I hope that you are all still enjoying the story. There are more twists and revelations to come. Thank you to those of you who have sent reviews. I love getting reviews!
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Chapter 23 Confessions
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Giles had managed to tell Buffy about the prophecy and what Mr. Hargis had told him. He had also explained why he hadn't told her any of this when he sent her to the library. The news that Mr. Hargis was not with the Watcher's Council didn't settle well either. Spike was furious and Buffy wasn't far behind.
"Bloody hell Rupert. Are you daft? I thought you watchers were supposed to be smart. We all know that Buffy is the slayer and she has no chance at a normal life. Didn't you check this bloke out before you sent the slayer on a suicide mission?" He was shouting now and Buffy shot a look at him when he finished. She apparently took his line about having no chance at a normal life to heart.
Spike noticed the look and retracted a little. "You know what I mean. It will only be as normal as a slayer's life can be love. We have gone over this a hundred times. You don't live the life of a normal girl. Never will." He tried to soften it but he could see the damage was already done.
Buffy knew that it was true though. She gave the sigh of resolve. She was the slayer and she accepted that. Her dream of being normal would never go away, but she accepted her duty. Giles took in what was being said and spoke up.
"That is precisely why I went along with this Buffy. Yes, it was negligent of me not to check out Mr. Hargis before agreeing but he had all the proper paperwork. Everything looked authentic. I was only thinking of you when I agreed. You have been through so much and you deserve to get what you want out of life." Giles' voice was weary now. He was sorry for what he had done and tried to explain to Buffy the best he could about why he did it. He hoped that she would understand.
Buffy walked over to Giles and hugged him. She did understand why he made that decision. Spike mumbled under his breath "bullocks" but they all pretended not to hear him. "I understand that you were doing what you thought was best Giles. What we need to be concentrating on now is our next step. Any ideas?" Buffy was ready to get on with solving this problem.
Willow was the first to speak up. She took a piece of paper from her pocket. "I think the symbols on the front door mean something, but I don't have any books or laptop to look them up. I copied them down. I just need some place to research." Just then Buffy remembered the study where Julian had took them for brandy after dinner. Surely they could research it there. He had lots of books.
"That's good Will. Good thinking. I think that you might get some help from Julian's study. I was in that room and I remember there being a lot of books. They looked old and researchy. Spike and I need to do some snooping of our own. I have a key that I think someone left me and it may open more than just the door where you were locked in." They were nodding their heads as Buffy was speaking.
"Spike and I will show you to the library. Hopefully Julian will be busy somewhere else and you can research a little. You're supposed to be locked up, so don't let anyone see you."
Spike wasn't saying much but he remembered the princes' study as well. He also remembered the kiss that took place there and his heart jumped a little. He looked over at Buffy and she was still explaining the plan to their new guests. He never tired of looking at her. She was so beautiful. He wondered if she knew what she did to him. He hoped that some time soon he would get the chance to tell her.
The plan was hatched. The four set out into the castle, each pair with their own mission. They didn't notice the young servant girl watching them around the corner. She took care to be very quiet. When they were out of site she whispered aloud to herself. "You found the key I left you. I knew you would. You freed your friends, now I hope that you can free the rest of us as well. I just want to go home to Sunnydale."
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Xander had no idea what they were going to say or do but they had made their way to the home of Mr. Hargis. They were standing in front of his apartment door. They were standing and looking to each other for their next move. Neither one was moving.
Xander had brought along a tazor just in case Mr. Hargis didn't cooperate. His mother had bought it years ago and he thought it might be handy today. The boys gathered their nerve and knocked.
No answer. They knocked again, this time a little louder, but still no answer. Oz bent down on one knee and pulled a small pouch from his pocket. He took some tiny tools and put them in the key hole and after a few seconds he turned the knob and the door opened. Xander stood there in disbelief.
Oz saw the look that Xander was giving him. "What? Desperate times call for desperate measures. I have been around a little you know. I've got skills." The door opened slowly and they waited. What if he was just asleep? They decided to chance it and go in.
The apartment looked like they expected really. There were papers and books strewn around and paintings and such on the walls. It was quiet. It didn't appear as if Mr. Hargis was home.
They decided to check all the rooms to make sure. Oz was searching the bedrooms when Xander found something that looked important on the dining room table. It looked like very old paper. Like paper used to make a prophecy. It must be the one that they read about at the Magic Box. When Oz came back he showed it to him.
"What do you make of this?" He passed Oz the paper and he confirmed Xanders hunch. It was the prophecy about Buffy. They continued to search for more paperwork. "Xander, here, this tells about the king and his plan. It says that he is going to use the slayer to restore Anne. It says that some prince guy is his unwilling servant. There's some kind of ritual involved.
The boys were stunned. The king was using this prince as a puppet in his plan to get Buffy. He needed the princes' body because he can't use his own. He also needed Buffy's power to restore Anne.
"Look, here's a picture of the king." Xander was pointing to the picture and both boys were making faces as they looked. "I can see why he would pick someone else." Oz made the comment as Xander nodded in agreement.
Just then they heard the door knob jiggle and it startled them both. They hid under a nearby huge wooden desk with a solid front. They heard the front door open and close and then footsteps coming closer. They looked at each other and prayed they wouldn't get caught. They were just starting to make progress. The floor continued to creak and they both shut their eyes tightly. This was bad.