Preludes:

Ch 5- The Wait Begins

Buffy was stroking Dawn's long hair when Giles arrived on the scene. As Buffy noticed him making his way across the waiting area, she gently pushed Dawn's head off of her shoulder. Dawn noticed the Watcher and immediately launched herself into his waiting hug, thanking him for coming.

Buffy looked mystified for a moment and then realized that Dawn must have used her cell to call him when she was calling Riley. She wondered if the rest of the gang were on their way.

"Any news?"

"No, uh, not yet," Buffy answered as Giles led Dawn back to her uncomfortable plastic chair. "The nurse is supposed to be paging the doctor. Um, they have her in a room, so the nurse said that's good. That she, uh, she must be stable and okay."

Giles gave her a brief hug. "I've started the round robin calls with Willow. I've asked them not to come rushing up here until we know more. I didn't want you to have to answer the same questions over and over."

Buffy gave him a small smile in thanks. Of course the gang had to know what had happened, but at the same time, she didn't think she could deal with an army of impatient eyes watching her. She was already scared enough as it was and trying to maintain her brave front for Dawnie's sake. She didn't think she could do that if Willow were here tearing up every five minutes.

Buffy felt a hand on her shoulder from behind and even before turning she heard Riley's voice repeating the questions that Giles had just asked. As she allowed herself to be pulled into his arms, she repeated the mantra; 'We don't know anything.' She never wanted those words to leave her mouth again.

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Flashback several months- Brno, Czech Republic

The Order of the Svratka was a venerable society tucked in the outskirts of Brno. It was an old order, founded in April, 1403 and given a task of utmost secrecy and importance. That is why the order itself was kept extremely small and tried to remain an invisible presence to the outside world. Many of the citizens of the Brno region knew the monastery was there, of course, but only a handful of people had ever conversed with any of the residents therein.

The monks had good reason to remain hidden from the world. That reason was currently locked in a small, heavily secured room. The walls of the room were lined with ruins, some as old as human civilization itself, reproduced in exacting detail upon every available surface. They had but one reason: to hide the glowing ball of energy which hovered serenely and sparkling above the floor.

There were monks of the Order who claimed they could feel a presence from the Orb of glowing green, but others said emphatically that it was without conscious or personality. In their view, it was only a glowing tool, a Key that could open gates that had no benevolent purpose in being opened.

For generations the monks of Svratka kept the orb's existence silent from the world. All of them lived in fear that it would fall to their watch to battle the Beast which searched for it. A devil of such invulnerable strength, that the journal accompanying the Orb spoke of it as being unbeatable.

This sacred task was given to the Order for reasons unknown by the hellish denizens of one of many of the Hell dimensions that pushed and strained to gain entry to ours. Little was shared with the monks, and truly, they did not ask too many questions as it was always best to rid oneself of the demonic presences that communicated with the Earthly plain as soon as was possible. One could never be sure that such monsters wouldn't suddenly give in to their inherent need to dominate and destroy and kill.

In this case, however, the monks were fortunate…or blessed by higher beings above the Hellspawn. For the two powerful and ill-formed things simply asked them to guard the Key from any who would ask about it. They'd made it clear that the asker may appear to be a mortal. The Beast would be trapped within the mortal shell and would pass from one generation to the next. There would be neither rhyme nor reason to whom it would pass and it would be best to simply kill any mortal enquiring after the object. For reasons unexplained by these powerful devils; a murdered mortal who held the Beast would also slay the Beast for all time, but any that died of ordinary and non-violent means would simply pass the Evil to another prison of flesh. It was always hoped that a mortal so encumbered would die in a robbery or war and take their burden with them. However, as so often happened when dealing with the higher or lower beings, Prophecy had a habit of arranging things just so to prevent simple and convenient resolutions.

Five monks led by an Elder ran through twisting and shadowed corridors. Arriving at the heavy and modern steel door they chanted a stanza and were allowed to pass. Above their heads they could hear the horrible screams of their comrades. Without fail, their brothers would charge into death, buying the time needed with their lives. The monks, hand chosen by the Elder years ago would attempt to send the Key away and out of reach of the creature that now attacked.

For the fears of generations had finally come to pass: the Beast had discovered who hid its Key and had launched its assault for ownership. It did not work alone, as it also had monks of its own. Scab covered, gray skinned beings of short stature but unassailable loyalty. The true danger remained the Beast however and she was here.

The five monks sat encircled around the glowing ball of light. Lighting candles and burning herbs given by the Elder, they began to chant a soft dirge toward the ball of green. The spell had been researched, written, and refined over the last 575 years. As the air around them became charged with power, one of the monks stopped his chant; frightened of the moral implications of what they were about to do.

The Elder hissed at the younger cleric. A stream of angry and frightened Czech was directed at the hesitant robed man. All would be lost if they did not act now and the spell was too complex and required too much power for any of those present not to focus their entire will upon its completion.

"Surely there is another way, Elder. This seems wrong. Wrong, and dangerous. It is unfair to the world's Slayer to force such a burden upon her when her purview is vampires and minor demons…" The monk's thoughts were cut off by more horrific screaming from the floor above accompanied by great pounding and the sounds of open warfare.

"There is no time for debates, the Beast is here," growled the Elder. "Now concentrate or may the Beast take you with her to Hell!"

End Flashback

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Riley held Dawn's hand as they prepared to leave the hospital for the Summers' residence. Buffy had decided that she needed to go to bed for school tomorrow; as if she was going to get any sleep anyway. Dawn was angry. She was also very afraid. Her mother was lying somewhere in this god-forsaken place and Buffy had the nerve to send her home. Naturally when she'd objected and tried to explain that she wouldn't be able to rest without knowing that her mother was alright, Buffy had just blown her off. She did that a lot. Dawn sometimes hated her big sister, like now, but Buffy overruled any and all objections.

"I'll come and wake you when I get home and update you, okay?"

"But, Buffy, I'm not going to be sleeping!"

"Dawnie…I'm serious. It's getting late and there's nothing you can do here. You should be home. Don't you have homework or something, anyway?" Dawn went to answer about the unimportance of participles, but was cut off…as usual…

Buffy turned her attention from her younger sister. "Riley, could you just hang out at the house till I get there. I'm going to try to see mom before visiting hours are over. I shouldn't be too late."

Giles offered to stay with Buffy, for which she was grateful. She could catch a ride home with him and he'd be there for her if the doctor appeared with horrible news. That thought made Buffy squirm with impatience. It had been hours since the supposed page to the doctor…obviously that old hag had lied to her. She'd probably been lying to family members all day.

As Riley leaned forward to kiss Buffy goodbye, she caught sight of a middle-aged man in a white coat. As he asked for 'Summers', she dashed away from the others waiting with her.

Her entire attention focused on the medico, she didn't notice Riley's wistful sigh. He'd almost gotten a kiss that time; it was the only moments when he felt that maybe she did love him after all and he'd overreacted before. Instead, he was left as the baby-sitter. "C'mon Dawn, I'll stop by the store on the way back and grab some chocolate ice-cream." Dawn's only response was to take a short whiff of the air around him and wrinkle her nose.

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End Ch 5