You are brief and frail and blue -
Little sisters, I am, too.
You are Heaven's masterpieces -
Little loves, the likeness ceases. ~Dorothy Parker
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Moira looked around the tiny apartment she had rented and smiled.
"Well, I'm here," she whispered as she set her bag down on the floor "What's next?"
"Who is she?" asked Buffy.
"What did you say her name was?" Giles asked as he put some books away.
"Moira," replied Spike as he leaned against the doorway.
Giles tensed up when he heard the name.
"She's Ethan's daughter," he whispered.
"I love him, Rupert," whispered Annie Whittaker as she wiped the tears from her eyes "God help me, I love the bastard."
If it didn't hurt him to see her like that he probably would have laughed. He reached over and embraced his childhood best friend, lovingly stroking her crimson hair.
"Maybe he'll come back?" asked Giles.
She pulled away from him and smiled sadly.
"No," she whispered "He won't."
"Where's daddy?" whispered Annie and Ethan's daughter Moira "Uncle Rupert? Momma?"
"Ethan Raine? As in let's turn everyone into teenagers, Ethan?" asked Xander as he walked into the dining room.
"The very same," he replied.
Buffy looked at Giles, she wondered why her watcher had turn ten shades lighter than his natural pale shade.
"Does that mean Ethan is in Sunnydale?" asked Willow as she sat down at the table.
"Whose Ethan?" asked Kennedy.
"I'll tell you later," replied Willow.
"Well," Buffy exclaimed still looking at Giles "I think we need to go talk to her. She knew that those Vampires were going to attack the girls."
"You don't think she set it up?" asked Kennedy absent mindedly running her finger over the bandage on her wrist.
"I don't know," Buffy replied "Will? Can you see if a Raine has gotten a hotel room anywhere?"
"Sure," exclaimed Willow.
Buffy walked out into the kitchen. She didn't like the thought of Ethan being back in Sunnydale so close to the big fight. His daughter? She thought.
Moira dance around her apartment as the song "London Calling" by the band The Clash blared from her stereo. She smiled when a knock sounded at her door.
"Excellent," she said "Pizza."
She opened the door. Or not she though when she saw Buffy standing on the other side.
"Hello again, Love." she said smirking.
"Word of warning," said Buffy "You should ask whose on the other side before you let them in, especially in Sunnydale."
"Yes, but good baddies don't knock" Moira said smiling "They usually crash through the window. Come in."
Giles swallowed hard and walked in behind Buffy.
"Whose this?" asked Moira when she saw him "I didn't see you there. I'm….Uncle Rupert?"
He looked a lot older than the last time she saw him.
"Hello Sunshine," he exclaimed using the nickname he had for her when she was young.
She smiled slightly.
"Long time, no see…hell…no phone call. Momma thought you had died." she said.
"How is Annie?" he asked his heart in his stomach.
"Dead," she replied unflinchingly.
He breathed in deeply.
"How?" he asked.
"A Nafthril demon," she replied "One of the family."
He looked at her in shock. He had forgotten about the hybrid genetics of Annie and her daughter.
"Fried her like an egg." she whispered.
"Now Moira," he whispered.
"Don't give me that…" she exclaimed.
Buffy looked at Giles.
"Moira?" asked Buffy "Where is your father?"
"Ah, she's blunt," replied Moira "I like her. He's dead too."
Buffy couldn't contain the look of relief that passed over her face.
"Oh, Please. Keep your condolences to yourself," Moira hissed "I know how you all feel about my father."
"I'm sorry," whispered Buffy looking at her shoes.
Moira sighed heavily and resisted the urge to fry them both.
"Why are you here?" asked Giles.
What should she say? Gee…my father saw the end in a death bed vision and it's coming sooner than you realize.
"Something is coming," she said looking at Giles.
"We know," he exclaimed "The first."
"Them too." she said.
Just then, someone knocked on her door.
"That was a lot more than 30 seconds!" she yelled.
She ran to the door and opened it.
"Moira!" yelled Buffy as she was pulled out of the apartment.
Moira looked up at her assailant. It was a very large, very purple demon, one large red eye blinked at her from the middle of its forehead and it's gasping breath smelled like dead fish.
"Raine," it gasped "The First does not appreciate you butting in."
"Nuts to The First," she whispered as she struggled to break free.
Anytime now Buffy, she thought. She could feel the air slip from her lungs as the creature slammed her head against the wall. Buffy pulled the creature from Moira and Giles ran to the fallen girl.
"This isn't over," the creature whispered before running off.
"Is she allright?" asked Buffy as she squatted down next to Giles.
"I think so," he replied "Moira?"
"Damn," she whispered as she slowly opened her eyes "Damn!"
"Buffy, go back inside and gather some of Moira's things," Giles exclaimed "Looks like we have a new lodger."
Moira and Buffy rolled their eyes at the exact same time.
"I just bought this god damned place," she whispered as Giles helped her to her feet.
"Do your parents know you swear like that?" Giles asked.
Moira looked at him and gave him a flash of her old smile.
"Hell, my parent taught me to swear like this," she replied.
Giles smiled.
"God!" whispered Dawn "What's taking them so long?"
Andrew looked at her and smiled.
"They'll be fine," he said ruffling her long hair.
Dawn straightened her hair and rolled her eyes.
"Don't worry Dawnie," said Willow "We're all worried."
Spike walked slowly through the kitchen and walked out the back door. He lit up a ciggarette and sat down on the steps. He wondered if he should have told the others that he saw the girl throw flames at the fleeing vampire.
"Ah hell," he said out loud.
Moira looked around at the rag-tag group of people who were crowded into the small house and smiled.
"I'm Moira," she said.
"Hello Moira," said a pretty red haired girl "I'm Willow."
"Xander," said the dark haired boy who sat next to her.
"Dawn."
"Anya."
"Kennedy."
"Andrew."
"Amanda."
"Molly."
"Rona."
"Spike," said a familiar voice.
Moira turned to see a tall, gaunt looking man. He had shockingly white hair and bright eyes.
"Are you really Ethan Raine's daughter?" asked Dawn.
Moira smiled when Buffy glared at her sister.
"Yep," she replied "Are you really the Slayer's sister?"
"Unfortunately," grumbled Dawn.
"Dawn," hissed Buffy "Why don't you show Moira to a room?"
"Umm…Where?" asked Kennedy.
"I don't know," Buffy said.
Giles looked at Moira.
"Why don't you rest for awhile? Then we'll talk." he whispered.
"Okay," she replied and walked towards Dawn "Uncle Rupert? I'm sorry I was snippy."
"It's all right," he exclaimed.
Buffy watched them walk up the stairs then turned towards Giles.
"What the hell is going on?" she asked.
Giles sighed and sat down.
"Moira is the daughter of an old friend of mine, Annie Whittaker. I was the reason she met Ethan. Annie was special, a gifted witch and half demon, she was an excellent person to have around. Then they had Moira and sometime later, Ethan left for parts unkown." he said rubbing his eyes.
"That girl is a demon?" asked Andrew worriedly.
"Half demon," Giles said.
"What kind?" asked Spike.
"A Nafthril," Giles replied.
Spike knew of the Nafthrils. A generally harmless breed of Demon, but extremely powerful. The Nafthrils had the ability to summon and control the elements.
"That explains it," he whispered.
"What?" asked Buffy.
"Nothing," he replied.
Dawn looked at the girl and smiled slightly.
"So? You've come to join the crusade?" she asked.
Moira looked at her and cocked an eyebrow.
"Yes," she said tentatively.
"What's your thing?" asked Dawn.
"My thing?"
"Everyone's got a thing, except me."
"Why don't you?"
"I'm just Dawn."
Moira felt for the girl, she couldn't imagine what it would be like to be the sister of a slayer.
"I'm half demon," said Moira fire dancing of her hands.
MysteryGirl