Chapter 20- Visions
It was dark. The cave was lined with slimy walls and a musky odor. Buffy felt her way into it's depths.
"Hello?" she called.
A light shone ahead.
"Hello?!" she repeated.
She walked into the light, through an opening. A long table appeared, lined with high-backed chairs. In the chairs sat men and women, dressed in flowing white robes. One, her voice familiar, spoke over the hustle.
"This child is the slayers! She deserves to be with her mother!"
Buffy's attention was drawn to the center of the table where a bundled up baby lay asleep. The child had a frighteningly familiar tattoo etched on it's forehead. Buffy strained her ears to hear the discussion. The girl, she noticed, was....Willow. She spoke again.
"The slayer is no longer a threat, she has passed your stupid
test! This girl belongs to her!"
She emphasized this with the slam of her fist on the stone table. The table shook vigorously, waking the baby. She whimpered, arms flailing. Willow scooped her up into her arms saying,
"Don't fret, Arrian. You'll see Mommy soon."
Buffy shot forward, sitting up in the bed. Drenched in sweat, she woke to Spike sitting worriedly at her side.
"That's it!" she exclaimed. "She's half vampire!"
Spike questioned her dream for the next couple of weeks, but she refused to tell of her vision. She tirelessly attempted to reach Willow with no luck. One night, while Buffy lay alone on the couch, Willow appeared.
"Hey, Buff. How's it goin'?"
Buffy frantically tugged her into the nearest closet.
"Why didn't you tell me?!"
"Maybe if I knew what you were talking about, I could answer
you." She replied.
"Arrian! She's my daughter!"
Willow's eyes widened then she shook her head solemnly.
"You misunderstood the vision I sent. Arrian is Faith's
daughter."
"But Arrian is half vamp. How did that happen?"
Buffy thought back when Willow didn't answer. She busted through the closet door, ripping it from it's hinges. Buffy tore her way to the telephone where she dialed Angel's phone number. It had to be at least noon in LA, which meant Buffy called a slumbering vampire. Not a good idea.
"Hello?!" he answered gruffly.
"You slept with her! I hate you!"
Buffy burst into tears.
"Buffy? What's wrong?" he asked, suddenly awake.
"You slept with Faith, didn't you?? Didn't you?!"
Angel was silent. Buffy whispered in the most livid voice in her being.
"I hate you..."
"That was a really long time ago, Buffy. When I lost my soul."
"I don't care!" she screamed.
Tears were flowing freely down her face.
"I don't know what to say..." he began.
"You're sorry! Try that one for a change! Not that it would help
any. I'm here with your daughter! You and Faith's daughter!"
"What?!" he exclaimed.
"Yeah, congratulations." And with that, she slammed the phone back onto the receiver. Willow put a comforting hand on her shoulder. Buffy shook it off. She headed up the stairs, toward Faith's room and was stopped by Willow.
"Buffy, I know you're in pain. But you can't do this to Faith!
She marrying Robin! Do you think they would stay together in
spite of a love-child?"
"I don't care." She said bitterly.
"Yes you do! I don't care how much you hate Faith, there's
worse than what you're about to do. It would ruin everything!"
Buffy sunk down, onto the bottom step. She hugged herself, pulling her knees to her chest.
"I hate him! I hate him..."
Willow simply stroked her hair and wiped her tears away. There wasn't much more she could do. Out side the living room window stood Riley, peering in at the distress. He simply chuckled. The bandages from his eyes had been removed, his secret was revealed. He had been faking blindness this whole time. From a nearby bush, out stepped a Neblier. The same one that had "blinded" him. Riley spoke to it, in the creature's odd language.
"Now is the time, master." Riley said in a robotic-type voice.
The Neblier simply nodded, leading Riley off into the shadows.
It was dark. The cave was lined with slimy walls and a musky odor. Buffy felt her way into it's depths.
"Hello?" she called.
A light shone ahead.
"Hello?!" she repeated.
She walked into the light, through an opening. A long table appeared, lined with high-backed chairs. In the chairs sat men and women, dressed in flowing white robes. One, her voice familiar, spoke over the hustle.
"This child is the slayers! She deserves to be with her mother!"
Buffy's attention was drawn to the center of the table where a bundled up baby lay asleep. The child had a frighteningly familiar tattoo etched on it's forehead. Buffy strained her ears to hear the discussion. The girl, she noticed, was....Willow. She spoke again.
"The slayer is no longer a threat, she has passed your stupid
test! This girl belongs to her!"
She emphasized this with the slam of her fist on the stone table. The table shook vigorously, waking the baby. She whimpered, arms flailing. Willow scooped her up into her arms saying,
"Don't fret, Arrian. You'll see Mommy soon."
Buffy shot forward, sitting up in the bed. Drenched in sweat, she woke to Spike sitting worriedly at her side.
"That's it!" she exclaimed. "She's half vampire!"
Spike questioned her dream for the next couple of weeks, but she refused to tell of her vision. She tirelessly attempted to reach Willow with no luck. One night, while Buffy lay alone on the couch, Willow appeared.
"Hey, Buff. How's it goin'?"
Buffy frantically tugged her into the nearest closet.
"Why didn't you tell me?!"
"Maybe if I knew what you were talking about, I could answer
you." She replied.
"Arrian! She's my daughter!"
Willow's eyes widened then she shook her head solemnly.
"You misunderstood the vision I sent. Arrian is Faith's
daughter."
"But Arrian is half vamp. How did that happen?"
Buffy thought back when Willow didn't answer. She busted through the closet door, ripping it from it's hinges. Buffy tore her way to the telephone where she dialed Angel's phone number. It had to be at least noon in LA, which meant Buffy called a slumbering vampire. Not a good idea.
"Hello?!" he answered gruffly.
"You slept with her! I hate you!"
Buffy burst into tears.
"Buffy? What's wrong?" he asked, suddenly awake.
"You slept with Faith, didn't you?? Didn't you?!"
Angel was silent. Buffy whispered in the most livid voice in her being.
"I hate you..."
"That was a really long time ago, Buffy. When I lost my soul."
"I don't care!" she screamed.
Tears were flowing freely down her face.
"I don't know what to say..." he began.
"You're sorry! Try that one for a change! Not that it would help
any. I'm here with your daughter! You and Faith's daughter!"
"What?!" he exclaimed.
"Yeah, congratulations." And with that, she slammed the phone back onto the receiver. Willow put a comforting hand on her shoulder. Buffy shook it off. She headed up the stairs, toward Faith's room and was stopped by Willow.
"Buffy, I know you're in pain. But you can't do this to Faith!
She marrying Robin! Do you think they would stay together in
spite of a love-child?"
"I don't care." She said bitterly.
"Yes you do! I don't care how much you hate Faith, there's
worse than what you're about to do. It would ruin everything!"
Buffy sunk down, onto the bottom step. She hugged herself, pulling her knees to her chest.
"I hate him! I hate him..."
Willow simply stroked her hair and wiped her tears away. There wasn't much more she could do. Out side the living room window stood Riley, peering in at the distress. He simply chuckled. The bandages from his eyes had been removed, his secret was revealed. He had been faking blindness this whole time. From a nearby bush, out stepped a Neblier. The same one that had "blinded" him. Riley spoke to it, in the creature's odd language.
"Now is the time, master." Riley said in a robotic-type voice.
The Neblier simply nodded, leading Riley off into the shadows.