Buffy wasn't sure how long she was unconscious for. She blinked, as she opened her eyes, expecting to see the fire and brimstone she had been expecting of the hell dimension she had just been sent to. Instead, she found herself in a warm, green field on a beautiful summery day lying next to some of the most amazing flowers and greenery she had ever seen in her life.
Standing up, she looked around, trying to find out where she was, if she was even in the right place.
"Hello!" She called out. "Hello! Angel? Galendil! Anybody?"
She stood there calling out for quite some time until eventually her voice went hoarse and she was tired of yelling. The field was completely empty, save for the sound of her own voice and that alone was more unnerving than fire and brimstone could ever be.
She sat down in the field, realizing that searching for someone would most likely be a useless waste of energy. She suddenly had a feeling that if Galendil wanted to be found, he would show himself eventually. And she was right.
After two days of sitting in the field, the demon God decided to appear before her. She wasn't surprised when a hole suddenly appeared in the beautiful atmosphere, nor was she shocked to see the demon God step through it. She simply waited, unblinking and unimpressed with the pomp and circumstance Galendil brought with him.
The demon had assumed a human guise for the time being, a harmless looking business man in a suit and tie, but Buffy had the feeling the being's true form was much more imposing and that she would see that soon enough.
"I was getting bored." She said with a small smile.
"Ah, my newest arrival." Galendil said with a grin. "And if I'm not mistaken, the woman who cost my faithful earth servant the power I was to bestow upon him. Now I have to wait another five hundred years before I can try again...do you know how taxing that can be?"
"Sorry." She said with a shrug. "But no offense, giving that kind of power to a politician is never a good idea. Besides...I didn't like his platform."
"Apparently he wasn't happy with yours either." Galendil said with a grin. "I don't know how he did it, but not only did he manage to use the rest of my power to send the vampire here, but the slayer as well. Very fun for me."
"I got news for you," she said standing up and bringing herself nose to nose with the demon God, "Adamson didn't send me here. I brought myself. I came here willingly."
"You think I'm an idiot?" Galendil said with a laugh. Buffy considered this for a moment.
"Well, yea." She replied.
"It's not possible to send yourself here slayer. There's only one way to get to this place and that's if your sent. Nobody comes here willingly."
"Ahh, but I found a loophole." She told him defiantly. "I asked someone to send me here. My sister threw that portal at me upon my request. I may not have stepped through it on my own, but it was my decision to get sent here. Any rule can be broken if you do it right. If being a slayer has taught me anything, it's how to break the rules."
"Well," Galendil said, clearly shocked. "That is different. Tell me slayer, if what you say is true, why would you want to be sent here? Surely it isn't for my company since you fought so hard to keep my power from reaching your world."
"No it isn't for your company." She said with a laugh. "Are all you Gods this arrogant? I came because you have something of mine."
"And what is that?" Galendil questioned, still unsure of why the slayer had come willingly to his hell dimension.
"The vampire." She replied. "He was sent here by Adamson and I want him back. What's more, you're going to give him to me."
"I am, am I?" Galendil said with a laugh. "Tell me child how do you expect to retrieve him and escape? You clearly haven't done your homework. The only way out of here is by my good graces, and if you had done any research on me you would find that I haven't any. You may be a slayer in your dimension, but in mine you are just a girl. You are powerless and you belong to me. There is nothing you can do for your vampire except suffer alongside him."
"Fine." She said in a resigned tone. "Then take me to him."
"That's it then?" Galendil said in surprise. "You're not going to fight me? You're not going to try to escape?"
"If I thought it would accomplish anything I would." She replied honestly. "But as you said I'm in your world now. I came here willingly and if I can't take Angel with me then I don't want to escape. What I do want is to be near him, and if suffering alongside him is all I can get, well then I will take it."
"You are one interesting slayer." Galendil said, appreciatively. "And believe me, I've had one or two slayers sent to me in my day. I'll tell you what. I'll make you a deal."
"What kind of deal?" Buffy asked, already on her guard.
"I've never had anybody come to me willingly, least of all a slayer." Galendil admitted, "and to be honest, I find your idealism and willingness to suffer to be terribly interesting. Certainly it's something I've never seen before. The deal is this. You will face three trials of my choosing. If you pass them, you are free to leave and to take your vampire with you. If you fail, then I keep him, I keep you and I keep your soul. You give that to me for all eternity."
"My soul..." Buffy said, confused.
"The one thing I can't take from you unless you give it to me willingly. People can send other people to this dimension to suffer, but they can't be robbed of their souls. I don't have that ability." Galendil admitted. "If you lose this trial however, you and your soul are mine forever. That's beyond mere suffering, do you understand that?"
"How do I know these trials will be fair?" She demanded. "How do I know it's even possible for someone to pass them? That this isn't a trick to get me to just hand you my soul?"
"You don't." Galendil said simply. "And you really can't trust me in any way, shape or form. You either think the risk is worth it, or you don't. At least if you go through the trials you have a hope of escaping here with your vampire. If you don't attempt them, you stay here for eternity. What is your decision?"
"I accept." She said quietly, so quietly she wasn't even sure she had spoken. Her body was tight with ice cold fear. Her heart felt like lead. "I accept your offer. I will go through your trials, and if I lose my soul is yours. I have one term for you though."
"Oh I can tell I am going to enjoy you." Galendil whispered menacingly. "You have a quite the soul, I can see that already. What is your 'term'?"
"I want to see him." She stated. Her eyes were level, her stare unfaltering. She stood tall, brave, knowing that her dignity and her strength were all she had in the face of such an overwhelming task ahead of her. "I want to see Angel before the trials. I need to."
"I can't see any harm in that I suppose." Galendil said with a shrug. "I will allow your soul to say farewell to his before you go through the trials. After that however, I will come for you slayer and then it will begin. Is that understood?"
"It is." She replied softly. "Thank you."
Galnedil blinked, shocked that someone should thank him, especially under the circumstances, yet nevertheless, snapped his fingers and delivered Buffy to a very shocked Angel, so that she could explain the deal she had just made with the demon God Galendil.