DISCLAIMER IS ON FIRST PAGE
Birthday Girl "Faith, Hope, and Love"
"Kendra?" Buffy whispered as she was allowed to regain her footing. She stood and faced the slayer summoned to replace her after she died at the Master's hands. She looked just the same, the baggy pants, the satin shirt, the corn-rowed ponytail. It was as if she hadn't been dead for seven years.
"We've been waiting for you," Kendra stated as clearly as her accent would allow. She moved closer to her and dropped her fighting stance. "It's been a long time coming."
"What has?"
"Your gift."
'Didn't you hear? I've been through this with the first slayer, and the shadowy guys. How many more gifts does a slayer need?"
"Dis is a bit different," Kendra replied. "It is more of a reward."
Buffy stood there and stared blankly at the former warrior. A reward, she thought to herself. Of all things, Buffy couldn't imagine ever getting a reward for her duty as the slayer. Well, except for the tiny sequined umbrella the Senior class gave to her at prom.
"I wish you would have been there, fighting along side of us. We could have really used you down there."
"I tink that it was my fate to not be. I was needed here," Kendra simply replied. She looked behind her to three figures slowly approaching them and nodded. "It begins," she said as she vanished and left Buffy alone with the three Oracles.
Buffy turned around and gazed upon the women approaching her from the right. She recognized two of them right away as Anya and Cordelia. The third took up the rear. She was thin as a rail, but her smile beamed warmly beneath her brown eyes.
"Hey you!" Cordy exclaimed as she rushed to Buffy and gave her a big hug. Anya smiled sweetly and did the same. "God, thought you'd never get here!"
"Yeah, been a bit busy," Buffy replied. "But then again, never thought I'd be partying with the recently deceased."
"Well, I'd been alive for so long, never thought I would know what dead felt like," Anya added.
"So what, am I in a heavenly dimension or something?"
"No," the thin girl answered. "This is the Realm of the Remembered. We were chosen post mortem to become oracles. I'm Fred, by the way."
"Oh, I've heard of you," Buffy stated as it dawned on her who this girl was. "Angel told me about you."
They stood in an awkward silence for a few moments. Buffy looked around at the room. She still couldn't get over the fact that she was standing amongst the dead, two of which she had come to know and trust as brave warriors. She wasn't really sure what to make of Fred, but figured that she must have earned her keep for being amongst the others.
"So, what about this... present. I'm still kinda clueless as to why I'm here."
"Well, I guess that's our cue to start," Cordelia responded. "Anya? Wanna begin?"
Anya stepped toward a small font to Buffy's right. No water poured from the fountain head, so Buffy figured that none was in the basin also. This was confirmed by Anya pulling an item out of the basin, the mystical scythe. She glided back and faced Buffy, handing the weapon to her.
"My gift is the gift of Faith. You pulled this scythe from the stone, and we found that it had great power entitled to the slayer. Not just you but all of the slayers born, unleashed by Willow's powerful magic. Even when we turned our backs on you, you still had faith in us that we could beat back the harvesting evil under the high school. You trusted us when we didn't trust you, and that meant the world... even to me.
"You never backed out of your duties. I did wrong, and you did what you had to, you ran me through, almost killed me. I never thanked you for that."
Buffy nodded and took the weapon from her hand. She turned face Fred, but Anya placed her hand upon her shoulder and produced a small white envelope.
"Give this to Xander, and tell him... tell him I'm not scared anymore," Anya added as a tear fell down her rosy cheek. Buffy smiled and squeezed her hand. She knew that she had been brave for the cause, and that she shouldn't have died, but at least she died good. Anya backed away and allowed Fred to go next.
Fred went to the font and extracted a bouquet of daisies, Buffy's favorites. She, too, glided back to Buffy and held them out to her as she smiled her warmest half smile.
"My gift is the gift of Hope. You always had hope for a bright future, yours and that of others. You told the Potentials over and over that you would win, even if you didn't show it, or verbally speak it. You knew. You knew that one day, the First would be defeated. You felt it in your heart.
"You also had strong hope for another. Hope that Spike could be a man, and he was. He went to the ends of the earth and beyond to become a better person, for you. You never gave up on him after he returned with his soul. He died, not only to save the world, but to save you."
Buffy fought back her tears as Fred handed her the flowers. She, too, produced a small white envelope and handed it to her.
"I know that you don't really know me, but know that I also died with hope in my heart. Give this to Wesley, and let him know that I'm okay, that I'm safe, and that I'm loved," she added proudly. As tears streamed down her face, Buffy took her hand as well and smiled at the frail girl before her. Fred stepped back, and Cordelia moved towards the font. Cordelia pulled out a rather bright red stone and brought it back to Buffy.
"My gift is the gift of Love. We all have found ours and that's what brought us here. You are still searching, when yours is right in front of you, yet you do not pursue it. It's understandable. Yours is the one that disappeared from you.
"This stone is not just representation of the love in your heart, the love you share with your friends and family," she said cautiously as Buffy looked upon her in confusion. "This stone represents that which was forgotten, or moreso... erased."
Birthday Girl "Faith, Hope, and Love"
"Kendra?" Buffy whispered as she was allowed to regain her footing. She stood and faced the slayer summoned to replace her after she died at the Master's hands. She looked just the same, the baggy pants, the satin shirt, the corn-rowed ponytail. It was as if she hadn't been dead for seven years.
"We've been waiting for you," Kendra stated as clearly as her accent would allow. She moved closer to her and dropped her fighting stance. "It's been a long time coming."
"What has?"
"Your gift."
'Didn't you hear? I've been through this with the first slayer, and the shadowy guys. How many more gifts does a slayer need?"
"Dis is a bit different," Kendra replied. "It is more of a reward."
Buffy stood there and stared blankly at the former warrior. A reward, she thought to herself. Of all things, Buffy couldn't imagine ever getting a reward for her duty as the slayer. Well, except for the tiny sequined umbrella the Senior class gave to her at prom.
"I wish you would have been there, fighting along side of us. We could have really used you down there."
"I tink that it was my fate to not be. I was needed here," Kendra simply replied. She looked behind her to three figures slowly approaching them and nodded. "It begins," she said as she vanished and left Buffy alone with the three Oracles.
Buffy turned around and gazed upon the women approaching her from the right. She recognized two of them right away as Anya and Cordelia. The third took up the rear. She was thin as a rail, but her smile beamed warmly beneath her brown eyes.
"Hey you!" Cordy exclaimed as she rushed to Buffy and gave her a big hug. Anya smiled sweetly and did the same. "God, thought you'd never get here!"
"Yeah, been a bit busy," Buffy replied. "But then again, never thought I'd be partying with the recently deceased."
"Well, I'd been alive for so long, never thought I would know what dead felt like," Anya added.
"So what, am I in a heavenly dimension or something?"
"No," the thin girl answered. "This is the Realm of the Remembered. We were chosen post mortem to become oracles. I'm Fred, by the way."
"Oh, I've heard of you," Buffy stated as it dawned on her who this girl was. "Angel told me about you."
They stood in an awkward silence for a few moments. Buffy looked around at the room. She still couldn't get over the fact that she was standing amongst the dead, two of which she had come to know and trust as brave warriors. She wasn't really sure what to make of Fred, but figured that she must have earned her keep for being amongst the others.
"So, what about this... present. I'm still kinda clueless as to why I'm here."
"Well, I guess that's our cue to start," Cordelia responded. "Anya? Wanna begin?"
Anya stepped toward a small font to Buffy's right. No water poured from the fountain head, so Buffy figured that none was in the basin also. This was confirmed by Anya pulling an item out of the basin, the mystical scythe. She glided back and faced Buffy, handing the weapon to her.
"My gift is the gift of Faith. You pulled this scythe from the stone, and we found that it had great power entitled to the slayer. Not just you but all of the slayers born, unleashed by Willow's powerful magic. Even when we turned our backs on you, you still had faith in us that we could beat back the harvesting evil under the high school. You trusted us when we didn't trust you, and that meant the world... even to me.
"You never backed out of your duties. I did wrong, and you did what you had to, you ran me through, almost killed me. I never thanked you for that."
Buffy nodded and took the weapon from her hand. She turned face Fred, but Anya placed her hand upon her shoulder and produced a small white envelope.
"Give this to Xander, and tell him... tell him I'm not scared anymore," Anya added as a tear fell down her rosy cheek. Buffy smiled and squeezed her hand. She knew that she had been brave for the cause, and that she shouldn't have died, but at least she died good. Anya backed away and allowed Fred to go next.
Fred went to the font and extracted a bouquet of daisies, Buffy's favorites. She, too, glided back to Buffy and held them out to her as she smiled her warmest half smile.
"My gift is the gift of Hope. You always had hope for a bright future, yours and that of others. You told the Potentials over and over that you would win, even if you didn't show it, or verbally speak it. You knew. You knew that one day, the First would be defeated. You felt it in your heart.
"You also had strong hope for another. Hope that Spike could be a man, and he was. He went to the ends of the earth and beyond to become a better person, for you. You never gave up on him after he returned with his soul. He died, not only to save the world, but to save you."
Buffy fought back her tears as Fred handed her the flowers. She, too, produced a small white envelope and handed it to her.
"I know that you don't really know me, but know that I also died with hope in my heart. Give this to Wesley, and let him know that I'm okay, that I'm safe, and that I'm loved," she added proudly. As tears streamed down her face, Buffy took her hand as well and smiled at the frail girl before her. Fred stepped back, and Cordelia moved towards the font. Cordelia pulled out a rather bright red stone and brought it back to Buffy.
"My gift is the gift of Love. We all have found ours and that's what brought us here. You are still searching, when yours is right in front of you, yet you do not pursue it. It's understandable. Yours is the one that disappeared from you.
"This stone is not just representation of the love in your heart, the love you share with your friends and family," she said cautiously as Buffy looked upon her in confusion. "This stone represents that which was forgotten, or moreso... erased."