"So you're telling me that this 'Reine furcht' is the personification of
pure fear and is coming to Sunnydale. So we have to call on all of the
trained potential slayers to fight it?" Buffy stared disbelievingly at
Giles. The information of the last half an hour hadn't quite sunk in. She
was somewhat holding her breath, pinching herself, trying to wake up.
"Yes, but they've already been called." Giles took of his glasses and placed them on the table. "Buffy you have to understand this part. You're sub-conscious already knew that it's coming, it put out the call long ago. That's how Faith knew to come."
"My mind's thinking on it's own now?" Buffy snapped back to reality and realised the error in her last rhetoric. "I mean. I don't know what I meant."
"This is a lot to take in. But we must act quickly. I can not enforce how imperative it is that this situation is put above all others. This isn't even a force that we can see, it only takes form when it's becoming that which you fear the most. It can delve into your deepest, most secret thoughts and exploit you, tear you apart from the inside."
"How am I supposed to fight it?" She sat herself down in one of the chairs that took permanent residence around the table. "If I can't see it. it can't have a heart or head to stick pointy things into. right?" She looked up into Giles' eyes.
"Exactly. We need to research." He placed a palm on back as a gesture of comfort. Worry etched into his face like a Sioux carving.
"Willow?"
"Dawn as well. She's not as clueless as we take her for. I believe she has the makings of a incredible watcher, or even a witch." Giles stated matter- of-factly.
"Let's not get too ahead of ourselves." Buffy sighed and brought her hands up to apply pressure to her temples. She could feel the beginnings of a nasty headache coming on. "Can you explain to me how you know Kennedy Lewis?"
"I knew her watcher. Before, well, he was killed. a few years ago now. A great man, Edward. One of the best in our field. So excited when he was assigned the next in line, after Faith of course. Didn't know it would be his downfall." Giles rubbed his eyelids with his index finger and thumb, putting pressure on the ridge of his nose. He could feel the headache brewing. "How about we find everyone somewhere to sleep?"
"Ok. Ummm. I'll get Willow onto it." Buffy rose from her chair, took a few steps towards the doorway before spinning on her heal and facing Giles again, uncertainty gracing her features, asked, "Am I going to die again?"
Giles couldn't help but laugh. Her glare brought him back to earth. "No, I'm serious! I have this habit of dying!"
"Buffy, you're strong, you can beat this. Now go, people need sleep." He motioned for her to get lost.
Unbeknownst to neither Buffy nor Giles, Kennedy had been leaning against the balustrade of the stairwell. Now she was curled up at the base of the stairs, tears silent streaming down her face. Her mouth formed the word 'Edward.'
Meanwhile in the lounge room a debate had started over who should sleep where, and whether or not the band should return to their hotel for the night.
"Really, the only person who needs to stay is Kennedy, and she's still in the bathroom, so I'm guessing she's staying, and they're leaving." Xander stated logically.
"But Kennedy will probably want her friends around, won't she?" Dawn piped up hopefully. Obviously trying to keep Michael in the house. Her eyes kept flickering over to him as she spoke.
"I say we go to the hotel, and come back early tomorrow. There's not going to be a enough room here for all of us anyway." Maria smiled down at Dawn and mouthed the word 'Sorry'.
"I guess, I makes sense. We'll go to the hotel. Ok Mike?" Cera glanced over at Michael who was sitting on the couch, sulking. His reply was to merely shrug and sigh. "That settles things. We're going to the hotel, Kennedy's staying here to be Slayer-fied."
"No. We're staying here." Michael grunted. "I'm not leaving her here with these weirdos."
"Weirdos? Excuse me Mr Hair-Care, but I ain't no weirdo. Just coz you want some of it don't make it like you." Faith snarled. "And even if I am a little abnormal don't make you the pinnacle of purity."
"Well it's getting late. So I'm gonna crash. Somewhere. Here." Michael kicked his boots off and laid down on the couch. Closing his eyes, he blocked out the world and drifted off to sleep almost instantly.
"Ahhh, sorry about him. This means we're staying, if that's ok?" Cera bit down on her bottom lip and looked at the ground.
"You two can sleep in the basement. There's a double size cot thing down there." Willow smiled and put her arm out in a guiding manner. After showing them to the basement she walked slowly back to the den, hoping to catch Kennedy as she came back down the stairs. She wasn't sure why, but the girl set off the same strange tingling sensation just by being in the room that Willow had felt the other night when Tara had told her to move on.
"Kennedy?" Willow asked as she saw the girl wrapped up in herself at the foot of the stairs. She knelt down in front of Kennedy and placed her hands gently on her shoulders. "What's wrong?"
Kennedy brought her head up and stared into Willow's mesmerising eyes. All pain and fear drained away from her for the second time that night. "I heard Buffy and Giles talking. and I don't know if I can do this. training and kicking demon ass is one thing, but an actually quest. adventure. horror. thing is something else entirely. I'm not. ready to try and save the world. I'm 19. I'm supposed to be at under-age keggers and stealing cars, not fighting for the sake of everyone else."
Willow smiled lightly and ran her palms over Kennedy's arms. Turning around she sat down on the next step up and put her hands on Kennedy's forearms, that were resting on her bend knees. "If I've learnt one thing from fighting all these apocalyptic thingies with Buffy and Xander, Dawn and Giles, is that as long as we all stick together. it can work out. As soon as one of us tries to go all hero and save the world alone, or destroying it alone depends on what road you take there, but my point is something bad always happens. So we've learnt that the strongest we are is when we're together. Stick with us, and we'll make you a hero anyway. We're the penultimate unsung heroes."
"Ok. I trust you."
"Good. Now let's find you somewhere to sleep. Michael had a burst of authority and declared that the rest of the band are staying here tonight as well. Creating a little beds problem. But it should be alright." Willow stood and extended her hand for Kennedy to take.
As she rested her fingers in Willow's grip Kennedy felt a slight shock run up her arm. A small bolt of electricity, almost enjoyable. She hoisted herself up and smiled into Willow's eyes.
"And they say that a hero can save us, I'm not gonna stand here and wait." Kennedy sang and Willow giggled.
"Funny, aren't ya?" Willow grinned, turning to face the lounge she called out, "Faith sleep with Buffy, Giles stay at Xander's. Problem solved. Night everyone."
"You're with me." Willow took Kennedy's hand and lead her towards the room that they now shared.
"Yes, but they've already been called." Giles took of his glasses and placed them on the table. "Buffy you have to understand this part. You're sub-conscious already knew that it's coming, it put out the call long ago. That's how Faith knew to come."
"My mind's thinking on it's own now?" Buffy snapped back to reality and realised the error in her last rhetoric. "I mean. I don't know what I meant."
"This is a lot to take in. But we must act quickly. I can not enforce how imperative it is that this situation is put above all others. This isn't even a force that we can see, it only takes form when it's becoming that which you fear the most. It can delve into your deepest, most secret thoughts and exploit you, tear you apart from the inside."
"How am I supposed to fight it?" She sat herself down in one of the chairs that took permanent residence around the table. "If I can't see it. it can't have a heart or head to stick pointy things into. right?" She looked up into Giles' eyes.
"Exactly. We need to research." He placed a palm on back as a gesture of comfort. Worry etched into his face like a Sioux carving.
"Willow?"
"Dawn as well. She's not as clueless as we take her for. I believe she has the makings of a incredible watcher, or even a witch." Giles stated matter- of-factly.
"Let's not get too ahead of ourselves." Buffy sighed and brought her hands up to apply pressure to her temples. She could feel the beginnings of a nasty headache coming on. "Can you explain to me how you know Kennedy Lewis?"
"I knew her watcher. Before, well, he was killed. a few years ago now. A great man, Edward. One of the best in our field. So excited when he was assigned the next in line, after Faith of course. Didn't know it would be his downfall." Giles rubbed his eyelids with his index finger and thumb, putting pressure on the ridge of his nose. He could feel the headache brewing. "How about we find everyone somewhere to sleep?"
"Ok. Ummm. I'll get Willow onto it." Buffy rose from her chair, took a few steps towards the doorway before spinning on her heal and facing Giles again, uncertainty gracing her features, asked, "Am I going to die again?"
Giles couldn't help but laugh. Her glare brought him back to earth. "No, I'm serious! I have this habit of dying!"
"Buffy, you're strong, you can beat this. Now go, people need sleep." He motioned for her to get lost.
Unbeknownst to neither Buffy nor Giles, Kennedy had been leaning against the balustrade of the stairwell. Now she was curled up at the base of the stairs, tears silent streaming down her face. Her mouth formed the word 'Edward.'
Meanwhile in the lounge room a debate had started over who should sleep where, and whether or not the band should return to their hotel for the night.
"Really, the only person who needs to stay is Kennedy, and she's still in the bathroom, so I'm guessing she's staying, and they're leaving." Xander stated logically.
"But Kennedy will probably want her friends around, won't she?" Dawn piped up hopefully. Obviously trying to keep Michael in the house. Her eyes kept flickering over to him as she spoke.
"I say we go to the hotel, and come back early tomorrow. There's not going to be a enough room here for all of us anyway." Maria smiled down at Dawn and mouthed the word 'Sorry'.
"I guess, I makes sense. We'll go to the hotel. Ok Mike?" Cera glanced over at Michael who was sitting on the couch, sulking. His reply was to merely shrug and sigh. "That settles things. We're going to the hotel, Kennedy's staying here to be Slayer-fied."
"No. We're staying here." Michael grunted. "I'm not leaving her here with these weirdos."
"Weirdos? Excuse me Mr Hair-Care, but I ain't no weirdo. Just coz you want some of it don't make it like you." Faith snarled. "And even if I am a little abnormal don't make you the pinnacle of purity."
"Well it's getting late. So I'm gonna crash. Somewhere. Here." Michael kicked his boots off and laid down on the couch. Closing his eyes, he blocked out the world and drifted off to sleep almost instantly.
"Ahhh, sorry about him. This means we're staying, if that's ok?" Cera bit down on her bottom lip and looked at the ground.
"You two can sleep in the basement. There's a double size cot thing down there." Willow smiled and put her arm out in a guiding manner. After showing them to the basement she walked slowly back to the den, hoping to catch Kennedy as she came back down the stairs. She wasn't sure why, but the girl set off the same strange tingling sensation just by being in the room that Willow had felt the other night when Tara had told her to move on.
"Kennedy?" Willow asked as she saw the girl wrapped up in herself at the foot of the stairs. She knelt down in front of Kennedy and placed her hands gently on her shoulders. "What's wrong?"
Kennedy brought her head up and stared into Willow's mesmerising eyes. All pain and fear drained away from her for the second time that night. "I heard Buffy and Giles talking. and I don't know if I can do this. training and kicking demon ass is one thing, but an actually quest. adventure. horror. thing is something else entirely. I'm not. ready to try and save the world. I'm 19. I'm supposed to be at under-age keggers and stealing cars, not fighting for the sake of everyone else."
Willow smiled lightly and ran her palms over Kennedy's arms. Turning around she sat down on the next step up and put her hands on Kennedy's forearms, that were resting on her bend knees. "If I've learnt one thing from fighting all these apocalyptic thingies with Buffy and Xander, Dawn and Giles, is that as long as we all stick together. it can work out. As soon as one of us tries to go all hero and save the world alone, or destroying it alone depends on what road you take there, but my point is something bad always happens. So we've learnt that the strongest we are is when we're together. Stick with us, and we'll make you a hero anyway. We're the penultimate unsung heroes."
"Ok. I trust you."
"Good. Now let's find you somewhere to sleep. Michael had a burst of authority and declared that the rest of the band are staying here tonight as well. Creating a little beds problem. But it should be alright." Willow stood and extended her hand for Kennedy to take.
As she rested her fingers in Willow's grip Kennedy felt a slight shock run up her arm. A small bolt of electricity, almost enjoyable. She hoisted herself up and smiled into Willow's eyes.
"And they say that a hero can save us, I'm not gonna stand here and wait." Kennedy sang and Willow giggled.
"Funny, aren't ya?" Willow grinned, turning to face the lounge she called out, "Faith sleep with Buffy, Giles stay at Xander's. Problem solved. Night everyone."
"You're with me." Willow took Kennedy's hand and lead her towards the room that they now shared.