UNBETTA'D (duh)
**** First off, Oh my gosh!! What cool reviews from all of you. And such nice sentiments too. Thanks for all the Happy Birthdays, I just couldn't get over it. Both the posted reviews and e-mails. Kinda feel popular now. * grins *
Also, would you believe I worked on this chapter for 3 hours yesterday (and before you laugh, remember I can not type) Only to have my computer freeze, by backup not backup properly, and lost the whole damn thing. As I'm sure you can understand, I was frustrated and waited to try again until today. So here you go, hope the second draft doesn't suck. And again THANK YOU to all who sent me reviews. It was for you I worked on this today instead of Monday.
Oh, and there is a Giles thing coming up in this chapter even though I said no Scoobs.but you'll see why when you read it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Make a Wish
The boy representing The Powers That Be let the slayer ruffle his hair and grinned back. He'd only seen her once before face to face. She looked older now, but her smile was just as true and she always seemed on the verge of some great new idea or topic. Just as it had been when he peeked in on her life in the last few years.
She was different from most slayers who became jaded from the life they lead. Something in Sam made her different. For the longest time before she was called, The Powers believed they knew what it was. The Pure, but they soon discovered they were incorrect. Still she had lasted so long, and saved humanity enough times to be honored.
And the vampire, he was different as well. Once they knew he was not T'mure, The Powers began to let the pair be drawn to each other. The vampire, who'd rarely left his homeland of Russia, suddenly felt an urge to go to England, just about the time Samantha had her first visit to the sisters.
But the mistake the PTB's had made stemmed in the future, and for all to come together, the couple who'd been pushed together by a contrived destiny had made themselves valuable for another destiny.
Sam, still crouched down at eye level to the boy, straightened herself up and smiled back at Ashton. "It closed, didn't it?"
He nodded, still to happy and shocked to see her walking and talking, warm and alive. "Y-yes. It closed." He managed to croak out.
She cocked her head to the side and glared at Ashton. "What's wrong?"
The boy walked up to the vampire and looked up, way up, into the face of the dark man. The child chuckled and turned back to Sam. "I think he is surprised you are alive again."
Sam looked down at the boy blankly. "Again?"
Ashton took a few tentative steps to the reanimated woman. "You were stabbed, run through, by that childe of a vampire."
Realization blanketed Sam's face. "Oh. God," She brought her hand to her forehead and ran her fingers over her, not so tautly, pinned hair. " I was. but Buffy," She then looked down at her stomach and felt with both hands for the hole. He hands stayed covering her abdomen. "But I'm not." She stated very confused.
"He healed you." Ashton nodded to he the boy and held one hand over hers, still amazed she was here. And now he was touching her. He could confirm the warmth of her, the blood flowing inside her, and the heart beating rapidly. HE grinned and smiled, looking in her eyes. "He brought you back."
She was caught up in the look he gave her. Nothing but pure love, from eyes that had seen the worst of the world. Eyes who had see his own hands cause it centuries ago. Now goodness almost radiated from a being born of evil, and she couldn't not want to be with him. "Back to you?"
They heard a throat clear behind them and were brought out of the moment to see the little boy still grinning, now also blushing a little. "There's time for that later, more than you know, more for the Slayer, but we have to get the show on the road."
Sharing one final glance the couple turned their attention to the boy who was looking at the faces still watching the scenes play out. The child looked back and sighed before he explained. "This gift, returning you," He motioned with a small hand up to Sam, "Is for our benefit, but there is a price. One that to be paid in order to keep other changes in time from taking place."
Sam was immediately worried. "A price? What sort of price?"
The boy crossed his arms and chewed on the inside of his cheek a moment before continuing. "Your immortality, it must be given up. Life for life, you understand?" H e tried to explain.
Ashton didn't think, just looked from Sam to the crowd and back to the boy. "Done."
"Wait!" Sam yelled and stepped in front of Ashton, trying to block his line of site to the boy. "You can't do that, Ashton. It's too much."
There were times, that this powerful woman seemed like a child. It was not when she fought, and not when she loved. Not when she planned and not when she killed. It was when she tried to protect the vampire. Her vision was fuzzy when it came to him, and that, if nothing else, had always told Ashton that she loved him. Only something as powerful as love could waver a slayer's loyalty to her duty. "It is not, Sam. I have lived. If they are allowing me to die so you can have even a fraction of my time, then so be it. It is a cheap price."
Sam ground her teeth and spun. "How long does he get?" Her voice was no longer happy and sweet. It was straight forward and harsh when she asked this one question of the small boy.
"Not long."
Sam stormed forward and towered over the boy. "What do you mean? Be. More . Specific!" She demanded.
The boy looked past to the vampire who stood behind the angry woman.
Ashton just shrugged. It didn't matter how long, as long as Sam would live.
The boy straightened up and looked over his shoulder to the murmuring demons behind him before looking back at Sam. "That will depend on you." The boy said and crossed his arms again.
The next thing Sam knew, she was standing in the dark staring at a rock wall. She blinked and fell back into a heap on the floor. All her senses were off kilter from the quick transport, and she felt woozy for a few seconds. It passed though, and she was able to focus on her surroundings.
It was oddly familiar to see the rock wall and ceiling. She studied the dirt she was still sitting on and ran her fingers over the loose pebbles. "I know this." She decided and turned, trying to see into the darkness.
The cavern looked exactly as she now remembered. It seemed to stretch out in both directions forever. Only a little light that she never could discern the source of, helped her look about the area and spot her unconscious companion.
On hands and knees she crawled the few feet to Ashton, dead to the world, but only in sleep. Her senses, and the fact that he was not dust, told her he was simply asleep. Gently, she shook him. "Ashton?" She looked around. Someone would be coming. If she was right, two some-ones. "Ashton, get up."
"Earthbound demons tend to take time waking." A female voice said from behind the crouched slayer.
"Yes, a few minutes and he'll be fine." Another voice agreed.
Sam craned her neck to see two demon sisters. They wore the same brilliant blue robes and had the same tight skin she remembered from years ago.
Sam eyed the women a moment before looking back to Ashton. She shook him once more and received her first response. A grumbling vampire.
"Hit over the head." She managed to make out between jumbled syllables and watched when he grabbed his head.
"No, you weren't hit over the head." Sam explained and helped Ashton to his feet.
He pushed himself up, letting Sam take some of the weight while he regained his center of gravity. He took in his surroundings and stared back at Sam. She didn't seem confused, or displaced. Sam gave him a gentle smile and looked back to the demons waiting. He followed her gaze to the demon twins he soon recognized.
All at once, memories long ago lost flooded back into his head. He'd been here before. Twice that he was sure of.
Once, so long ago when he saved the boy, and another time, not a decade before. He stared at Sam and shook his head. "We met here."
She nodded slowly. "I remember. Not all of it, but I remember."
"It was as it should be." The first sister stepped up to the couple. "To keep al is it should be. And for your efforts you have been returned."
The second sister moved to her twin's side. "You have earned what was promised. A gift for each of you."
Ashton was still trying to make sense of all the new visions in his head. Slowly, he recalled more visits. Short, almost as though they were checking up on him.
The Shunned went back to his homeland, after he saved the boy and became taboo to other vampires, because it was where he was comfortable.
His un-life alone was more easily managed in a place where he knew how to acquire blood. He'd given up human so long ago that the taste seemed to foreign to recall. He only left Russia to check in on his human friends, the families that had sprouted from that small boy's life. The branches had spread too much for him to follow over the years, but the ones that remained in Europe he had watched over.
Over the years he had blackouts, now h e knew they were visits to Akoshta. He went missing for days, then found himself traveling to London. This was where he became more familiar with the Karavits family. He'd known Mike when he was a toddler.
But before Mike turned ten, Ashton once again went back to his home in Russia.
The most recent visit to the sisters was the one Ashton could see in his head with the most clarity. The moment he saw the young girl who would be called.
In that visit, he didn't just travel to London, he prepared for it. He took time finding a flat and also another home more fitting a demon. Even while he prepared to become a resident, he didn't know why. Just that he had to be there.
Once he met Sam on the streets, there was no going back. He found himself following her. Where the slayer was, he shadowed her. He tried to protect her, and had no idea why. Just that he should. A very disturbing thought when you were once known as one of the most powerful Master Vampires at one time.
But still he did.
Now, he stood again, by this girl, now a woman, trying to figure out what the next step should be. What gifts to ask for, and in it all the words of the little boy representing The Powers echoed in his head. "Not Long."
"But, what about what The Powers told us?" Ashton asked the demons.
The second sister shook her head. "We are not privy to discussions with The Powers, but, keep in mind that our gift can not overrule their wishes."
Now it was Sam's turn to be lost. "What does that mean? And why don't you know what they told us."
"What they do not share, we do not know. We know of your history, and much of your possible futures, but we are only given this information. What The Powers do not wish us to know, we do not." The first sister ran through it like she'd read the statement in an instruction manual.
"And we are not meant to know their stipulations." The second sister finished.
"They told us we would bernbackdolmer." Sam said, then crossed her eyes bewildered. She looked back at the sisters. "What was that?"
"We are not meant to know." The second sister repeated.
Sam looked back up to Ashton only to see him trying to hold in laughter.
"Oh yeah. Real funny." Sam rolled her eyes and looked back to the sisters. "Can we have some time to decide?"
The sisters shared a quick glance before nodding, and disappeared.
At this point, Ashton couldn't even muster the good graces to be shocked when the sisters vanished from sight. He just looked back to Sam wondering what was going to happen next.
Apparently Sam was wondering the same thing. "So, now what?"
Ashton shrugged. "I have no idea."
Sam began to pace. "Well we get the wishes, but you aren't immortal. The boy said you don't have long."
Ashton considered the statement. "Compared to what?" Ashton asked. "To an immortal being, a human life-span is not that long."
Sam smiled up at him. "You're right. They didn't say you had to die now, just that you would, someday."
"And that was a problem every time you insisted on patrolling until the sun rose." He chuckled at her.
She shook her head. "Then what should we wish for?"
He thought a moment and grinned. "We have two wishes. One each?"
"Yes." She nodded. "But if I remember correctly, they must coincide. Connect or be equal." She shook her head again. "Something, related?"
"What were you going to wish for?" He asked her simply.
She shrugged. "I'm not sure. To be able to live, I suppose. To have the chance to grow old."
He nodded in understanding. "Then we should wish for your life."
"No, not just mine. Ours." She added.
"Then we wish to live our lives-"
"Our natural lives. Together." She smiled up at him.
The small gesture, and change of wording made him smile again. But he soon grew serious and drew out the crystal hidden in his jackets inner breast pocket. "We still must get this to the Tomar. They have to complete the vortex made in Buffy's future."
Sam smiled when she saw that he held it. "How did you get it away from them?"
He tucked the crystal back into his pocket. "The demon was a little worn at the time."
Sam couldn't help but shake her head at him. "If Emerson's notes were accurate, The Tomar attempt to open the portal just days after Buffy and Spike left their time. That's nearly 60 years."
Ashton considered this. "It would be pushing the limits of a natural life." He pointed to himself. "I was just short of my thirtieth. That would make me 90 years of age. An abnormal age to live to in my day to say the least."
"It still is." Sam agreed. "Well have to ask that we can be present, if for no reason than to finish what we started." But then Sam thought of another problem. "But this is before Spike and Buffy's time. At least Buffy's. They might not even know why we want to be there."
Ashton hadn't considered it, but if what the sisters said about their limited information, it was in all likely-hood, true. "Alright, without mentioning them, we need to ask to be able to bring them home."
The vampire furrowed his brow and seemed to be studying the rock above him as he thought of how to word the second part of the wish. "Possibly, to be given the power to complete the mission that brought us here? Since the closing of the portal seems to have been the final task." He asked, and waited for Sam's approval of the wording."
"Not given the power." She shook her head and tried to work out the wording in her head. "Its not our powers we will need, it's the power that can be provided. The crystal."
Ashton nodded, understanding. "Then ,to be allowed to provide the power to complete the task." He stated.
"I think that is specific enough, without giving away the reason." She agreed then shook her head and tried not to laugh.
Ashton was surprised by her emotional state. "What is it?"
The Slayer couldn't stop from chuckling when she spoke. "It's just that, even in earning a retirement, I'm setting myself up for another mission."
He gave her a gentle smile, just as the twins reappeared. He took Sam's hand in his and gave it a squeeze before leaning down to her and brushing her lips with his and grinning again. "It is who you are. You are The Slayer."
"Have you decided?" The first sister asked from her position next to the second.
The couple turned. "We have."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
While an alley in London during WWII boasted the decaying corpses of demons, and a troupe of people bounded towards a battle in Sunnydale, 2002, The Head of The Council of Watchers, also known as Ripper also known as Rupert and Giles but rarely both in the same sentence, walked from his parked car to a building of flats.
Giles took looked over the dilapidated building as he made his way towards it. The bricks of the building were worn and the steps leading to the main door were dirty, with chips of the cement landing strewn about the landing.
The wood door was warped, but it held on to the hinges with all of its strength, and the door swung open with a moaning creak. As he passed the threshold, Giles saw the inside was as badly kept as the out. The plaster that made up the hall and ceiling was also cracked and chipping. Most of the paint on the hall was gone. There was just enough at the top edge of the wall for one to see it had once been a light green.
The floor was plain cement, with remnant of what had once been carpeting. Old tacks in boards lined the floor's edge, a dangerous impediment for anyone with thin soles under their feet.
The main hall lead past several doors to a dead end. To The Watcher's left were stairs that led up to the levels that made up the six story building. After checking again the address on the slip of paper he held, he headed up the worn wood stair, holding tightly to the banister in fear the wood beneath him would give at any moment.
When he reached the third floor he saw a hall that closely matched the hall on the main floor. Five doors lined either side of the hall. Each with a number nailed to it. As he walked down the hall he became aware of an odd smell. An odor he could only truly remember smelling once. When Buffy's mother decided to display a particular mask in her bedroom. One that cause a zombie cat to appear and sink up his library.
Immediately Giles picked up his pace and stopped at the last red door with pealing paint. Quentin's flat.
Before he knocked, he went over the speech again in his head. He was going to give this man a piece of his mind, and find out what he thought he was doing. Possibly hit him, although the moral part of him kept trying to talk him out of that idea.
Finally he knocked and waited. No one else seemed to be around, so when no answer came, he knocked more strenuously.
Still, there was no answer, so he tried the doorknob to find it unlocked. He poked his head in and looked around a small dark room holding one worn brown couch and a small table with a lamp beside it. "Quentin?"
Giles waited again for a response, but none came so he stepped inside and latched the door behind him. "Quentin Travers?" He called again and made his way into the main room. From his vantage point he saw the small kitchenette at the far end of the room, a door to the right that he thought must lead to a bathroom, and another door slightly open that revealed another dark room he assumed must be the bedroom.
Quentin Looked around again and took notice of the few trinkets that The Ex- Head had managed to bring with him. A statue of a vampire, a stack of leather bound books, and a sword Giles vaguely remembered being told once belonged to a slayer.
The other thing he noticed was the smell. It was stronger in the apartment that it was in the hall. So Giles walked towards the bedroom and gave the ajar door a little push, allowing it to open slowly.
When there was enough room to see into it, Giles gasped. "My God." And walked to the bed.
Beneath the quilt was the prone figure of Quentin. Dead for at least a day, most likely passed in his sleep. The maggots crawling in his gaping mouth gave Giles the information for the first deduction. The second was made by the fact that nothing seemed out of the ordinary, other than the fact that Mr. Travers was dressed in pajama's and in bed, but would never be getting up again.
Without even considering that this man had caused so many problems in his life, Giles reached up and shut the glassy open eyes, then pulled the quilt up over his old friend's head.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
OK, now for all who were hoping to see a big Giles kills or hurts Quentin scene, I quite frankly thought it gave Ol' Mr. Travers a little more glory than I wanted him to have. I think the saddest way to pass on is alone. This being my personal opinion, I went with it.
Hope I don't offend.
**** First off, Oh my gosh!! What cool reviews from all of you. And such nice sentiments too. Thanks for all the Happy Birthdays, I just couldn't get over it. Both the posted reviews and e-mails. Kinda feel popular now. * grins *
Also, would you believe I worked on this chapter for 3 hours yesterday (and before you laugh, remember I can not type) Only to have my computer freeze, by backup not backup properly, and lost the whole damn thing. As I'm sure you can understand, I was frustrated and waited to try again until today. So here you go, hope the second draft doesn't suck. And again THANK YOU to all who sent me reviews. It was for you I worked on this today instead of Monday.
Oh, and there is a Giles thing coming up in this chapter even though I said no Scoobs.but you'll see why when you read it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Make a Wish
The boy representing The Powers That Be let the slayer ruffle his hair and grinned back. He'd only seen her once before face to face. She looked older now, but her smile was just as true and she always seemed on the verge of some great new idea or topic. Just as it had been when he peeked in on her life in the last few years.
She was different from most slayers who became jaded from the life they lead. Something in Sam made her different. For the longest time before she was called, The Powers believed they knew what it was. The Pure, but they soon discovered they were incorrect. Still she had lasted so long, and saved humanity enough times to be honored.
And the vampire, he was different as well. Once they knew he was not T'mure, The Powers began to let the pair be drawn to each other. The vampire, who'd rarely left his homeland of Russia, suddenly felt an urge to go to England, just about the time Samantha had her first visit to the sisters.
But the mistake the PTB's had made stemmed in the future, and for all to come together, the couple who'd been pushed together by a contrived destiny had made themselves valuable for another destiny.
Sam, still crouched down at eye level to the boy, straightened herself up and smiled back at Ashton. "It closed, didn't it?"
He nodded, still to happy and shocked to see her walking and talking, warm and alive. "Y-yes. It closed." He managed to croak out.
She cocked her head to the side and glared at Ashton. "What's wrong?"
The boy walked up to the vampire and looked up, way up, into the face of the dark man. The child chuckled and turned back to Sam. "I think he is surprised you are alive again."
Sam looked down at the boy blankly. "Again?"
Ashton took a few tentative steps to the reanimated woman. "You were stabbed, run through, by that childe of a vampire."
Realization blanketed Sam's face. "Oh. God," She brought her hand to her forehead and ran her fingers over her, not so tautly, pinned hair. " I was. but Buffy," She then looked down at her stomach and felt with both hands for the hole. He hands stayed covering her abdomen. "But I'm not." She stated very confused.
"He healed you." Ashton nodded to he the boy and held one hand over hers, still amazed she was here. And now he was touching her. He could confirm the warmth of her, the blood flowing inside her, and the heart beating rapidly. HE grinned and smiled, looking in her eyes. "He brought you back."
She was caught up in the look he gave her. Nothing but pure love, from eyes that had seen the worst of the world. Eyes who had see his own hands cause it centuries ago. Now goodness almost radiated from a being born of evil, and she couldn't not want to be with him. "Back to you?"
They heard a throat clear behind them and were brought out of the moment to see the little boy still grinning, now also blushing a little. "There's time for that later, more than you know, more for the Slayer, but we have to get the show on the road."
Sharing one final glance the couple turned their attention to the boy who was looking at the faces still watching the scenes play out. The child looked back and sighed before he explained. "This gift, returning you," He motioned with a small hand up to Sam, "Is for our benefit, but there is a price. One that to be paid in order to keep other changes in time from taking place."
Sam was immediately worried. "A price? What sort of price?"
The boy crossed his arms and chewed on the inside of his cheek a moment before continuing. "Your immortality, it must be given up. Life for life, you understand?" H e tried to explain.
Ashton didn't think, just looked from Sam to the crowd and back to the boy. "Done."
"Wait!" Sam yelled and stepped in front of Ashton, trying to block his line of site to the boy. "You can't do that, Ashton. It's too much."
There were times, that this powerful woman seemed like a child. It was not when she fought, and not when she loved. Not when she planned and not when she killed. It was when she tried to protect the vampire. Her vision was fuzzy when it came to him, and that, if nothing else, had always told Ashton that she loved him. Only something as powerful as love could waver a slayer's loyalty to her duty. "It is not, Sam. I have lived. If they are allowing me to die so you can have even a fraction of my time, then so be it. It is a cheap price."
Sam ground her teeth and spun. "How long does he get?" Her voice was no longer happy and sweet. It was straight forward and harsh when she asked this one question of the small boy.
"Not long."
Sam stormed forward and towered over the boy. "What do you mean? Be. More . Specific!" She demanded.
The boy looked past to the vampire who stood behind the angry woman.
Ashton just shrugged. It didn't matter how long, as long as Sam would live.
The boy straightened up and looked over his shoulder to the murmuring demons behind him before looking back at Sam. "That will depend on you." The boy said and crossed his arms again.
The next thing Sam knew, she was standing in the dark staring at a rock wall. She blinked and fell back into a heap on the floor. All her senses were off kilter from the quick transport, and she felt woozy for a few seconds. It passed though, and she was able to focus on her surroundings.
It was oddly familiar to see the rock wall and ceiling. She studied the dirt she was still sitting on and ran her fingers over the loose pebbles. "I know this." She decided and turned, trying to see into the darkness.
The cavern looked exactly as she now remembered. It seemed to stretch out in both directions forever. Only a little light that she never could discern the source of, helped her look about the area and spot her unconscious companion.
On hands and knees she crawled the few feet to Ashton, dead to the world, but only in sleep. Her senses, and the fact that he was not dust, told her he was simply asleep. Gently, she shook him. "Ashton?" She looked around. Someone would be coming. If she was right, two some-ones. "Ashton, get up."
"Earthbound demons tend to take time waking." A female voice said from behind the crouched slayer.
"Yes, a few minutes and he'll be fine." Another voice agreed.
Sam craned her neck to see two demon sisters. They wore the same brilliant blue robes and had the same tight skin she remembered from years ago.
Sam eyed the women a moment before looking back to Ashton. She shook him once more and received her first response. A grumbling vampire.
"Hit over the head." She managed to make out between jumbled syllables and watched when he grabbed his head.
"No, you weren't hit over the head." Sam explained and helped Ashton to his feet.
He pushed himself up, letting Sam take some of the weight while he regained his center of gravity. He took in his surroundings and stared back at Sam. She didn't seem confused, or displaced. Sam gave him a gentle smile and looked back to the demons waiting. He followed her gaze to the demon twins he soon recognized.
All at once, memories long ago lost flooded back into his head. He'd been here before. Twice that he was sure of.
Once, so long ago when he saved the boy, and another time, not a decade before. He stared at Sam and shook his head. "We met here."
She nodded slowly. "I remember. Not all of it, but I remember."
"It was as it should be." The first sister stepped up to the couple. "To keep al is it should be. And for your efforts you have been returned."
The second sister moved to her twin's side. "You have earned what was promised. A gift for each of you."
Ashton was still trying to make sense of all the new visions in his head. Slowly, he recalled more visits. Short, almost as though they were checking up on him.
The Shunned went back to his homeland, after he saved the boy and became taboo to other vampires, because it was where he was comfortable.
His un-life alone was more easily managed in a place where he knew how to acquire blood. He'd given up human so long ago that the taste seemed to foreign to recall. He only left Russia to check in on his human friends, the families that had sprouted from that small boy's life. The branches had spread too much for him to follow over the years, but the ones that remained in Europe he had watched over.
Over the years he had blackouts, now h e knew they were visits to Akoshta. He went missing for days, then found himself traveling to London. This was where he became more familiar with the Karavits family. He'd known Mike when he was a toddler.
But before Mike turned ten, Ashton once again went back to his home in Russia.
The most recent visit to the sisters was the one Ashton could see in his head with the most clarity. The moment he saw the young girl who would be called.
In that visit, he didn't just travel to London, he prepared for it. He took time finding a flat and also another home more fitting a demon. Even while he prepared to become a resident, he didn't know why. Just that he had to be there.
Once he met Sam on the streets, there was no going back. He found himself following her. Where the slayer was, he shadowed her. He tried to protect her, and had no idea why. Just that he should. A very disturbing thought when you were once known as one of the most powerful Master Vampires at one time.
But still he did.
Now, he stood again, by this girl, now a woman, trying to figure out what the next step should be. What gifts to ask for, and in it all the words of the little boy representing The Powers echoed in his head. "Not Long."
"But, what about what The Powers told us?" Ashton asked the demons.
The second sister shook her head. "We are not privy to discussions with The Powers, but, keep in mind that our gift can not overrule their wishes."
Now it was Sam's turn to be lost. "What does that mean? And why don't you know what they told us."
"What they do not share, we do not know. We know of your history, and much of your possible futures, but we are only given this information. What The Powers do not wish us to know, we do not." The first sister ran through it like she'd read the statement in an instruction manual.
"And we are not meant to know their stipulations." The second sister finished.
"They told us we would bernbackdolmer." Sam said, then crossed her eyes bewildered. She looked back at the sisters. "What was that?"
"We are not meant to know." The second sister repeated.
Sam looked back up to Ashton only to see him trying to hold in laughter.
"Oh yeah. Real funny." Sam rolled her eyes and looked back to the sisters. "Can we have some time to decide?"
The sisters shared a quick glance before nodding, and disappeared.
At this point, Ashton couldn't even muster the good graces to be shocked when the sisters vanished from sight. He just looked back to Sam wondering what was going to happen next.
Apparently Sam was wondering the same thing. "So, now what?"
Ashton shrugged. "I have no idea."
Sam began to pace. "Well we get the wishes, but you aren't immortal. The boy said you don't have long."
Ashton considered the statement. "Compared to what?" Ashton asked. "To an immortal being, a human life-span is not that long."
Sam smiled up at him. "You're right. They didn't say you had to die now, just that you would, someday."
"And that was a problem every time you insisted on patrolling until the sun rose." He chuckled at her.
She shook her head. "Then what should we wish for?"
He thought a moment and grinned. "We have two wishes. One each?"
"Yes." She nodded. "But if I remember correctly, they must coincide. Connect or be equal." She shook her head again. "Something, related?"
"What were you going to wish for?" He asked her simply.
She shrugged. "I'm not sure. To be able to live, I suppose. To have the chance to grow old."
He nodded in understanding. "Then we should wish for your life."
"No, not just mine. Ours." She added.
"Then we wish to live our lives-"
"Our natural lives. Together." She smiled up at him.
The small gesture, and change of wording made him smile again. But he soon grew serious and drew out the crystal hidden in his jackets inner breast pocket. "We still must get this to the Tomar. They have to complete the vortex made in Buffy's future."
Sam smiled when she saw that he held it. "How did you get it away from them?"
He tucked the crystal back into his pocket. "The demon was a little worn at the time."
Sam couldn't help but shake her head at him. "If Emerson's notes were accurate, The Tomar attempt to open the portal just days after Buffy and Spike left their time. That's nearly 60 years."
Ashton considered this. "It would be pushing the limits of a natural life." He pointed to himself. "I was just short of my thirtieth. That would make me 90 years of age. An abnormal age to live to in my day to say the least."
"It still is." Sam agreed. "Well have to ask that we can be present, if for no reason than to finish what we started." But then Sam thought of another problem. "But this is before Spike and Buffy's time. At least Buffy's. They might not even know why we want to be there."
Ashton hadn't considered it, but if what the sisters said about their limited information, it was in all likely-hood, true. "Alright, without mentioning them, we need to ask to be able to bring them home."
The vampire furrowed his brow and seemed to be studying the rock above him as he thought of how to word the second part of the wish. "Possibly, to be given the power to complete the mission that brought us here? Since the closing of the portal seems to have been the final task." He asked, and waited for Sam's approval of the wording."
"Not given the power." She shook her head and tried to work out the wording in her head. "Its not our powers we will need, it's the power that can be provided. The crystal."
Ashton nodded, understanding. "Then ,to be allowed to provide the power to complete the task." He stated.
"I think that is specific enough, without giving away the reason." She agreed then shook her head and tried not to laugh.
Ashton was surprised by her emotional state. "What is it?"
The Slayer couldn't stop from chuckling when she spoke. "It's just that, even in earning a retirement, I'm setting myself up for another mission."
He gave her a gentle smile, just as the twins reappeared. He took Sam's hand in his and gave it a squeeze before leaning down to her and brushing her lips with his and grinning again. "It is who you are. You are The Slayer."
"Have you decided?" The first sister asked from her position next to the second.
The couple turned. "We have."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
While an alley in London during WWII boasted the decaying corpses of demons, and a troupe of people bounded towards a battle in Sunnydale, 2002, The Head of The Council of Watchers, also known as Ripper also known as Rupert and Giles but rarely both in the same sentence, walked from his parked car to a building of flats.
Giles took looked over the dilapidated building as he made his way towards it. The bricks of the building were worn and the steps leading to the main door were dirty, with chips of the cement landing strewn about the landing.
The wood door was warped, but it held on to the hinges with all of its strength, and the door swung open with a moaning creak. As he passed the threshold, Giles saw the inside was as badly kept as the out. The plaster that made up the hall and ceiling was also cracked and chipping. Most of the paint on the hall was gone. There was just enough at the top edge of the wall for one to see it had once been a light green.
The floor was plain cement, with remnant of what had once been carpeting. Old tacks in boards lined the floor's edge, a dangerous impediment for anyone with thin soles under their feet.
The main hall lead past several doors to a dead end. To The Watcher's left were stairs that led up to the levels that made up the six story building. After checking again the address on the slip of paper he held, he headed up the worn wood stair, holding tightly to the banister in fear the wood beneath him would give at any moment.
When he reached the third floor he saw a hall that closely matched the hall on the main floor. Five doors lined either side of the hall. Each with a number nailed to it. As he walked down the hall he became aware of an odd smell. An odor he could only truly remember smelling once. When Buffy's mother decided to display a particular mask in her bedroom. One that cause a zombie cat to appear and sink up his library.
Immediately Giles picked up his pace and stopped at the last red door with pealing paint. Quentin's flat.
Before he knocked, he went over the speech again in his head. He was going to give this man a piece of his mind, and find out what he thought he was doing. Possibly hit him, although the moral part of him kept trying to talk him out of that idea.
Finally he knocked and waited. No one else seemed to be around, so when no answer came, he knocked more strenuously.
Still, there was no answer, so he tried the doorknob to find it unlocked. He poked his head in and looked around a small dark room holding one worn brown couch and a small table with a lamp beside it. "Quentin?"
Giles waited again for a response, but none came so he stepped inside and latched the door behind him. "Quentin Travers?" He called again and made his way into the main room. From his vantage point he saw the small kitchenette at the far end of the room, a door to the right that he thought must lead to a bathroom, and another door slightly open that revealed another dark room he assumed must be the bedroom.
Quentin Looked around again and took notice of the few trinkets that The Ex- Head had managed to bring with him. A statue of a vampire, a stack of leather bound books, and a sword Giles vaguely remembered being told once belonged to a slayer.
The other thing he noticed was the smell. It was stronger in the apartment that it was in the hall. So Giles walked towards the bedroom and gave the ajar door a little push, allowing it to open slowly.
When there was enough room to see into it, Giles gasped. "My God." And walked to the bed.
Beneath the quilt was the prone figure of Quentin. Dead for at least a day, most likely passed in his sleep. The maggots crawling in his gaping mouth gave Giles the information for the first deduction. The second was made by the fact that nothing seemed out of the ordinary, other than the fact that Mr. Travers was dressed in pajama's and in bed, but would never be getting up again.
Without even considering that this man had caused so many problems in his life, Giles reached up and shut the glassy open eyes, then pulled the quilt up over his old friend's head.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
OK, now for all who were hoping to see a big Giles kills or hurts Quentin scene, I quite frankly thought it gave Ol' Mr. Travers a little more glory than I wanted him to have. I think the saddest way to pass on is alone. This being my personal opinion, I went with it.
Hope I don't offend.
