Prologue- But for the Slip of the hand

They say that but for the smallest twist of the threads of fate, worlds are made, fires burn, and worlds crumble. They say that the smallest thing, the smallest movement, might create a typhoon a continent away. The smallest thing. The beating of a wing, the catching of paper in the wind, the random catching of a piece of dust, can spiral so far out. For Buffy Summers and the Scooby Gang, as they were called, through their countless adventures, there were many times when things could have gone in different ways. One inch to the right, another to the left, a slip and a fall, and the power of the slayer might have been further passed on. What we see now, what see before us, is one of those times. A time when anything was possible, a time when there were two slayers together. A time when the Lady of Faith, and the Lady of Summer fought as one, and hunted together. Such a brief time, but what a time. Until it ended. What if it hadn't? What if, by the slip of fate, and the twist of a hand, a whole new frame of things was made. What if? So we shall see.

As it was, on this day, Saturday January 2nd, at 8:37pm, Buffy Summers, age 17, and Faith Lehane, age 17, were doing what any two 17-year-olds did on the last weekend of winter break. They were running through graveyards, attempting to stab and destroy monsters. A fairly typical and boring day, something we have all no doubt done countless times throughout our lives. In times past, there would have been nothing at all remarkable about the hunt, watched as they were by the ever-vigilant Rupert Edmond "Ripper" Giles. This night, as the hunt was nearing its end, one last vampire was out and about. Edward Collins, aged 28, had been the son of a local butcher before he was turned into a creature of the night just three months before. What an idea that was, so his sire had thought. Turn the child of human butcher into a butcher of humans. Or at least, it might have been. Not that Edward's sire had lived long, having been dusted 30 minutes before by the very hunters now pursuing him.

"On the right!" Faith called out, feeling her heart beating and the wind in her hair as she followed Buffy through the 7th row of tombstones.

"I see him! Behind that ugly gravestone!" Buffy replied, smirking as she took out Mr. Pointy and ran towards the ugliest gravestone she had ever seen.

"The one with the gilded trim?" Faith called out, a smirk on her lips.

"No, the one that looks like it was carved by a blind man. Yes the one with the gilded trim! Do you see any other ugly tombstones around here?" Buffy stated

"I see him! On it, B!" Faith said as she ran passed Buffy to the right, dodging between two tombstones with names too boring to take note of.

"Ladies, can we please take this more seriously? He's the last of the cult and we do want to go to bed. By the way, did you two finish your homework, or are we pulling an all-nighter tomorrow once more?" Buffy and Faith heard. Buffy suppressed a sigh at the thought of homework as Faith ran to the ugly tombstone 30 tombstones down.

Edward, for his part, was in a panic. He had seen all of his fellows of their branch of the Cult of the Beast slaughtered in front of him by the accursed Slayers. He was afraid, and he wanted nothing so much as to be anywhere but where he was at that moment. Calling on the Beast would not work, as he was too far for it to hear him. That was his goal, this night, and this moment. If he could escape the Slayers and regroup at the castle with the other branch, they could summon the beast and end the Slayers once and for all. Taking refuge behind a tombstone with gilded trim, he took from his pocket an envelope given to him by his sire, moving it to a pocket inside his coat, near the collar. Sensing the slayer behind him, he braced himself and spun around, unleashing his vampiric face.

Caught by surprise as she approached him, Faith was just able to catch him by the hands, dropping her stake. As she attempted to push him back, Edward snarled.

"For felling my fellows, I shall fell you, Slayer!" He said, as he attempted to push her back, turning and twisting his arms to try and reach her neck. Seeing this, Faith allowed herself to flow with the motion, twisting herself in opposition, and with a smirk, pushing her head forward. Stunned, but not disoriented, Edward seized his chance and pushed his fangs so close to her neck that Faith would swear, even as the years went by, that she had felt him drool onto her. Setting aside her pride, she called out.

"B! Need some help!" She shouted out, attempting to raise her right knee to hit the man in the groin.

Sensing an approach behind him, Edward dropped his head and released Faith's right hand from his left, using both hands to grab her right, and spun. The sudden shift in weight destabilized Faith, and she felt herself moving in an arc behind where Edward had stood. Reflexively, she tried to reach out with her hand, only to encounter the top flap of his jacket, brushing against something that felt like paper. Just as she was released, and able to regain her balance, she turned around, right hand in a fist, and saw the shocked face of Edward as he began to turn to dust.

Buffy had not been so careless so as to leave Faith to defend herself alone. So used was she to fighting as a team with Giles and her friends, and even Faith, that she had stayed close to Faith, watching her hold her own against Edward. Intending to get behind Edward, she had reconsidered that when she saw how agile he was, and how fast he seemed to be able to turn and react. Rather than approach him from behind, she decided to trick him, to turn him around. To accomplish this, she circled halfway behind him and deliberately stepped too loudly, immediately running around him. Edward had only thought, due to that soft sound, that she was behind him. She had, instead, moved to be behind him when he turned, standing where Faith had been standing. From there, it had been a simple matter to stake the undead from behind.

Edward for his part, felt frustration as his form began to turn to dust. What a waste, he could not help but think. He had only just been turned and had expected to live for many centuries. What fun he would have, hunting and drinking the blood of the slayers. With his experience as a butcher, trained by dear old dad, his first meal, he had considered himself right to butcher and consume others. What a laugh his sire had had when he had entered the back of the shop looking for meat to drain the blood of, only to find an apprentice butcher. He would be a good little soldier in the fight against the Slayer, the man thought. The sire of Edward, Gregor Lesharo, aged 262, had himself been sired so long ago and so far away by another vampire, the all mighty at the time, Angelus. Angelus who, himself, had been sired by the great Lady Darla, herself sired by The Master, sired long before. A line of sires going back to the beginning, a branch that would, with Edward, be no more. As he felt his head chest turn to dust, he realized something in horror. He could no longer feel the presence of the envelope in the secret pocket near his lapel. He locked eyes with the grappler, and realized, as he had spun her, that her hand had reached for him, causing him to over rotate around his neck. The paper, he thought, must have come lose, and the Slayer had grabbed it. He could not help but smile as his head turned to dust. His fellows, the rest of the cult, would have a Slayer on the way. At last, the beast could be unleashed, and the threat ended.

Faith and Buffy, of course, had no way of knowing the thoughts of Edward Collins, his name, the name of his sire, or that he was of relation to Angelus. Had they known of that connection, they might have thought to ask Angel in the future about the man. As it was, under any other circumstances, they would have simply thought of him as another faceless mook of a vampire that they, in their capacity as the one girls in all the world, had slain. Indeed, that was to be the case of things, regardless of what would happen next.

"Thanks for the help B" Faith said, approaching Buffy, right hand still closed. Before Buffy could respond, she was interrupted by an approaching Giles.

"Faith! That was way too reckless! He almost got you. Next time, stay with Buffy, work together. There has never been two Slayers before. The two of you should be working as one, but you were almost apart." Giles said, as he approached the two.

"We got him didn't we? I'd say we worked together quite well. We just killed 36 vampires in one night. Nice little nest, eh?" Faith said with a smirk, turning to face Giles and wrapping her right arm around Buffy's shoulders.

"Yeah, lighten up Giles! Who thought we'd run into Jackie Chan as a vampire? With that turning speed, he caught even me by surprise." Buffy spoke, feeling confident in her ability as the Slayer.

"That may be so, but clearly we need to increase the training for both of you. You are strong, but you need to be agile in the future. We've mostly encountered the more physical types of creatures in the past, but if we are to encounter a more agile type, then we must…" As Giles went into his nearly patented fatherly lecture mode, he caught sight of a bit of fluttering in Faith's hand.

"Faith, what's that in your hand?" Giles asked, pointing to her closed fist.

"What do you mean? It's nothing, it's…" Faith began, opening her right hand and finding it contained a crumpled-up envelope. Thinking back for a moment, she recalled reaching up as the vampire had tried to spin her. She thought she had touched his lapel, but in the heat of things, her hand had closed on something there. Wide eyed, she responded. "I took it off that spook as he spun me." She said, shock evident in her tone.

"Shouldn't it have turned to dust?" Buffy asked, equally shocked.

"Not if you…but that's….interesting. A slip then." Giles said, eyes focusing on the paper and reaching out for it, encountering no resistance from Faith.

"What's a slip?" Buffy and Faith asked at the same time. Without looking up from his examination of the envelope, Giles responded.

"A slip is anything taken off a vampire after they have been staked, but before they have turned to dust. In that brief period where a vampire is dusting, and paralyzed, one can take things off of the body and have them remain after the vampire has faded. So named because it is slipping something from the grasp of the grave. They do not occur very often. Some hunters have specialized in obtaining them, but it's not easy, and it's dangerous." Giles said as he opened the envelope, going wide eyed at that he saw.

"You mean to tell me, this whole time, I could have been taking stuff from vampires, instead of having it all go to waste as they turn to dust?" Buffy replied, incredulously.

"As I said, it's dangerous and it's not easy to get a slip. One has to move so fast, in such a short period of time, that it's nearly impossible. This is no simple slip, though. This is a map to another nest. I will examine it tomorrow, but I recognize the symbol on the top right. It's the mark of the Cult of the Beast. This is not the place to discuss this. Come to my home tomorrow afternoon." Giles said, as placed the paper back into the envelope and placed the envelope in a plastic bag he produced from places unknown.

Buffy and Faith, as they watched Giles walk away, were caught off guard by his response, and by the idea of fighting something called the Cult of the Beast. At least, they thought as they walked away, they would have an excuse not to do their homework.

"Do your homework before you come and do it by noon tomorrow." Giles called over his shoulder, leaving Buffy and Faith to wonder how he always seemed to know about their stupid homework.

***THE NEXT DAY, 2PM***

Before he could raise his hand to ring the doorbell, Xander heard Giles say "Enter". Not for the first time Xander wondered how Giles always seemed to know when people approached him. He had found himself wondering if it had something to do with Ripper, but he knew he was unlikely to ever ask Giles about it. As he entered what he referred to as "Casa De Giles", he saw Giles, Willow, Oz, Buffy, and Faith all sitting around a table with a piece of paper in the middle, ten open books and stacks of books everywhere he could see.

"So, what's this about another evil cult and why can't we ever encounter a group of happy puppy lovers for once?" Xander said, taking his place at the table.

"The Cult of the Beast is not a thing to be taken lightly, Mr. Harris. They have existed for over four centuries. It is said that they captured a mighty beast and that they have used it to destroy. The beast is kept chained with their leaders at all times and has been unleashed to cause great harm to this world repeatedly throughout history." Giles said ominously, flipping through the pages of one of his books.

"What sort of beast is it?" Willow asked, trying not to make eye contact with Xander.

"I'll show you." Giles said, pushing his book into the center of the table and gesturing for everyone to look.

It was difficult to tell the specific size of the creature, and the sketch wasn't entirely clear as to the shape. However, what was obvious was that it had fangs, it had claws, it had wings, it had spines on a lizard-like tail, it had a spiked collar on, and it was in flight. Colored black along its body it was, without a doubt

"Giles….that's a dragon." Xander said, shock evident from his voice.

"Strictly speaking, it's a Calendria. Or at least, that's what it was referred to as for eons. No one knows quite how old it is, but it was seen even in ancient Greece. Said to appear in times of trouble, and, despite what one might think, it actually fought the darkness. Its flames can stop a demon from being reborn. One breath from the Calendria, and the demon inside so many creatures is reduced to dust. A dust that, despite all known attempts, nothing is able to be resurrected from. It sometimes even fought with the Slayer. More than one Slayer was documented as climbing on its back and flying into battle. The Calendria saved the world numerous times." Giles spoke in a solemn voice. As he spoke, everyone in the room could not help but hold their breaths. Breaths which were released as Giles finished. It was Oz who was the first to respond.

"If this thing, the Calendria, is a force for good, why is there an evil cult based around it?" Oz asked, fascinated by the idea of such a powerful looking creature fighting the darkness. He found himself relating to it, feeling the call of the wolf within him.

"No one quite knows how, but in the 16th century the Calendria was seen fighting with a particularly large nest of vampires. Somehow, in the battle, a chain and a collar were placed upon it. Since then, those vampires, who became the Cult of the Beast, have enslaved it. It follows their orders. It has been seen to attempt resistance to them, but they have some sort of control spell or binding on it. It must be holding itself back as despite the bindings and servitude, it has yet to unleash the same level of destruction it did when it was free. Many have tried to find it and set it free, but the cult has always been on the move. They unleash it upon any that they wish to and any who have gone to set it free have not returned. With its breath it is feared that it could end the Slayer line permanently if a Slayer were caught within it. That fire, that fire of souls, that ended so many threats, now held in the hands of the darkness." Giles spoke, a touch of anger clear in his voice to Buffy.

Everyone was silent for a while as they processed what Giles said to them. Such a powerful creature, that could destroy the Slayer permanently. The danger was clear.

"What does that mean for Buffy, though? No offense, but she died, and the power was called to Faith. What does it mean that there are two?" Willow asked, a distant look in her eyes.

"It means," said Giles as he moved the book from the table, exposing the tacked down piece of paper "that we have a unique opportunity. Not only do we have a Slayer who would not break the line, potentially, but we also know where it is right now. According to this map that Faith obtained last night, it's in a castle 20 miles to the North. Most likely, there will be far more vampires than we encountered last night. It is most certainly a trap. The Cult has been attempting to lure out the Slayer for some time, trying to get her to come to the Calendria. It was a project of mine in the past to study the Calendria. I have wondered about freeing it. From the descriptions of the binding, I believe I have a means to unbind it." Giles said, taking out a small green vial in a stand from under the table, placing it upon it.

"I have been working on this for years. If this were poured upon the back of the collar, or somehow fed to the Calendria, I believe it would be free. The Watcher's council will not help us. I asked years ago, before coming here, to take several men on an expedition to free it, but they always refused me. I have a suspicion as to why, but I cannot be certain. As I said, this is extremely dangerous and I would not blame you if you wished not to proceed. Honestly, I am fearful of what we might face if we did pursue this course of action. The location of the creature at a specific moment has not been known for over 80 years. It has always just appeared with the cult. I also have no guarantee that this unbinding potion will work." Giles finished, giving everyone in the room a solemn look. This was something that by all accounts should have led to a long and thoughtful discussion. However, as it turned out, that was not to be.

"If you're telling me that we could wind up with a dragon that can kill demons by itself, a dragon that has helped the Slayer in the past, then I am in." Buffy said, standing up, a spark of fire in her eyes.

"Buffy, it's dangerous. You could die. Giles just said…" Willow began, only to be cut off

"This creature, the Calendria, was fighting the monsters for what sounds like millennia. It helped the Slayer. It's about time for the Slayer to help it. If it's been captured and held for so long, then it's a tragedy. Imagine being held for centuries like that, bound to kill the very people it fought to protect and bound to the monsters it fought to destroy. If it is like that, and I have the power, then I have to help it. Let's go tonight, Giles. Let's free the Calendria." As Buffy spoke, everyone could feel the energy in her voice. It lifted their spirits and brought forth their strength.

"You are not doing this alone, B. I'm coming to! Let's free it!" Faith said, standing up and joining Buffy.

"No!" Giles interrupted, earning shocked looks from everyone. "Faith, you will not go! If the Calendria were to kill you, then-"

"Then I won't fight it! I'll stay back. You said there's a whole nest of spooks, though. I'm in for the fight. B won't be alone in this." Faith interrupted, defiantly.

"You bet she won't, because I'll be there to help too" Xander declared, standing up.

"As will I!" Willow stated with pride, standing up

"If she's going, then you know I'm in. Not to mention, freeing a millennia old dragon? Talk about a quest worth going on." Oz said, a fascinated look on his face as he stood up. That left only Giles sitting, holding his hands under his chin.

"If we are to go, then we will go together. As long as you understand the danger. Faith, you are NOT to engage the Calendria. It has always recognized the Slayer through the millennia. It is likely that it will attempt to resist. The Cult will attempt to overrule it, but it will likely continue to resist. In those moments of resistance, that is when we will have the opportunity to free it. Whatever happens, you are to run and hide as soon as you have applied the compound to the collar. Keep your distance as you fight it, until the moment you are ready to use it. We leave in 3 hours. Mr. Osbourne, call The Bronze and place an order of whatever you wish. If we are going to free the Calendria, let's do it with those delightful onion blossoms in our stomachs." Giles said, standing up and walking to the stairs. "In the meantime, everyone prepare yourselves. I have some books upstairs that I will check for additional information."

As everyone went about preparing what they would need, Oz ordering 12 portions of onion blossoms from The Bronze, Giles was alone upstairs, in his bedroom. As he walked to the mirror, he took out a small knife. He would use that knife to pry open a secret seam in the wall, revealing a hole containing a black book. Taking the book to hand, he opened it and looked through the pages.

"Celestro…we will free you. This, I promise. We will free you. Then you will tell us…what it was that truly happened to you?" Giles spoke to himself. If one could see the pages of the book one would see that it was a journal, which contained writing in a mixture of Greek, Sumerian, Sanskrit, Latin, and many other languages. As Giles settled on the page he wished to see, one would see, if one could see the book, a drawing of a man. A man of tanned skin and long dark hair. A man who stood next to the Calendria. A man that, based on the drawing, and the unusual way it seemed to glow, could be mistaken for changing into it.

Author's Note

Hello all. Welcome to a new story I am currently working on- Celestro. Updates will occur as I finish chapters, give or take a few days. The first chapter is already in the works, but I wanted to post this, the prologue to the story. I hope you enjoy it. Please do review. All reviews will be read, and I will try to respond to any questions (without spoilers) in subsequent chapters. Until next time. Be safe, be well, and good luck, always.