselves got back two days after Xena and Gabrielle got here. But there is a problem. He and Buffy don't see much of each other. I think he is avoiding her. Xena has really proved herself to the Initiative. The major says she is one of the best tacticians (I think that's spelled right) he has ever seen. She and Buffy have become like top sergeants. They have a few men under their command, although they usually combine their forces. But back to Riley. Xena wanted Gabrielle to be in charge like them, but until she proves herself, the major put her with Riley and his men. And they have begun to act like they really like each other!! But the thing is, Buffy forbids anyone to tell Xena and Gabrielle that she and Riley were sweethearts. She told me that if Riley wants Gabrielle, he is welcome to her. I think Buffy is cutting off her nose to spite her face. I guess she figures that when Gabrielle goes back, then Riley's heart will be broken and she will be there. I guess. But as for the vampires. It's all out war! I don't know how many have been killed, but Buffy says at least a couple of hundred. We don't know where they're all coming from. Tara and I have been casting spells to try to follow them in reverse - to see where they were before coming to Sunnydale. But as far as we can tell, they just appear. Giles thinks Glory may be involved somehow. He thinks it would take powers like hers to do something like that. I wish I knew how much longer you guys will have to stay, but I don't. Tara and I will try to keep an eye on all of you. Maybe if you can catch some small furry animal, like maybe a squirrel or something that we can switch with, it would be better. Buffy wasn't too crazy about a chicken running around here, but Xena said it would make a nice dinner. Love to you all. Willow. Oh, and Tara says hello too."
After Xander read the note out loud, Anya and Dawn each read it themselves. No one spoke much during the meal. After Meg had cleared the table, she sat back down with them.
"At least Virgil is okay." She finally said.
"I'm glad." said Dawn.
"Oh, me too." Anya told her.
"A good thing. Definitely. A good thing." From Xander.
"Are vampires hard to fight?" Meg asked.
"Are you kidding? They're easy!" Xander lied, not wanting to worry her. "They come on kind of strong at first, but one little stake to the heart, and POOF - no more vamps."
Meg nodded her head, fearing he wasn't telling her the whole truth, but wanting to believe what he said anyway.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Most of the ride from the Initiative's underground headquarters was mostly in silence, once they stopped to buy Gabrielle a half gallon of Double Dutch Chocolate ice cream.
As soon as they were at Buffy's house, Xena asked, "What now? That talk with the major seemed like a waste of time."
"I agree." Buffy said. "But until the rest of his men get back," again, her stomach tightened at the thought of Riley, "we will patrol like Xander and I have been doing for the past couple of weeks. We'll start at the cemetery about a half hour before sunset. If tonight's anything like it has been in the past, you'll both have plenty of experience dealing with vamps before the night is over."
"So what kind of weapons do you have, other than wooden spikes?" Gabrielle asked.
"Well, let's go see." And Buffy led them upstairs to her room and to the foot locker where she kept her weapons. "We have your stakes, and a battle axe. I have a crossbow, but Xander used up most of the bolts, so we'll have to make more."
"That's it?" Xena criticized. "Doesn't look like much."
"It's what kills vampires. What else should I have?"
"Didn't you once say that besides a stake to the heart, you can kill them by cutting off their heads?"
"Yeah. That's what the axe is for."
"What about something like my chakram? Is there some way to make a throwing ring like it?"
"I suppose so. Why don't I call Giles? He would know."
"I suppose we could have some custom made at a sheet metal shop." Giles said. "How many do you think you'd need?"
Buffy put Xena on the phone, and Giles repeated the question. "That I don't know. My chakram is a lot more than a just simple ring."
"Don't I know it!" Buffy agreed.
"Maybe if we started with ten of them. And I think I'd feel more comfortable with some kind of sword. It wouldn't have to be as long and as heavy mine, maybe a short sword would do."
"Oh, I'm sure we can get one somewhere, although it will probably be several days on the throwing rings."
"What about you, Gabrielle?" Buffy asked as she took back the phone. "Any special weapons you'd like?"
Swallowing a mouthful of ice cream, Gabrielle said, "I used to use a battle staff. I think maybe I'd like to use one again. And I guess I could carry a few stakes, as well."
Buffy relayed the request to Giles.
"I can probably get one I'm sure, but certainly not today."
"Okay, Giles, do what you can. Thanks. Bye"
"So it looks like tonight we'll only be using the stakes, unless one of you wants to carry the battle axe." Since no one volunteered, Buffy handed out a couple stakes each to Xena and Gabrielle, and took two for herself.
As the three vampire hunters settled down to wait, hidden in the shrubbery bordering the cemetery, Buffy offered a crash course in vampire slaying. "They fight pretty good. When you hit them, they're stunned, but not enough to really hurt. They'll keep coming back. The main reason to fight them is to look for an opening for the stake. They like to gang up on you if they can. They hide in trees, behind headstones, sometimes even in the graves. But don't run from them if you can help it, they're like a pack of dogs. Any questions?"
Neither woman had any. So they waited. Buffy's Slayer Sense was as acute as she could make it, but it was Xena who detected the first vampire, who had come up behind them. As he jumped for Buffy, Xena's stake flew through the air and found it's mark, and the vampire turned to dust. And as though someone had fired a starting shot, the cemetery was suddenly full of vampires.
Xena, Buffy and Gabrielle fought their way to open ground where they could battle back to back to back. Although she was, essentially, the weak link, Gabrielle was able to carry her share of the fight, mostly. But not knowing Xena's and Gabrielle's history and method of fighting, Buffy felt she had to try to keep an eye on Gabrielle, which, at times, put her at a disadvantage.
But if Gabrielle and Buffy were barely keeping up, Xena was in her element. Her "Yi, yi, yi, yi, yi, yi" war cry was unnerving to the vampires she faced. And with the war cry was her laughter, and the almost crazed look in her eyes and manic smile on her lips. "Come on!" she chided them. "Show me what you've got!"
Fifteen minutes later, the three women were alone with only the nighttime breezes blowing the clouds of dust through the cemetery.
"That wasn't so bad." Xena said, happy with the results.
"It's only beginning." Buffy cautioned. "Now that we've temporarily cleared the cemetery, we start the actual patrolling. We'll go over to the park, then down to the warehouse district, back along the railroad yard, and then, well, we'll see how the night goes."
The rest of the night was similar to the cemetery. At every location, and sometimes on the way from one to the next, there were at least a dozen vampires waiting to ambush them. After their second sweep of the cemetery, Buffy decided to call it a night. It was 4 a.m., and they all needed sleep.
"I don't know how you did it." Gabrielle said to Buffy with admiration. "Night after night like that?"
"That's why I called on you two. I think we sent them a message tonight."
"And after the rest of the men get here then maybe they will think long and hard about stopping at Sunnydale." Xena added.
Buffy felt her stomach turn into knots. Just when Riley was out of her mind, someone said something to remind her. "Well, I think I'm going to take a shower and hit the hay." She told them.
"What if they come here looking for us?" Gabrielle asked.
"Funny thing about vamps, they can't come into your house unless you are actually stupid enough to invite them in."
"Well, that takes a load off."
Buffy headed upstairs to take a shower and go to bed. Xena undressed to use the downstairs shower, and Gabrielle went into the kitchen to polish off the last of the ice cream.
The next night was the same, only different. The word had gotten around about Buffy's new partners, and the vampires were more cautious, not charging ahead as they had the night before. But the end results were still the same: Humans - 40 or 50; Vampires - 0.
The third day, Giles had Xena's throwing rings, and a short sword for her. But she wasn't happy with the dullness of the edges of any of them, so she spent over an hour sharpening them.
"Xena has this thing about sharpening her sword." Gabrielle was telling Buffy. "Whenever something's on her mind, she sharpens. I expect her to one day sharpen her sword away to nothing."
Giles wasn't able to find a Battle Staff, per se, but he managed to locate, and remove the head of a replica of a Roman spear. It wasn't exactly what Gabrielle wanted, but after working with it for a while, she was as comfortable with it as she was with her Amazon staff. And even though she never particularly liked the long, unwieldy weapon, Buffy was nonetheless impressed with Gabrielle's handling of it.
Thirty minutes before they were due to leave on patrol, Major English called them, and told them to report to him at oh six hundred (6 a.m.) the next morning. His men had returned and they were all to be briefed on the upcoming campaign.
With Xena's and Gabrielle's new weapons, the third night of patrolling took on a different tone. While Buffy continued to use her hands and feet until the opening was there to use a stake, Xena and Gabrielle devastated their opponents.
Xena was able to use the razor-sharp steel rings with great effectiveness. Although they wouldn't return as her Chakram would, she managed to find a way to throw them so they would circle back to her general location. And her short sword was perfect for in-fighting and decapitation.
Gabrielle was almost as effective with her staff. She and Buffy accidentally hit upon an effective tandem - Gabrielle would knock the feet out from under a vampire, leaving his chest exposed for Buffy to stake him.
So instead of five or six encounters, this night there were only three. Somehow, in the space of a couple of hours, the word had spread about the new weapons.
"It's just as well," Buffy was commenting on slow night. "We should get some sleep. It's 2:30 now, and we should be up by 5 if we're going to be at Initiative headquarters at 6."
"I'll never understand this obsession you people have with having to be somewhere at some exact time. What's wrong with being there at sun up, or right after?" Xena complained.
"It's not my idea," Buffy replied. "I'd sleep until noon, that's "midday," if it were up to me."
But try as she might, Buffy never did get to sleep that night. Her thoughts were on Riley. Would he . . . ? Would she . . . ? Could they . . . ?
And as tight as her stomach was, it knotted up even more when she actually walked into the briefing room and saw him. Their eyes met briefly, then he looked away, toward Gabrielle and then Xena. And then back to Gabrielle. He nodded to her and smiled slightly. Gabrielle smiled and nodded back. Buffy bit her lip at the exchange. Was he deliberately flirting with Gabrielle to make her jealous? But before she could speculate further, Major English walked into the room.
After he had everyone sit down, he took a few minutes to introduce everyone - Buffy, Xena, Gabrielle, Riley, Morton, and Jamison. The last two men Buffy didn't know. They must have joined Riley and the others in South America. She didn't know what had happened to the others that she knew. The major explained that there were fourteen other men who completed the team, but they were lower in rank and would be briefed by the five Squad Leaders in the room.
"I count six of us." Xena interrupted.
"Your friend, Gabrielle, is not going to be leading a squad, at least not until she proves herself to me. We've been keeping you three under surveillance the past three nights, so I know what you can do, Xena. But for now I think I will put Gabrielle in with Riley's squad."
"I don't think so." Xena stood up, ready for a confrontation. "We are a team. We stay together."
"If you want your friend to be a squad leader, then I can't have her with someone who I know is already biased towards her. Riley doesn't know her and her can be more objective."
"He's right, Xena." Gabrielle said. "I know I don't need to prove myself to you, but he doesn't know me."
Slowly Xena sat down, and the major continued his briefing. "We are going to have five squads of four men, persons, each. Most of the time each squad will be on its own, but occasionally two or more will combine it the situation warrants it."
The major pulled down a wall map of the city. It was divided into five zones. "Each squad will be assigned to a zone. You will patrol from one hour before sunset until one hour past dawn. If a nest is located, the squad making the find will assess the situation, report in, but WILL NOT engage until reinforcements are on the scene. You will be issued the standard weaponry we have determined to be adequate for the maximum success."
"What about prisoners?" Riley asked.
"Ah, yes, prisoners. Because of the serious nature of this crisis, taking of prisoners is not encouraged at this time. However, if it is possible to acquire one at the end of a firefight without endangering your fellow soldiers, then one or two may be taken for interrogation purposes. Any other questions? No? Good. Then here is a list of the men who will make up each squad. Until further notice, all Squad Leaders, as well as their men, will reside within the confines of this facility. Each squad will be assigned to a specific Team Area. I want each member of each squad to spend the remainder of the day getting to know each other. You will have your weapons checked out to you. You will familiarize yourselves with said weaponry until you are confident you can perform with them to level of expectation I know you are all capable of. Dismissed.
"Buffy," Xena asked, "What kind of weapons is he talking about? I thought we were going to use ours."
"And what's this about us having to stay here?" Gabrielle asked.
"Right now, we just have to go along with them. That's the way the military is. When we go out on patrol, we'll stop at the house and pick up our stuff. But for right now, try to learn everything you can about whatever they give you. It may come in handy."
"Gabrielle. Hi, my name's Riley. Nice to meet you." Riley put out his hand for Gabrielle to shake, which she did. "Xena," he repeated, "Nice to meet you." And he shook her hand as well. He then nodded curtly to Buffy. "Buffy." He said in token recognition of her, then turned to Gabrielle.
"Ready to go?" he asked.
"Ready as I'll ever be." She replied. And with a half, uncertain smile and a glance at Xena, Gabrielle followed Riley out of the briefing room.
"Seems to be a nice fellow." Xena commented to Buffy.
"Yes, I suppose so." Was all Buffy managed to say.
As soon as Xander and Anya were transported, Meg had clothes ready for them. Xander was surprised they were clean, and in good repair.
"Of course they're clean." Meg retorted. "We're not barbarians, you know."
"Xander," Anya continued, "This isn't the Dark Ages. That doesn't happen for another 500 years or so. People here are very aware of the importance of cleanliness."
"Thank you. Anya, is it?" Meg asked.
"Yes, Anya it is."
After they had changed, Xander into some of Virgil's clothes, and Anya out of Xena's leathers and armor, and into some of Meg's clothes, Meg asked them, "Do you really believe Virgil will be all right?"
"Of course, he'll be all right. You don't think Xander would volunteer for this if he didn't think so, do you?"
"I'm not sure I know what you mean." Meg answered, confused.
"I don't think Xena told her." Xander said.
"She didn't tell her hardly anything." Dawn replied. "At least not while I've been here. I don't even think she knows where we're from."
"Will someone please tell me something? I think I have a right to know what's going on."
The three of them looked at one another to see which would be the one to tell Meg the whole story. Xander finally spoke up.
"Okay. Here it is in a nutshell. The three of us, and Buffy, are from the future, about 2000 years from now. We have a friend named Tara who is a witch. A couple of months ago, she cast some kind of spell with a bowl of water and candles so that Willow, another friend of ours, and also a friend of Xena and Gabrielle's, could see them. Don't ask me how they met, I'm not too sure I understand about all that. Anyway, they saw that Gabrielle was dying. Then Tara cast another spell so that Gabrielle and Buffy would change places, so Gabrielle could be taken to the hospital, that's a place to go to get well. A few days later, Xena and Dawn changed places so Xena could see that Gabrielle was all right. Then, when Gabrielle was out of the hospital, they switched back.
"But this time," Anya continued, "Buffy is the one who needs help. Sunnydale, that's where we're from, is overrun with vampires. So Buffy decided that she needed Xena and Gabrielle's help. And it just so happened that Virgil was hurt and needed help, so they made a deal. Virgil and Xander would switch so he can get the medical attention he needs. And Xena and Gabrielle switched with Dawn and me so they can help Buffy get rid of the vampires. The only problem is that if anyone dies, then whoever they switched with is stuck where they are."
"So if Virgil dies, you can't get back?" Meg asked Xander, for clarification.
"That's about the size of it. So you see? I certainly wouldn't have volunteered if I thought I wouldn't be able to get back to my own time." Xander concluded.
Meg slowly turned away, mulling over what Xander told her. Absently, she told them she had made stew, and it was simmering over the fireplace. Then she walked outside, leaving the three time travelers to help themselves. Again, Xander was surprised. This time, that the stew was delicious.
Dawn, Anya and Xander had finished eating, cleaned the kitchen, and were talking about what they thought they were going to miss the most, and how to improvise when Meg came back inside. And was immediately horrified that she had thoughtlessly left her guests not only to feed themselves, but they had cleaned up after themselves, and her.
"Oh, please forgive me! I am SO ashamed. What kind of woman am I to force my guests to serve themselves? And you cleaned! You must think I am the most thoughtless and inconsiderate . . . ."
"No. No." The three of them said to Meg all at once.
"It's all right."
"We didn't mind."
"We do it all the time where we come from."
"We know you've got a lot on your mind."
"We're here to help you, not be a burden."
Eventually, Meg calmed down. She was still embarassed that that she had been so thoughtless, but it was obvious they didn't want her to continue to belittle herself over this one incident, so she smiled, thanked them, showed them where they would sleep, and where the "toilet" facilities were. This time, Xander was not so pleasantly surprised.
The next morning seemed to come earlier than usual. Meg was up with the sun, as were all the animals of the small farm. And eventually all three were awake, like it or not, and soon were up.
Anya and Dawn stayed inside with Meg, unless there was water to fetch, or eggs to collect. They mostly repaired clothes and shoes; brought in firewood; and prepared vegetables and meat for the midday and evening meals. This gave Meg a chance to wash the blood soaked bandages, blankets and clothing of Virgil's.
Dawn insisted on feeding, watering and brushing Argo, as per Xena's request. Xander volunteered, but Argo seemed to take a mild dislike to him, so he did whatever else needed to be done. Some things, like feeding the animals and cleaning out the barn, he figured out, but had to ask Meg for other chores. And she found plenty of them - rechink the outer walls of the house and barn in places; cut down and split a tree into rails to repair a fence; try to repair an axe and a shovel, with not much success. The list seemed to go on and on.
"What were you saying about some kind of Dark Ages?" Meg asked Anya as they finished the midday meal.
"I'm not really sure what happened, but I think it was caused by the fall of the Roman Empire."
"How did it fall?"
"Dawn?" Anya asked, "Do you know anything about it?"
"A little. From what I can remember, there was a lot of corruption and internal problems with the government. And barbarians, Germans I think, or from someplace like that, attacked a lot until they just took over. They call it the Dark Ages because without the Romans running everything, everything seemed to fall apart."
"Yeah, that sounds about right." Anya agreed.
"What are things like where you come from? Do people still fight wars?"
"I'm afraid they do. Only now, or, then, the weapons are worse. We have machines that fly. And they drop bombs that explode and destroy buildings and people. And we have guns that can shoot out hundreds of bullets at a time. There seems to be a war going on somewhere all the time."
"It sounds like a terrible place to live."
"We have our good stuff, too." Xander spoke up. "TVs, computers, stereos, cars, bikinis, pizzas, movies. . . ."
Then Dawn broke in. "Yeah. Like she really knows what all those things are. Meg, we do have good things. We know how to cure a lot of diseases. We can talk to our friends and relatives even though they are miles and miles away."
"We have better sanitation." Xander added. "And central heat and cooling in our houses. And we live longer."
"I imagine it's kind of like living here is for you - some good things and some bad." Concluded Anya.
"Yes, I suppose so." Meg said. "Well, I think we've wasted enough time, there are still chores that need finishing. Xander. Did you get that fence repaired yet? If so, I will need firewood cut for tomorrow."
And with that, everyone returned to their assigned duties, something Meg had no qualms about giving out, since they had convinced her they were there to pull their own weight.
Even though they were kept busy during the day, their thoughts, and the evening conversations, were usually about what might be going on with Buffy, Xena and Gabrielle. As Meg quietly listened to them, she gradually got a little better understanding of the 21st century.
"You guys know we've been here at least a week." Dawn was saying one evening after supper.
"Don't I know it!" Replied Anya. "I sure could use a good hot shower. Not to mention shampoo, bath gel, toothpaste, deodorant, hair spray. . . ."
"What about some nice soft toilet paper?" Xander asked. "And maybe a newspaper, or a magazine."
After Anya and Xander had exhausted the impromptu list of all things they missed, Dawn continued. "Doesn't anybody wonder why we haven't heard from someone by now? They must know we're starting to worry about what's going on there."
"Of course we're concerned." Xander told her. "But there's not much we can do about it. I just figure that they've got their hands full, and maybe we should be glad we're here and not there."
"Do you think anyone is still watching us . . . if they ever were." Anya said kind of quietly.
"Hey!" Dawn yelled out. "If anyone's there. LET US KNOW SOMETHING!!" Then she smiled sheepishly. "Well, it can't hurt to try."
With nothing else to say, the four of them retired for the night.
The next day was pretty much like the past 6 or 7. Not much changed from day to day. Feed the animals, cut fire wood, repair tools or fences or clothes, tend the fields, hoe up the weeds, draw water from the well several times a day, and other small chores that filled the hours.
Then something different happened. Meg had called them in for lunch, and while they were washing up, one of the chickens in the yard disappeared. And in its place appeared a large trout, flopping around in the dirt.
It took them a few minutes to understand what was going on. Then Xander figured it out. After he cut the fish's head off - a welcome change for tonight's supper, he found inside a tall glass olive jar with a note from Willow.
As they sat around the table, Meg served up lunch as Xander read:
"Hi, Guys. Sorry it has taken so long to get a note to you, but things here have just been so crazy!! It was Xena's idea to switch the fish for a chicken. First, let me say that Virgil is okay, he pulled through and is up and walking around."
"Thank the gods!" Meg exclaimed.
After everyone expressed their relief and happiness to Meg over Virgil's recovery, Xander continued. "But when he found out why Xena and Gabrielle are here, he wanted to stay to help. Right now he can't do a lot, but he says it's the least he can do. He said you'd understand, Meg. Next - Riley is back! The platoon or group or whatever they call themselves got back two days after Xena and Gabrielle got here. But there is a problem. He and Buffy don't see much of each other. I think he is avoiding her. Xena has really proved herself to the Initiative. The major says she is one of the best tacticians (I think that's spelled right) he has ever seen. She and Buffy have become like top sergeants. They have a few men under their command, although they usually combine their forces. But back to Riley. Xena wanted Gabrielle to be in charge like them, but until she proves herself, the major put her with Riley and his men. And they have begun to act like they really like each other!! But the thing is, Buffy forbids anyone to tell Xena and Gabrielle that she and Riley were sweethearts. She told me that if Riley wants Gabrielle, he is welcome to her. I think Buffy is cutting off her nose to spite her face. I guess she figures that when Gabrielle goes back, then Riley's heart will be broken and she will be there. I guess. But as for the vampires. It's all out war! I don't know how many have been killed, but Buffy says at least a couple of hundred. We don't know where they're all coming from. Tara and I have been casting spells to try to follow them in reverse - to see where they were before coming to Sunnydale. But as far as we can tell, they just appear. Giles thinks Glory may be involved somehow. He thinks it would take powers like hers to do something like that. I wish I knew how much longer you guys will have to stay, but I don't. Tara and I will try to keep an eye on all of you. Maybe if you can catch some small furry animal, like maybe a squirrel or something that we can switch with, it would be better. Buffy wasn't too crazy about a chicken running around here, but Xena said it would make a nice dinner. Love to you all. Willow. Oh, and Tara says hello too."
After Xander read the note out loud, Anya and Dawn each read it themselves. No one spoke much during the meal. After Meg had cleared the table, she sat back down with them.
"At least Virgil is okay." She finally said.
"I'm glad." said Dawn.
"Oh, me too." Anya told her.
"A good thing. Definitely. A good thing." From Xander.
"Are vampires hard to fight?" Meg asked.
"Are you kidding? They're easy!" Xander lied, not wanting to worry her. "They come on kind of strong at first, but one little stake to the heart, and POOF - no more vamps."
Meg nodded her head, fearing he wasn't telling her the whole truth, but wanting to believe what he said anyway.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Most of the ride from the Initiative's underground headquarters was mostly in silence, once they stopped to buy Gabrielle a half gallon of Double Dutch Chocolate ice cream.
As soon as they were at Buffy's house, Xena asked, "What now? That talk with the major seemed like a waste of time."
"I agree." Buffy said. "But until the rest of his men get back," again, her stomach tightened at the thought of Riley, "we will patrol like Xander and I have been doing for the past couple of weeks. We'll start at the cemetery about a half hour before sunset. If tonight's anything like it has been in the past, you'll both have plenty of experience dealing with vamps before the night is over."
"So what kind of weapons do you have, other than wooden spikes?" Gabrielle asked.
"Well, let's go see." And Buffy led them upstairs to her room and to the foot locker where she kept her weapons. "We have your stakes, and a battle axe. I have a crossbow, but Xander used up most of the bolts, so we'll have to make more."
"That's it?" Xena criticized. "Doesn't look like much."
"It's what kills vampires. What else should I have?"
"Didn't you once say that besides a stake to the heart, you can kill them by cutting off their heads?"
"Yeah. That's what the axe is for."
"What about something like my chakram? Is there some way to make a throwing ring like it?"
"I suppose so. Why don't I call Giles? He would know."
"I suppose we could have some custom made at a sheet metal shop." Giles said. "How many do you think you'd need?"
Buffy put Xena on the phone, and Giles repeated the question. "That I don't know. My chakram is a lot more than a just simple ring."
"Don't I know it!" Buffy agreed.
"Maybe if we started with ten of them. And I think I'd feel more comfortable with some kind of sword. It wouldn't have to be as long and as heavy mine, maybe a short sword would do."
"Oh, I'm sure we can get one somewhere, although it will probably be several days on the throwing rings."
"What about you, Gabrielle?" Buffy asked as she took back the phone. "Any special weapons you'd like?"
Swallowing a mouthful of ice cream, Gabrielle said, "I used to use a battle staff. I think maybe I'd like to use one again. And I guess I could carry a few stakes, as well."
Buffy relayed the request to Giles.
"I can probably get one I'm sure, but certainly not today."
"Okay, Giles, do what you can. Thanks. Bye"
"So it looks like tonight we'll only be using the stakes, unless one of you wants to carry the battle axe." Since no one volunteered, Buffy handed out a couple stakes each to Xena and Gabrielle, and took two for herself.
As the three vampire hunters settled down to wait, hidden in the shrubbery bordering the cemetery, Buffy offered a crash course in vampire slaying. "They fight pretty good. When you hit them, they're stunned, but not enough to really hurt. They'll keep coming back. The main reason to fight them is to look for an opening for the stake. They like to gang up on you if they can. They hide in trees, behind headstones, sometimes even in the graves. But don't run from them if you can help it, they're like a pack of dogs. Any questions?"
Neither woman had any. So they waited. Buffy's Slayer Sense was as acute as she could make it, but it was Xena who detected the first vampire, who had come up behind them. As he jumped for Buffy, Xena's stake flew through the air and found it's mark, and the vampire turned to dust. And as though someone had fired a starting shot, the cemetery was suddenly full of vampires.
Xena, Buffy and Gabrielle fought their way to open ground where they could battle back to back to back. Although she was, essentially, the weak link, Gabrielle was able to carry her share of the fight, mostly. But not knowing Xena's and Gabrielle's history and method of fighting, Buffy felt she had to try to keep an eye on Gabrielle, which, at times, put her at a disadvantage.
But if Gabrielle and Buffy were barely keeping up, Xena was in her element. Her "Yi, yi, yi, yi, yi, yi" war cry was unnerving to the vampires she faced. And with the war cry was her laughter, and the almost crazed look in her eyes and manic smile on her lips. "Come on!" she chided them. "Show me what you've got!"
Fifteen minutes later, the three women were alone with only the nighttime breezes blowing the clouds of dust through the cemetery.
"That wasn't so bad." Xena said, happy with the results.
"It's only beginning." Buffy cautioned. "Now that we've temporarily cleared the cemetery, we start the actual patrolling. We'll go over to the park, then down to the warehouse district, back along the railroad yard, and then, well, we'll see how the night goes."
The rest of the night was similar to the cemetery. At every location, and sometimes on the way from one to the next, there were at least a dozen vampires waiting to ambush them. After their second sweep of the cemetery, Buffy decided to call it a night. It was 4 a.m., and they all needed sleep.
"I don't know how you did it." Gabrielle said to Buffy with admiration. "Night after night like that?"
"That's why I called on you two. I think we sent them a message tonight."
"And after the rest of the men get here then maybe they will think long and hard about stopping at Sunnydale." Xena added.
Buffy felt her stomach turn into knots. Just when Riley was out of her mind, someone said something to remind her. "Well, I think I'm going to take a shower and hit the hay." She told them.
"What if they come here looking for us?" Gabrielle asked.
"Funny thing about vamps, they can't come into your house unless you are actually stupid enough to invite them in."
"Well, that takes a load off."
Buffy headed upstairs to take a shower and go to bed. Xena undressed to use the downstairs shower, and Gabrielle went into the kitchen to polish off the last of the ice cream.
The next night was the same, only different. The word had gotten around about Buffy's new partners, and the vampires were more cautious, not charging ahead as they had the night before. But the end results were still the same: Humans - 40 or 50; Vampires - 0.
The third day, Giles had Xena's throwing rings, and a short sword for her. But she wasn't happy with the dullness of the edges of any of them, so she spent over an hour sharpening them.
"Xena has this thing about sharpening her sword." Gabrielle was telling Buffy. "Whenever something's on her mind, she sharpens. I expect her to one day sharpen her sword away to nothing."
Giles wasn't able to find a Battle Staff, per se, but he managed to locate, and remove the head of a replica of a Roman spear. It wasn't exactly what Gabrielle wanted, but after working with it for a while, she was as comfortable with it as she was with her Amazon staff. And even though she never particularly liked the long, unwieldy weapon, Buffy was nonetheless impressed with Gabrielle's handling of it.
Thirty minutes before they were due to leave on patrol, Major English called them, and told them to report to him at oh six hundred (6 a.m.) the next morning. His men had returned and they were all to be briefed on the upcoming campaign.
With Xena's and Gabrielle's new weapons, the third night of patrolling took on a different tone. While Buffy continued to use her hands and feet until the opening was there to use a stake, Xena and Gabrielle devastated their opponents.
Xena was able to use the razor-sharp steel rings with great effectiveness. Although they wouldn't return as her Chakram would, she managed to find a way to throw them so they would circle back to her general location. And her short sword was perfect for in-fighting and decapitation.
Gabrielle was almost as effective with her staff. She and Buffy accidentally hit upon an effective tandem - Gabrielle would knock the feet out from under a vampire, leaving his chest exposed for Buffy to stake him.
So instead of five or six encounters, this night there were only three. Somehow, in the space of a couple of hours, the word had spread about the new weapons.
"It's just as well," Buffy was commenting on slow night. "We should get some sleep. It's 2:30 now, and we should be up by 5 if we're going to be at Initiative headquarters at 6."
"I'll never understand this obsession you people have with having to be somewhere at some exact time. What's wrong with being there at sun up, or right after?" Xena complained.
"It's not my idea," Buffy replied. "I'd sleep until noon, that's "midday," if it were up to me."
But try as she might, Buffy never did get to sleep that night. Her thoughts were on Riley. Would he . . . ? Would she . . . ? Could they . . . ?
And as tight as her stomach was, it knotted up even more when she actually walked into the briefing room and saw him. Their eyes met briefly, then he looked away, toward Gabrielle and then Xena. And then back to Gabrielle. He nodded to her and smiled slightly. Gabrielle smiled and nodded back. Buffy bit her lip at the exchange. Was he deliberately flirting with Gabrielle to make her jealous? But before she could speculate further, Major English walked into the room.
After he had everyone sit down, he took a few minutes to introduce everyone - Buffy, Xena, Gabrielle, Riley, Morton, and Jamison. The last two men Buffy didn't know. They must have joined Riley and the others in South America. She didn't know what had happened to the others that she knew. The major explained that there were fourteen other men who completed the team, but they were lower in rank and would be briefed by the five Squad Leaders in the room.
"I count six of us." Xena interrupted.
"Your friend, Gabrielle, is not going to be leading a squad, at least not until she proves herself to me. We've been keeping you three under surveillance the past three nights, so I know what you can do, Xena. But for now I think I will put Gabrielle in with Riley's squad."
"I don't think so." Xena stood up, ready for a confrontation. "We are a team. We stay together."
"If you want your friend to be a squad leader, then I can't have her with someone who I know is already biased towards her. Riley doesn't know her and her can be more objective."
"He's right, Xena." Gabrielle said. "I know I don't need to prove myself to you, but he doesn't know me."
Slowly Xena sat down, and the major continued his briefing. "We are going to have five squads of four men, persons, each. Most of the time each squad will be on its own, but occasionally two or more will combine it the situation warrants it."
The major pulled down a wall map of the city. It was divided into five zones. "Each squad will be assigned to a zone. You will patrol from one hour before sunset until one hour past dawn. If a nest is located, the squad making the find will assess the situation, report in, but WILL NOT engage until reinforcements are on the scene. You will be issued the standard weaponry we have determined to be adequate for the maximum success."
"What about prisoners?" Riley asked.
"Ah, yes, prisoners. Because of the serious nature of this crisis, taking of prisoners is not encouraged at this time. However, if it is possible to acquire one at the end of a firefight without endangering your fellow soldiers, then one or two may be taken for interrogation purposes. Any other questions? No? Good. Then here is a list of the men who will make up each squad. Until further notice, all Squad Leaders, as well as their men, will reside within the confines of this facility. Each squad will be assigned to a specific Team Area. I want each member of each squad to spend the remainder of the day getting to know each other. You will have your weapons checked out to you. You will familiarize yourselves with said weaponry until you are confident you can perform with them to level of expectation I know you are all capable of. Dismissed.
"Buffy," Xena asked, "What kind of weapons is he talking about? I thought we were going to use ours."
"And what's this about us having to stay here?" Gabrielle asked.
"Right now, we just have to go along with them. That's the way the military is. When we go out on patrol, we'll stop at the house and pick up our stuff. But for right now, try to learn everything you can about whatever they give you. It may come in handy."
"Gabrielle. Hi, my name's Riley. Nice to meet you." Riley put out his hand for Gabrielle to shake, which she did. "Xena," he repeated, "Nice to meet you." And he shook her hand as well. He then nodded curtly to Buffy. "Buffy." He said in token recognition of her, then turned to Gabrielle.
"Ready to go?" he asked.
"Ready as I'll ever be." She replied. And with a half, uncertain smile and a glance at Xena, Gabrielle followed Riley out of the briefing room.
"Seems to be a nice fellow." Xena commented to Buffy.
"Yes, I suppose so." Was all Buffy managed to say.