Cast: Buffy, Dawn, Angel, Spike, Faith
Dawn stared at a book on her bed. The book looked as if it had been
burned. She was thinking back to the letter Buffy found. She decided
to do something productive and translate it. So far, nothing. She
slammed the book shut. "Dammit! I hate this shit." She grabbed a
leather jacket from her closet, ran a brush through her hair, and
headed downstairs, book in tow. She sat the book on the kitchen
table. "I give up, Buffy! It's useless. I haven't worked on anything
in too long!" She dusted off her jeans, though there was nothing on
them. She retrieved her purse from the counter. "I have to get out
of here." Dawn pulled out a cell phone and dialed a programmed
number. "Hey! Where are you?....I thought...Ohhh. I'll meet you
there." She turned off the phone and slid it into her purse. "If you
need me, my phone's on." She was out the door before she could gain
any comments. Once she got about two blocks away she stopped. Maybe
she should go back. Buffy needed her. Dawn did promise that she
would change. She went back. When she walked in she looked at
Angel. "Say nothing." Dawn found the laptop and searched for the
language. If they could find the middle part of the message, she'd
feel a helluva lot better.
Buffy was startled by Dawn's quick entrance and exit of the kitchen
and house. "But-" was all she got out before the door shut. Buffy
picked up the book and walked into the dining room, where Angel was
standing, looking out the window.
"I guess she couldn't find anything then?" Angel asked, half
sarcastically. Buffy didn't even reply. "Sorry. Do we know anything
besides what I translated earlier?" he asked, willing to dive into
the situation.
"Not really. This book doesn't have anything in it, so I suppose
we'll have to start looking somewhere else," Buffy said, staring at
the paper.
"I could call Fred or Wesley and see if they would know anything
about it. I'd have to take it back with me when I went though."
"Angel, if you're needed there, go. I'll be fine here with Dawn."
"No, everything at Wolfram & Hart is fine, I know it is. Besides,
this is more important. I'll only leave if you want me to." As Angel
had finished the sentence, Dawn came through the door again, and he
was about to say something when she warned him against it.
Dawn sat down at the dining room table and turned on the laptop,
starting to search through it. "Hopefully we will be able to find
something there," Buffy said, somewhat unconvinced of what she had
just said.
"Yea, hopefully." Dawn looked at Buffy before turning
around. "Hey Angel? What language is this? And do you
have any idea where you've seen it. If I get the
background, I may have better luck." She hadn't done
research in a long time but it was coming back. Maybe
this was what she needed all along. An outlet.
Research made her feel useful. It was something she
turned out to be pretty good at. You could count on
the past, and research was all about the past. She
turned to Buffy as Angel thought. "I think I can find
the rest of it. Languages can be pretty predictable.
And if someone knew enough to send it here to you,
then chances are, someone elsewhere has figured out
how to translate it." She had a smug smile. Maybe
Angel was right. She could get back on track.
Buffy looked at Dawn. She was surprised at how her logic was paying
off. "You're right Dawn. Good thinking." Buffy looked at the paper
with the foreign language on it.
Angel looked over to Dawn. "I remember some of it. I don't really
know what it's called. It's a mixture of Latin and Greek, I know
that, but it's a language all it's own as well," Angel explained,
hoping that what he had told her made some sort of sense.
Dawn chewed on her bottom lip. "Thanks, Buffy." She
began typing. "Greek and Latin? That doesn't really
narrow it down a lot. Maybe I can run a check on lost
languages, see if I get a match." She stops a search
before it comes up with anything. "Or I could look up
what you've already translated. Most of the stuff we've
had to mess with has been copied from elsewhere." She
went back to work leaving Angel and Buffy to
themselves.
"Searching for the part I've already translated could bring up
thousands of hits. Perhaps if you narrowed the search even further,
and searched for........a type of ancient French," Angel said, having
a sudden brain storm. "Buffy, could I see that?" he asked, and Buffy
handed it across the table to him. He read and looked it over yet
again. Four lines, separated, like a poem, or a quatrain of
sorts. "Let me know if that hits on anything," Angel said. He got up
and walked to the door, and after opening it, he walked out onto the
porch and closed the door behind him.
"I'll be right back, Dawn," Buffy said. She followed Angel's path
outside.
Once out there, Buffy saw Angel sitting on one of the stone railings
of the porch, staring off into the night. "What's up?" she asked,
going over and sitting on the bench on the front porch.
"Huh? Nothing, just thinking about that piece of parchment," Angel
replied, still staring into the night.
"No, I mean something's troubling you. I can see it in your face. What
is it?"
"I don't know. I came back because I had a feeling that something was
going to happen, and then this happens. I mean, there's all kinds of
old texts to be found in the world, but why would this be thrown at
your door, inside a rock? Was someone trying to send a tip, or a
warning?"
"I haven't the slightest clue. I know less about it than you do, so I
don't know much at all."
"Do you ever think about what it would be like if I hadn't left for
Los Angeles after we fought the Mayor at your graduation?"
Buffy was caught off guard. Did she ever think about it? All the
time. "Sometimes," she said. "But usually I just tell myself that it
was probably for the best that you left. We were at a tough time
during that period, and we both needed to go our separate ways."
"But what if I hadn't let? What if I stayed here, with you? Things
would have been a lot different."
"I know where you're going with this, so stop it now. You don't have
to blame yourself for what happened to me. It was just part of my
job, something that happens when you're the Slayer. Eventually,
getting injured badly is inevitable."
"I know, but you died. And then you came back, and went into a coma.
It just seems like someone is trying to rip you from this realm, this
world, and I don't want to let you go," Angel said. He was stepping
out on a limb here. He still loved Buffy, but he loved Cordy to.
Angel knew that getting back with Buffy would only complicate things,
and that it wouldn't be good for either of them, but he still
couldn't stop thinking about it.
"I told you. It's part of my job. It's my destiny, or whatever.
Whatever has come up against me, I've beaten it. This time, I feel
like I'm going in blind, and I have no clue what is coming. Giles
isn't here anymore, to guide me. I've been on my own for years now
and I still feel like I need him hovering over me, making sure that I
go out every night to patrol, that I keep up with my Slaying duties.
But I know that he can't do that anymore. He has more important
issues to deal with in England, with the Watchers Council, and I
cannot be selfish and try to drawl him back here when I know I don't
need him."
"I guess we're both in the same spot we were a few years ago. Nothing
changes, no matter how old I get. There's always something coming,
someone or some sort of being that wants to take over the world.
What's so great about it anyway? I mean, there are billions of other
planets out there. Why not go and take over one of those?"
"You know what they say, location, location, location. Plus, we have
this whole oxygen thing, and we have to breath, and I'm not sure how
many of those other planets have oxygen. Plus, we have pretty moon to
look at," Buffy said, staring up at the moon for a moment, becoming
transfixed by it.
"Yea, but all these pesky humans. Most demons don't want to be around
them. Other planets don't have them, so you would think it would be
better."
"But then who are they going to terrorize?" Buffy asked. Both Buffy
and Angel laughed. The conversation was going in a complete opposite
direction from where it had started.
Dawn shot up from her seat. Maybe she had it. She
threw open the door. "Buffy! Angel!" She stopped.
"Sorry to interrupt this little interlude, but can one
of you read French? I think I have something here."
She walked back in, leaving the door open. She resumed
her seat. "All I can get is modern French. I was going
to translate it, but I can't get the translation site
to work." Dawn smiled. If this was it, she was
considering herself useful. If not, she would work
until she could consider herself useful.
Angel and Buffy followed Dawn in, Angel shutting the door behind
himself. He walked over to the computer and read the text on the
screen. "This is a rough translation of what I have already read on
the parchment, in modern day French. Do you mind?" Angel asked,
taking the mouse in his hand. He moved the little white arrow across
the screen and clicked on a link. When the page had finished loading,
he looked it over. "Print both of these pages," he said. Dawn did so,
and Angel took the pages from the printer, and took the parchment
paper as well. "I still haven't gotten used to reading from a
computer."
He looked the papers over, looking from one to the next to the next.
He stopped on the modern French text and picked it up and held it in
front of him. "'All those who are blessed with the knowledge to know
what's coming, will find something they wish not to. Any who are
fighting shall choose not to fight; to forego the passage of flight.
Those involved shan't know what is to be in twentieth year and four.
There will be one who knows all and who finds death at their door."
Angel looked up at Buffy and then over to Dawn. "Cryptic, yet
informative," Buffy muttered.
Dawn looked from Angel to Buffy then back. She was
confused. "Maybe this is way over my head, but huh? I
know you just said that in English but it sounded
Greek. Wanna give me the Cliffs Notes version?" She
felt like a stupid little kid. Having to ask what was
going on. She wouldn't have normally bothered but as
Buffy put it, 'Cryptic.' She had to know.
"'All those who are blessed with the knowledge to know what's coming,
will find something they wish not to. Any who are fighting shall
choose not to fight; to forego the passage of flight. Those involved
shan't know what is to be in twentieth year and four. There will be
one who knows all and who finds death at their door," Angel read it
over again. He looked at Buffy and then thought for a moment. "I'm
thinking the first sentence means that someone with visions will have
one that they don't particularly like. The next speaks of Buffy,
saying that she will not choose to fight, but she will run away from
whatever is coming."
Buffy let out a 'hmph'. "I'm not going anywhere. I don't care what's
coming, I'm not leaving."
Angel continued. "It also says that no one but one person will know
what is going to happen in the twentieth year and four, which I'm
guessing translates to 2004, and that person will die." Angel looked
at Buffy.
"That sounds about right," Buffy said. "But that means that Cordelia
is going to die."
Dawn listened. She nodded as Angel went over the
passage. "Cordy has a vision and dies? Buffy doesn't
fight?" She glanced at the papers, in Angel's hands.
"Are you sure you're reading that right?" She looked
to Buffy. "Maybe I got the wrong thing. Maybe that's
not even close to a translation." Prophecies were
hard to grasp, and this one was particularly
difficult. Dawn couldn't understand why this was
coming and why it was now.
Angel looked at Dawn. "I'm sure it's right," he said. "I've got to
call Wolfram and Hart," Angel said, taking out his cell phone and
moving off onto the porch.
Buffy took the piece of parchment. She glanced it over. "I haven't a
clue what is says, but I feel immense power escaping from it. Just a
little piece of paper. But why now? Why would someone send me a note
saying that I wasn't going to fight whatever was coming? That doesn't
make any sense."
Angel returned a few minutes later, putting his cell phone back into
his pocket. "Wesley says everything's fine there. I didn't tell him
about the parchment, just that I had a feeling something was up."
Buffy looked at Angel. "Do you think this is true?"
"I'm not sure. Whatever we can find out will be helpful in
determining if it is true or not. I could take it back home and have
Wesley look it over."
"No. That's all right. We don't need to bother him with this.
We've got everything under control here," Buffy quickly stated. She
could handle this, whatever it was, on her own.
Dawn looked at Buffy. "You cannot. You honestly can't
handle this yourself." She stepped closer to her. "I
know you think you can, but maybe you need some help."
Upon receiving a slight glare, she continued. "You
know I love you and you know I know you. I think you
need help on this." She braced for the worst.
Faith was sitting at home, that's all she really did nowadays.
Of course, she went out, but with Buffy being in a coma, and Buffy
being the only person in Sunnydale or the world that didn't
automatically despise her all the time, she had indeed nothing to do.
She wanted a purpose again, to be the Slayer, that the world had
really been without for all of this time.
She hadn't heard from Willow or Giles on how Buffy was doing in a
long time maybe even a year.
'But I guess they really couldn't tell me 'oh yeah she's looking good
or whatever.' Faith thought to herself.
All she had been doing lately was working to try to make ends meet.
She was living in Burbank, California, not too far from either Buffy
or Angel.
She decided to call Sunnydale; she wouldn't be able to pay the bill
when it came, but maybe she could just take off before.
So Faith picked up the phone and called Buffy.
Buffy looked at Dawn. "I know that I can handle this Dawnie. The gang
will always be around to help, but I just want to be clear that I am
not going to run away, despite what that paper says."
Angel looked at Buffy. He was puzzled. She said she wasn't going to
run away, and he knew she wasn't lying, but then who would? "Aren't
we forgetting someone?" Angel asked.
"Like who? Who else is there? We've established that something is
going to happen to Cordy, and that I'm not leaving."
"I don't know. I just thought it over, and I know that you won't
leave if you say you won't, but if you're not going to leave, then
who is? And, this person would have to have power...." Angel thought
out loud. "Faith!"
Buffy looked at him. "I haven't heard from Faith in years. Why would
she even come here? She can't run if she isn't here. Besides, I
highly doubt that I will be hearing from her anytime soon." As soon
as Buffy finished the sentence the phone rang. "If that's Faith....."
she started, but stopped. If it was Faith, she was going to be
completely freaked out. Every time she said something, the contrary
happened. It was just a coincidence. Buffy walked over and picked up
the cordless telephone. "Hello?" she spoke into the receiver.
Dawn shook her head. She was only overreacting because she wanted to
make sure Buffy didn't get hurt. "Faith? No one's heard from her
since Buffy went....well, since then. Why would she even bother?" She
looked at Angel. "I'm with her. If that's Faith you or her have ESP
and I'm officially in awe." She rolled her eyes. She really was
trying to keep the sarcasm to a minimum, but she had a few problems
with it.
Faith was startled to hear that female voice.
"B? Is that you B?" Faith said, sounding very surprised. "uhmm its me, uhh Faith?" Faith said not sure if Buffy was going to
want to punch her through the phone or not.
And while Faith waited for a response all she could think about was
why no one had called her to inform her of Buffy waking up. 'That sucks'
she thought to herself.
"Faith?" she said, turning to the other two and allowing her face to
have a gawking expression for a few moments. "Yea, it's Buffy," she
said, noting Faith's surprised tone. "I woke up about a week ago.
Haven't really had time to call, what with living on the Hellmouth
and all. So, was there anything in particular you needed?" Buffy
asked, not really knowing why Faith had called in the first place.
"I guess I have ESP," Angel said to Dawn.
"Well B not to really surprise you or anything but I wanted to see if
your condition had changed." Faith said in neither a sarcastic tone
nor a regular one. "I mean I hadn't heard from Giles in awhile so I wasn't sure if something had happened or not." Faith said. She was contemplating going to Sunnydale and just not telling them. Damn she thought to herself maybe I shouldn't have called then.
Dawn crossed her arms. "I'm in awe and you're cocky." She turned her
attention to Buffy, hoping to get something out of the conversation
she was having with Faith. She glanced at Angel. "You think she's
really coming back her just to run from something?" She kept half
her attention on Buffy.
Buffy listened to Faith talking on the other end of the phone. "Well,
I've woken up Faith, and everything's good, surprisingly. I can't
believe you actually called," Buffy said, not meaning to say it out
loud, merely to think it. "Giles hasn't called because he is in
England on business with the Watchers Council. He's only called here
once since I woke up."
Angel turned to Dawn. He laughed when she said he was cocky. "I like
cocky, as long as I look good doing it," he said, with sarcasm. "I'm
not sure. Faith's always running from something, whether she likes to
admit it or not. I just hope she hasn't caused to much trouble since
being released from jail."
Dawn shook her head. "Knowing her...she's running from the trouble
she's caused. I know you're right." She watches Buffy speak into the
receiver. "Just what we need. Another slayer in town. Especially one
that unpredictable." She speaks again to Angel. "Unless
unpredictable is actually what we need for once."
"Well B, I was always full of surprises. Uhmm yeah I knew Giles was
in England, he's called me once or twice to let me know how you
were. How are you feeling?" Faith said into the phone a little mad
at herself for even calling.
She should have known that no one cared. She wanted to find a place
for herself but it didn't seem to be happening. She shook her head.
She was getting a little too emotional about all of this. She didn't
need anyone she thought to herself, but then that little guy in the
back of her mind replied with, 'yeah you've done so good on your
own'. Faith looked around her apartment, she had lived there about a
year. It actually looked like it to. She had decorated a little, she
was even seeing someone. But why did Sunnydale call to her?
"I'm fine, thanks," Buffy spoke back through the receiver. "I've had
a bit of a weird feeling about something since I woke up, but that's
about it. Slaying has been slow, unusually." Buffy turned to Angel
and Dawn, and saw them staring at her, wondering what Faith was
saying on the other end.
Angel looked at Dawn with bated breath, wondering if Faith would
return. "I'm not discounting the fact that she may be running from
something, but I don't think it would be all that bad to have some
extra muscle in town. She could definitely lend a hand, in that she
could help to fight whatever evil is coming, and take some of the
slaying load off of Buffy. I'm not at all sure her coming back would
be a bad idea."
"I'm not going to disagree with you on that point," Angel said, referring to the rebirth bit. "Something is coming, and we will have to figure it out," Angel included 'we', even though he was going to have to leave soon. He had already been away from Wolfram & Hart for about two days now, and he said that he wouldn't be gone long. Then again, if something happened in L.A. someone would have called him. So maybe he could stay longer than originally expected. Wesley would have everything under control at Wolfram & Hart, so there was no reason for Angel to worry. If Faith decided to return, Angel could leave when she arrived, because then Buffy would have some one who could have her back.
Dawn looked at the floor for a moment. She was worried about Buffy.
When trouble came there were always few people they could count
on. "As much as I hate to admit it you're one." She bit her lip as
she realized that she had spoken her thought out loud. "Are you going
to be here long?" Dawn couldn't bring herself to look at him. She
was doing the whole change thing. Asking Angel for help qualified as
massive-super-sonic change. "I hate to say it, but..um...even with
Faith...being uh...here, I think we.....ummmm...need you more." She
gulped. Okay that was hard. She was a little afraid for Buffy and
she didn't know if she could really rely on Faith to show up.
"I'm not sure how long I'm going to stay Dawn. I guess as long as I can, or until Buffy practically tells me to leave because she doesn't need me anymore. But if and when I do leave, I'll always be ready to come back and help if I'm needed." Angel smiled. Dawn was actually showing signs of change, and that was a good thing. "And Faith is a Slayer. She will be able to hold her own, and help out even if I'm not here."
Dawn smiled and rubbed her head. "God, I've got a damn headache."
She closed her eyes. "Thanks though. Buffy never says it, and I mean
it. I was pissed when you got here, but had you not..." She doesn't
bother to finish the thought. "I know Faith can hold her own, it's
the helping part that I'm having trouble with."
"You should catch some shut-eye," Angel said. "It always helps headaches. Thanks though, I know what you mean about Buffy never saying it," Angel whispered so Buffy couldn't hear. "She's like that, and I know it, so no matter what she tells me if I feel the need to stay, I will."
"I think I will." Dawn did think sleep sounded remarkably
comforting. She sighed. "Good. You being around is a huge comfort."
She was about to go upstairs, but she had to hear what Buffy and
Faith were talking about. She grabbed a bottle of aspirin and popped
two in her mouth, grabbing a bottle of water from the refrigerator
and gulping it.
Her phone rang. She grabbed it. "Talk....no...Something
important...Ah! No. I don't care. Tell him to get his kicks
elsewhere. ...I'm done with that. Don't laugh. I'm serious! Whateva."
She hung up. Slamming the phone on the counter and looking at
Angel. "Next time that rings, break it." She laid her head against
the arms she rested on the counter, staring into space.
"Will do," Angel said, making note of the breaking the cell phone thing. "Old contacts?" he asked, curious of who it was, but not really sure if Dawn would tell him or not. The phone rang again. "The same person I suspect." he said. He picked up the phone and crushed it in his hands and then threw the broken pieces into the trash. "That's better. More quiet," he said.
Dawn looked at him. "I guess you could say 'old
contacts.' That's part of the old Dawn. This is the
new reformed Dawnie." As the phone rang she looked at
it, laughing as Angel crushed it. "Much better,
indeed. No more fighting with that little gang.
Though, maybe I shouldn't have had you do that." She
bit her lip. "I suspect Willow won't be too happy.
That was hers."
"I'll buy her a new one," Angel said, winking at Dawn. "I wonder what's taking so long with Buffy and Faith on the phone? I can't imagine that they have entirely much to talk about, not really liking each other and all," Angel said.
Dawn giggled slightly, something she couldn't really remember doing
for a while. "To be honest, I don't think it's the not liking part.
The not trusting but not having anyone else may be the greater
factor. Faith's alone. Always was. Technically, so is Buffy." She
nodded at herself. "They get each other. No one else does."
Angel and Dawn were in the kitchen talking as Buffy was out in the dining room doing the same. Angel could clearly hear what Buffy was saying, and could piece together by Buffy's tones and responses what Faith must have been saying. "That's something that no one will ever be able to tap into. Faith and Buffy have a special bond, they are the two Slayers, and that gives them something to share, something that no one else will be able to ever fully understand."
Dawn looked toward the dining room. "It's hard not to be thankful
for that, though. I mean, If she was completely alone, she'd lose
it. She may not be that close to Faith, but, in all honesty, Faith's
the only person that may ever understand her." She stood and began
rummaging for something she could eat quickly. She settled on
PopTarts, shoving them into the toaster, she leaned back against the
counter. She let herself drift into her thoughts, her life changed,
and this was the beginning of the back-track. Life may go back to
normal..."Or as normal as it gets." she muttered under her breath.
Angel looked at Dawn as she was clearly lost in thought. "Change is a good thing though, well, most of the time," he said, wondering when Buffy would get off the phone. He took out his cell and looked to see if he had any messages. None. Not from anyone. They probably thought that he didn't need to be bothered with anything right now, and that was and wasn't true.
Dawn finally shook herself out of the stupor as her snack popped out
of the toaster. She sat down looking at Angel. "Big executive
expecting a call?" She bit her tongue. "Sorry." She took a bite.
Angel had been overly nice to her. There was no need for her to be
all snippy with him. "That was uncalled for." Reflecting, perhaps,
was not a good thing to do at the moment. At least not until Buffy
came back to say how the conversation with Faith went.
"It's okay," Angel said. "Just checking for messages in case something's happened." He paced back and forth, from one end of the kitchen to the next, like he always did when he was nervous. He wondered what the outcome of Buffy's conversation of Faith would be. Would Faith return or just stay wherever she was at?
Dawn nodded. "You left you whole company to come back here? I still
don't get what made you do that. Or how you knew." She tapped her
fingers on her knee. She'd like to hear what Faith's story was as of
late. Faith may annoy Dawn, but she always had a story.
"Cordy had a vision that Buffy would wake up. That's how I knew," Angel said. "I had the Special Ops department put surveillance on the hospital, and they called when Buffy woke up. And yes, I left the whole company behind. Nothing was really going on there anyway," Angel lied.
"Well B, you want any help? I mean you probably don't need help, I
know you can handle yourself but, things where I am are getting
a little too predictable and I was thinking maybe Sunnydale would be a
little fun." Faith said while looking in her fridge for something to
eat.
Buffy listened. Faith actually sounded like she wanted to come back. "Everything's good here so far, but help is always good if you want to come back." Buffy wasn't going to openly invite her back. It was true, Buffy didn't care for Faith deeply, but she wouldn't mind having her around for a little help. "So when are you coming? When can I expect you I mean?"
Buffy Summers, Angel written by..................Brandon Collins
Dawn Summers written by.......................Christi Weasley
Spike written by.....................Heather Rae
Faith written by.....................Sami