CHAPTER ONE: FAMILY REUNION
It was with great effort that Buffy dragged herself through the corridors of Sunnydale High School. She knew without a doubt that if any stray cleaner, or, Merlin-forbid, Principal Snyder happened to walk past, she'd no doubt be expelled or suspended for something or other. All she could think of was getting to her Watcher, and praying like crazy that he wouldn't ask too many questions.
She cried out in pain as her knees gave way in the corridors, and she fell to the ground with a thump. She lay there, breathing hard, her body trembling violently with pain and another, darker indefinable something that Buffy had never wanted to experience. She tried to summon up the strength to get herself to move forward, even if she had to crawl on hands and knees to get to the relative safety of the library. She wasn't even all that sure on how she'd managed to get from the cemetery to the school, but she'd made it there, inch by agonizing inch.
"Buffy!"
She felt the familiar and comforting hands of her Watcher gently touching her, trying to work out where she was hurt. Thankful that she had been found, she allowed herself to succumb to the blissfulness of unconsciousness.
Giles looked down at his wounded Slayer, his heart racing frantically as he tried to imagine what it was that had brought his Slayer to her knees. She didn't seem to be too badly hurt except for the rather noticeable red handprints around her neck, and the cut on her head that had thankfully stopped gushing blood. Even as she was unconscious, she was shivering, though it wasn't because of being cold. Regardless of the fact that it was supposedly winter, the nights hadn't been all that cool in Sunnydale.
Carefully he scooped her into his arms and carried her into the library. Willow and Xander leapt to their feet upon seeing their best friend lying in the Watcher's arms, completely unconscious.
Giles laid her out on the table, removing his jacket to act as a makeshift pillow for the injured girl.
Willow quickly ran to Giles' office to grab the first-aid kit that was always kept on hand, and fully stocked for any and all emergencies.
"What did this?" Xander asked, his voice shaky with nervousness.
Giles just shook his head silently. He had no clue, and Buffy was still trembling.
Willow laid the first-aid kit out on the table, helping Giles to clean the gash on Buffy's forehead. Willow winced as she saw the angry looking wound that was sure to leave a scar and a nasty bruise for the next few days. They were all just thankful for Buffy's enhanced healing abilities. Without them, they'd have had a lot of questions to answer that not even science could explain.
"Why is she shaking?" Willow asked softly.
"I wish I knew," Giles replied, mentally going through every single symptom of demon infection that he could think of, trying to come up with an answer and a solution. "Xander, would you look in the Black Chronicles. Chapter nine deals with the various poisons given off by certain demons, and there may be a clue as to what did this."
Xander nodded, happy to have been given something useful to do. He wasn't helpful when it came to trying to patch up Buffy's injuries, and he hated the helplessness that he felt whenever the Slayer was injured.
"I believe I have an idea of what happened," a soft voice interjected.
The group came to a complete standstill, turning to look at the stranger who stood in the centre of the library. None of them had hard the man come in, and nobody had even the vaguest idea of whom he was.
"And who exactly are you?" Giles asked, allowing a little bit of Ripper to come to the forefront.
The stranger wore a pair of half-moon glasses, his nose long and crooked, and his hair was flowing silver, his beard and moustache the same colour. He looked harmless enough, but on the hellmouth, one couldn't be too careful. Xander was busy taking in the sight of the stranger's wardrobe. The stranger was in flowing blue robes decorated with silver stars. His cloak was a darker blue, with beautiful embroidery on the sleeves, collar and split in the middle. It was possibly the strangest and most elaborate piece of clothing that any of them had ever seen.
"A friend," the stranger replied.
He approached the table, reaching into his robes for a small glass vial. Giles stood protectively in front of his stranger, pulling himself up to his full height and staring the stranger directly in the eye.
Willow and Xander watched on apprehensively.
"Trust me Mr Giles, I will not hurt her," the man said.
Giles was put off guard by the sudden use of his name, and the stranger pushed the Watcher out of the way. He gently cradled Buffy's head and uncorked the glass vial. With great care and delicacy, he poured the contents of the vial into Buffy's mouth, massaging her throat softly to get her to swallow.
Several moments later, Buffy suddenly coughed and came to, sitting up on the table and looking around.
When her eyes met the strangers, a grin broke out on her face, and she practically jumped into his arms, hugging him tightly.
Giles, Willow and Xander watched with interest, curiousity and confusion, trying to work out just how the Slayer knew the strange man who had seemingly revived the Slayer.
Buffy pulled back, her grin suddenly dimming.
"Wait…what are you doing here?" she asked.
"You know why I'm here, Phoenix," he replied softly.
Buffy nodded and rubbed at her still raw throat. The stranger smiled softly and removed something else from his pocket. He unscrewed the lid and squeezed out a thin line of cream, gently tilting Buffy's head back and rubbing it into her throat. Buffy sighed with relief and was able to breath properly once more.
"Anywhere else?" he asked gently.
Buffy nodded and pivoted on the table, showing her back to the man. She lifted her shirt, and her friends winced at the ugly looking bruise that marred her otherwise perfectly tanned back.
The man gently rubbed some of the cream onto the wound, making Buffy grimace with pain, and at the cold sensation of the cream. She pushed her shirt back down and turned to look up at the stranger.
"Is mom alright?" she asked.
The man nodded, gently tucking a strand of Buffy's blonde hair behind her ear. "She's fine. You know I would never let anything happen to her."
Buffy nodded and then seemed to realise that they were not alone. She was getting confused and curious looks from her two best friends and her Watcher as well. She sighed softly and looked to the man with the silvery beard.
"I think it's time you told your friends the truth, dear girl," he encouraged her softly.
"I don't know where to start," Buffy admitted.
"Perhaps with an introduction," he prompted her.
Buffy laughed slightly, loving the simplicity of the idea. "Meet my two best friends, Willow Rosenberg, and Xander Harris. And Rupert Giles. My Watcher."
Giles' eyes widened as he heard his official title. He couldn't work out who the stranger was that would even know what a Watcher was. Which then meant that the stranger knew that Buffy was the Slayer.
"Guys, meet my grandfather. Albus Dumbledore."
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Sorry for the delay guys!! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all of you!
Oh, and if updates are sporadic, it's cos my computer died. sighs Hope it gets fixed soon.
Toodles.
DKG.