After a time, Magna stopped the bike and instructed Deidra in it's mechanics, and before long, she was in the driver's seat and Magna was on the back holding on to her for dear life. She took to the bike like a fish to water. She loved the freedom she felt on it. She imagined that flying felt something like this. Magna finally had her come to a stop in the middle of a blue and green field. Next to the path where she parked the bike, a small pickup truck was also parked. Sulu was sitting in the bed, with his feet hanging off of the tailgate.
"I never imagined Merlin in a pickup truck" Deidra said. Sulu laughed, and jumped up to help her off of the motorcycle. "It's not my truck, I assure you. I have no need of driving. Magna will also give you driving lessons in this before the night is over. I just thought I'd stop by and see how the training is going?"
Deidra gushed about Magna and his fighting skills, and he blushed in pleasure. He told Sulu that Deidra was more skilled than he had previously thought she would be, and that he held every confidence that with experience in the field, she would be very capable of surviving.
Sulu watched as Magna instructed Deidra in her driving lessons, and she picked up the skill quickly. She much preferred the motorcycle, but was glad to be prepared for whatever driving would be necessary in her future. Even though she had only been learning her lessons here on Lau for a day, because of the dimension, everything she would have learned in the past 12 years of her life were now falling into place.
"I believe your physical lessons are now finished, my child. Let us head back to the main house. We'll share a meal together."
Deidra knew it would do no good to ask questions of Sulu now. That time would come later. She hopped on the motorcycle before Magna could, and smiled at him as she pulled the helmet on. He laughed and climbed into the truck. "Race you back to the house!" Deidra said, then zoomed back on the path towards the house.
"I think I'm smitten," said Magna. Sulu saw his crazy grin and clapped him on the back. "Yes, aren't we all. Just stay focused. Hopefully we'll find something in the prophecy to help guide her."
Magna's eyes clouded over. "We must help her Sulu. Now that we have found her, now that she has come here and my redemption has began…it's not about me. It's not about my redemption anymore. It's about her. And the world too, I suppose, and the Watcher and Slayer. I just want them all to be safe. I want her to be safe."
"All we can do is train her, and guide her, and support her. The choice will be hers to make. We must do our best so that she doesn't fail. That's all any of us can do." With that, Sulu clapped his hands and vanished.
"Why can't you include me and this stupid truck in that clap" Magna groused, and then he too drove back to the house.
Deidra pulled into the garage and parked the motorcycle in it's place, returning the tarp to cover it. Magna pulled in a bit later and helped her with this task, putting the helmet away as well.
"You are to meet Sulu in the garden for evening meal. This is where we say our goodbyes. It has been a pleasure to train you Deidra, and I look forward to a time when we meet again." He bowed before her.
"Thanks, Magna, for everything. I won't see you tomorrow?"
"Tomorrow you will be returned. But Sulu will be keeping watch of you, and Allison will be with you. And you'll always be in my heart. I will make sure to stay informed, and I'll help you whenever and however I can." He was beginning to get choked up, and he didn't want Deidra to see him emotional, so he turned and left.
Deidra found Sulu in the garden, and she sat beside him and began to eat her meal before he scolded her again. She didn't need coaching this time however. She was famished! All that training had invigorated her, and now her body needed feeding.
When she finished the meal, Sulu clapped again, and again the table and everything on it disappeared. Deidra just smiled at him and quirked her eyebrow. "I really would like to learn how to do that" she said.
"Sorry, my child. Merlin's privilege only." He smiled at her. Then from beneath his robes he pulled out a book and opened it before her. It was in some language that Deidra did not understand. "Translation please?" She asked Sulu with a smirk.
He closed the book and handed it to her. "Tonight when you sleep, put this book under your pillow. Everything will be revealed to you in your dreams. When you awaken, you will not be here any longer. Allison will accompany you on your journey. You will wake up in the same room, but you will have been returned to your dimension. Everything will make sense to you, more so than it does now. You will have this book with you, and it will fall to you to protect it. Your answers, your choices, are revealed within. You will also find that some other gifts from here will follow you. Allison will be your link between us. She is your guardian, and will be able to communicate with us here now and then. But remember, only you can make the choices, as the "Forgotten One." We can all guide you, and support you, but only you can fight the good fight."
Sulu stood and offered his hand down to Deidra to help her up. "When you are rested, look for the Watcher and Slayer. You need to explain to them the prophecy. Show the Watcher the book, and then he will believe and be able to help you. Befriend the Slayer, which will be quite easy for you to do. I predict the two of you will be close. You both are a lot alike in personality, and your loyalty to each other will bond you. I know you worry about their acceptance of you, but this book will help them to believe, and accept."
He knew her feelings for the Watcher, and was hesitant to explain further, but knew that he must. He touched her face and softly continued. "I know you have great feelings for the Watcher. He was your childhood love. But neither one of you are children anymore. Your return will cause you maturity and growth just as if you never left your natural time dimension. Your heart will change with the knowledge of your choices. You'll bring them together, and your heart will hurt because of it. But I promise you, love and greatness will come to you as well, if you make the right choices. The Watcher will love you, he does love you, but he is not your destiny. His destiny has always been his Slayer. Remember that always."
Deidra placed the book under the pillow, and climbed into the soft bed with a heavy heart. She didn't believe that sleep would come easy, but she was wrong. And the dreams began.
The morning sunshine of Earth caressed Deidra's face, and awakened her. She was in the same room she had fallen asleep in. The bed was the same, the furniture was the same, the door to the bathroom was the same. She climbed out of bed and gazed out the window. Sulu's garden was gone. In it's place was a forest, and in the distance, a barn. She was no longer in the Laus dimension. She fell to her knees as her mind was flooded with the visions of her dreams from the night.
She had seen it all. She had felt it all. Buffy had died, twice. She had to kill her own first love, Angel, a vampire with a soul. Buffy had also felt so alone after her return from heaven. She would understand some of Deidra's pain after leaving Laus. Rupert had mourned, suffered, been beaten, tortured, and fought so many battles, and had survived mostly in tact. He had fulfilled his destiny a hundred times over, and so had Buffy. Yet, still they fought. The battles never seemed to end. And she was going to be bringing them at least one more.
Deidra also had seen Travers try and destroy Rupert and Buffy. And he had failed. In fact, Travers had brought the Watcher and Slayer even closer together after Buffy's trial on her 18th birthday, and then again when they sought information on Glory. Travers had thought he was free of Buffy when she died to save the world from Glory's portal, but she had come back, and defeated the First. The Watcher's Council had been destroyed by the First, but the Watcher and the Slayer had not. And they continued to fight to this very day. Hopefully they would accept Deidra, and the book she now possessed under her pillow would aid them in the battle to come. The dreams had done more than show Deidra all of the Watcher and Slayer's torments and successes however. It had revealed to her their fierce loyalty and love for one another. It was true, and it was right, and she would never break that bond. She didn't want to break that bond, even as her own heart was tearing in two. She resolved to concentrate on the journey ahead, and to let go of the past. That was all that she could do.
A soft knock on the door brought her back up to a standing position. Allison opened the door at Deidra's invitation. "How are you feeling?"
Deidra wasn't sure how to answer that. She smiled softly at Allison. Her guardian smiled back. "I know. You don't have to answer. I hope you are at least rested. It is time for you to be going soon. I've got a breakfast prepared for you."
The tea sat cold on the table before Deidra, Buffy, and Giles. Once she had begun to talk, the words just kept flowing, and Buffy and Giles were rooted to their spot on the couch. Tears had come to all of their eyes several times as she talked. Buffy had paled when Deidra spoke of the Cruciamentum, and Giles had sunk into the couch.
"When I went out to the barn, there was my motorcycle and the beat up truck. I took the motorcycle to Sunnydale, following Allison's instructions, but you weren't there. On my way back to here, I came upon you and the Lossaga Demons." Deidra then stood up and went to the bookshelf behind her chair. She grabbed a book off the top shelf and handed it out to Giles. He grasped the book and held it before him and Buffy. It was the book from the Laus dimension.
Giles looked up at Deidra, her face a blank, masking all emotions. "I don't know what to say Deidra. Words cannot express…they are not enough…I'm so sorry for what you went through…"
"So, even though you've been gone for over twenty years, it hasn't been that long to you?" Buffy asked.
Deidra returned to the chair. "In some ways it has been just days since I was kidnapped, but with all that I have learned and seen and experienced on Laus, it has been many lifetimes. I know this is a lot to absorb for you both, believe me, I'm still absorbing it all. But the Last Battle is coming soon, and we need to help each other. I'm hoping, Rupert, that you can find something in that book that I couldn't find, some answer to help us."
"I will try." Giles answered.
Buffy yawned beside him. "Where is Allison now? I'd like to meet her?" Buffy asked.
Deidra again got up from the chair and began to gather the tea cups and return them to the kitchen sink. "She pops in when she's needed. I believe she is conferring with Sulu right now in Laus. I think she'll be back in the morning. She'll come to Sunnydale with us. Right now I think it's best if we all get some sleep. Come, I'll show you to your rooms."
Buffy and Giles would want to talk, but right now sleep seemed more important. Both could barely keep their eyes open. It had been a long day indeed. Deidra showed them to the guest rooms, and then returned to her own soft bed. She hoped to not dream tonight. She just wanted to wash away all the anguish and fatigue that had weighed her down. She had thought a weight would be lifted off of her chest after finding them, and telling them of what had happened. She knew they believed her, and that they would perhaps help her. But she didn't know if they truly accepted her. She would have to prove to them that she was no part of Quentin Travers.
In the morning Deidra was awakened to the sound of the television in the other room. She showered and changed, and went into the room, and stopped dead in her tracks.
"Magna!?" She screamed. Buffy looked up from the show she was watching and saw Deidra staring at the television with a shocked look on her face. "Magna? Who, what?"
Deidra pointed at the man on the television. "There, in the telly. That's him, er, it looks like Magna!" Buffy turned back to the character on the television and started to laugh. Deidra looked at her with confusion.
"I'm sorry, I don't mean to laugh at you. It's just that, that man, that's Indiana Jones! He's a character played by Harrison Ford. Is that what your Magna looks like?"
Deidra joined Buffy on the couch, never taking her eyes off of the television. "Yes, it looks just like him, with the Fedora and everything."
Buffy chuckled further. "First Billy Idol steals Spike's looks, and now Indiana Jones is impersonating Magna. How original!"
When Giles awakened a bit later, he found his Slayer and his old friend cuddled up on the couch together, engrossed in something on the television. "Bloody Priceless," he whispered under his breath.
Buffy felt Giles' presence behind her and glanced up and saw his scowl. "Isn't there other things we could be doing just now?" Giles asked.
"I couldn't sleep anymore and was feeling restless so I came out here and turned on the TV. One of my favorite movies happened to be on. Deidra came out and said that Magna looks like Indiana Jones. I don't think she has seen much television." Buffy chuckled at her new friend.
"I've seen television, briefly." Deidra smiled. "It's just so fascinating how real Magna, er, Indy looks. I could swear that is Magna." Deidra got up and started to putter in the kitchen, getting some breakfast cooked for the trio. Buffy jumped up and turned off the television. "I'll just go get dressed." She was wearing some flannel pajamas that Deidra had found in a dresser for her. Deidra had told her last night that Sulu seemed to have provided things they needed.
The three were sitting down to breakfast at the corner nook of the kitchen when Allison came in.
"Hi Allison!" Said Deidra. Giles and Buffy just stared. She really was beautiful beyond words, they thought.
"Allison, this is Buffy and Rupert, the Slayer and Watcher. This is Allison, my guardian from Laus. Did you find out anything from Sulu?"
"Hello." She said to Buffy and Giles. "You were right Deidra. Sulu agrees the threat is still eminent, and we must continue to be careful and watchful. Your instincts are correct."
"What's going on?" asked Buffy.
"I sent Allison to talk to Sulu about the Watcher's Council. I realized when I arrived back here to this dimension, that the First had destroyed the Council earlier this year, and most likely Travers with it. If Travers is dead, then I wondered if all of this is for nothing, and that we are all safe. I still felt a threat however, so Allison went to confer."
"Yes, Sulu said that he couldn't see if Travers was destroyed for sure, but that all signs point that 'The Forgotten One' will still be sought after, and the dimensions will still bleed unless you and the Watcher and Slayer can prevent it. Sulu said as always, the decision rests with you." She smiled softly at Deidra.
"Well then," began Giles, "let's finish breakfast and head back to Sunnydale. We'll have more resources there."
After breakfast, Deidra showed Buffy to the phone so she could call Willow and alert the gang to their arrival and two new companions. Willow said she'd call the gang together for an evening meeting. Deidra would take her motorcycle into Sunnydale, and she gave Giles the keys to the truck for him and Buffy to ride back in, with them taking the lead. Allison had no need for automobile transportation. She said that she'd take care of securing the cabin and barn, and she'd meet them later.
"So how are you doing, Giles? It's been a heck of a lot to absorb eh?" Buffy asked her Watcher as they drove back to Sunnydale.
Giles kept his eyes on the road, but Buffy could see his Adam's apple rapidly move in his throat as he swallowed several times. "It's a lot to process."
"It sure is. But I like her a lot, and I believe her. Plus, that book sure looks, well, authentic…to use a Giles big word." Buffy smiled as she teased him. He just grunted at her, but she could tell she had amused him. She liked it when he smiled, or laughed. He did it so rarely. She had decided to make that a new goal in her life. After conquering the First, and having him gone so long in Europe, she needed him to know how important he was to her. She had missed him so much, and she was ecstatic when he told her he would remain in Sunnydale. There was nothing left for him in England, with the disbanding of what remained of the Watcher's Council. Disbanding was maybe not the correct word to use. Destroyed was a better word. But there would always be vampires and demons to fight, especially on a Hellmouth. Giles had said that is where he belonged, by her side, fighting until he was no longer able to fight. Buffy had hugged him so hard he had groaned, fearing that his ribs were breaking. Now the two had never been closer, and Buffy had matured and realized how important to her he was. They never talked about it, but she intended to show him in little ways every day. She loved him, and wanted him safe and happy. She wanted him with her always, and not just as her Watcher. But she knew she would have to take it slow. These feelings for him, they were new to her as well. It was best to take things slowly.
And now Deidra was here. A woman from his past. Well, she had been a "girl" from his past. He had never known Deidra as a woman. And a beautiful woman at that. Deidra was much taller than Buffy was, at least five foot nine, and she had lovely brown hair. Jenny had had dark hair. Deidra also knew how to hold her own, fought valiantly against those Lossogas demons without getting a scratch on her. Buffy knew logically that she should have felt threatened by Deidra, afraid that she would take Giles away from her. But instead Buffy felt the need to help her, to protect her, just as if Deidra was still that child that had been taken away from her friend, her books, her so called home.
Buffy had suffered at the hands of Travers herself, and the wretched Council. Her trial at her 18th birthday had been bad. Giles, she felt then, had betrayed her, by poisoning her and weakening her and leaving her helpless. But again, that had been the Council's fault. Giles had just been doing what he was told to do, and even then, in the end, he couldn't follow through and did all he could to protect Buffy. And Zachary, that evil vampire, had taken her mother. But her mother had lived. Luisa, Deidra's mother, had not lived, and had much more evil done to her than Buffy could ever imagine. The suffering Slayers had to go through in their daily existence was hellish enough, but to die at the hands of a man you thought was on your side and was suppose to protect you? It was a good thing Travers was dead by that explosion from the First, otherwise Buffy would hunt him down and tear out his worthless excuse of a beating heart herself.
"I believe her too." Said Giles. "In our line of work, anything is possible." They both chuckled a bit at that.
"For sure." Agreed Buffy.
"I've heard the name Sulu before, and I believe I've translated his works as well. I'll study the book in detail later. I am concerned right now about Deidra. She's been through a lot. I feel like I've failed her so much already, and I don't want to fail her anymore."
"No Giles. It's not your fault. If anyone is to blame it's the Watcher's Council. They are so evil! I'm so mad at them I could just spit! And I know that Deidra doesn't blame you either, so stop blaming yourself. If the last year has taught us anything Giles, it's that evil exists, and it's not our fault. As you've told me many times before, we have a calling. It's a calling that never ends. Not even in my death apparently." She was trying to joke, but realized as soon as she said it that is wasn't very funny.
"Sorry. That was lame. I'm just feeling so awful for Deidra right now. I can't wait to hit something, you know?"
"I know, Buffy. And we'll work this all out, and we will win. With you fighting, and with everything that Deidra has apparently learned, I have every confidence that we will all survive and be victorious once again."
He turned then and smiled at Buffy. She could see his trust and confidence in her in that gaze, and it filled her like a warm glow inside. Yes, they would figure this out, and keep Deidra and everyone else safe. What couldn't they do, if they were together?
They drove along in silence for awhile, both lost in their own thoughts. Every once in awhile Buffy would glance over at Giles profile, admiring him, and wondering what his thoughts were about. He looked very serious, and she wanted to help lighten his mood.
"I've just had a great idea Giles!"
"Hmm?" He said, without changing expression or looking up from his driving.
"I think that when we have saved the day yet again, and Deidra is safe, and the world is safe, I think then you should give me some driving lessons. I want to get a motorcycle like Deidra has!"
Giles blanched, arched his eyebrows and said, "Then the world would seriously be in trouble. Don't you think I get enough bumps on the head?"
Buffy elbowed him in the shoulder.
"Ouch! Watch that slayer strength" he said as he rubbed his right shoulder with his left hand, keeping his right hand firmly on the wheel.
"Isn't watching your job?" Buffy teased. "Besides, you're a great teacher! I'll do great under your tutelage. Just look at my S.A.T. scores for proof of that."
"I'm flattered, Buffy." He rolled his eyes at her, but then smiled. "I'm sure we can get some lessons in eventually, but I am not recommending a motorcycle for you anytime soon. A tank perhaps, or some other big vehicle, but definitely not a motorcycle."
"Well, one bite out of the cookie at a time I guess." She smiled sweetly at him, and then leaned over and kissed his cheek. He was so startled he almost drove off the road.
"What was that for?" He asked
"I just felt like it." Buffy answered. "I'm very grateful for you Giles, for everything. I can never make up for all the times I've hurt you." She was serious suddenly. "I know I've treated you wrongly for so long, ignored you, hurt you, took you for granted. I just want you to know that I am sorry, and that you mean a lot to me. Always." She was afraid to look at him, and she couldn't remember ever being that honest with her feelings for him before. She was afraid she almost said too much.
Giles took his eyes off the road to gaze at her for a moment. He saw just how serious she was.
"Buffy, you owe me no apologies. There isn't anything you haven't done that I didn't do ten times over when I was young. That is part of growing up. It's only natural. I just wish I could have protected you more."
"There you go again, Giles, blaming yourself for things that are not your fault. Please, don't."
Giles smiled at her. "What has brought all this on?"
Buffy gathered her thoughts for a moment. She wanted to answer him, but without sounding like a little girl. She wanted him to know she cared for him, that he was important to her, and that she meant it and was not being frivolous. Another Giles word, she thought…frivolous.
"I've been thinking a lot lately what a good team we are, and now with Deidra and everything, I guess I just want to make sure that nothing comes between us again, ever. I mean, don't get me wrong, I like Deidra a lot, and I want to do everything we can to help her, but I feel that we have gotten closer lately, and I don't want anything to wreck that. I've done enough in the past to wreck things, and I don't want to hurt you anymore, not ever. I just don't want to lose you again. I don't want you to ever leave me again."
Giles heart almost broke at that. He should have never left her before. He had promised her once that he would never leave, and then after her return, he had done just that. He told himself it was for her own good. She had to learn to rely on herself, and not be so dependent. She had leaned on him to the point that he had been a crutch. But he also had to leave for himself. He loved her, and being so close to her every day, yet being so far from her, had torn him up inside. So he ran. And caused nothing but destruction by doing so. Buffy had turned to Spike just to feel something. Dawn had stolen to get attention, and Willow, well, Willow had abused the magics in hideous ways. He could never ever make it up to them. But he would never leave them again. He would prove everyday to Buffy that she could count on him for anything.
"You will never lose me, Buffy. Not ever. I promise." He took her left hand in his. They remained clasped tightly together the rest of the drive home to Sunnydale, neither speaking, but just enjoying their contact.
Following behind them was Deidra on her motorcycle. She had seen Buffy kiss him on the cheek. Her heart broke, and then hardened. Deidra knew that was the way it was to be. She was happy for them both, they did belong together. She knew that. She knew they completed each other, that Buffy and Giles were meant to be together. She would just have to keep telling herself that. But she felt so alone.
Meanwhile, in Sunnydale, Xander was just putting the finishing touches on the Magic Box remodeling job. He had done all the work himself, and was quite proud of it. Anya was anxious to open the store again, even though Giles would be back under foot. She hoped this new "world crisis" would keep him busy enough that he let her be. Not that she didn't like having him back in Sunnydale. Of course she did. But she wanted the Magic Box all to herself.
The rest of the gang was starting to filter in. Dawn had returned from her friend's house and was helping Anya with some of the new inventory. It all had to be catalogued and shelved before the new grand opening early next week. Xander was in the back finishing up the training room. He had a feeling it was going to get some use soon. Willow was already at work looking through books for anything she could find on the Forgotten One. Buffy had told her briefly over the phone that morning about Deidra. Willow was anxious to meet her. She had a ton of questions regarding Sulu, and the Laus dimension. Plus, she wanted to ask Deidra about what Giles had been like as a boy. She just knew that would make him squirm. Stuffy tweed guy, as a little boy! Giles never talked about himself, especially of his past growing up in England. Perhaps Deidra could enlighten them.
Willow was having no luck with the research, and her focus just wasn't on either. She was anxious for Buffy and Giles' return, and looked forward to meeting Deidra. The studying could wait. "Xander?!" She yelled towards the training room. "I'm going to order a pizza, and it's your job to pick it up, okay?"
Xander came out of the room covered in dust and grime. "Do I have a choice?" he teased.
"See this? It's my resolve face." Willow said, and then the two burst out laughing. It was good to have all that business of the First behind them. After that, anything else should be a piece of cake.
Or so they thought.