A/N : Glad people are still reading this and enjoying it. Just another two or three chapters to go now. The title of this chapter may look a little familiar, since it's almost an episode title (season 1 episode 12 for anyone who doesn't remember). Hope you like it, hope you review it ;-)
(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)
Chapter 18 - Prophecy Girls
A distant ringing sound brought Buffy out of her light slumber. She shifted a little and opened her eyes, her mind starting to remember where she was and what was going on. She snuggled closer to the man beside her, her love, her Spike, wanting just to ignore all the weird stuff in her life for a moment and just be peaceful there with William, but her movement had caused him to stir too.
"Hey, pet" the bleach blond yawned, "You awake?"
"No" she answered, her voice muffled by his shoulder that her head lay against.
"Liar" he smiled, kissing the top of her head and she giggled.
"Maybe" she conceded, looking up at him, "But I want to stay here forever"
"Nice idea, luv" Spike smiled down at her, "but hardly practical"
"I know" she admitted, pulling herself up a little more, "it's just with everything that's going on..."
"Don't worry about me, luv" Spike interrupted, "I'll be fine"
"Not just you" Buffy said quietly, pulling herself up to a sitting position and looking straight at the man she loved, "Spike...you asked me before what was wrong but I never got a chance to tell you...I'm not the Slayer anymore"
The look on Spike's face was somewhere between confused, surprised and some other indistinguishable emotion.
"How?" was the only word he could say.
"Something happened on the tower" Buffy explained "the day you..." she couldn't say 'died'... "the day we beat Glory" she said instead, "it shifted my Slayer power...to Dawn"
"My Little Bit?" Spike all but gasped, "is a Slayer?"
Buffy merely nodded as a light knock came on the door.
"Buffy? It's Willow, can I come in?"
"Sure Will, come in" the ex-Slayer called as Spike lay still dumbfounded and speechless for now.
"Hey, you feeling better Spike?" the witch smiled when she saw her newly human friend looked a little better.
"Not so bad, Red" he forced a smile, but his head was swimming with the revelation about his two favourite girls.
"Thing is, that was the phone, Angel answered it" Willow explained, "the gang are coming over in a few minutes to decipher the scroll that Angel told us about"
Buffy nodded, "I'll be down in a few"
"Okay" came the simpler reply as Willow exited the room again, closing the door behind her.
"Wow" was all Spike could say when the ex-Slayer looked over at him for some kind of reaction.
"Yeah, kind of a big" Buffy shrugged, "Angel brought a scroll thingy, supposed to have a prophecy on it about the whole Slayer skills switch deal...I should go down"
Buffy stood to leave but Spike grabbed her hand, he could see what she was feeling, he'd felt it himself not long after he'd been chipped as a vampire. That feeling of having no purpose, no meaning to your existence, because it had all just been snatched away from you.
"This doesn't change anything, Buffy" he told her carefully, "You'll always be my Slayer" he promised her with a smile, as tears filled her eyes, "You're the Slayer of my heart"
She smiled a little at that before leaning down and placing a gentle kiss on his lips.
"Thankyou Spike" she whispered, "That means a lot to me"
With that she pulled her hand from his and made for the door in silence. It really did mean a lot to her, knowing that he still cared but there was still that feeling of being lost that she couldn't shake...but it would pass, she was sure, and maybe it wasn't a permenant thing anyway, maybe she'd get her powers back, they'd find out when they'd deciphered the scroll Angel had brought.
When she got downstairs everyone was just arriving and she was glad to be surrounded by people again, it took her mind off her worries.
After general greetings and asking after Spike's welfare, it didn't take the extra large Scooby gang long to set to work on the scroll. All squashed in around the dining room table surrounded by books and obviously with all sources of sunlight covered for Angel's safety, the group did their best to uncover the secrets of the latest hard-to-decipher writing.
"See the problem isn't just the translation" Angel explained "the words are half worn away, it'd barely be readable even in English"
Giles took the paper from the vampire.
"Yes, I do see why that would make things difficult...the words do seem to be Greek though" he realised.
"Yeah" Angel nodded "like I told Buffy, I worked some of it out before, but as soon as realised it was about Buffy's Slayer powers I came straight here, figured you guys could do the rest"
"So what do have so far?" Willow asked and Angel produced a second piece of paper, this one clearly much newer than the first, and began to read the translation.
"Well, I think I have most of the first sentence, er, 'the chosen strength, protector of the mouth of hell in the valley of the sun shall give greatest strength as...' something about giving up life but that's when the text gets hard to read"
"So, translation into real words" said Xander "all that says is the Buffster is gonna lose her Slayer super-powers?"
"And possibly my life?" Buffy added with some concern.
"We don't know that for sure" Angel was quick to reply.
"And we never will if we can't read anymore of this text" Giles realised, moving the scroll forward and back in front of his face hoping to bring the words into focus but having no luck at all. His attempts were interrupted by the happy cry of Willow.
"Oh, I think we can help" she smiled, gesturing between herself and Tara.
"What d'you got?" Xander asked the grinning red-head and her girlfriend.
"A-a spell" Tara said quietly "a pretty simple one actually, it's called 'Reconstituez et Indiquez'"
"Reconstitute and indicate?" Buffy guessed.
"Well yeah" Willow told her "but basically, 'Restore and Reveal. It's a spell that restores old and worn writings and pictures, brings the old marks to the surface so they can be seen or read more easily" she explained.
"Ah, yes" Giles nodded "why didn't I think of that, no ingredients needed if I remember rightly"
"No" Tara answered him "just incantation and concentration"
"Hey, you're a poet and you don't know it" Dawn giggled causing several eye rolls at her childish behaviour.
"Yes, indeed" Giles sighed "well, do you think you could concentrate and incantate for us now?" he asked the Wicca couple.
"Oh sure" Willow smiled, taking hold of Tara's hand. A few Latin words and some witch-type focus and the writing magically appeared clear as it had ever been when it had been originally written.
"Great" Anya grinned at the text "now my Greek knowing skills can be much better used" she was pleased to be of use for once "I mean, my ancient languages are a little rusty but..."
"Yes, mine too" Giles admitted "but we have the dictionary and the basic gist of the information, so it shouldn't take long"
"And that's a good thing" the ex-demon smiled some more "cos Xander and I kind of have plans of a sex kind"
"Ahn..." Xander sighed with annoyance and embarrassment.
"What?" she asked, looking confused at the tone he said her name in - what was it she was supposed to have done wrong? She'd only told the truth?
"Please, can we deal with the matter in hand?" Giles asked, clearly not wanting to hear whatever Anya might like to say.
"Sorry" she apologised, looking down at the table, only wishing she understood why humans made such a big deal about telling the truth if they were just going to complain when she did it.
"Okay then, what's this word here?" Willow asked, placing her finger below the strange word.
"Er...black" Xander told her, after much flicking of the pages of the Greek-to-English translation dictionary.
"Black?" the red-head echoed "Okay, so Buffy will give her powers as the black something gives life" she interpreted "What's the something?" she wondered aloud.
Angel managed to pronounce the odd word they needed "I think that's soldier or fighter?" he tried to remember, looking to Giles for some clue as to whether he was right or not.
"Erm, I think a good translation might be warrior?" the Watcher made his own guess.
"Okay so who's the black warrior?" Xander was eager to discover the answer to the long and boring riddle and go home, with Anya, for the unmentionable stuff that she'd almost mentioned before.
"Beats me" Buffy shrugged "a demon?" she guessed form the word black "But a demon wouldn't give it's life for me or Dawn"
"Hey" Willow had a thought "a former demon-y guy might" she smiled, pointing upward, and realisation dawned on everyone elses face, followed a few seconds later by Xander.
"Spike?" Buffy said aloud "Well, I guess it could be..."
"I have some more..." Anya smiled as she realised she remembered more Greek than she thought "I'm not sure of the first word" she admitted "but '...shall rise to bring hope and peace for...' " she frowned and grabbed the dictionary from Xander "hold on...'saviours of...'" she figured out before becoming stuck again. Angel leaned over her shoulder and finished for her.
"That's 'light and dark'" he pointed out.
"S-so what's th-the first word?" Tara stammered as she always did "W-who will rise to bring the, er, hope and peace?"
Angel read the word aloud, as if it were answer enough "that's Greek for Aurora" he explained off of everyone else's blank expression, with the possible exception of Giles "It wouldn't be in the dictionary because it's a persons name"
"It's a pretty name" Dawn thought aloud "better that boring 'Dawn'" she complained.
"Hate to burst your bubble Dawn" Angel smiled at her typical grumpy teen attitude, reminding him a little of the Buffy he once knew "but Aurora was the goddess of light and new beginnings, translated into English..."
"It means Dawn?" Buffy guessed.
The vampire nodded that she was correct.
"Well, this doesn't say anymore than we already know. Dawn has my powers" Buffy said flatly, no expression on her face or in her voice at all.
"Yeah, but what about the black warrior?"
"Well, Aurora, that's Dawn, gets my power and brings hope and peace for her saviours, who would be me and I guess Spike, since the Slayer is light and vampires are dark, usually" Buffy surprised herself at how well she seemed to explain.
"So what's the last line all about?"
"That's what bothers me"
"Well, it says black warrior again right here" Willow pointed to the appropriate piece of writing.
"Okay, more about the former evil dead" Xander translated into his own words, with a grin.
"I told you he likes to be centre of attention" Angel smiled at Buffy but she really wasn't listening, and Giles was growing tired of the jokes and general banter when there was Greek prophecies to decipher.
"Yes, quite, now then.." he brought all attention to himself as he translated the final part "'the, er, black warrior soft...softened by the lights surrounding him shall rise again'"
"Wow" Dawn gasped "we made a prophecy come true when we brought back Spike!"
"It was meant to be" Buffy whispered more to herself that to anyone else "he was meant to come back to me..."
"What's the last part say?" Xander wanted to know, eager for the translation to be done so he could go home.
"Let's see..." Giles continued "'shall rise again as protector and guide to Aurora and Chosen"
"He did" Dawn grinned, turning to her sister "He came back for us, Buffy"
"I know" Buffy nodded slowly as a smile spread over her face "I'm stating to think he does everything for us"
"Because I do" said a voice from the doorway and every head turned to see a slightly worse for wear looking bleach blond. he was fully clothed but also had a blanket around him and even this did not stop him from shivering.
"Spike!" Dawn yelled, jumping from her seat and flinging herself at the former vampire, almost knocking him clean over with her new Slayer strengths.
"Hey Nibblet" Spike smiled, hugging her back and ruffling her hair.
"Spike, you should be in bed" Buffy said sternly, getting up from her seat and coming over to him.
"Well, luv" he smirked "I'll let you put me back there later if you're a good girl, but right now I think I'll do just fine on the couch with, say, a mug of hot chocolate?"
Buffy considered for a moment but she knew she couldn't resist letting him have at least a little of his own way.
"You can sit there while I make your drink" she conceded "but then back upstairs mister" she ordered, guiding him into the living room to sit down "I may not be the Slayer anymore but I can still kick your ass in your current state"
"Don't make promises you won't keep, luv" he smirked again, as the rest of the gang filtered into the living room "So I'm prophetic now am I?" Spike asked before looking straight at Angel "Not a word, Peaches" he knew his ex-grandsire would love the opportunity to make a joke out of him.
"Wasn't gonna say a thing" Angel forced down a smirk "kind of surprised Xander didn't though..." he frowned a little, looking over at the brunette who remained silent.
"Me and the whelp got kind of a truce" Spike explained as Buffy disappeared to the kitchen to make his hot chocolate "what with him helping with the mojo that brought me back from the beyond" he shrugged "'sides I feel less anti social these days, towards some people anyway" he mumbled and almost growled the last part and everyone saw a fight coming.
"Getting back to the matter in hand if I may" Giles interrupted as he entered the room with the scroll in one hand and an open book balanced in the other "it seems quite clear now that Dawn definitely does have the Slayer skills that used to belong to Buffy. It's all highly irregular" he concluded closing the book and flopping down in a chair near Spike.
"I think it's cool" the youngest Summers grinned, taking a seat next to the still shivering Spike "and Buffy and Spike are supposed to be together forever and be my personal helper type people"
"Well, sort of, yes" Giles conceded, removing his glasses to clean them on a handkerchief.
"Well, if all the fun researching is over, maybe me and Ahn could make a move" Xander suggested.
"That's a very good idea" Anya nodded and smiled, enthusiastically, "We should go home and have many orgasms right now"
Everyone's eyes were on a very mortified Xander, who was far too embarrassed to say anything. He just nodded to his friends and got Anya out of the door as fast as possible.
"Oh, we should go too" Willow gasped, checking her watch, "We have class" she reminded Tara, "I almost totally forgot"
Almost immediately the girls were gone, along with Giles who offered to drive them to the college to save them some time. This left only Buffy, Dawn, Spike, Angel and an uncomfortable silence at 1630 Revello Drive.
To Be Continued...
