Title: The Beginning of a New Age

Author: Kristin Hulett

Summary: The extended Scooby Gang gets together for the holidays. When two unexpected guests arrive with a series of prophecies, the celebrations are somewhat unceremoniously halted.

Disclaimer: I don't claim to own any of the characters established on either Buffy or Angel. Those characters are all the property of Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, etc. However, all characters that are new to this story, the children of Buffy, Angel, Xander and Anya, Christopher Bishop, Gabriella, Victoria, Nicholas, and the representatives from the Watcher's Council, and the concept of this story are mine. In any case, nobody sue me, because it would be pointless. You wouldn't get much.

Time Period: 2020, about ten years after the end of "Immortal Miracles".

Part Five

At the announcement of the two strangers, Angel moves forward to join Buffy at the door. "What can we help you with?"

The man introduced as an associate of Travers answers the question, in a friendly voice. "We have reason to believe something will happen soon. May we come in and sit down?"

Buffy recovers from her shock. "Yes. Please, come in." While they walk past her, she gets a good look at the younger, friendlier man. "Excuse me. Have we ever met?"

He turns around. "No, I don't think we have. This is my first time in this area of the country. Let me introduce myself. My name is Jeff. Actually, my full given name is Jefferson Giles. . ." He trails off when he notices that Buffy's facial expression has gone blank. "Are you OK?"

Buffy slightly shakes her head, as if to clear her mind. "Yeah. I'm fine. Excuse me for intruding, but are you related to . . .?" She trails off as well.

Jeff finishes her thought. "Your Watcher? Yes, I'm his son."

Angel speaks up at this. "I didn't know he ever had a son."

"I don't think he even knew. My mother certainly never told him that I existed. I never even met him. All I have ever known about him is his name, the fact that he was a Watcher, and that he was living here in California."

Cordelia had gotten up and stood in the doorway in time to hear Jeff's announcement that he was Giles's son. "Oh, how sad."

Buffy, at hearing Cordy's voice, remembers the other people in the house. "I'm sorry. I forgot I had guests. This is Cordelia Chase." She shows the two Watchers into the family room and makes the introductions.

Travers gets annoyed at this detour from the mission. "Can we get on with this?"

Angel responds. "You said that you thought something was going to happen."

Jeff intercepts the comment. "Yes. We recently found a series of prophecies that the Council thought referred to you, Buffy, and all your friends."

Buffy asks, "Should I call the rest of them and ask them to come over now, instead of later?"

Jeff answers. "That might be a good idea."

Buffy heads to the phone. Before she gets there, she makes a comment. "I'm going to call Nicholas and Victoria, too. They should know about this."

She gets to the phone. The first people she calls are the Watcher and the Slayer. Victoria picks up the phone.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Vicky? It's Buffy."

"What's up?"

"I'm sorry to call you on Christmas, but there're two men here from the Council that say something's up."

"Do you want us to come over there?"

"Well, we don't exactly know how big these prophecies are, but I'd rather be safe."

"Don't worry 'bout it. I'll tell Nicholas and we'll be over there in a few."

"Thanks." Buffy hangs up. She waits a couple seconds, then picks up the phone again and dials Willow. Five minutes later, everyone is alerted and on their way.

Within fifteen minutes, everyone that is involved is sitting in Buffy and Angel's family room. Everyone has been introduced, and now they are waiting to hear about the prophecies.

Travers is standing in the corner of the room, not pleased with how things are being handled. Therefore, Jeff is the one to start the discussion. "The Council found, in one of our routine searches, three prophecies."

Angel speaks. "I looked in the resources I have not long ago. I didn't find anything."

Jeff replies. "I'm sure you have good resources. I've heard that you were the one who retrieved the Codex. However, we have some texts that only exist in the copies the Council owns. We weren't even permitted to bring the texts here; we were given copies of the pages with the prophecies. Jacob, what did you do with them?"

"I have them in my bag, out in the car."

Nicholas speaks up. "Could we please see them?"

Travers grudgingly agrees, and goes out to get the papers from the rental car. Once he gets outside, Jeff looks at the group. "I apologize for his behavior. He doesn't really enjoy having to work with me."

Nicholas once again responds. "No problem, Jeff. You may have even heard this, but a lot of the Watchers think he got the job solely because of his father. He also probably doesn't like being told to work with someone 25 years younger than him."

Buffy remembers something. "Quentin never really liked Giles. Of course, I think the feeling was kind of mutual. Quentin was the one who fired Giles."

Jeff remembers the story about his father. "They said he was too close to you, right?"

"Yeah. He decided to tell me about my Cruciamentum after Kralik kidnapped my mother and killed his guards."

At this moment, they hear the front door open again. They stop talking, and a second later, Travers walks in and hands the copies to Nicholas.

He glances over the prophecies quickly, then looks up at Buffy. After a moment's consideration, Nicholas gets up and hands the papers to Angel.

Buffy is getting impatient. "Come on. Why don't you just read them out loud so the rest of us will know what's going on?" She leans back into the couch she is sitting on.

Angel, knowing he wouldn't be able to keep anything from his wife, slowly starts reading the first of the prophecies. "A time will come, that is not day or night, not one year or another, a score past the false millennium, when all forces of darkness will amass and all mortals will shudder."

Cordy is the first to speak. "OK. The apocalypse. I mean, that's what it says, right? We can handle it." Then, she turns to Chris, and, as if in explanation, continues. "We, or at least some of us, have survived what, like nine apocalyptic situations? I wasn't involved in all of them, at least not since I had gone to LA. That doesn't even count all the times people, speaking figuratively, have tried to kill us."

Buffy interrupts. "Thank you, Cordy, for that lovely speech." She doesn't notice Angel scanning the paper containing the second prophecy, looking increasingly worried.

Willow speaks. "That's New Year's Eve, right? Midnight?"

Jeff answers. "Yes. That would be how we interpreted the prophecy, at least."

Buffy finally looks at Angel again. "Angel? Would you please continue?"

Angel seems startled by her question. However, he haltingly reads the second prophecy, afraid of the response. "The eldest of the progeny of the Chosen One, once dead, now free, and the one who was formerly her immortal enemy will embody the balance between order and chaos, and will hold much power."

While the prophecy is being read, Buffy's eyes seem to get wider and wider. When Angel finishes reading, she only says one word. "Megan."

"What?"

At the voice, everyone in the room looks up in alarm. Oz is the first to speak this time. "How long have you been standing there?"

Megan answers from the doorway. "I just got down here. Michael and I were going to get something to eat." Suddenly, she notices the two men from the Council. "Hi. Who are you?"

Buffy answers her question. "They're friends of Nicholas's. This is Jacob Travers," indicating who Travers is, "and Jeff Giles." She sends a pointed look towards her daughter.

"Oh. Hi. It's nice to meet you, I guess. Mom. You said my name earlier. Did you want something?"

Angel answers, to save Buffy the pain of remembering the prophecy. "No. We just happened to mention your name in conversation."

"OK." Megan is suspicious, but she turns and heads for the kitchen, anyways.