Title: The Frozen Chosen
Author: T. Brewer
Rating: PG for now
Summary: AU Season Six, Buffy didn't die at the tower but Glory still got her butt kicked. Now there's a new danger looming on the horizon, Buffy, Dawn, Willow, and Giles head to face it in the cold lands due north. But wait, there's a face missing! (dum, dum, duuuuummmm!) Follow their adventures as they head up north to slay among the frozen chozen.
A/N: I messed with the timeline a bit so that The Gift would have taken place August 15th rather then the traditional May 22nd.
Chapter the First: In which the plot is outlined.
The Magic Box was quiet, everything was quiet recently. The main room had only Buffy and Willow in it, Giles had put in a brief appearance to give Willow some stock to shelve before returning to his office to index an old Watcher's Diary. When Buffy looked around the silent room she smiled, days like these were far to rare, especially after the terror that had marked the rise and fall of Glorificus. Looking around again Buffy's smile fell, there were a few faces missing. Dawn was still in the hospital recovering from her doc inflicted injuries, Tara had fled the Hellmouth as soon has her mind was well enough to permit it, and Spike. Spike had disappeared almost as soon as the fight with Glory had finished. He had looked once into Buffy's eyes as she and Dawn hobbled down the tower and simply fled, no one had seen him since. It had been a week and still the look of failure and sorrow in his eyes haunted Buffy's thoughts almost more then Glory ever had.
Lost in her thoughts Buffy didn't notice Giles walk out of his back office cleaning his glasses.
"Buffy." A sad smile passed the watchers lips when the slayer nearly jumped out of her skin at his greeting.
"Sorry Giles," the slayer said, "just thinking. About... Stuff. What did you need?"
After a moment's consideration Giles decided to tell his slayer everything he had found.
"Buffy," he began. "I found something in the diary I was indexing. A prophesy."
Buffy sighed, in the past she would have fought her duty but now she simply asked him to continue.
"Where the sun never sets, 'till cold falls,
Where Hazelwood brought Bleigh's death,
Shall, 128 days from the Beasts fall, rise
The Devourer of Worlds."
Willow looked up, "Hazelwood? As in Capitan Hazelwood? As in the Exxon Valdez?"
Giles smiled, trust Willow not to miss a trick, "Yes Willow, the prophesy refers to Joe Hazelwood, Capitan of the tanker that ran aground on Bleigh's Reef, near Valdez, Alaska."
Buffy blanched, "Please don't tell me that I'm going to Alaska, there's penguins there, and snow, and large enclaves of people brandishing shotguns."
"No Buffy, I promise, no penguins."
"That wasn't nice Giles, threatening me with cold weather."
"Uh Buffy," Willow began, "Penguins live in the southern hemisphere, there wouldn't be any in Alaska, except maybe in zoos."
"Oh," Buffy looked crestfallen, "damn." She muttered to her self for a few moments, Willow and Giles caught a few words about smart ass watchers and know it all red heads. With a look of defeat Buffy turned to her watcher, "When do we leave?"
"Well Buffy," Giles began, "before we can go we need to decide who will stay and who will go with you."
"Well me, obviously, and I'm not leaving Dawn behind, it'll do her some good to get away for awhile anyway. You should probably go, being my watcher and all. Willow, we'll need for magical support. Xander and Anya though. They'll probably want to stay here, and someone will need to keep an eye on the Hellmouth and the shop."
Giles was glad his slayer was taking charge. She had been in such a state recently, having lost her mother and almost losing her sister over such a short period of time. "We'll start the trip as soon as Dawn is out of the hospital."
"Let's hope she's out soon then" Willow said, "it's going to be a long drive."
"Drive? Oh Wills, I hope this is another bad joke."
"She's right Buffy, even combined we don't have the funds to fly up to Alaska on such short notice. Especially since we don't know when Dawn will be released."
"Okay, okay, I get it," Buffy sighed. "So as soon as Dawnie's out of the hospital we start driving. But in what? We sold mom's SUV, and I don't think we'll all fit in your little red midlife crisis, Giles."
Giles looked at Buffy like she had just insulted his honor rather then his car. "My car is more then just a salve for my midlife crisis."
"My Mom has an Excursion!" Willow interrupted Giles indignant tirade before things got out of hand. "And I think if we ask her nicely she'll let us use it."
"An Excursion?"
"It's an SAV Giles"
"SAV?"
"Suburban Assault Vehicle, it seats eight people, plus enough stuff to drive them around the world like four times."
"Ah, one of those behemoths that hog the road and drive smaller cars off the shoulder."
"Yeah, one of those."
"Well if we could use your mother's Excursion that would be ideal."
"I'll talk to her tonight, I'm supposed to go over to my parents house for dinner anyway."
Buffy looked to Willow in shock, the redhead had hardly seen her parents since her high school graduation. "When did this happen Wills?"
"I didn't tell you?" Willow said, looking contrite, "I've been talking to my mom since Tara left and she invited me to dinner. I guess I just forgot to mention it."
"You're forgiven this time Wills," Buffy told her best friend with a smirk,"I'm glad you're talking to your folks again."
"Yeah, me too. It's just weird you know. After not talking to me for so long they want to see me again."
Giles smiled at Willow, "They probably miss you as much as you miss them"
"Either that or they're vampires and you aren't so much invited to dinner as invited to be dinner."
Willow rolled her eyes. "Buffy, that's not funny."
"Who's making funnies? I'm serious. We all know what the Hellmouth likes to do to Hallmark moments. Take a cross and stake or a Menorah and stake."
"A cross would be sufficient, as long as the vampire in question recognizes the religious significance of the item they will react to it."
"Guys! My parents aren't vampires! I saw my mom at Fred Meyers the other day! At noon!"
"Was she in the meat section?"
"Buffy!"
"Sorry Wills, but this is the Hellmouth."
"Yeah, yeah, I'll take a stake, but if I have to stake my parents I am not going to be a happy witch!"
Giles looked up at the clock over the counter and began shooing the girls out of the shop. "Buffy, I will see you here at three-thirty tomorrow for training."
"Yes sir mister watcher, sir." Buffy said with a mock salute.
Giles rolled his eyes, "And Willow I hope you enjoy your family dinner, don't think to much on securing your mothers tank, if we can't use her vehicle we will simply find one somewhere else."
Willow smiled at the watcher, "Thanks Giles, have a good evening."
With their farewells said, Buffy and Willow left Giles to clean up the shop.
Author: T. Brewer
Rating: PG for now
Summary: AU Season Six, Buffy didn't die at the tower but Glory still got her butt kicked. Now there's a new danger looming on the horizon, Buffy, Dawn, Willow, and Giles head to face it in the cold lands due north. But wait, there's a face missing! (dum, dum, duuuuummmm!) Follow their adventures as they head up north to slay among the frozen chozen.
A/N: I messed with the timeline a bit so that The Gift would have taken place August 15th rather then the traditional May 22nd.
Chapter the First: In which the plot is outlined.
The Magic Box was quiet, everything was quiet recently. The main room had only Buffy and Willow in it, Giles had put in a brief appearance to give Willow some stock to shelve before returning to his office to index an old Watcher's Diary. When Buffy looked around the silent room she smiled, days like these were far to rare, especially after the terror that had marked the rise and fall of Glorificus. Looking around again Buffy's smile fell, there were a few faces missing. Dawn was still in the hospital recovering from her doc inflicted injuries, Tara had fled the Hellmouth as soon has her mind was well enough to permit it, and Spike. Spike had disappeared almost as soon as the fight with Glory had finished. He had looked once into Buffy's eyes as she and Dawn hobbled down the tower and simply fled, no one had seen him since. It had been a week and still the look of failure and sorrow in his eyes haunted Buffy's thoughts almost more then Glory ever had.
Lost in her thoughts Buffy didn't notice Giles walk out of his back office cleaning his glasses.
"Buffy." A sad smile passed the watchers lips when the slayer nearly jumped out of her skin at his greeting.
"Sorry Giles," the slayer said, "just thinking. About... Stuff. What did you need?"
After a moment's consideration Giles decided to tell his slayer everything he had found.
"Buffy," he began. "I found something in the diary I was indexing. A prophesy."
Buffy sighed, in the past she would have fought her duty but now she simply asked him to continue.
"Where the sun never sets, 'till cold falls,
Where Hazelwood brought Bleigh's death,
Shall, 128 days from the Beasts fall, rise
The Devourer of Worlds."
Willow looked up, "Hazelwood? As in Capitan Hazelwood? As in the Exxon Valdez?"
Giles smiled, trust Willow not to miss a trick, "Yes Willow, the prophesy refers to Joe Hazelwood, Capitan of the tanker that ran aground on Bleigh's Reef, near Valdez, Alaska."
Buffy blanched, "Please don't tell me that I'm going to Alaska, there's penguins there, and snow, and large enclaves of people brandishing shotguns."
"No Buffy, I promise, no penguins."
"That wasn't nice Giles, threatening me with cold weather."
"Uh Buffy," Willow began, "Penguins live in the southern hemisphere, there wouldn't be any in Alaska, except maybe in zoos."
"Oh," Buffy looked crestfallen, "damn." She muttered to her self for a few moments, Willow and Giles caught a few words about smart ass watchers and know it all red heads. With a look of defeat Buffy turned to her watcher, "When do we leave?"
"Well Buffy," Giles began, "before we can go we need to decide who will stay and who will go with you."
"Well me, obviously, and I'm not leaving Dawn behind, it'll do her some good to get away for awhile anyway. You should probably go, being my watcher and all. Willow, we'll need for magical support. Xander and Anya though. They'll probably want to stay here, and someone will need to keep an eye on the Hellmouth and the shop."
Giles was glad his slayer was taking charge. She had been in such a state recently, having lost her mother and almost losing her sister over such a short period of time. "We'll start the trip as soon as Dawn is out of the hospital."
"Let's hope she's out soon then" Willow said, "it's going to be a long drive."
"Drive? Oh Wills, I hope this is another bad joke."
"She's right Buffy, even combined we don't have the funds to fly up to Alaska on such short notice. Especially since we don't know when Dawn will be released."
"Okay, okay, I get it," Buffy sighed. "So as soon as Dawnie's out of the hospital we start driving. But in what? We sold mom's SUV, and I don't think we'll all fit in your little red midlife crisis, Giles."
Giles looked at Buffy like she had just insulted his honor rather then his car. "My car is more then just a salve for my midlife crisis."
"My Mom has an Excursion!" Willow interrupted Giles indignant tirade before things got out of hand. "And I think if we ask her nicely she'll let us use it."
"An Excursion?"
"It's an SAV Giles"
"SAV?"
"Suburban Assault Vehicle, it seats eight people, plus enough stuff to drive them around the world like four times."
"Ah, one of those behemoths that hog the road and drive smaller cars off the shoulder."
"Yeah, one of those."
"Well if we could use your mother's Excursion that would be ideal."
"I'll talk to her tonight, I'm supposed to go over to my parents house for dinner anyway."
Buffy looked to Willow in shock, the redhead had hardly seen her parents since her high school graduation. "When did this happen Wills?"
"I didn't tell you?" Willow said, looking contrite, "I've been talking to my mom since Tara left and she invited me to dinner. I guess I just forgot to mention it."
"You're forgiven this time Wills," Buffy told her best friend with a smirk,"I'm glad you're talking to your folks again."
"Yeah, me too. It's just weird you know. After not talking to me for so long they want to see me again."
Giles smiled at Willow, "They probably miss you as much as you miss them"
"Either that or they're vampires and you aren't so much invited to dinner as invited to be dinner."
Willow rolled her eyes. "Buffy, that's not funny."
"Who's making funnies? I'm serious. We all know what the Hellmouth likes to do to Hallmark moments. Take a cross and stake or a Menorah and stake."
"A cross would be sufficient, as long as the vampire in question recognizes the religious significance of the item they will react to it."
"Guys! My parents aren't vampires! I saw my mom at Fred Meyers the other day! At noon!"
"Was she in the meat section?"
"Buffy!"
"Sorry Wills, but this is the Hellmouth."
"Yeah, yeah, I'll take a stake, but if I have to stake my parents I am not going to be a happy witch!"
Giles looked up at the clock over the counter and began shooing the girls out of the shop. "Buffy, I will see you here at three-thirty tomorrow for training."
"Yes sir mister watcher, sir." Buffy said with a mock salute.
Giles rolled his eyes, "And Willow I hope you enjoy your family dinner, don't think to much on securing your mothers tank, if we can't use her vehicle we will simply find one somewhere else."
Willow smiled at the watcher, "Thanks Giles, have a good evening."
With their farewells said, Buffy and Willow left Giles to clean up the shop.