Chapter 2: "Rest and Unrest"
Giles, Larry and Oz surround Buffy's grave. It bares no tombstone; just a mound of dirt.
Giles looks quietly somber as he begins to speak, "Does anyone have anything to say?"
Yeah, sort of," Oz pulls out a rose from his jacket, "it wasn't much, but I thought she should at least have something," he throws it down upon her grave.
"I didn't know her. We were never introduced. I really can't..." Oz cuts him off.
"She fought well. It was too quick; just doesn't feel right. You know?"
"Yes," replies Giles, but not quite directly to Oz.
"That's all I really have," Oz finishes.
"I think I'll say something. This Slayer, this girl - Buffy ... is a reminder. Not of death and the inevitable forthcoming perils and danger, but rather of what's right. It's right that we try. It's right that good occasionally conquers. We don't have anything really. We struggle through one soding situation to the next with only hope and determination; for, in the long haul we would prevail. Her death is a reminder for us to keep going. For it's not right, not right at all, to have to burry two people you know in one day. Good people shouldn't die," he pulls his glasses off and slowly wipes them clean.
Larry speaks up, "Sun will be gone in a hour. We should hop along. Those Watcher's people were going to, ah, call six-ish."
"Watcher's Council. And you're right. You two can go on ahead. I'll be there in a minute."
Oz and Larry walk off.
Giles puts his glasses back on and puts his hands in his pockets.
"This is one chapter that will be omitted from my journal. When I first was taught how to be a Watcher, I always envisioned I'd be perfect and never lose my Slayer. You may not have been mine, but I feel this ... this connection; a kismet in pathways. Perhaps we knew each other in the other reality. Perhaps things were better ... perhaps..."
He stands in the cool breeze.
All of them remain silent on the uneventful ride home. Giles stares forward, Larry looks out a window and Oz looks down at the floor board.
"Here," Oz hands Giles the receiver.
"Yes? This is Rupert Giles. You have? Thank god, I ... what did you mean?"
Oz stands there and watchers Giles talk and see his face go from excitement to disappointment.
"I don't think you seem to realize the depth of our circumstances. We're situated on a Hell Mouth. Yes, I am aware there is more than one. But the entire town has been over thrown and The Master reigns supreme. Well, how much longer do you possibly think we can wait?" he looks at Oz and then switches hands for the receiver and as turns his head away, "we are loosing. We lost two people yesterday. That's four this year alone. What the bloody hell would you have me do?! Go ahead and finish purchasing up the land around my fallen comrades?!"
Larry walks in and stands by Oz.
"That them?" he asks.
"Shhh..." replies Oz.
"Yes, I understand. Just please ... please hurry. Have a pleasant morning too. Bye," he hangs up.
"What did they say?" asks Oz.
"They don't have a Slayer ready. She's in Africa. They haven't even located her yet."
"You said they said Africa," says Larry.
"Well, they did some magicks and have a general idea of her area. Perfect, just damn well cooked up. What if she doesn't speak english? Which I guess wouldn't matter too much since they have yet to assign her a Watcher!"
"We'll make do right? We always have," comments Larry.
"Right, we'll just find another replacement," he sees Larry look down, "man, I'm sorry. I just meant..."
"It's all right, it's ... it's fine. I know I was never part of the original group; that me and Nancy were like expendable temps."
"No, it's not all right. I do believe we have precluded you inadvertently from our ... out thing, our group, our - you know, I've never really thought of exactly the name for what it is we do," says Giles.
"Save the world," replies Larry.
"Actually, I don't know about the world, but we save Sunnydale quite often," Oz says.
"Right - we save not Sunnydale, but it's people," Giles corrects.
"A few people every night," adds Oz.
Giles thinks for the first time about what little they really do.
"Yes. A few people," he gets up and walks to his kitchen, "and we're all on the sixth hill."
Oz jokes, "Is that way it always feels like an uphill battle."
Larry laughs. But he still felt awkward among Oz and Giles.
"I don't know where we're going to find a replacement. All my friends avoid me like the plague. Literally, it's like I have a contagious disease, or something," says Oz.
"There's this group of nerds. That kid, short one, Johnathan I think it is, they hang out together and one is way super nerdy. I think he could be finagled. Blonde hair. Kind of gay looking," comments Larry.
"For now let's just concentrate on the situation at hand. The Master is obviously regrouping and likely rather pissed. You two were there. IT might be wise if you packed up your belongings and bunked over here. Strength in numbers and that sort of thing. It's best to do that now. I'll get my keys," he goes upstairs.
"We are beyond screwed right? The Master is just going to come over here and kill us. Man. What do you suppose it's like in that other reality? Could it really be better?" asks Larry.
"Anything is better than this," replies Oz.
Giles, Larry and Oz surround Buffy's grave. It bares no tombstone; just a mound of dirt.
Giles looks quietly somber as he begins to speak, "Does anyone have anything to say?"
Yeah, sort of," Oz pulls out a rose from his jacket, "it wasn't much, but I thought she should at least have something," he throws it down upon her grave.
"I didn't know her. We were never introduced. I really can't..." Oz cuts him off.
"She fought well. It was too quick; just doesn't feel right. You know?"
"Yes," replies Giles, but not quite directly to Oz.
"That's all I really have," Oz finishes.
"I think I'll say something. This Slayer, this girl - Buffy ... is a reminder. Not of death and the inevitable forthcoming perils and danger, but rather of what's right. It's right that we try. It's right that good occasionally conquers. We don't have anything really. We struggle through one soding situation to the next with only hope and determination; for, in the long haul we would prevail. Her death is a reminder for us to keep going. For it's not right, not right at all, to have to burry two people you know in one day. Good people shouldn't die," he pulls his glasses off and slowly wipes them clean.
Larry speaks up, "Sun will be gone in a hour. We should hop along. Those Watcher's people were going to, ah, call six-ish."
"Watcher's Council. And you're right. You two can go on ahead. I'll be there in a minute."
Oz and Larry walk off.
Giles puts his glasses back on and puts his hands in his pockets.
"This is one chapter that will be omitted from my journal. When I first was taught how to be a Watcher, I always envisioned I'd be perfect and never lose my Slayer. You may not have been mine, but I feel this ... this connection; a kismet in pathways. Perhaps we knew each other in the other reality. Perhaps things were better ... perhaps..."
He stands in the cool breeze.
All of them remain silent on the uneventful ride home. Giles stares forward, Larry looks out a window and Oz looks down at the floor board.
"Here," Oz hands Giles the receiver.
"Yes? This is Rupert Giles. You have? Thank god, I ... what did you mean?"
Oz stands there and watchers Giles talk and see his face go from excitement to disappointment.
"I don't think you seem to realize the depth of our circumstances. We're situated on a Hell Mouth. Yes, I am aware there is more than one. But the entire town has been over thrown and The Master reigns supreme. Well, how much longer do you possibly think we can wait?" he looks at Oz and then switches hands for the receiver and as turns his head away, "we are loosing. We lost two people yesterday. That's four this year alone. What the bloody hell would you have me do?! Go ahead and finish purchasing up the land around my fallen comrades?!"
Larry walks in and stands by Oz.
"That them?" he asks.
"Shhh..." replies Oz.
"Yes, I understand. Just please ... please hurry. Have a pleasant morning too. Bye," he hangs up.
"What did they say?" asks Oz.
"They don't have a Slayer ready. She's in Africa. They haven't even located her yet."
"You said they said Africa," says Larry.
"Well, they did some magicks and have a general idea of her area. Perfect, just damn well cooked up. What if she doesn't speak english? Which I guess wouldn't matter too much since they have yet to assign her a Watcher!"
"We'll make do right? We always have," comments Larry.
"Right, we'll just find another replacement," he sees Larry look down, "man, I'm sorry. I just meant..."
"It's all right, it's ... it's fine. I know I was never part of the original group; that me and Nancy were like expendable temps."
"No, it's not all right. I do believe we have precluded you inadvertently from our ... out thing, our group, our - you know, I've never really thought of exactly the name for what it is we do," says Giles.
"Save the world," replies Larry.
"Actually, I don't know about the world, but we save Sunnydale quite often," Oz says.
"Right - we save not Sunnydale, but it's people," Giles corrects.
"A few people every night," adds Oz.
Giles thinks for the first time about what little they really do.
"Yes. A few people," he gets up and walks to his kitchen, "and we're all on the sixth hill."
Oz jokes, "Is that way it always feels like an uphill battle."
Larry laughs. But he still felt awkward among Oz and Giles.
"I don't know where we're going to find a replacement. All my friends avoid me like the plague. Literally, it's like I have a contagious disease, or something," says Oz.
"There's this group of nerds. That kid, short one, Johnathan I think it is, they hang out together and one is way super nerdy. I think he could be finagled. Blonde hair. Kind of gay looking," comments Larry.
"For now let's just concentrate on the situation at hand. The Master is obviously regrouping and likely rather pissed. You two were there. IT might be wise if you packed up your belongings and bunked over here. Strength in numbers and that sort of thing. It's best to do that now. I'll get my keys," he goes upstairs.
"We are beyond screwed right? The Master is just going to come over here and kill us. Man. What do you suppose it's like in that other reality? Could it really be better?" asks Larry.
"Anything is better than this," replies Oz.