See Part One for Disclaimer and details. Hello, and welcome to chapter thirteen! That's only the second time I've ever been able to say that, oddly enough, as I've only once ever written so many chapters before; apart from my 31 Days of Xanderween series, I'm pretty sure this is my longest fanfic ever. Anyway, thanks as always to all my loyal readers and reviewers, and just to clear up something that a number of people have asked; Xander is NOT going to be the Key in this story. I figure Dawn will make a cameo appearance at the end, most likely. Anyway, let's get to the fic – and please don't forget to review!
Part Thirteen: Revelations
The Bronze, Sunnydale
January 28th, 1998
Cordelia Chase was sitting alone on a couch within the teen nightclub, only vaguely listening to the band called Lotion playing their song 'Blind For Now'. Because most of her attention was focused on what had happened to Jesse last week, and his spirit's farewell message to her before passing out of this reality.
To be honest, all that had freaked out the Chase girl a lot more than the Jesse vampire attacking her at the mall. Sad to say, but this was Sunnydale – and so, such attacks were more borderline normal than anything else for her, these days. But seeing an actual ghost and hearing his voice in her head had caused Cordelia quite a few sleepless nights lately.
( Yeesh. Couldn't the stupid dumbass have been a little more specific, and said something other than just 'help Xander' like that? ) Cordelia thought to herself in sudden annoyance. ( I mean, help him do what? Save the world? Fit in better at Sunnydale High? Get a girlfriend? WHAT? )
That particular line of thought quickly brought to mind the dinner date Xander had taken her on last Friday. He'd been a perfect gentleman throughout the evening, making no mention of the wild kiss they'd shared within the National Guard armory. Xander had picked her up in his uncle's car, taken her to a four-star French restaurant, spent a copious amount of money on her, driven her home and then – nothing!
Xander hadn't called once during the weekend, and the following Monday, the annoying jerk hadn't even asked if she'd like to go out on another date with him. It was like after taking her out to dinner, he'd just discharged some sort of personal debt or something – like paying a parking ticket, and then simply forgetting about it afterwards!
And that was definitely a big no-no in Cordelia's book. SHE was the one who didn't call after the first date, which then forced the other party to beg for another chance!
( Unbelievable, ) Cordelia thought to herself, leaning back and folding her arms. ( I mean, instead of being the centre of Xander's entire goddamn universe, it's like – it's like I almost don't exist to him. Oh my God, I'm crushing on the one boy who practically treats me – ME of all people! – like I'm part of the scenery! What – am I being punished for the sins of a past life, or something? )
"Hey, Cordy," Willow said distractedly, as she sat down on the couch as well.
"Hi." Cordelia abruptly swiveled her head around to stare at the redhead. "Willow, can I ask you something?"
Willow shrugged. "Yeah, I guess. What?"
"Well, you were a guy for one night three months ago," the Chase girl said, which immediately made Miss Rosenberg uncomfortable with the reference to being Ned Nederlander during Halloween. "So you'd have an insight into the way guys think, right?"
"Um – sorta. Well, I guess," Willow semi-stammered, even though she had done her best to repress those memories just like Buffy and Jesse. "Why do you ask?"
"Well, it's Xander."
"What about him?"
"It's just – he's such a guy," Cordelia said in annoyance, as Willow stared at her in confusion. "It's like he's there, but then he's not there, and he wants it, but then he doesn't want it."
"Uh...what?" Willow replied, looking completely lost.
"It's like one moment he's ramming his tongue down a girl's throat, but then he's just kissing her hand like some old-fashioned stick-in-the-mud like Giles, and then he's practically jumping someone's bones in public, but then he doesn't even call during the weekend, and what the hell is the matter with that guy if he can't see what's standing right in front of him?" Cordelia ranted, much to Willow's confusion.
"Um, Cordelia? What exactly was your question again?" Willow asked as placatingly as possible, since she was still hopelessly lost. "How do guys think, or-or what's wrong with Xander?"
"Oh, forget it," Miss Chase threw her arms up in exasperation.
"I mean, if you want someone to tell you about, y'know, quick-draw pistol skills, or-or how to survive falling out of the sky and landing directly on your head, then I'm your girl, but-" Willow started to say.
"I said, forget it!" Cordelia cut her off ruthlessly. "Let's talk about something else. ANYTHING else!"
Not far away, Anyanka was watching Cordelia carefully, waiting for Willow to depart so as to approach the brunette in order to grant her a Wish; the Chase girl's pain had easily attracted her interest tonight. Growing impatient, the mad woman was about to approach both female teens...
When Cordelia's head abruptly dipped down, before snapping up again. Anyanka watched in surprise as her intended client grabbed the other simpering mortal's hand and dragged her away from the couch, just moments before a huge, growling werewolf smashed its way through the roof to land on the coffee table near the couch.
( Aw, puppy, ) Anyanka thought to herself happily, feeling no fear whatsoever as the rest of the Bronze patrons began to panic and scream and run for the exits. ( I wish I could take you home; it's been ages since I've had a decent pet! You were the one who killed all those evil bunnies in the forest last night, weren't you? Oh, you cute little werewolf – you deserve a sturdy doghouse, a bowl of water, and an extra-tough plastic chew bone... )
But that was not to be, as Anyanka's pathologically disturbed mind got distracted by another thought. She stared at Cordelia and thought, ( You knew the puppy was coming. One-two-three, up straightaway – oh yes, you knew! How did you know? Hmmm. Oh! You have the sight, don't you? Just like Cassandra of Troy. She was such a big dummy, turning down a god like that! Well, never mind – I'll just have to find some other woman to help, ta-ta for now then... )
With that, Anyanka vanished from the Bronze just before Buffy showed up to try to bag the werewolf using a length of chain and her Slayer super-strength. She failed, unfortunately, which meant that there was only one night left to catch the mystically cursed canine before the coming of the next full moon.
Sunnydale High School, Sunnydale
January 30th, 1998
The high school senior named Daniel 'Oz' Osborne walked out of the library, having had a very long talk with Rupert Giles just a short while before. Because he was the werewolf, and his eyes had just been opened to the real world all around him – a few weeks later than it would have otherwise happened, true, but better late than never.
( I'm a werewolf. Huh. Wouldn't have believed it without that videotape footage Mr. Giles took earlier on, ) Oz thought to himself, recalling what it was like waking up naked within the library's book cage, getting dressed and then watching that TV monitor in absolute fascination. ( It musta happened after Jordy bit me last week. And having to lock myself up three nights a month from now on, that doesn't sound like fun, either. Soon as I graduate, I'm gonna hafta leave town and find a cure for this... )
Oz walked alone, seemingly unaware of Buffy and Willow staring at him. The Slayer said, "This is all so weird. I mean, how are we supposed to act when we see him around the school now?"
Willow shrugged, as she and her best friend headed outside into the quad. "Well, it's gotta be weird for Oz, too. Now that he knows we know everything 'n all."
"Yeah, I suppose. Uh, I guess I should mention – Will, I'm pretty sure he was kinda in to you. Y'know, before," Buffy said tentatively, as a number of students passed her by. "There was definite interest in the 'potential boyfriend' sort of way."
Willow waited until they were alone again before saying, "I know. But Buffy...you remember what happened on Halloween?"
"Not if I can possibly avoid it," Miss Summers grimaced.
"Well, I haven't forgotten. See, ever since that night I've been having certain – feelings. At the start, I-I thought they'd go away. But, uh, they haven't," Willow confessed shyly.
"What feelings? Will, what are you talking about?" Buffy asked blankly.
The Rosenberg girl drew in a big breath, again making sure that no one was within earshot. "Even if I'd said yes to his offer of a movie date last week, it wouldn't have worked out between Oz and me because – because he's not my type."
"Not your type? You mean, because he's in a band? Hey, I know Cordy's been saying lots of mean stuff about her ex, Devon, lately...but you shouldn't let her influence-"
"No, Buffy, you still don't get it," Willow interrupted, her frustration and nervousness temporarily overriding her grief concerning the deaths of two people she had been very close to. "How can I put this – uh, remember when Jesse was crushing on Ms. Calendar, before they both died? Well...he had competition."
"Competition? What do you..." the Slayer said uncomprehendingly, before Buffy's eyes went wide as she finally got hit by the clue-by-four. "OH! You mean-?"
"Yeah," Willow said with a nervous smile, wondering if coming out like this was a really bad idea.
"Oh. Um...well...that's great. You know, I mean, I-I, that's great, Will. I mean, you know, things like this you have to – you have to follow your heart, Will. And that's what's important, Will."
"Why do you keep saying my name like that?" the redhead asked, frowning at her best friend.
"Like what, Will?" Buffy asked, still trying to deal with this particular curve ball; one she'd never seen coming.
"Are you freaked?" Willow asked, looking fearful that Buffy was going to end their friendship over this.
"What? No, Willow, d-" Buffy stopped and sighed. "No. No, absolutely 'no' to that question. It's kinda unexpected, sure, but Hellmouth 'n all – you gotta raise the bar a lot on what actually constitutes freak-worthy around here." The blonde noticed Willow looking skeptical and added, "I'm glad you told me."
Willow nodded. "It's just that after what happened to Jesse and Ms. Calendar, not to mention what almost happened to Oz with that werewolf hunter – I figured life is too short to hide who and what I am these days. Kinda dumb, huh?"
"Yeah. I mean, no, I mean – well, you know what I mean," Buffy said good-naturedly, giving Willow a friendly little nudge and a smile.
"So we're okay?" Willow asked, hoping with all her heart that it was true.
"Yeah, just as long as you don't start offering me flowers and candy," Buffy said kiddingly, before hastily adding, "And you do know that was just a joke, right?"
"Buffy, it's okay. I mean you don't go for every cute boy you meet, right? You can relax, I don't have a crush on you or anything," Willow explained calmly. As long as Buffy hadn't rejected her presence out of hand, everything was hunky-dory as far as she was concerned.
"Oh," Buffy said, feeling relieved and yet also a tiny bit annoyed that not only could she not find a decent boyfriend, even a female friend who swung that way wasn't attracted to her. ( What's wrong with me, anyway? I betcha I could land just about any girl in this school, if I put my mind to it – okay, hold on, definitely NOT going there! )
"So, are you planning to tell your parents about this?" Buffy inquired as she and Willow sat down on a bench.
"Not yet," Willow shook her head. "I mean, my mom and dad – not the type I share heart-to-heart's with. 'Cause the last time we had a conversation that lasted over three minutes, it was about the patriarchal bias of the 'Mr. Rogers' show; a-and my mother still thinks your name is actually Bunny Summers."
"Yikes," the Chosen One made a face at hearing that, before the bell for the next class rang. "Come on, we've got Algebra next. All those quadratic equations, they practically give me hives..."
"Well, at least it's not clothes off the rack, like in Cordelia's case," Willow shrugged as the female pair headed back inside the main building.
Sunnydale High Library, Sunnydale
Later that lunchtime
Rupert Giles had been very busy ever since his conversation with Oz this morning, which had involved both a globe and a moon and a lot of questions about the 'night life' in Sunnydale. After the bass guitarist had left, the Watcher had spent part of his time going over Darla's old hunting habits, and part of his time planning an attack on her new lair once it was located – when something he'd read had triggered a virtual brainstorm.
"Giles? What's going on? This place looks like an advertisement for a 'going out of business' sale at the local Barnes & Noble," Buffy commented, entering the library with Willow.
"Yeah, Giles," Willow added, seeing the mess and all the assorted books on the tables and the floor. "What gives? It's not the apocalypse again, is it? 'Cause I thought that was all over and done with for now!"
"No, uh, it's-it's nothing to do with the, um, the Judge," Giles said absently, his mind still absorbing information from one of his ancient tomes. Then he looked up and stared at the female teens. "It has to do with your Slayer dreams, Buffy."
"But I haven't had one since – uh, that time where Darla was killed by some demon or other," Buffy replied, screwing up her face in concentration. "Which, gotta hate the symbolism but nowadays, we pretty much know what that one means."
"No, not that dream. I, I was referring to the ones where you dreamed you were at the beach, and young Mr. Harris came out of the ocean covered in green fire," Giles said tightly.
"Oh, right! And on the night we saw Jesse's ghost and all, didn't Xander say afterwards that he heard Jesse's voice saying 'green fire' inside his head?" Willow asked.
"Indeed," Giles nodded, dropping his book onto the closest table. "The thing is, I-I'd forgotten where I'd heard of the Green Fire avatar until now."
"Green fire avatar? What's that?" Buffy demanded.
Giles sat on the edge of the table, and began to lecture the two girls. "I was examining Darla's connection to the Master and the Old Ones, in case she ever decides to, to complete what he started last year, a-and open the Hellmouth. That's when I remembered about the Tobaic Ritual of Destruction-"
"Someone once tried to vanquish a tobacco demon?" Buffy interrupted in surprise.
"Tobaic, not-not tobacco," Giles tried to be patient with his charge's mangling of the ritual's name. "It's, well, a very ancient rite, a-a sort of all-purpose destruction ritual – one that, that, that was said to have been used against a number of the Old Ones who walked the Earth, before humankind finally took control of this reality. The ritual was said to have been crafted by avatars of, of the four elements – Red Water, Black Wind, White Earth and Green Fire."
"Catchy names," Buffy commented with a frown.
"So...Xander's going to become an avatar of this Green Fire thingy?" Willow asked in confusion. "Giles, what's that mean?"
"Well, that's the thing – if, if past precedent is any indication, something of almost apocalyptic nature," Giles replied, taking off his glasses and rubbing his eyes tiredly.
"Ya wanna run that by me again, Watcher mine?" Buffy said with immediate apprehension. "Is Xander about to turn evil?"
"That's not – well, uh, that's too simplistic a question, Buffy. Human definitions of, of good and evil don't apply to avatars of the four elements. They simply – are," Giles said slowly, putting his glasses back on. "You, uh, you may as well ask if, if fire itself is evil. Or water, or wind, or the earth beneath our feet."
"Then why are you looking so worried, Giles?" Willow asked, still looking confused.
The Watcher exhaled. "As I said, an avatar of the four elements always heralds the-the arrival of something almost apocalyptic in nature. For example, the last recorded appearance of the embodiment of Red Water – well, that coincided with when the city of Atlantis was, um, utterly destroyed. The-the entire continent sank beneath the Atlantic, killing tens of thousands of people as well as sealing a demon portal to Hell," Giles said, even as the two girls' eyes went wide.
"What about the others?" Buffy asked, not liking the sound of this.
"Um, White Earth, that-that avatar practically destroyed the Mayan civilization with a series of earthquakes, in order to prevent the spread of a, um, a deadly plague o-of some sort. Black Wind, uh, the city of Tanis in Egypt – it, it was completely buried by an incredible desert storm, thanks to that avatar's actions," Rupert recalled. "This, ah, effectively protected the Ten Commandments within the Ark of the Covenant from the forces of evil, as well killing all of Tanis's human inhabitants."
"And Green Fire?" Willow asked, looking shocked at Giles' revelations.
"That one, well – there are, errr, conflicting stories. Some say the last appearance of an avatar for that element was in Rome, during the reign of the Emperor Nero – where, where a number of hellgods manifesting in human form were supposed to have been wiped out, when the city was burned to the ground. Others insist the last manifestation of Green Fire took place in Carthage during 697 AD; the city was the, the site of a Hellmouth, you see, and i-i-it was crawling with vampires-"
"Just like Sunnydale," Buffy interrupted, looking more than a little anxious now.
"But I thought that Carthage was destroyed by the Arabs, when they invaded it back then?" Willow asked uncertainly, recalling that piece of trivia from History class.
"That is, um, one school of thought, yes. However, according to some historians, the-the invaders took control there approximately eight years later. That leaves, well, quite a gap in the historical record, and no one can really be sure what happened..." Giles trailed off. "Even the Watcher diaries of the Slayer assigned to the place were destroyed, a-and a new Chosen One was subsequently called in China to deal with, with the rising threat of the undead there."
There was a short silence as the three of them stared at each other. All those present knew that at that point, a fourth voice – one that was now gone – would have spoken up to lighten the atmosphere with a joke or a quip of some sort. The unwelcome quiet made Willow, Buffy and Giles miss Jesse all the more, driving home just how final death was.
"So, Giles, what do you think all this means for Xander? If he tries to burn down Sunnydale at some point, am I – am I gonna have to kill him?" Buffy asked hollowly.
"Buffy, y-you don't understand. You CAN'T kill one of the avatars of the four elements!" Giles told her emphatically, jumping up off the table and shaking his head.
"Why not? It's sorta in the job description, isn't it – preventing innocent people from getting slaughtered?" Buffy demanded.
"Buffy. To the best of my knowledge, whenever a-a-an avatar appears – be it of Red Water, Black Wind, White Earth OR Green Fire – it's because their presence is necessary to prevent Armageddon. There's always a, a raison d'être for their actions, even if we can't recognize it beforehand. And we've known since the beginning, from-from Mr. Harris's own admission, that he was sent here for a reason. A, a higher purpose if you will. Apparently, this is it," Giles said earnestly.
"I don't care! It's not Xander's job to destroy Sunnydale, and possibly the rest of the state while he's at it! I won't let that happen!" Buffy said stubbornly. She then turned around and stormed out of the library.
"You'd best go after her. And, and make sure Buffy understands that she's to say nothing of this to the young man in question," Giles ordered Willow earnestly. "Our lives could quite literally depend on it."
Willow nodded, taking off to chase after her best friend. Giles just collapsed onto the nearest chair, debating with himself over whether to report what he'd learned to his superiors in England. ( Bleeding hell. I've been living here in the colonies for too long, I suspect – this time last year, I wouldn't have hesitated to report something so important! Maybe Travers was right, and I bloody well have gone native... )
But in the end he decided not to do it, as Rupert knew that there was a faction within the Watchers – the one enamored of hidebound, strict tradition – which would push for Buffy's immediate termination, if they learned she was going to try to prevent an avatar of one of the four elements from carrying out its purpose. Not to mention that the faction would probably also try to directly control the avatar, which could be equally disastrous.
( Damn it all, Buffy, I can protect you only so far. And good Lord, I hope we all survive what's coming... )
The Bronze, Sunnydale
January 31st, 1998
It was Saturday night within the only worthwhile club in town, as Ford watched Xander playing pool with a cute redhead – one of the Slayer's groupies, he knew that, but still a nice piece of ass which the soulless vampire wouldn't mind tapping if opportunity knocked.
Speaking of opportunity – Ford was very lucky that Darla had ordered him to be released a week ago, right after Collin had been eliminated, and he knew it. The wounds from the torture inflicted by the Anointed One had taken ages to heal; and since he'd been tortured for so-called incompetence, he was now totally outside the pale within the undead community. A leftover from the old regime, who was not trusted by the new master vampire of the Hellmouth.
( Never mind – I'll be able to get into Darla's inner circle eventually, I'm sure of that, ) Ford thought to himself. ( I'll just have to – hello, what's this? )
Intrigued, Ford followed another of Buffy's associates – the big-breasted brunette he had seen at the mall alongside Xander, the night the Judge had gotten blown up – as she headed out of the Bronze into the alley outside, with some guy wearing a letterman jacket.
Cordelia, for it was she, somehow managed to avoid the groping hands of Lance Brooks as she led him out of the Bronze. By this point, months of exposure to the enchanted jacket had increased her resistance to its effects – enough to now be able to ignore Lance's charisma, anyway, as Cordy led her date somewhere private.
Somewhere she could hopefully obtain the jacket and, later, use it to force Xander to realize that NO ONE did what he'd done to her!
"You know, Cordelia, you've really – uh, what's the word I'm looking for here? Oh yeah, you've definitely 'blossomed' over the last year or so," the semi-drunk Lance said, as his head swayed from side to side. "You've always been beautiful, but now you're like the, the one and only queen of Sunnydale High!"
Cordelia couldn't help agreeing with Lance as they arrived in a secluded corner of the alley. ( Yeah, that's true enough. 'Cause I may not be a senior yet, but there's a reason why I'm known as 'Queen C' around here! ) "Say – I love your jacket, Lance. Do you mind if I try it on? It's so cool and all, it'd be like the perfect fashion accessory for me!"
Under normal circumstances, Lance would have refused straightaway. The yellow and maroon jacket with the big 'S' on the left side had been handed down to him by his father, who had given his son strict instructions to never let it out of his grasp. But, as said, he was horny and kinda drunk, and so Brooks granted Cordelia's request. "Here you go, babe. Now, how about you give me some sugar?"
Without warning, Lance plunged his lips onto Cordelia's while she was holding the letterman jacket in her hands. Swallowing her initial impulse to swear and shove him away, Cordelia endured the sloppy, overenthusiastic kiss for as long as she could before breaking contact.
With a dazzling, wide-eyed, yet totally false smile, Miss Chase then said, "Wow! That was fantastic. Um, just let me try this on..."
"Don't think it fits you, sweetheart," Lance laughed drunkenly, as Cordy tried in vain to put the jacket on. "Now, where were we?"
"I'd say, you were about to spring for dinner," Ford said as he showed up on the scene. His game face was visible in the dim light of the alley, and he looked hungry.
"What are you-" Brooks started to say, before the vampire knocked him out cold.
Ford smirked, unable to hold back his glee as he stared at the helpless Happy Meal lying on the ground. Unlike his formerly human self, who would have been horrified at the spectacle, the fledgling vampire was quite enjoying himself. ( I should torture you before I kill you, but first things first. )
Ford then turned his attention to Cordy and said, "Now, before we get to the fun part, I think we should talk about the ethics of cheating on your boyfriend."
"What, what boyfriend?" Cordelia stammered, cursing herself for ever ending up in this position – alone, and about to become dead by exsanguination. ( Please, God, save me and I swear I won't use the jacket to turn Xander into my personal slave – I'll GIVE it to him instead, and-and we can start dating once he becomes as popular as I am! )
"You little tramp. You know damn well who I mean," Ford growled at the cheerleader in reply to her question. "Did you think I didn't see you and Xan together at the mall that night? Add that to the fact that he's kept one eye on you all evening-"
"He did?" Cordelia interrupted excitedly, before abruptly recalling where she was. Instinctively reverting to type she said snootily, "Well, so what? I'm Cordelia Chase, pal. EVERYBODY keeps an eye on me, everywhere I go!"
"You whore! Man, I'm gonna enjoy this-"
But just as Fordham was about to grab Cordelia and drink her, a feminine hand crashed into the side of his head with inhuman strength.
"CORDELIA, RUN!" Buffy shouted, and the rich girl was only too glad to oblige – heading straight back into the safety of the crowded Bronze.
"Hello, Summers. It's been a while," Ford said with his trademark grin after shaking his head to clear it of the pain, and the fight got started.
"Too long," Buffy replied, ducking Ford's roundhouse kick and punching the vampire in the solar plexus, and then again directly between the eyes. "This ends now, Ford."
"Yeah? Nice punch," Ford grunted, swaying aside to avoid the Slayer's next blow before hitting Buffy with a right cross to the jaw. "But not good enough. You're gonna hafta to do better than that – 'cause in case you didn't notice, Summers, I'm not a newbie anymore, and there's a new order in this town nowadays!"
Buffy paused for a moment. "So the rumors are true? The Annoying One really is dead?"
"Yep, Darla's in charge now," Ford said with a satanic smile on his demonic face, as the fight resumed. "And I swear, you oughta hear the stories she tells about you! Always whining about how you don't have a boyfriend. So, what the heck – if you're THAT desperate, you want for me to step up and fill the role? I mean, if no one human wants to touch you..."
"That's not gonna work, not anymore. Neither will that crack about how Xander will never forgive me for what I did at Hemery – because newsflash, he's already done it!" Buffy said in between a flurry of blows and kicks.
"You're lying!" the soulless vampire snarled, the first cracks in Ford's merry exterior starting to show.
"Am I? You wanna know the truth, Ford? The only person Xander hates these days is you. And not just the vampire you – the human you as well," Buffy taunted her enemy as her left foot slammed into his face, and Ford flew back ten feet and his back hit the alley wall. "You can fool yourself about it as much as you like, but you decided to become a mass murderer, and that's something he'll never forgive – and neither will I."
"What makes you think I want or need anyone's forgiveness, Summers? Evil undead here, remember?" Ford taunted her back, even though Buffy's words had hit home in his mind. "Well, gotta go; another time, sweetheart!" the bloodsucker called out, before vanishing from the alley with vampire super-speed.
"Another time," Buffy muttered to herself, going over to check on the unconscious Lance Brooks.
"Well, unless that Green Fire thingy kills you before I can..."
TBC...